Page 54 of Rush the Edge

What I expected to see was Daisy’s bright blue eyes burning with fire inside of them, ready to go toe to toe with me. But instead of seeing her flushed cheeks, I’m met with a pale face and cloudy gaze. There’s a little worry line etched in between her eyebrows that has my own worry rising.

“Daisy?” I snap. “Stop fucking around.”

Her legs give out, and I’m forced to pull her flush against my body. When her forehead hits my shoulder, I realize she’s in a cold sweat.

I’m good under pressure, but seeing her like this has made me less agile and more jerky. I give her a little shake with my fingers digging into her biceps. Her head flops to the side, and I panic. My palm cups her cheek, and my fingers disappear into her hair.

“Daisy.” I blurt her name again, this time less angry and more worried.

She seems to come to, her eyelashes fluttering. “I need…” Her hands weakly grab onto my shoulders like they’re a lifeline. “To…”

I open her door and pull us inside.

“River?” I shout, hoping he’s home.

“Not here,” she mumbles, eyes still closed.

“What do you need? What is wrong with you?” I ask.

“Lay me down,” she slurs.

I pick her up and cradle her to my chest. My heart pounds, and there’s a ringing in my ears.

Without her consent, I sit down with her still in my arms to keep her steady. Slow, shaky breaths escape her mouth as she buries her head farther into the crook of my neck. One of her arms wraps around her stomach, like she’s sick, and little sweat droplets dot her neck.

Instead of pestering her with questions, I remain quiet and try to wrap my head around the adrenaline rush I just got from seeing her in distress.

It feels so right to have her in my arms and so wrong to see her suffering.

Several minutes pass, and the sweat has finally dried on her smooth skin. Her breathing is less labored, and the pounding of her pulse has slowed.

“Do you need water?” My tone makes me sound bored, which is exactly what I planned. There is absolutely no way I am letting her know that her little show just affected me so much I can’t even think correctly.

She shakes her head and exhales slowly.

“What do you need?” By asking her this, I’m forfeiting.

I might as well wave the white fucking flag.

You win, Daisy.

You fucking win.

“To stay still,” she croaks.

I nod, more to myself than her, and lean farther back onto the couch. I wish it irritated me to know I’m going to have her draped over me for a while, but it doesn’t.

Eventually, Daisy seems to fall asleep.

I know this because she’s managed to pin me like she’s afraid I’m going to disappear. One of her arms wraps around my waist, and her bent leg gives me no other option but to rest my arm along it, trapping her just like she’s trapping me.

At some point, I doze off.

I wake to the orange sun slowly rising over the skyscrapers that stand tall outside of Daisy’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Her plants are lined up nicely against the glass, and I can’t help but grin at the few clumps of soil on the floor between the pots, like she was messing with them recently.

Memories of her in the little makeshift garden come in like a tidal wave. That little sundress showing off her toned legs, no shoes, freckles from the sun on the bridge of her nose while she looks at me with those baby blues from across her parents’ backyard.

I was so gone for her.

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