Page 129 of Rogue Riders Duet

He tilts his head, squinting a little. “Too close, like what? Cheating?”

“No. Not like that. Just… someone they shouldn’t feel that way about.”

Dane’s eyebrows pull together. “Don’t tell me you’re talking about your ex. You didn’t go back to her, did you?”

The accusation hits so sideways I choke on it. “What? No!” I shake my head hard. “That ship’s sunk. Burned. Buried. Fuck her.” I breathe deep, scrub a hand down my face, and keep my voice even as I push out, “It’s about my friend, Dane. Friend, yeah?”

Dane snorts but plays along. “Sure. What did your friend do, then?”

I roll my jaw and force the words out. “He crossed a line with someone he shouldn’t have.”

Dane lifts a brow, skeptical. “Why shouldn’t he cross that line?”

“Because she’s off-limits.”

“What makes her off-limits?”

I swallow hard. “She’s too young.”

And your sister.

Dane groans and lets his head fall to his shoulders, looking up to the sky. “Please tell me she’s at least eighteen.”

“Dane,” I snap. “Can you just listen for a second? It’s not like that, all right? She’s not a minor. Christ.”

He holds up his hands, but his eyes stay hard. Skeptical. “Okay. Okay.”

“It’s just… there’s a big age gap. Really big.” Dane’s face tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt, waiting for more. “And he’s not a bad guy,” I add, softer, like maybe if I say it enough, it’ll be true. “He never planned for this. It just… happened. One second, everything’s where it should be, and the next, it’s not, and now it feels all kinds of fucked-up, but at the same time, it feels right.”

Dane leans against the railing, crossing his arms. “Right and fucked don’t usually go together, man.”

I drop my head, but the words keep coming. I need him to understand. “The thing is… he knows if he leans into the feelings, if he lets this become something, it could break the friendship. And fuck, if that happens…”

I trail off because finishing that thought feels too dangerous.

“Real friendships don’t break like that.” Dane is back to looking at the screen. “Look at us. We’ve been through hell. You and me, we’re still here. We’ll always be.”

I swallow hard. God, I want to believe that.

“But I get what you’re saying. That kind of thing could make a mess out of both of them.” Dane glances at me again. “You sure this is about a friend?”

I scoff, try to laugh it off, but it comes out thin. “Just a friend.”

His gaze lingers on me for longer than I like, but then he shrugs. “Well, sometimes it’s better to leave it alone. Let people figure their shit out without making it worse.”

I nod, stuffing my hands deep into my pockets, feeling like I’m drowning in my own skin.

“Maybe it is.” But all I can feel is the ache of wanting to do anything but leave it alone.

Dane leans heavier into the railing, that crooked grin sliding back into place. “Look, man, you know I’d still be here for you, right? Even if you went and knocked up one of the young riders on the circuit.”

I snap my head toward him, eyes wide, but he just chuckles, which turns into a cough by the end.

“I mean, sometimes shit like that’s just fate,” he says, giving me hope briefly before ruining it. “And five years from now, when you’re married, chasing a toddler around the pits, no one’s gonna care about the age difference. They’ll just ask how you’re surviving on two hours of sleep.”

“Jesus, Dane, it’s not like that.”

His grin spreads, teasing. “You sure, old man?”