Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Am I coming on too strong? I know everyone isn’t a hugger.”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.” Great. Now she was going to think I was scared of her. Go Linc. I really fucking sucked at this.
“Hmmm…”
I suddenly feared she hated me. That she was on Team Jude in the Rush-would-never-date-you-because-you’re-not-good-enough-for-him camp. It was a ridiculous place for my thoughts to go, but yeah, I was a bit ridiculous myself.
“Really, I’m great.” I tugged on my shirt, wondering where in the fuck Rush was. Stupid sling. He couldn’t drive with the damn thing.
Rush and Jude approached us from the direction of Rush’s bedroom. That was odd. The other rooms were on the other side of the house, which meant he had what? Been hanging out with Rush in his bedroom while he got ready?
“Let me fix this for you, jackass,” Jude said, tweaking Rush’s sling around his neck, adjusting it as though it were a collar he had to straighten.
“I forgot how much of an asshole you are,” Rush teased back.
“Takes one to know one.”
“Oh my God. Remember at prom when our dates went off on us and called us Asshole One and Asshole Two because we didn’t pay enough attention to them all night?”
Jude laughed, and my stomach sank. They had memories. And laughs. And everyone else in the room disappeared when they were together. I sort of got how those prom girls felt.
“They were so pissed.”
“I had a good excuse. I was gay and in the closet. You were just an asshole,” Rush joked and damn it, my stomach went even further south. They truly had this…thing. Like history and friendship and probably secret lust, and oh my God, I really, really liked Rush. Why had I done this? I should have stopped fucking him a long time ago. Beau had been right.
“Oh, hey. Hi. I’m here.” Because that was the smart thing to say. I might as well wear a sign proclaiming I was jealous and needy.
Rush turned toward me like he just remembered I was there. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt with Ride or Die and some dude on a dirt bike jumping over the words on it. “Hey, Red. Thanks for coming.”
He walked over to me and kissed my forehead. For the first time in my life, I almost melted into a puddle of goo. “Eh, I could have been getting a pedicure, but someone has to drive your ass around. Might as well be me.”
Everyone looked at me, and I froze for a moment, wondering what I did wrong. But then Rush chuckled and ruffled my hair like I was ten. I jerked back. How in the hell were they supposed to think we were dating if he treated me like his kid brother? I never understood why he did that to my hair.
But then I remembered I didn’t want them to think we were dating, so I guessed it was okay.
“When you get back we can fuck around with the bikes if you want,” Jude told him.
“He can’t ride. He just had surgery and only has the use of one arm!” jumped out of my mouth. What the fuck was Jude thinking? “Those things are dangerous, and this should be a lesson.”
“Cars are dangerous too, and stairs. I know someone who broke their ankle walking down stairs,” Rush replied, just before Jude said, “If you think you’re ever going to keep Rush off a bike, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Oh yes. There was definitely some I’m-not-as-straight-as-I-seem-and-I-want-to-bone-Rush tension coming off his best friend. “I never said I wanted to keep Rush off his bike. I know him. I know how much he loves riding.” He was totally trying to show he knew Rush better than I did, which was true, but I wasn’t going to make it easy on him.
Jude shrugged. “Just making sure.”
Rush shook his head at Jude and then turned back to me. “He wasn’t talking about riding. Jude and I work on bikes for fun—at least we used to. We went out today and bought an old dirt bike to work on. That’s it.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what else to say.
“We’ll catch you guys later.” Rush put his good hand on the back of my neck, brushing his thumb against the tender skin there and making me tremble.
I liked him. I liked Rush Alexander, and for the first time, I wanted to try and date someone. I was so totally fucked.
CHAPTER TEN
Rush
It took a lot of guts for Rush Alexander to come out as gay in supercross!
“You’re pouting.” I watched Linc’s face flush and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. He was so damn cute when I called him out—his jaw clenched in anger, but it didn’t take away from the softness of his face and features.