my sister, are you gonna come live with me? I’ll take good care of ya.” He winks to show he’s joking. I laugh and shake my head. Kaleb always flirts shamelessly with me. If he wasn’t already in a long, happy relationship with Josh, I might worry, but Kaleb is the one man besides his twin brother Kyle who I know is low-risk enough I don’t have cause for concern. Neither is as harmless as Sam, but I know they care and they look out for me.
Noah.
I shiver as the thought of him slams into the front of my brain. Harmless is definitely not a word that would describe him. He may be trying to show me his beatific side, but anyone that powerfully built is definitely not harmless. Even Sam has had to prove on occasion that he can and will inflict harm on those who cross his carefully drawn lines. It makes my skin crawl to know that most of the hurt he has put on others is because of me.
Kaleb starting my kart’s engine startles me out of those dangerous thoughts and I turn my brain back to the race. Lifting my hands to the steering wheel shows they’re trembling slightly. I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders back, trying to keep loose and relaxed. When the light flashes green—go!—I slam down the accelerator.
This race is five laps along a twisty path that resembles a Formula 1 track in Spain. It’s by far the most nerve-racking and fun track here. It takes incredible concentration and nerves of steel to avoid the other eleven drivers, the walls and pylons. Sam and I exchange leads on the first two laps before another driver overtakes us both and I completely forget about Sam. It takes everything in me but I catch up to the third driver on the next to last turn, pass him on the outside of the last one and put a kart length between us by the end of the last straightaway. Victory! Heck yeah! I beat Sam and this mystery driver!
The driver unbelts himself and steps out of the kart. He is enormous, tall and muscular. I hope he has a sense of humor. I unbuckle my helmet, watching his efforts mirror mine. Sam’s huge hand clamps down on my shoulder as I lift the heavy helmet off my head.
“Great race, champ! I can’t believe you beat me!”
I grin at him over my shoulder and glance back at my nemesis from the race, the devilishly witty comeback dying in my throat at the sight of Noah Yates’s stunned expression.
His surprise gives way faster than mine. A huge grin spreads his lips wide for a moment before I see his eyes flick to Sam. He crosses the empty area between us before I can fully comprehend he’s here. He kneels a few feet away, stopping to redo the perfectly good loop in his shoelace.
“Nice driving, sport,” he says, grinning up at me.
My gaze finds my feet and I take notice of my racing heartbeat, much more the product of seeing Noah than from the excitement of the race. “Thanks,” I say quietly. I realize with a shock that I’m not feeling afraid, only shy.
“I’m Noah Yates,” he says to Sam.
My gaze flashes between the two of them and I swear I see two feral animals taking each other’s measure.
“Sam Kenyon. How do you know Avery?”
If the earth opens and swallows me whole right now, my only hope is that it doesn’t take these two with me. I know I’m not imagining the hostility in Sam’s voice, the extra pressure his hand is using to grip my shoulder.
But Noah only grins disarmingly. “I work at the furniture store right next to Flip the Page. Avery and I met a couple of months ago.”
I feel the recognition hit Sam’s body, but his grip doesn’t loosen and his stance doesn’t soften. “I see. Those were some pretty slick moves,” he says, meaning the race. Or at least I think he means the race.
Apparently Noah doesn’t think so, because he chuckles. “Don’t worry. My only slick moves are on the kart track.” A new thought seems to slam into his brain. “I’m sorry. Are you two together?”
“No!” I answer the same time Sam does.
“Yes.”
My gaze
Noah.
I shiver as the thought of him slams into the front of my brain. Harmless is definitely not a word that would describe him. He may be trying to show me his beatific side, but anyone that powerfully built is definitely not harmless. Even Sam has had to prove on occasion that he can and will inflict harm on those who cross his carefully drawn lines. It makes my skin crawl to know that most of the hurt he has put on others is because of me.
Kaleb starting my kart’s engine startles me out of those dangerous thoughts and I turn my brain back to the race. Lifting my hands to the steering wheel shows they’re trembling slightly. I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders back, trying to keep loose and relaxed. When the light flashes green—go!—I slam down the accelerator.
This race is five laps along a twisty path that resembles a Formula 1 track in Spain. It’s by far the most nerve-racking and fun track here. It takes incredible concentration and nerves of steel to avoid the other eleven drivers, the walls and pylons. Sam and I exchange leads on the first two laps before another driver overtakes us both and I completely forget about Sam. It takes everything in me but I catch up to the third driver on the next to last turn, pass him on the outside of the last one and put a kart length between us by the end of the last straightaway. Victory! Heck yeah! I beat Sam and this mystery driver!
The driver unbelts himself and steps out of the kart. He is enormous, tall and muscular. I hope he has a sense of humor. I unbuckle my helmet, watching his efforts mirror mine. Sam’s huge hand clamps down on my shoulder as I lift the heavy helmet off my head.
“Great race, champ! I can’t believe you beat me!”
I grin at him over my shoulder and glance back at my nemesis from the race, the devilishly witty comeback dying in my throat at the sight of Noah Yates’s stunned expression.
His surprise gives way faster than mine. A huge grin spreads his lips wide for a moment before I see his eyes flick to Sam. He crosses the empty area between us before I can fully comprehend he’s here. He kneels a few feet away, stopping to redo the perfectly good loop in his shoelace.
“Nice driving, sport,” he says, grinning up at me.
My gaze finds my feet and I take notice of my racing heartbeat, much more the product of seeing Noah than from the excitement of the race. “Thanks,” I say quietly. I realize with a shock that I’m not feeling afraid, only shy.
“I’m Noah Yates,” he says to Sam.
My gaze flashes between the two of them and I swear I see two feral animals taking each other’s measure.
“Sam Kenyon. How do you know Avery?”
If the earth opens and swallows me whole right now, my only hope is that it doesn’t take these two with me. I know I’m not imagining the hostility in Sam’s voice, the extra pressure his hand is using to grip my shoulder.
But Noah only grins disarmingly. “I work at the furniture store right next to Flip the Page. Avery and I met a couple of months ago.”
I feel the recognition hit Sam’s body, but his grip doesn’t loosen and his stance doesn’t soften. “I see. Those were some pretty slick moves,” he says, meaning the race. Or at least I think he means the race.
Apparently Noah doesn’t think so, because he chuckles. “Don’t worry. My only slick moves are on the kart track.” A new thought seems to slam into his brain. “I’m sorry. Are you two together?”
“No!” I answer the same time Sam does.
“Yes.”
My gaze
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