Page 11 of Rush

Riley drops her fork with a dramatic clatter and turns to me, eyes lit up like she was about to have thetime of her life.

“Okay.” She leans forward on her elbows. “Start talking.”

“About what?”

“Don’t play dumb. Aboutyou and Broderick. What the hell wasthat? Because I may be running off the high of multiple orgasms and zero sleep, but even I could feel the heat between you two from across the room.”

I groan, setting my plate down as I sink into the chair across from her. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Which was an outright lie. Because there wasso muchto talk about, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to rip off the Band-Aid on my bullet wound.

Riley gives me a sharp look. “And where exactly does Alex fit into all ofthis?”

There it was, the thing I can’t avoid, his absence—real and present. It should be Alex she saw this morning, not Broderick.

The whole situation was so fucked up.

I force a weak laugh, attempting to brush it off. “After breakfast and a shower...you smell like sex, by the way.”

She grins—unabashed. “Iamsex, babe. But nice try deflecting.”

I roll my eyes and push my food around my plate, knowing I wasn’t getting out of this that easily.

Just as I was finishing drying my long raven hair, Riley burst into my room like a tornado—classic Riley fashion.

No knock.

No warning.

No chill.

“Okay, Montgomery, spill,” she says, her own hair wrapped in a towel as she dive-bombs onto my bed like she owns the place.

I sigh, gripping the edge of the dresser, my reflection in the mirror staring back at me—wide blue eyes rimmed a little red from the tears I’d shed in the shower as the memories from last night play on a loop.

Good luck surviving this conversation.

“I...” My throat tight, forcing myself to breathe, fingernails digging into the wood. “Alex broke up with me.”

The words hang in the air, sharp and raw.

Riley jumps like she’s been electrocuted, her eyes bulging out of her head. “What?” She blinks, not trusting her ears. “Wait.What?”

Her mouth drops open, as her towel slips off one shoulder. “You’re serious?”

I nod, my arms crossing over my chest as I try to keep my voice steady and my heart from ripping apart. “Last night. Over the phone.”

“Over the—what?!”

I wince.

Riley’s mouth hangs open, but now her eyes narrowed, her whole body vibrating with outrage. “Thatasshole! Over the phone?!” she groans. “After everything? After all the back and forth and baby mama drama?!”

Tears sting my eyes, but I force them back, shaking my head.

Her face twists in fury, fists clenching. “Oh, my God. Oh my God. That—” She paces, cursing every name under the sun. “He waits until your fuckingbirthday, the night you were finally shining, to pullthiscrap?!”

“I was trying to hold it together,” I whisper. “All night. Acting like everything was fine because of the cameras and everyone.”