Page 46 of Saving the Rain

“I’m out for the rest of the season.” He weighs each word. It’s as if he’s practiced the phrase over and over to himself, remembering it by rote. There’s a listless detachment to what he’s saying, kinda like he’s still not believing what he’s uttering out loud, but knows he has to.

Something tightens like a fist inside my chest. But I stay unmoved, allowing him to get close enough that he pauses on the opposite side of the table.

“I won’t be competing.” His Adam’s apple dips, and his eyes are lowered, unfocused, hovering somewhere on the wooden surface. “Probably ever again.”

Those last words bounce around and around, forming a desolate echo. The only other sounds filling this kitchen are the distant crackle of the fireplace drifting through from the lounge and a clock ticking.

“Did the doc tell you that?” I clear my throat.

Kayce shakes his head. “Not in so many words. But it was in their eyes.” He pinches the inside of his cheek with his teeth. “I gotta go back for another scan to make certain... but the writing is on the wall.”

“So you’re giving up already?” My eyes sharpen on him.

That brings his gaze up to mine. Finally.

“See, this is why I didn’t want to talk to you about any of it.” The spot high on his cheekbones darkens a shade. “You’re just gonna be a fucking douchebag about it. Like always.”

“Age isn’t on your side in pro rodeo.” I tilt my head. “In case you’ve overlooked that detail.”

He lets out an exasperated noise and looks around the room. “Jesus. You never change, do you? Always ready to kick me when I’m down.”

There it is. The frightened little kid who wants to blame everyone else.

I let my tongue run a slow line across my bottom lip, and study him through the silence. He’s not running away, yet, but I can see the way he’s fighting the urge to flee tooth and nail.

And that’s when his eyes snag on my face. They lock there, watching my mouth, like he’s a kitten suddenly been scruffed by the back of his neck and he’s unable to do anything but follow the motion—standing there staring at the place where my lips are wetted.

Fuck, I have no idea why that does something to my insides, but it feels powerful. That magnetic sensation from earlier, the one insistently drawing me into him, starts to thump harder. It grows more demanding with each passing second and I’m not sure that it’s a good idea for me to dare shift my weight.

I’m pretty sure if I push off this bench, I’m not gonna be able to hold myself responsible for what I say, or do.

“See, that’s your problem, Kayce.” My voice is low. “You’re always looking for someone else to blame. I’m asking you a simple question, and you’re avoiding it.”

“What fucking question, Raine?” he snaps and waves a dismissive hand in my general direction. “It’s written all over your face. You love nothing more than to see me lose.”

“I’m asking if you’ve given up.”

He just about chokes with incredulity. “Of course not.”

“Then quit acting like you have, snowflake.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes. No better than the teenage version of himself. The frightened kid who wanted to fight me at every opportunity. “Fuck you, I’m going to bed.” Kayce turns and starts to walk away, before pausing. He whirls around to face me again. “Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know I’ve been cleared to drive, to go back to work. So you can take your ass back down to Crimson Ridge. Don’t gotta endure being here any longer on my account.”

I scrunch my eyes. Heart thudding faster, and pulse rushing in my ears. There’s no good reason for me to chase after him, not since he’s laid it all out now.

And yet, my feet are moving.

Within a few paces, I’ve caught up to him, and Kayce spins in the hallway when he feels my presence nipping at his heels. I’m met with eyes flaring that deeper shade of turquoise in the dim light as he whirls to face me.

“What do you want?” His lips are flushed, hanging parted on the shallow breaths he’s sucking down. “Wanna be the big bully older brother and spit in my face some more?”

My bulk crowds him, and Kayce stumbles back a step. His shoulders connect with the wall straight away.

“Quit running away,” I grit out. “You’ve already given up, so don’t pretend like I’m the bad guy here. That whine you’ve got going on ain’t fooling anyone.”

A muscle flickers in his jaw, and his chest rises and falls a little faster now that our bodies are almost flush.

“God, you’re such an asshole.” His eyes are locked on mine, but I see the fight going on behind them... they want to stray.