Page 44 of Sunrise

I speed up and blaze past him, determined not to let him win.

He slows down and I have to as well if I want him to catch up with me. I topped out at one-forty on the dash. Not too bad. My heart’s racing from adrenaline and my smile hurts my fucking face. He never beats me but always tries.

Wait…

Does he try?

Of the two of us, he’s way more reckless than I am, but he always slows down just as it’s getting good. When he does, so do I, because I don’t want to lose him.

Fucking hell. Ryker’s words about Knox catching me when I fall come back and smack me upside the head. Knox always slows down and falls behind on purpose because he doesn’t want me racing and wrecking, even though he knows I love the thrill. If he slows down, so will I. He does it to keep me safe.

The asshole’s been doing it for years and I never caught on until tonight.

An hour into the ride, we pull off on an exit so I can fuel up. Knox waits on his bike with his helmet off. Sweat saturates his hair. It’s a balmy eighty-two degrees out, thanks to this heatwave. He tips his head back and closes his eyes.

Fuck, he’s so perfect.

And he’s right, that jawline of his could cut glass.

I gravitate over and hand him a bottle of water from the gas station. He takes a sip and then dumps the rest over his head and shakes off like a dog.

Midnight rides always calm our nerves. As if whatever is chasing us can’t catch up when we’re flying together. Whether on foot or bike, it’s never changed.

“You’re thinking loudly again,” he says while wiping some water off the front of his seat. “Care to share?”

He’s the smartest man I’ve ever known. Too bad he never sees it that way.

“I was just admiring the view.”

His smile makes him devastatingly handsome.

My hand cups his face of its own accord. I turn him to look at me. “You’ll always be my Sunrise.”

The slightest flinch of his brow makes me wish I hadn’t blurted that out.

“But not your current one,” he says quietly, gently knocking my hand away. “Sophie is now.”

“Do I have to choose between you?”

I’m fucking up a good night again. Not on purpose, but I have to close a bunch of tabs in my brain so I can focus on what matters. I know he was hurt that I called Sophie Sunrise earlier. Guilt’s been nipping at me ever since.

“No, you don’t have to choose,” he finally says. “But I…” Knox shakes his head and looks down at his seat again. “Forget it.”

“What? Say it.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Everything about you matters to me, Knox. Say it.”

“What if she doesn’t want me? What if she doesn’t wantus? I wedged my way into her body for you. I stayed… because once I gave her a piece of me, there was no getting it back.”

I know exactly what he means.

“But if she doesn’t want us both…” Knox slumps forward on his bike. “I’m getting a headache.”

Sophie has never once said she loves me. Not in a romantic way. Guess she’s never said those words to Knox, either. “Have you ever told her how you really feel?”

“Have you?”

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