the back porch of her own house.
The living room light was on, but the rest of the place was dark. Pop would be in bed by now. Adam might still be awake, though. She tested the back door, found it unlocked, and stepped into the kitchen. In the living room beyond, she could see not one head on the couch, but two. Her heart nearly stopped. Both Adam and Jonah turned to look at her.
Ava tried to breathe normally as she deposited her keys and her phone on the kitchen counter. She noted with some disappointment that Jonah looked no worse for the wear despite having just gotten into a bar fight. She held her breath as her oldest brother rose from the couch.
“All right,” he announced, stretching as he spoke. “I’m hitting the rack.”
Without a word, he sauntered past her and down the hall.
Ava was stunned. Clearly, Jonah hadn’t been giving a report on her. Adam would likely be waiting with a car battery and a pair of pliers, ready to find out all of Ava’s secrets, if Jonah had said even a single word about the bar. Or Emilio. Or racing, which Emilio might very well have told Jonah about in between punches.
Jonah narrowed his eyes at her.
Ava scowled. How much did he know? How could she even find out? To ask anything risked revealing the fact that she was hiding something. A lot of somethings.
“What are you doing here?!” she hissed quietly, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure Adam was in his room.
Jonah narrowed his eyes at her. “Making sure you and Sienna got home. Which took one hell of a long time,” he pointed out.
Ava pressed her lips together. “It’s fine,” she assured him. “Sienna’s at home. She’s fine. Not that you really care,” she added, trying to shift the focus.
It worked, even though it made Ava feel like dog shit. Jonah’s mouth tightened and he looked away. “I care,” he replied quietly.
Ava hesitated. She’d never heard Jonah say anything of the sort before, about anyone , especially not her best friend. As far as she knew, Jonah spent his free time attempting to avoid Sienna like the plague. “She doesn’t think so.”
Jonah shook his head. “I can’t help what she thinks.”
Ava gaped at him. “Um, bullshit,” she told him. “You could just— ”
“I can’t just do anything.”
“But—”
“Drop it,” Jonah ordered. “And let’s get back to your Hispanic hero earlier tonight.”
Ava snarled at her brother. “He’s not my anything,” she snapped. “And what about him?”
“He wouldn’t say where you met him, exactly. Just said that you two were hanging out.”
Ava’s chin rose a notch. “What else did he say about me?”
Jonah shrugged. “That he’d seen you on your bike. And he was impressed.”
She snorted. “Impressive for a chick?”
“Actually, he said you were the best he’d seen, other than himself. Dude’s got an ego, that’s for sure. Not my problem, though. He seems all right. I’ve heard of his friends. Adam and Dalton know them.”
For some reason, Ava felt pleased that he’d said that about her. Not that she really cared what anyone thought, but still... “What friends?”
“They work at a garage. I think Adam used to take his bike there. It’s probably where I’ll end up going with mine.”
Ava bristled. “You’re going to check up on my Hispanic hero?”
Jonah lifted an eyebrow. The silver piercing glittered in the overhead light. “Thought you said he wasn’t your anything?”
“He’s not,” she argued. “But where’s this garage?”
Jonah rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not here to play matchmaker.”
“I need my oil changed!”
Oops. It was the wrong thing to say. Ava knew how to change her own oil and Jonah damn well knew it.
“I mean— ” she scrambled.
“Whatever,” Jonah said as he headed for the front door. “I don’t give a shit. The guy checks out. That’s all I care about. The garage is called Burnout. It’s in the same neighborhood as the bar.” He turned
The living room light was on, but the rest of the place was dark. Pop would be in bed by now. Adam might still be awake, though. She tested the back door, found it unlocked, and stepped into the kitchen. In the living room beyond, she could see not one head on the couch, but two. Her heart nearly stopped. Both Adam and Jonah turned to look at her.
Ava tried to breathe normally as she deposited her keys and her phone on the kitchen counter. She noted with some disappointment that Jonah looked no worse for the wear despite having just gotten into a bar fight. She held her breath as her oldest brother rose from the couch.
“All right,” he announced, stretching as he spoke. “I’m hitting the rack.”
Without a word, he sauntered past her and down the hall.
Ava was stunned. Clearly, Jonah hadn’t been giving a report on her. Adam would likely be waiting with a car battery and a pair of pliers, ready to find out all of Ava’s secrets, if Jonah had said even a single word about the bar. Or Emilio. Or racing, which Emilio might very well have told Jonah about in between punches.
Jonah narrowed his eyes at her.
Ava scowled. How much did he know? How could she even find out? To ask anything risked revealing the fact that she was hiding something. A lot of somethings.
“What are you doing here?!” she hissed quietly, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure Adam was in his room.
Jonah narrowed his eyes at her. “Making sure you and Sienna got home. Which took one hell of a long time,” he pointed out.
Ava pressed her lips together. “It’s fine,” she assured him. “Sienna’s at home. She’s fine. Not that you really care,” she added, trying to shift the focus.
It worked, even though it made Ava feel like dog shit. Jonah’s mouth tightened and he looked away. “I care,” he replied quietly.
Ava hesitated. She’d never heard Jonah say anything of the sort before, about anyone , especially not her best friend. As far as she knew, Jonah spent his free time attempting to avoid Sienna like the plague. “She doesn’t think so.”
Jonah shook his head. “I can’t help what she thinks.”
Ava gaped at him. “Um, bullshit,” she told him. “You could just— ”
“I can’t just do anything.”
“But—”
“Drop it,” Jonah ordered. “And let’s get back to your Hispanic hero earlier tonight.”
Ava snarled at her brother. “He’s not my anything,” she snapped. “And what about him?”
“He wouldn’t say where you met him, exactly. Just said that you two were hanging out.”
Ava’s chin rose a notch. “What else did he say about me?”
Jonah shrugged. “That he’d seen you on your bike. And he was impressed.”
She snorted. “Impressive for a chick?”
“Actually, he said you were the best he’d seen, other than himself. Dude’s got an ego, that’s for sure. Not my problem, though. He seems all right. I’ve heard of his friends. Adam and Dalton know them.”
For some reason, Ava felt pleased that he’d said that about her. Not that she really cared what anyone thought, but still... “What friends?”
“They work at a garage. I think Adam used to take his bike there. It’s probably where I’ll end up going with mine.”
Ava bristled. “You’re going to check up on my Hispanic hero?”
Jonah lifted an eyebrow. The silver piercing glittered in the overhead light. “Thought you said he wasn’t your anything?”
“He’s not,” she argued. “But where’s this garage?”
Jonah rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not here to play matchmaker.”
“I need my oil changed!”
Oops. It was the wrong thing to say. Ava knew how to change her own oil and Jonah damn well knew it.
“I mean— ” she scrambled.
“Whatever,” Jonah said as he headed for the front door. “I don’t give a shit. The guy checks out. That’s all I care about. The garage is called Burnout. It’s in the same neighborhood as the bar.” He turned
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