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)
“I don’t have a problem.”
“You’ve been avoiding me and acting weird. It’s been months. At first I ignored it, but now it’s pissing me off.” There was a bite to Rush’s voice he didn’t typically have. Rush sounded rattled too.
“I’m not avoiding you.” I wasn’t. Okay, I probably was, but I’d figure it out. It wasn’t like I’d do it forever.
“Now you’re treating me like I’m stupid. Don’t do that.”
I sighed, knowing he was right and feeling shitty about it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’ll get over it. I’ll fix it.” I had to fix it. The alternative was losing Rush as a friend, and I couldn’t bear the thought of that.
“Did I fuck up with you, Red?”
I gasped. It was the first time he’d used the name outside the bedroom. “Why do you call me that?”
He winked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Obviously, since I’ve asked eleven thousand times…give or take a few.” I grinned, and he did the same. “No, you didn’t fuck up with me. It’s me, but I’ll fix it,” I said again. “I promise.”
“You know you can talk to me, right?”
I nodded. I did know that, but again, it was all my shit that kept me from doing it, not Rush. I only really talked to Beau, and even he didn’t know it all. Even if I could make sense of my strange feelings, they weren’t something I could share with Beau either.
“Good race this weekend. Next time I’ll take you out to ice cream, instead of Sawyer.” I should have thought of that…should have thought of something. Ugh. I was a shitty friend.
“I’d like that.” He peeled the paper off Cam’s bottle. He did little things like that to keep himself busy. “My Atlanta race is coming up. You guys should all go. I can get you good seats.”
“Okay. That sounds fun.” See? We could do this. Beau was wrong. Fucking wasn’t going to screw up our friendship.
Rush smiled, but I could tell something else was on his mind.
“I didn’t fuck anyone today, and I certainly didn’t have sex with Sawyer.”
He didn’t? He’d looked like it. Rush had this energy about him after he fucked, like he was the goddamned king of the world or something, and that was how he’d looked when he’d come in. A part of me relaxed at what he said, but I didn’t want to feel that way, didn’t want it to matter if Rush had sex with someone or not. “Not my business if you did.”
He shook his head, stood, and stared right at me. “But it could be, if you wanted,” he replied, and I gasped, struck stupid, unable to reply. Rush leaned over, kissed my forehead, and walked away.
CHAPTER FOUR
Rush
It’s the sixth week of the season, and Rush Alexander is still our points leader!
I loved racing in Atlanta. There was something about being close to home, smelling the familiar air and riding in familiar dirt, that made the thrill a little sharper, the excitement run deeper, the need to win surge stronger.
It was the sixth week, and I had the red plate, which meant I was taking the season so far. I’d finished first or second in every race, which was my best start ever. It was my year. Want and determination fueled me, and there was no option other than proving that tonight.
I was in the pits, which was where fans could come to get autographs and such. I’d just finished a quick signing and was heading to my trailer, when I heard, “Oh, wait. Is that Rush Alexander? One more autograph?” I couldn’t help it—I grinned at Linc’s voice behind me. Rolling my eyes, I turned around and saw him with Ash, Beau, Cam, and Sawyer, but it was Red who held my gaze.
“You’re ridiculous, do you know that?” I said to him just as someone else told them, “Excuse me. You can’t go back there.”
“It’s cool. They’re with me,” I said, and he nodded as my friends went through the gate to come and talk to me.
“Well…it’s not ice cream, but…” Linc curtsied, and I laughed as I took him in. He wore a jersey with my name and number, and a hat that said: Rush. I loved that he didn’t hide who he was there. Sure, he wasn’t the only guy wearing my merchandise, but he was likely the only one curtsying. It was one of my favorite things about him, that Linc was unapologetically who he was…well, most of the time. I wasn’t dumb. I knew he hid shit too. Probably more than any of us knew.
“How many times do I have to say I didn’t have sex with Rush?” Sawyer asked. I still couldn’t believe Linc had thought that, thought I’d do that to him. And even if I would, which I wouldn’t, Sawyer wasn’t much for casual hookups.