Page 16 of Rushed

“I appreciate that you felt you had to care for my maidenhood and honor, but I have been alone for quite a while now—well, I think I have—and I’ve lived without damage so far. He’s not a man in any sense of the word, and I hope you flatten his ass.”

Rush’s eyes widen as he stares down at me. I doubt he expected me to know, but I saw the news this morning. This was apparently newsworthy enough to finally take my accident to second place. Senator Jackson’s son, Mick, was all about getting LincolnRushMoore out of retirement and reinstating his standing so he could take him on in the cage. There was also some bullshit about an unrelated charge that put him on suspension in the first place, but I’d shut off the TV before hearing more crap spewed from the reporter’s mouth.

“Did ya know last night, or did Troy tell ya?” he inquires, crossing the table to steal from my plate. I laugh it off and let him dwindle my supply. I’ll just steal back off his.

“Oh. Your little brother gave nothing away,Lincoln. It’s all over the news. You’re an MMA superstar.”

“Iwasan MMA fighter. I left some time ago.”

“Might I ask why?”

“Not ready to divulge that yet.”

Raising my glass, I tip it back and gulp down a rather large amount, enjoying the smooth, refreshing floral scent of the selection. It has notes of strawberries, cherry blossoms, and fresh grass. “This is a lovely wine.”

His jaw hangs wide as I moan on about his choice. With a beaming brightness, he tips his glass to me, taking his drink to mouth. We both grow quiet. It’s like we’ve aired a secret, and there’s nothing left to talk about. Neither of us are interested in words or breaking the quiet, and as we think on this fortuitous set of circumstances we’ve found ourselves in, it doesn’t seem to call for further conversation.

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