Page 121 of Rush the Edge

We stand for so long I forget how we got here.

But unfortunately for me, Daisy has questions.

Forty-One

DAISY

“How long has he been gambling?”I ask quietly.

I glance at the door behind Kane nervously, like we’re back in time, tucked away in my childhood bedroom, afraid my parents or River will know he snuck inside.

Kane eventually drops his arms and pulls away from me. I release the grip I had around his waist, but I keep my feet planted in front of him. Adding distance between us feels wrong, especially now.

The last time he trusted me with the truth, I pushed him away, for good reasons. But this time, I’m staying put.

Kane’s intense gaze never wavers. “It never stopped.”

My thoughts freeze. “Never?”

His hard jaw tightens, the faint light enhancing the sharp edges of his face. “He didn’t reach out to me for about a year after I left for the juniors…”

I glance away briefly, knowing the reason why. It isn’t guilt that I feel for doing what I did, but I recognize the brief doses of fear, as if Kane will feel betrayed if he finds out that I meddled with a truth I never should’ve been privy to.

“But since then, it’s been near constant.” Kane runs a hand through his hair, messing up the perfect style leftover from the media shoot. “He bled me dry one time. That’s why Malaki moved in with me. He covered the rent.”

My mouth parts slightly.Just how much money is Miles losing these days?

“Who else knows?”

He glances away. “Just Malaki. Your brother still believes what everyone else does—that I’m the one with the gambling problem.”

I stare at my devil horn headband on the ground—the same one that I threw at him moments ago.

“And now you.”

My heart skips a beat when our eyes catch. He looks so vulnerable with his closed-lip frown but so resilient too. Broad shoulders, tense with frustration, but a heart that bleeds on the inside.

“I thought you said you’d never trust me again.”

Kane takes a step toward me, and for the first time, I remain still. Surprise flickers against his features, only to smooth when he’s less than a breath away. I’m lost in the quiet moment, my heart thudding.

I look at his mouth, tracing the perfect curve of his lips with my eyes.

I’m desperate for the feeling his kiss leaves behind.

My breathing slows when Kane buries his fingers into my hair. He cups the side of my face, and I grab onto his wrist. “I don’t want to trust anyone,” he admits. “Especially you…”

His words cut me, and I look away.

He quickly pulls me back to him by gripping my chin and tilting my face. “That’s only because being close to you leads to all the wrong things.”

I watch as Kane’s Adam’s apple bobs slowly with a swallow.

“I wasn’t man enough to ask you back then…” His words linger.

A noise leaves me when Kane’s hand lands on the small of my back, pushing me flush against him. Our pounding heartbeats blend, and the room grows hot.

“Ask me what?”

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