Page 64 of Rush

Would he?

He leans down, his mouth against my ear—the heat of his breath tracing my neck.

“You didn’t come all this way to ask me to help you docardio,” he murmurs, voice rough, soft, and dangerous, setting every one of my senses ablaze.

The warmth of him seeps into me, igniting something I’ve been trying so hard to ignore—targeting every inch of tension pooling between my thighs.

I close my eyes, just for a second, letting the moment sink into my skin, savoring it like a hit I shouldn’t be taking.

I swallow hard, pulse pounding.It’s now or never.Still a bad idea.But…

“Okay,” I breathe, exhaling. “Maybe notthatkind of cardio.”

I open my eyes to see him leaning back, watching me with a grin tugging at his lips as his eyes meet mine and there’s something flickering in them now.

“That so?”

I chew on my bottom lip, heat flooding my cheeks, but I can’t bring myself to look away from him.

We stand there, toe-to-toe, everything unspoken swirling between us for months—andGod, the temptation to close the last inch of space isirresistible.

So, I dive headfirst into my desires—into the thing I’ve been too scared to say out loud until now.

“I want you…” I pause, my palm flattening against his chest, feeling the pulse of his thundering heart. He tenses for a moment as I suck in a shaky breath, my voice dropping to a breathy whisper, honest in a way that makes my own heart race. “…To fuck me. Whenever I want.”

The words hang there, between us—the first time I’ve ever been so bold about my desires.

I lift my eyes to meet his gaze. And that’s when I see it.

Broderick’s eyes gowide—stunned—before he bursts out in a deep, booming laugh.

Maybe I read it all wrong.

God, please strike me down now.

Broderick’s laugh finally slows, but when he looks down at me and sees that I’mdead serious, still standing there with my hand still on his chest, not backing down—something in his expression changes.

I recoil, pulling my hand away and take a step back to brace myself for rejection.

His brow furrows, and he lets out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What the fuck, Elena,” he blurts out. “One minute were talking about kissing and…are you toying with me right now?”

Alright from his perspective, this was a bit of a leap but he hasn’t said no, this is good,I think.

“I’m not toying with you.”

“Jesus, El,” he breathes, looking at me like he’s trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not.

Then, smirking a little, he adds playfully, “I mean, c’mon…I’m not just some piece of meat, you know.”

I huff a soft laugh.

“Well, maybe I am objectifying you a little,” I say, shyly. “I mean…have youseenyourself?”

“So, you do find me attractive?”

“I have eyes, don’t I?” I deadpan.