Page 25 of Rush

“I’m not angry.”

“Okay, upset then.”

She threw him a dry smile. “Nope.” But her popping of the P spoke volumes and what it said was she was still fucking pissed.

He sighed. “Listen, I didn’t explain myself correctly the other day. Wanting to kiss you wasn’t a mistake, but acting on it was. Since I’ve become a pro baller, there’s never been a shortage of beautiful women to choose from.”

Her expression turned sour. “And by telling me this you’re hoping to make things better between us?”

“Let me finish.”

Her lips flattened and she remained silent.

“What I was getting at is, having been around so many women, I know something special when I see it. And that’s you. You’re not just beautiful on the outside but inside as well. You’re the whole package—smart, funny, and you’re a knockout.I’m a man who never loses control, but I completely lost it with you. Please understand, my walking away after our kiss wasn’t a rejection or a reflection on you. It’s just, with the way things stand, it would be better if we remained friends and nothing more.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Better or easier?”

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before admitting, “Both. I understand the blame for this… conflict between us is all on me. I’m sorry and would love it if we could go back to how things were before I fucked everything up.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time—long enough he started to grow antsy in his seat—but then her head dipped in a short nod. “Fine.”

“You accept my apology?”

“Yes.” He held her gaze. She seemed sincere. “We can go back to the way things were before.” Pushing her chair out, she stood from the table. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m exhausted and we have an early flight in the morning.”

Linc watched her slip through the door and into her room. It felt like tensions had eased so heshouldbe happy. The problem was, he knew what it felt like to win, so why did it feel like he’d just lost?

****

Linc pulled into his driveway, clicked the garage remote, then rested his head back as he waited for the door to make its slow assent. After spending the majority of the drive from the airport sitting in rush-hour traffic, he’d never been so happy to be home. He glanced back at Sophie who sat contently in hercar seat, kicking her feet, then over at Nora who gave him a tired smile. The trip might’ve had its rocky moments, but Linc would never regret it. Somewhere in the middle had been his and Nora’s kiss, something he planned to savor and remember. Especially as it would most likely be the only one he’d ever get.

He noticed the guy at the end of his drive as soon as they all spilled out of the car. How the hell did he get past the security gate?

Halting Nora with a light hand on her arm, he handed her his keys. “Take Sophie into the house.”

Short, a bit overweight, and balding, the guy didn’t look threatening and was most likely paparazzi, but Linc approached cautiously just the same. “Can I help you?”

“Mr. Scott? Lincoln Scott?”

“Yes.”

The man produced an envelope, holding it out and once Linc took it, announced, “You’ve been served. Have a nice day.”

The guy sauntered away, and perplexed, Linc looked down to inspect the front of the envelope. It was blank.

“Who was that?” Nora asked, as soon as Linc stepped through the garage entrance into the laundry room.

“Someone delivering a summons.”

“A summons? What for?” she asked, following him into the kitchen.

“I have no idea.” He leaned his ass against the counter, flipped the unmarked envelope over, and opened the seal. He pulled out the paper and started reading, his anger growing with each word absorbed.

“What does it say?”

Nora’s worried tone caught his attention and he raised his head. “Jake’s parents are suing me for custody of Sophie.”

“Jake was your sister’s husband, right? So, Sophie’s paternal grandparents?”

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