Fighting for Flight (8 page)

“This is my friend Owen.” Raven rakes her sunglasses
up on her head. “The pierced one is Rex, and the one who looks like
he just jumped off a tractor in Idaho is Caleb.” She nods through
the introductions. “Guys, this is Raven and her friend, Eve.”

I watch closely as my friends size up the girls.
It’s not wasted on me that they seem to find the two women
attractive. But they linger a little too long on Raven’s eyes.

“Damn, girl. You got some wicked peepers.” Owen’s
observation has the rest of the guys agreeing in grumbled
affirmations.

A familiar blush lights her cheeks. “Thank you. It’s
nice to finally meet you guys.”

“Finally?” Rex’s shit-eating grin tugs at his lip
ring. “How long have you and Jonah been hanging out?”

Raven’s attention slides to me, her eyes wide. “Oh,
we’re not hanging out . . . er . . . we work—”

“What would you girls like to drink?” I redirect the
conversation and smile at the relief I catch in Raven’s expression.
Why does it feel as if we’re hiding some deep, dark secret?

“Water would be great,” Raven answers and Eve
nods.

“You girls up for baseball?” Most girls wouldn’t be
interested in the game, but, then again, most girls aren’t car
mechanics.

“Baseball?” Raven scrunches up her nose and shakes
her head.
So damn cute
.

I motion to the loungers set up poolside. “Would you
rather get some sun?”

She studies the double lounger and looks at Eve.
They both smile big. “Yes, please.”

I set them up with towels and a lounger, placing
them close enough so that I can admire Raven, and go back and forth
from them to the game easily.

With a fresh beer in hand, I relax against the bar
and settle in for the game. So far so good. I have a girl,
a
date
, over at my house. The guys are being semi-respectful. The
girls are laughing and talking comfortably. What could possibly go
wrong?

“Let’s get this party started, motherfuckers!”

Oh, shit. Blake.

Jonah

My glare sharpens toward the sound of his voice, and
it takes everything I have not to punch something.

“Fuck me,” I whisper to the floor.

Blake isn’t alone. He has
three
girls with
him. Two of them I’ve seen before. One is the red-headed stripper,
and the other is the blond stripper I slept with a week ago.

Girls I’ve slept with don’t come over. Ever. What
the hell is Blake thinking?

I drop my head into my hand.
Dammit.
Blake
doesn’t know I slept with her. He was too busy inspecting the
tonsils of that redhead when I left the club.

“Jonah.” Blake saunters up, a girl under each arm.
“You remember Selena.” He motions with his chin to the girl with
unnaturally bright red hair. “And Candy.” He motions to the
blonde.

Her name is Candy. Typical.

“And this lovely lady here is Fiona.” He motions to
the dark-haired girl with gigantic breasts shoved into a tiny top.
Won’t have to worry about her sinking in the pool.

Candy slides out from under Blake’s arm and steps
into my space. Too close. I straighten from my leaning stance at
the bar to gain some distance.

“Nice to see you again, Jonah.” Her very white teeth
dig into her plump lower lip. She finger walks her hand up my chest
to wrap it around the back of my neck. Her other hand lies flat
against my stomach.

“Candy, get your hands off me.” I command in a low
voice to avoid making a scene in front of Raven.

I’m grateful to see her engaged in conversation with
Eve and Nikki who joined them by the pool.

Candy follows my gaze and sneers in Raven’s
direction. “Oh, I get it.” She looks back at me and pulls her hand
from my neck, making sure to drag her long fingernails against my
skin. “Fresh meat.” She looks back to Raven before spinning on her
high heel. Her short, tight skirt looks more like a belt as she
swings her ass. “You’ll be back. Can’t live on SPAM forever.”

Her sidekicks squeal with laughter, and I glare at
Blake. He shakes his head and throws his hands in the air mouthing,
“I didn’t know.”

I’m not familiar with the sick feeling that gnaws at
my insides. From the hateful look Candy gave Raven, there’s no way
she’ll keep her mouth shut about our night together. My reputation
is no secret, but having it confirmed is unsettling.

It shouldn’t matter because I slept with Candy
before I knew Raven, but the thought of Raven knowing the intimate
details of my sexual history makes me insecure. I want her to see
me as worthy. And sleeping around, especially to the daughter of a
prostitute, doesn’t say ideal boyfriend material.

Is that what I want? To be her boyfriend?

It’s on this eye-bulging thought that Nikki walks up
with Raven and Eve flanking her.

“Blake, I see you’ve brought the entertainment.”
Nikki’s smile is the farthest thing from friendly.

“Oh, come on, Nik. Don’t hate the player; hate the
game.” Blake laughs and the tension rippling off Nikki
intensifies.

Raven and Eve, eyes wide as saucers, look back and
forth between the two.

Owen stands from his barstool and grabs his wife by
the hand. “Nik, baby. Inside. Now.”

She allows herself to be led away, but maintains a
death glare on the strippers until she’s out of sight.

Blake’s eyes follow Nikki into the house before he
sets his sights on Raven and Eve. He pushes past his dates. “And
who do we have here?” His cocky-ass smile has the girls
giggling.

Fucking Blake.

I give a quick growled introduction.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Raven extends her
hand graciously. She motions to me with the hand that Blake is
still
holding. “Jonah mentioned you the other day.”

My eyes burn at their connection. I try to figure
out a way to get him to let her go without breaking her hand in the
process.

“Raven. Why haven’t I met you before?” Blake’s gaze
leaves Raven to narrow on me.

Raven shifts at my side. I spear Blake with a glare.
He gets the message and lets her go.
Smart man.

“Raven’s helping me with my Impala.”

Blake throws his head back, roaring with laughter.
Raven stiffens at my side. I drape my arm over her shoulder, and
she presses softly into my hold. Her body feels so small and
delicate under my arm. The intimacy of her bare shoulder against my
shirtless torso has me gathering her deeper into my side. Her mild
fruity scent combined with the comfort of her body calms my nerves.
I resist the urge to bury my face in her hair.

“Dude, you have a smokin’ hot mechanic. What the
hell?” He’s back to looking at Raven, and as his eyes dance up and
down her body, I thank God she’s still in her cover up. “Gives a
whole new meaning to the term body shop.” His eyes settle on her
legs. “Nice legs, what time do they open?”

“Watch your fuckin’ mouth.” My jaw locks down. A
warm, familiar buzz stirs in my head. My hand squeezes Raven’s
shoulder on reflex.

Silence hangs thick in the air as everyone stares
between Blake and me. Even the Stripper Sisters have ceased their
obnoxious babbling.

Blake focuses on me, his eyebrows low and
questioning.

A soft giggle breaks the silence. In unison, all
eyes move to Raven.

“Thanks for the compliment, Blake.” Raven rolls her
lips between her teeth, her face red with withheld laughter.

The buzz in my head retreats.

“Jonah didn’t tell me you were so funny.” She loses
the battle, a burst of laughter escaping her lips. The melodic
sound further calms my temper.

Small talk erupts all around me, but I don’t hear a
word. I’m stuck analyzing what the hell just came over me. I never
get possessive over girls. I was half a second away from giving my
best friend a beat down.

Raven and Eve go back to the lounger, and I throw
Blake a chin lift. He responds in true Blake form, cocky smile and
the middle finger salute.

The Stripper Sisters saunter to one of the lounging
areas and whisper back and forth to each other. I relax seeing
they’ve decided to sit on the opposite side of the pool from Raven
and Eve who are back to their loungers by the bar.

Damn, I need a beer.

I walk behind the bar where the guys are camped out
in front of the television.

“What the hell was that about?” Blake shoves a
handful of popcorn in his mouth.

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“You almost flipped the switch on your boy for
spewing the kind of shit he says to every girl he meets.” Rex
laughs and rubs the back of his neck. “One more word and I’d have
been pulling your ass off him.”

I nod and grab a beer. No doubt in my mind I would
have beaten Blake for disrespecting Raven.

“Never thought I’d see it.” Owen’s back from
settling down his wife and caught up on recent events. “You got it
bad, my man.”

Dress removed, I’m staring at a bikini-clad Raven.
She’s not covering or sucking in her stomach. No bashful body
language that would expose her insecurities. Her olive skin
glistens in the sun as she laughs and talks with Nikki and Eve. She
looks so natural and at ease in her own skin in my backyard,
hanging out with my friends, as if she’s been doing it for
years.

“Hey, Jonah.” Owen calls my attention away from the
girls. “She’s one fine piece of a—”

A growl rumbles deep in my chest.

The guys explode into laughter.

Owen smacks me on the back. “Yep, you’re hooked,
brother.”

~*~

Raven

The murmured voices and rhythmic thumping of rap
music lull me into semiconsciousness. I close my eyes and relax,
soaking up the last warmth from the sun before it drops behind the
mountains. Male laughter erupts. I turn and watch Jonah with his
friends, his dimples highlighting his bright smile. I slide my
sunglasses down my nose for a better look. He’s stopped laughing,
but still smiling as he engages Owen.

I track his movements while he walks around the bar
to sit on a barstool. His back muscles flex powerfully, as he
brings his drink to his mouth. Brightly colored tattoos decorate
his arms from his wrists to his shoulders with one flowing over and
onto his chest. I want to get a closer look, run my hands along his
arms as I study his body art. I wonder if his skin is as soft as it
looks. If it tastes like he smells. Citrus and spice.

“This place is sick, Rave.”

I jump at the sound of Eve’s voice. Shoving my
sunglasses up my nose, I pat my cheeks to bring down the heat. Eve
is on the lounger with me, a gossip magazine resting against her
thighs.

“Yeah.” I clear the lusty sound from my throat. “I’m
always in the garage. I didn’t know all this was back here.”

I scan my surroundings. The modern outdoor kitchen
and bar, flat-screen TV, lagoon-style pool with Jacuzzi, and a fire
pit. But the best parts of the backyard are the loungers. They’re
made for two, complete with large queen-sized mattresses and
outdoor pillows.

“When you guys make it official, you have to have me
over . . . like a lot.” Eve looks at me over the tops of her
sunglasses with a smile lighting her face.

My eyebrows pull together. “Make it official?”

“Yeah, you know, admit you dig each other.” She
shrugs before licking her finger and turning another page.

“Whatever.”

It’s all I can say through the full-on grin I’m
sporting. As much as I wish I didn’t, I feel something for him.
What girl wouldn’t?

Even the women Blake brought seem to fall into a
trance when Jonah’s around—not that I blame them. A swell of nausea
threatens at the thought of Jonah with a girl like that. Their
huge, clearly medically enhanced, breasts and lips push up and out
for anyone’s attention.

“What’s going on over here, baby girl?” Blake plops
down at my hip.

There is something about this guy that goes beyond
his super-hot, bad-boy, fighter good looks. That alone would make
any girl fidgety. His light brown hair is buzzed short, drawing all
the attention to his bright green eyes. His looks alone are enough
to leave a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But it’s his
composure, a slight expression he wears, that makes him dangerous,
like his eyes hide a dirty secret he masks with a friendly
smile.

“If I flip a coin, what are the chances I’ll get
head?”

Eve turns to Blake, her jaw wide open, and closes
her magazine with a smack.

“Eww, Blake. That’s gross,” I say through a fit of
giggles. “Please tell me that doesn’t actually work on girls.”

“You see how many dates I have at this barbeque.
What do you think?” He turns his attention to Eve. “How about you,
Barbie? You up for a game of naked leap frog?”

“Ugh! I’m going to get a drink. Rave, you want
anything?”

“No thanks.”

Eve gets up, and Blake is not shy about watching her
butt until she disappears behind the bar.

“Is it something I said?” His crooked smile tells me
he likes making girls uncomfortable.

The fact that he can talk to women like that and
still get dates is a testament to how incredibly attractive he
is.

I catch Jonah at the bar from the corner of my eye.
He’s watching Blake and me, the weight of his stare makes me shift
in my seat. I don’t want a repeat of what happened earlier.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your dates? I
don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Blake looks to the girls, but quickly dismisses my
concerns with a wave of his hand. “Nah, they’re cool. And if
they’re not, fuck ’em.” Blake rubs his hand back and forth a few
times on his buzzed head. Turning his head slightly, he fixes his
cocky half smile on me. “You into my boy?” he asks cryptically.

I prop myself up on my elbows. “Huh?”

Leaning forward, he looks me in the eyes. “Jonah
tried to take my head off back there. You want to know how often
I’ve seen him do that when I put the moves on a girl, even a girl
he’s going home with?”