Saving the Rain (Crimson Ridge #4)

by Elliott Rose

“I fucking idolized you.” Those wide eyes still trace back and forth over my mouth as he gives me his soft admission. “I hated losing to you . . . but I loved seeing you win.” Raging heat floods my body, hearing him finally say those words out loud. “It’s so fucked up.” Kayce wets his lips, and I feel like we’ve plummeted out of space and time. “All I ever wanted was for you to succeed. Even if it came at my own goddamn cost.” His fists tighten, and he presses harder against my front. Still not trying to shove me or move me off him. Instead, it’s as if he’s trying to reach out for me, yet, is unable to bring himself to actually uncurl his fingers and do it. “And I can’t stand that smug asshole look. I hated the way you would look at me, just like you are right now.” I swallow. Hard. “What way is that exactly?” I know. I know what he’s saying, even if I never necessarily admitted it to myself either, but the sick and twisted part of me wants to hear him say it . . . just one time. Our bodies line up as he sinks back against the wall. I’ve only got a slight advantage over him in height, but the biggest difference between us is how much broader my chest and shoulders are compared to his. He fits beneath me in a way that I shouldn’t even be goddamn acknowledging right now. There’s no way I should still be here, not pressed up against my stepbrother. It’s so fucking wrong that we’re tangled together like this. Kayce makes a soft noise in the back of his throat. “It’s fucked up....