I battle a mixture of relief and disappointment when I see the damp grass surrounding the broad trunk is as deserted as the rest of campus has been. I stop jogging when I reach the base of the tree and use its trunk for support as I double knot my laces and stretch my hamstrings. The rain has picked up. Heavy drops of water patter against the colorful leaves overhead.

The sound of a familiar voice startles me. “I’ve got to say Sunday morning was a first for me. I’m usually the one sneaking out.”

I turn around. The surge of happiness I experience when I see his features startles me, so I quickly cover it with snark. “I hope your ego has had time to recover,” I reply. “Do the girls you sneak out on usually show up on your run the following day?”

“You’re the one waiting at the tree you know is on my normal running route.”

“I’m not waiting. I was stretching.”

Jace raises his eyebrows in a silent challenge, but doesn’t reply. I look away from him and resume the stretch he interrupted.

“You stole my favorite t-shirt.” Jace breaks the silence.

My cheeks warm, and I hope they were already flushed from the chilly fall air. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I guess you must have forgotten you were wearing it in your rush to sneak out without waking me up.”

I don’t answer, choosing to keep my gaze on the fallen leaves dotting the emerald grass. I startle when Jace’s warm hand tilts my chin up. His discerning eyes probe mine as a few stray droplets of rain roll down his face.

“Why did you sneak out, Vivienne?” he asks softly.

“I woke up, and you were still sleeping, so I left,” I summarize succinctly. Jace opens his mouth to say something in response, but unbidden words continue to pour out before he has the chance to. “I’ve never done that before, but it seemed like it would simplify things.”

Jace’s brow furrows, and he drops his warm hand from my flushed face.

“Never done what before? Snuck out?”

“Slept with someone,” I blurt. Fresh heat floods my cheeks, which I doubt Jace will miss.

“Slept with someone or had sex with someone?” he clarifies.

“Either,” I whisper.

Jace looks startled. “Oh.”

“I told you my family is overprotective, and they’re pretty strict about who I’m allowed to socialize with and when. But—” I look up, and the tenderness in Jace’s gaze prompts me to keep speaking. “—even with all that, I probably could have managed to, if I’d known someone that I wanted to be with that way.”

I shut my mouth quickly, realizing what I’ve inadvertently implied. Not that Jace isn’t aware of my attraction to him, especially after Saturday night. I drop Jace’s stare, feeling exposed and vulnerable in front of someone I never expected to feel that way with once, let alone twice. I don’t even have alcohol as an excuse this time.