Jace wasn’t backing down.

That much was obvious.

Everleigh had started this game, but somehow, somewhere along the way… he had flipped the script.

And now?

She was the one who felt like she was being hunted.

The worst part?

Jace wasn’t doing anything outright.

No insults. No yelling. No shoving.

Just smirks. Stares. Subtle touches that lingered just a second too long.

And it was messing with her.

Everleigh Carter was many things—fearless, stubborn, impossible to intimidate.

But Jace Donovan?

He was making her second-guess every rule she thought she knew.

And she hated him for it.

That Afternoon – Library

Everleigh had gone to the library for one reason: to clear her head.

It wasn’t working.

Not when Jace strolled in like he owned the damn place, his sharp gaze finding her instantly.

Her body tensed. No. No, no, no.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

Not here. Not when she was still trying to shake off the way his words from earlier had gotten to her.

Jace smirked, moving lazily toward her table. "Cramming, Carter?"

Everleigh glared, flipping a page in her textbook without looking up. "Go away, Donovan."

He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She clenched her jaw. "Seriously?"

Jace shrugged. "What? It’s a free country."

Everleigh inhaled sharply through her nose. Don’t react. Don’t let him win.

But Jace… he was determined.

And then? He did it again.

That damn touch.

A slow, deliberate brush of his fingers along the back of her hand as he reached for her pen.

Like it was an accident.

It wasn’t.

And they both knew it.

Everleigh’s pulse jumped.

She snatched her pen away, finally looking up at him—big mistake.

Because Jace was already looking at her.

Waiting. Watching. Studying.

Like he could see right through her.

"Something wrong, Carter?" he murmured, his voice low, teasing.

Everleigh’s fingers curled into fists beneath the table. Do not react.

"You wish," she muttered, forcing herself to focus on her book.

Jace chuckled. "I don’t need to wish, sweetheart."

And with that, he leaned back, completely unbothered, while Everleigh sat there—her heartbeat too fast, her mind too loud.

What was happening?

How had she let him get this close?

And more importantly…

Why wasn’t she stopping him?