Page 38 of Rush

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"I do, and I am."

I touch her face, just briefly, then I step back. "Lock your door behind me."

"I will."

I leave before I can change my mind, before I can pull her back and kiss her like I've been wanting to since that night outside the clubhouse.

I swing onto my bike and ride, my grip steady and my focus is locked in, but it doesn’t stop the thoughts from circling.

Tonight changed something. I crossed a line and there's no going back.

Everly saw what I'm capable of and she didn't run.

She calmed me down, held me, and made me feel human instead of monstrous.

And that terrifies me more than anything else.

Because now I know what it feels like to be close to her, to touch her, to have her touch me back.

And I don't know if I can walk away from that.

I don't know if I want to.

6

EVERLY

I spend Friday replaying Thursday night in my head, and I can't decide if I should be grateful or furious.

Rush saved me from a drunk asshole—that part I'm grateful for.

But then he held me like I might break and left before anything could happen—that part makes me furious.

I'm in the lab running samples and Maya keeps glancing at me.

"You okay?" she asks for the third time.

"Fine."

"You seem distracted."

"Just thinking about my protocol."

"Right, your protocol." She doesn't believe me. "This about what you mentioned this morning?"

I look up. "What did I mention?"

"The guy who bothered you last night. You said someone stepped in?"

I hesitate, then nod. "Yeah."

"That must have been scary."

"It wasn't. Not really."

Maya leans against my bench. "You don't look fine. You look… rattled."

"I'm not rattled."

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