Page 2 of Rush the Edge

I slowly take a seat on her bed and place my elbows on my knees. I stare at her bedroom floor. “I’m better.”

She breathes out a sigh of relief. “Good.”

I turn my attention toward her. “Because of you.”

She tries to brush me off with a shake of her head. “I didn’t do much. I just listened.”

I chuckle. “You did more than that. You somehow always know how to ground me.”

A soft smile curves on her face, and for the first time since being drafted to the juniors, I have reservations. It’s a competitive league, one where every single player is playing their best to be called up to the pros. We practice a shit ton and travel constantly. Where does she fit into all of that?

The parting of her lips scatters all my thoughts. “The distance will help,” she adds quietly. “Your mom will come around eventually, and hopefully Miles will remember that you nearly sacrificed your future for him, and it’ll keep him from making poor decisions.”

I snort. “I don’t know about that.”

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing you’ll be far away from here,” she jokes.

Our eyes catch. Panic surges through my veins, and I involuntarily grab onto her hand. “What if I don’t want to be far away from you?”

A worry line appears in between her eyebrows. “What?”

My heart starts to race. The pressure begins to cave in on me, just like it was last night before I came to Daisy. “What did last night mean to you?” I ask, desperate to know what she’s thinking.

Daisy’s blue eyes widen. There’s something deep within them that I can’t read. I give her hand a squeeze, but a moment later, she pulls hers away, leaving me with an open palm and a stomach full of worry.

“Kane…” Daisy bites her bottom lip. “Last night was…amazing. But…”

A nervous laugh tumbles from her mouth, and I take it as a warning to get as far away from her as possible. Call me a pessimist, but I know she’s going to stick a knife right in my heart.

I stand abruptly and peer down at her. I pull down a mask that even she can’t see through. “So, what? You just wanted to use me to take your virginity?” I ask with a bite to my tone. Hurt slips onto her features, but I ignore it to the best of my ability. “Just like my brother used me to take the fall for a crime I didn’t commit?”

Daisy gasps. “That is not fair, Kane.”

She shakes her head and throws the covers off her legs to stand in front of me. We’re a foot away as I tower over her smaller frame. My ears ring as she stares up at me.

“You’re leaving today,” she says.

I stay silent.

“And you’re...you.” She crosses her arms and lowers her voice. “Not to mention, River’s best friend.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “I’m…what?”

She huffs. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

I mimic her stance and cross my arms.

“Fine,” she snaps quietly. “You’re a player, Kane. You’ve been with tons of girls, and now you’re about to be halfway across the United States with so many of them throwing themselves at you. Last night was…” She glances away. “You know there is no future for us. You’re about to go do big things and achieve your goal—something you weren’t even sure you’d be able to do, considering the last few months. There’s nothing left here for you.”

Except you.

My hands shake with the need to grab her and kiss her or, better yet, punch a fucking wall. Her refusal slices away at the last bit ofgoodin my life, and she’s right. There is nothing left here for me.

I reach forward and grab the hem of my t-shirt hanging loosely on her frame. I pull it up and over her head then bundle it in my hand with a firm grip. One last look is shared between us, and as much as it kills me, I turn angrily and stride out of her bedroom.

There’s a knot in my throat that makes it hard to swallow. My lungs scream for air, and my heart screams for her.

But after last night, I’ll never listen to that thing inside my chest ever again.

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