Page 77 of The Rush

He’s had his fill of me. Now he can move on.

I furrow my brow as I watch the man pace across the stage, then back again. Each time he faces me, his mouth opens then snaps shut as if there are words ready to tumble off of his tongue, but he holds them back and spins away for another lap.

Scoffing to myself, I jab my limbs through the clothes I should have never taken off and shake my head with a level of adrenaline slamming into my system.

And I thought Fin might be different.

Look who was wrongagain.

“Cedar.” Fin steps up to me when I approach the edge of the stage, preparing myself to jump down and beat feet so that I can avoid this weird as hell interaction. “Let me come with you.”

What?

“Why in the hell would I do that?”

Fin shoves that hand through his sexy as hell waves again and stares at the floor with a tick in his jaw. “Because I don’t want that fucker finding you.”

“Riiiight,” I drag out with a roll to my eyes and dip down to plant a steadying hand on the stage. “Catch ya later, Fin.”

“Cedar, wait,” Fin calls when I jump down from the platform and start walking.

I hear the boots smash into the heavy mats at my back and I ignore the sound following me, even when every fiber of me wants to turn around and hear him out.

It’s time for the guitar god to just move on with his life.

“Sweet.” Fin’s gravelly whisper is closer than I expected, making my shoulders jerk unconsciously. “Goddamnit, Cedar.”

“Fuck. Off,” I growl when I feel the heat of him sidle closer with each step.

“Cedar,” Fin growls as he steps in front of me, rotating with surrendering hands held between us, his gaze set alight. “Sweet,” he breathes in that deep baritone that vibrates down my spine. “You can invite me along, or I can follow you from a distance.”

“And that doesn’t sound stalkerish at all.” I roll my eyes and continue walking, forcing him to move backwards or get ran over.

“You’re about to leave here alone. And he was just out there. I can’t in good conscious leave you.”

“Just shut up.” I scoff and flutter my hand between us in thego awaymotion. “I’ve been doing this whole life thing for a while now.”

“Cedar.” Fin halts dead in his tracks, and forces me to skid to a stop or ram into him.

I considered the latter.

“I don’t wantto leave you alone.”

Yep, should have run him over.

Shaking my head and sidestepping the infuriating man that fucks just as good, if not better, than I’d ever hoped, I walk straight for the exit on weakened knees with no plan of how to get from here to my dad’s place.

I know I could call him.

Have him at the gate by the time I make it there.

But my dad instilled in my head at an early as hell age that independence is necessary and that I have to live my life without relying on others.

I learned that the hard way anyway.

Stupid teenage heart.

And I’ve subconsciously been trying to prove it ever since Jeremy removed himself from my life.

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