Rushed: Christopher (The Four 4.50)

“Today,” Rush said. He leaned down and kissed me softly. “Now.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“You aren’t working today, right?” Rush asked.

“No.”

“Will you show me around Seattle?” Rush asked. “King’s tour guide skills are somewhat lacking. I know where the bar that serves the best peanuts is and what to order from the menu at a place where you have to talk into a whale’s mouth, but that’s pretty much it.”

I laughed. That definitely sounded like my uncle. He was a man of simple tastes.

“Is there anything in particular you want to see?” I asked. I was already planning out a route that would include many of my favorite places.

“I want to see it all,” Rush responded. “But let’s start with a place that serves a good breakfast.”

“I’ll go get ready,” I said. “I, um, don’t have a car. I use my bike to get where I need to go.”

“Bike sounds good,” Rush said.

I shook my head because trying to get to all the places by bicycle would be impossible, especially with my hand. I opened my mouth to explain that, but Rush kissed me hard and then wrapped his fingers around my uninjured hand.

“Before I forget…” he said as he led me up to my bedroom.

Butterflies danced in my stomach as I thought about an impromptu make-out session on my bed. But it wasn’t the bed he led me to. It was the sizeable walk-in closet. I usually left it open a little so Pip could get in and out to get to the litter box and his food, but the door was completely shut. Rush opened the closet door all the way.

“Okay, guys, noisy stuff is over,” he said. A moment later, Pip wobbled his way out of the closet. Right on his heels was a huge, white rabbit with floppy ears. Rush glanced at me and said, “I didn’t want the noise to scare Pip, so I brought him some company.”

“Oh my God,” I said as I watched the kitten and the rabbit interact. The rabbit appeared to be guiding Pip away from things the kitten could stumble over like the little handheld vacuum cleaner I kept just outside the closet and one of the decorative pillows that had fallen to the floor at some point, probably while Rush and I had been watching movies the night before.

“Thumper’s a good mama,” Rush added as he crouched down. I did the same. Thumper immediately began nudging Pip toward us.

“Awww, thank you, sweetie,” I said as I ran my hand over the rabbit’s silky soft fur. Pip, meanwhile, had taken the opportunity to sit next to the bunny and use her body as leverage so he could groom himself.

“Thumper is litter box trained, so she won’t make a mess, and I got her stuff set up in the closet next to Pip’s. But if you don’t want—”

“I want,” I interrupted. I looked at Rush. “Thank you.” I glanced at the rose I was still holding on to as well as the animals. “You’ve been busy,” I said.

“I had a plan to execute and needed the head start,” Rush corrected. He gave me a peck on the lips and said, “Go get ready. We need to make a stop at my hotel before breakfast.” Rush took the rose from me and helped me stand. “Don’t forget your meds,” he added. He hesitated and then added, “Sorry, you know what you need to do. I’ll stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” I asked in confusion.

“Nagging you to remember to take them. You’ve been dealing with this by yourself for a long time now, and you don’t need someone riding you all the time.”

“Riding me?” I asked, raising my brows a bit.

“Jesus, fuck, no, not riding you like riding you—”

“You’re too easy,” I said with a laugh. I wrapped my arms around Rush, who was growling something under his breath that probably had to do with my supposed punishment. But he didn’t hesitate to return the embrace. “And you’re not nagging,” I said against his neck. “I like knowing that someone is watching out for me.” Nervous energy flowed through me as I added, “I like knowing that you’re watching out for me, Rush.”

“Always, Christopher. Always.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

RUSH

“That’s not a bike… that’s a… that’s a…”

I watched in amusement as Christopher stared at my Harley.

As soon as we’d left his house in my car, he’d reminded me that we needed to grab his bicycle. I’d ignored him, and when he’d questioned what I was doing, I’d simply told him he’d see soon enough. The drive to my hotel had taken only a few minutes, but the ride was so very different from the one when I’d driven him to get his hand stitched up.

Christopher was relaxed and light. I’d never seen him smile so much. And he touched me.