Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
He jolted backward as though I’d burned him, quicker and with more urgency than he had all those years ago. Finally, I forced my lids open.
“I wasn’t… I don’t…” His typically happy eyes were wide, this sort of panicked expression in them, and damned if my heart didn’t break, if I wasn’t beginning to see a battle inside him that he’d maybe been fighting his whole life.
How could I have never seen the depth of it before? I’d spent years angry at him, telling myself I hated him, seething with each new headline or mess he’d gotten himself into. How could I not have seen? “Hey…it’s okay. I didn’t mean anything by it. I wasn’t trying to say anything, but you know you can talk to me, right? Or if you don’t feel comfortable with me, Linc would—”
“Whoa, slow your roll, Cranky Campbell.” He looked shaken as he hauled himself out of the chair, went for the fridge, grabbed another beer. “I think your imagination is getting away from you.” I watched him open the beer, swallow a few drinks, and it felt like my heart was ground into dust, but not for me. For Ash. For the fear in his eyes.
“Ash—”
“Beau.”
Don’t push, Campbell. You could be wrong…and it’s not your place. Even Kenny told me I could be overbearing, and I had no business doing that with Ash. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from adding, “I didn’t realize I was gay until that night you kissed me. I’m sure I had to have had questions before, but that was the first night I admitted it to myself. I’m not saying you’re anything other than what you say you are, but for me—”
“Jesus, Campbell. Lay the fuck off. I touched your goddamned hair. I have no problem with you being gay, but I’m not. Stop projecting your shit onto me. You did it at the graduation party, and I let it go. We’re not going there again.”
My blood ran cold as I ground my molars together. “Excuse me? I’m not the one who kissed you, and I sure as shit wasn’t the one running my fingers through your hair just now.”
“It’s late.” He shook his head, turned his back to me, looking out the window over the sink.
“Ash…”
“Get out, Campbell. You’re barking up the wrong tree. I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now.”
I paused, waiting for him to apologize, waiting for this to make some kind of fucking sense. My breath hitched when he turned, but he didn’t look at me, just kept walking down the hall. When the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house, I did as he said. I left.
“It’s SaturGAY, bitches!” Lincoln raised his arms in the air and did a little shimmy as the five of us climbed out of the car and our driver took off.
“Fuck yes!” Rush replied, pulling Linc close and grinding against him. I rolled my eyes at them, and Sawyer laughed. Rush and Linc were going to get themselves into trouble one day.
Rush was great. I respected the hell out of him. It hadn’t been easy being the only out Supercross racer. The sport wasn’t known for being incredibly accepting. And once the season started, he wouldn’t be able to attend our Saturgays out because he’d be traveling.
“What’s up with you, Beau? You’re awfully quiet.” Cam wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked down the sidewalk, then massaged my neck with his work-roughened fingers.
“And sulky… Why are you sulky, Beau? You’re even more grumpy than usual. I know we always drag you out for Saturgay, but I figured since you’ve been hanging out with Ashton Carmichael so much…” Lincoln grinned at me, and I wanted to strangle my friend.
“You’ve been with Ashton Carmichael?” both Rush and Cam asked.
“Ugh, Ashton Carmichael,” Sawyer added. He hadn’t been fond of Ash either, but mostly because Ash had been the typical jock in high school, and Sawyer had…not. But then, Sawyer and I were close despite the fact that we hadn’t grown up together, so that counted for something.
“He’s not that bad,” I told Sawyer.
“I thought you hated him?” Sawyer asked just as Linc said, “Not that bad? He’s fucking gorgeous and funny, and you’ve been with him a whole lot more than you’ve been with me lately, and he’s not that bad? I think my feelings are hurt.”
I shook my head as we continued down Fever Street. It was getting busier—the sidewalk getting more crowded, restaurants filling, music and laughter floating out of every establishment.
“I’ve been busy. I haven’t been with Ash very often,” I defended myself, even though it was a lie. I’d been with Ash a lot…and I couldn’t get our last day out of my head.
The way he’d looked at me…the way he’d touched me…the fire in his eyes when he’d thrown me out.