Page 24 of Rush the Edge

He pulls into the parking garage for the apartment complex without answering me. I practically fall out of his car trying to get to the elevator first. Unfortunately for me, he catches right up with his chuckle hitting the back of my neck.

I press against the wall of the elevator to get away from him, but he doesn’t let me off that easy. He turns and stares right at me. I try to avoid his gaze because I know he’s trying to make me feel uncomfortable, but as the seconds pass, I start to think I would’ve been better off with Creepy McCreeperson.

Kane stays ramrod straight with his sights set on me as I watch the number of floors increase. My heart beats so hard it weighs me down.

I move toward the door when we’re one floor away from mine, but then, the elevator jerks, and I almost fall into him.

With one finger on the redstopbutton, Kane reaches out with his other hand and steadies me around the waist. Everything, including my breathing, comes to a halt. I tilt my chin, and our eyes collide.

“What are you doing?”This can’t be good.

A shallow swallow moves down my throat with the distant memory of us in my childhood bedroom, hidden behind a locked door with secrecy. I remember every single part of him, down to the tiny, faint scar on his forehead.

His hand tightens on my waist as he pushes us both toward the door. My back hits the cool metal, and he traps me there with not only his arrogance but his weight too.

I’m suddenly caged in between his arms and forced to meet his intimidating glare.

“Let’s get something straight, Daisy-Petal.” Kane’s neck moves with his Adam’s apple bobbing, and my nostrils flare from his overwhelming, spicy scent. He smells like ice, cologne, and…the past.He smells like him. “The only reason you’re still in this complex is because of River, and the only reason I set you up with that interview is because River had asked if I knew of any job openings.”

I dig deep for my confidence and level my chin. “The real reason you set me up with that interview is because you assumed I wouldn't take the job.”

He shrugs. “I should have known better. But don’t get this twisted in that pretty little head of yours…I don’t want you around. You’re River’s little sister. That’s all you are to me, just like from before.”

I take a page out of his book and pretend like I’m unbothered by his words.

My jaw becomes sturdier when he drops his gaze to my mouth, waiting for my rebuttal.

“Funny...” A quiet, sarcastic laugh flows in between us. “I remember the day I said something similar to you… It sure seemed like I meant more to you then.”

His eye twitches. “That was then. This is now. I don’t want you to think that I wantyou here for any other reason than River. If that means I have to help watch out for you, then so be it.”

There’s a burning hole in my stomach that gets bigger the longer he keeps me caged in between his arms. It’s so hard not to be swept off my feet with his masculine scent filling my senses and his dark-blue eyes staring down at me. “Fine,” I finally say.

“Well, then.” Kane nods. “Glad we got that taken care of.”

Annoyed that he still has me trapped and is continuing to waft his warm, minty breath in my direction, I blurt the next thing that comes to mind. “Since you got your business taken care of, now it’s my turn…” I exhale heavily, and his nostrils flare.

I hate that he’s so attractive.

I can’t help but trace the outer part of his steely jaw that leads up to his mouth with my eyes. I try to keep my eyes away, especially when his tongue slips out to wet his bottom lip, but it’s like torture.

To make him as uncomfortable as he’s making me, I press closer to him, erasing all the space between us.

He refuses to move, which is typical.

“Get on with it, Daisy-Petal,” he grits.

I keep my composure, not allowing him to see the sadness that was left from our sudden end. It wasn’t like I wanted to watch him go, especially after I gave him a part of me, but that’s not something I ever intend on telling him. “I just want to make it clear that I didn’t even know you lived in Chicago until you walked onto the elevator.”

He laughs in my face. “I find that hard to believe.”

A hot slash of annoyance slaps against my cheeks. “You think I kept up with you after that night? I didn’t have to follow up on you to know what you were doing, Kane.” I force a smile onto my face and take the knife he just put in my chest and shove it into his by bringing up one of the last things I ever said to him. “How many notches are you up to on your bedpost?”

A twisted grin creeps onto his mouth, and it stuns me for a second. He leans in even closer to me, our faces so close that his nose brushes mine. Something warm coils in my stomach from the touch, and it’s then that I realize Kane Barlow still flows through my blood just as potently as he did years prior.

“Too many to count.”

He winks at me right before the elevator jerks again. I fall forward, and our lips almosttouch. Kane is quick, but he isn’tthatquick. The shock skips across his face just like it does on mine.

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