Page 82 of Rush

Yeah, but I’m with his sister, so they won’t think much of it.

I’ve just parked my ass against the wall when Missy says, “I’m just gonna go to the restroom. Back in a few. Okay?”

“Sure.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and start scrolling through Twitter, reading tweets about the game.

“You’re Arianna Petrelli, right?”

I lift my eyes from my phone to see a good-looking guy—mid-twenties, messy blond hair, a tattoo sleeve on one arm. The whole bad-boy vibe going on.

Would have totally been my type prior to Ares.

“Depends on who’s asking.”

“I’m Leo Parsons. I’m a writer for Athletic and Sports News.”

A journalist. Of course.

“Not to be rude…but how do you know who I am?”

He’s a sports journalist; of course he knows who you are.

“I recognized you from your photo…in the news…after your crash.”

I tense instantly.

“I just wanted to say, it was shitty, the way some of the press went after you. You probably didn’t see it, but I wrote a piece—not about you per se, but your case and about alcohol addiction and how society views us.” He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a bronze chip. “Eighteen months sober,” he tells me.

I relax a little, knowing this guy is part of the same club as me.

“That’s amazing,” I tell him.

“Still fighting every day, but you know that, right?”

I nod.

“Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say hi, and if you get a chance to read my article…”

“Of course,” I say, smiling. “I’ll totally check it out.”

“Great.” He smiles and then leans in a little closer, lowering his voice a touch. “And I was wondering if…maybe one night you might want to grab a bite to eat.”

“Oh!” Shit. “I, um…I’m not dating right now. Still trying to get my life together, you know.”

“Right. Yeah, of course.” He straightens up and steps back. “Well, we could go out, just as friends.”

“Um…” I scratch my cheek. “Okay, yeah, sure.”

“Great.” He smiles. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a business card. “Here’s my card with my number and email.” He holds it out, so I take it from him. “So, yeah…hit me up, and we can go out for a burger or something.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

My neck nearly snaps—it turns that quick—and I see Ares glowering down at Leo.

His eyes come to mine, and they are nearly black. He plucks the card from my hand and crushes it in his palm.

Shit. He’s mad.

“Kincaid.” Leo nods, clearly aware of who he is—which, of course, he would be because it’s his job to know. His eyes go between us, working quickly. “I didn’t mean to tread on anyone’s toes. I didn’t realize you two were an item.”