Burnout (The Holland Brothers Book 1)

Avery is smiling as I ride over to her. She had a day off practice and came to the track after classes to watch. This old dirt track isn’t much to look at. It’s tucked back away from the main road where there’s nothing but desert land to be seen each way you look. It’s peaceful out here. All the travel during the summer, racing on tracks around the country, this one is still my favorite. It’s where I learned to ride, and that makes it feel like home.

I pull my helmet off and plop down next to her on the tailgate of my truck.

“What’d you think?” I ask.

“The videos I watched made it look so easy, but in person, it’s a lot scarier.”

I laugh and bump my shoulder against hers. “Says the girl who flips around on a balance beam and launches herself off a vault.”

“It’s not that high.” Her smile falls into a smirk. “You’re all dirty.”

I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand. “Dirt track will do that.”

“It looks good on you.”

I recognize the look in her eye. If I weren’t covered in sweat and dirt, I’d be tempted to get her naked right here. Instead, I lean in and brush my mouth against hers, nipping at her full bottom lip and wishing I’d blown off riding today and spent the day in bed with Avery.

When I pull back, Colter is parking next to me and Brooklyn drives up next to him. It’ll only be a few minutes before the rest of the group is here to start practicing.

“Hey,” Colter greets us both, smiling a little bigger when he spots Avery. “I was just at your dorm.”

“I know. I heard you before I left.” She wrinkles up her nose.

Colter just laughs it off. “How was riding today?”

“Good.” I start to get down to help him unload but Brooklyn waves me off and steps in instead.

They get both their bikes unloaded and then Brooklyn takes off to warm up.

“So, you two.” Colter waggles a finger between us. “Are you like together now or what?”

Fuck. Leave it to Colter to need to define my relationships for me.

“We’re just hanging out,” Avery answers quickly and rolls her eyes like maybe she was having the same thought as me.

He holds his hands up defensively. “My bad.”

“It usually is,” I mutter just loud enough he can hear me.

“The first time Knox brings a girl around in the daylight and I’m the weird one for thinking it’s more than fucking.” He makes a face and then climbs onto his bike and takes off.

Joke’s on him since we aren’t fucking. I laugh it off, but when I glance over at Avery, she’s pulled her bottom lip behind her teeth.

“Ignore him,” I say. Why does everyone in my life gotta make such a big deal out of us hanging out?

“Is that true?” she asks. “You’ve never brought a girl around in the daylight?”

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

Maybe?

“Have you ever dated someone?”

Fuck. Is it hot out here?

“I guess that depends on your definition of date.”

“I’ll take that as a no.” She’s smiling and laughing though. “It’s cool. I like how things are between us. I was just curious. Your brothers made it sound like you’ve never brought a girl home either.”

“I haven’t.” I don’t even have to think on that one. “They’re nosy as fuck, and it’s always been just as easy to keep girls away from all that.”

She nods thoughtfully. “Makes sense. I always preferred going to my ex’s place instead of him coming to mine. Quinn didn’t really like him. Plus, his place was so much nicer. My bed is not big, as you know.”

She laughs again and looks at me like she expects me to join in. I can’t. I’m stuck on the thought of her fucking around with other guys.

Does she have a string of guys she hooks up with? She should. She’s beautiful and fun. It just never occurred to me before. And it shouldn’t. We’re just hanging out.

“Do you two still hang out?” I purposely use our phrase and then hate it.

“No way.”

There’s a bite in her tone. I guess that’ll happen when you find out your boyfriend is cheating on you. She should count herself lucky. Any guy that would cheat on Avery should have his head examined. “And the Ken doll?”

The hint of a smile twists her lips. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“I’m not.” I’m not, right?

“I told you that wasn’t happening again. Tristan and I were bad together.” She shudders at the thought. Me too.

She turns and hooks one leg over the top of mine after she recovers. “What about you and Brooklyn?”

The flicker of jealousy in her eyes is sexy as hell. But I don’t lie to her. “We’ve never hooked up. She has a boyfriend.”

“Really?”

I nod. “Some corporate guy. Older, I think. She doesn’t bring him around.”

“Huh. I thought for sure there was something between you two. At the pool party and then that night at the track you seemed close.”

“Only girl I remember from either of those days is you, princess.”

“Liar.” But her face softens, and she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. “So, we’re hanging out?”

“Mhmmm.” I hold her chin and take her mouth.

“Good. I’m not ready to date anyone.” Avery hops down from the truck and stares back at me, all sass and tease. “Let alone a guy who can’t even do a double nac four sixty or whatever.”

I lunge for her, jumping down fast and wrapping my arms around her waist before she has time to flee. She squeals and giggles in reply.

“It’s a Nac-Nac Double Backflip.”

“Just like I said.”

I burrow my head in the crook of her neck and bite her playfully. She wriggles around to face me and then bites me back on the chest. Her eyes are still lit up with humor.

As our laughter dies down, we don’t move apart.

“I’m not hanging out with anyone else right now,” she says, and the impact of those words takes a second to register. She’s not hooking up with other people. Thank fuck. “And I won’t as long as we’re…whatever we are.”

“No, me either.” I brush off the weird feeling as I realize I haven’t even thought about calling up another girl since Avery and I have started hanging out. Despite never having a girlfriend, I have had girls I’ve hooked up with exclusively before. Nothing that lasted very long, a month or two until one of us got bored. I can’t imagine ever getting bored of Avery, but that doesn’t mean anything. We’re just good together, that’s all. Besides, she’s said she doesn’t want anything serious either.

Her lips curve into a pleased smile. “I need to go. I promised Hope I’d stop by the gym tonight and help her.”

I drop a kiss to her lips. “All right. I should get out there and perfect my double nac four sixty.”

She laughs playfully. “Text me when you get back or I’ll see you Monday afternoon?”

“Yeah.” Reluctantly, I loosen my grip.

Avery walks over to her Bronco, then glances back and waves before she gets in. I watch her until the dust from her tires makes it hard to see her vehicle as it turns out of the track onto the road.