Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains Book 4) (14 page)

Two long back-to-back ATV tours meant Avery hadn’t seen much of Weston all day. Between groups, Wes had run in to refill on bottled waters, given her a quick kiss, and ducked back out to the new riders to start their safety and mechanical lessons. Ryder hadn’t even given her the evil eye or made devil horns on his head. And once, when she’d handed him a cold water bottle and the lunchbox of snacks he liked to devour between rides, he even smiled and told her, “You don’t suck, woodchuck.”

She pulled another hot pink Big Flight T-shirt from the box, folded it neatly, and put it with the right size on the long, multi-tiered table Weston had made. She’d asked Ryder about putting more tourist-friendly souvenirs in the shop to gain an extra stream of revenue for Big Flight, and he’d approved it. The stuff she’d ordered came in while the boys were out, and she wanted to surprise them with how good the shop looked. There were T-shirts, water bottles, post cards, jewelry from the local reservation, and on the back wall were even a few paintings from local artists.

Outside, the sound of laughter and excitement echoed as the riders shut down their engines. They would probably linger, snapping pictures near the ATVs like the other groups had done before they headed inside to fill out surveys, shop for souvenirs, and say their goodbyes.

She would get to see Weston soon. A trill of anticipation zinged through her body and landed in her chest, creating a soft fluttering sensation. Avery folded the last shirt, stacked it precisely on the pile of larges, and began to break down the cardboard box.

The door swung open so hard it banked against the wall and made her jump. “Oh, shit,” Weston muttered, steadying it. His white T-shirt was damp with sweat, his camouflage baseball cap on backward, and a pair of reflective sunglasses had been shoved up to rest on his forehead. Along with his goofy grin, he looked silly and sexy. The hollowness from earlier was gone as he jogged over to her and pressed his lips against hers.

His dark whiskers were scratchy now, and she giggled when he dragged her closer. He was smiling big against her lips and, God, she loved this. She loved that he was so open with his affection. The Novak Raven surprised her. He wasn’t at all like she’d imagined.

“Sweaty man,” she punched out through her laughter.

Uncaring, Weston wrapped his rock-hard arms around her so she couldn’t escape and wiggled his damp shirt all over her.

“Quit,” she squealed. “The customers will see!”

Looking around, he released her and said, “Whoa, this place looks different.”

“Good different or bad different?”

“Looks great.” He fingered the edge of a purple T-shirt with the Big Flight lettering in bright pink across the front. “When did you order all this?”

“Ryder and I were working on it the first couple of days I worked here. We did rush shipping. I hope you don’t mind. Ryder said it was okay and cut the check.”

“No, yeah, that’s fine. This is a good idea.” Looking impressed, he nodded as he scanned the room. “You did good, Foley.”

She snorted. “Last names now? You sleep with me and then resort to calling me by my last name?”

Weston cracked a grin and leaned down, nipped her lip, and squeezed her ass hard. “Yep.” He waggled his eyebrows once and strode toward the office, his thick-soled boots echoing on the wood floors.

The letter! He was going to see her response to his letter. She hadn’t given it much thought while he was out for the day, but now a wave of nervousness blasted through her.

Act busy!

Avery turned for a stand of jewelry she’d just arranged and studied her favorite piece, a shiny turquoise ring set in sterling silver. It matched her eyes, and she considered purchasing it with some of her first paycheck, on the off-chance that Weston would think it was pretty on her.

She wasn’t really seeing it right now, though, as she touched the cold stone with her fingertips. She was imagining Weston’s face when he read her note.
I love you back. Always have.

She’d never said or written that to a man before.

“Avery?” Weston asked from right behind her, and she could hear it. She could hear the crinkle of the paper in his hands.

Slowly she turned around. Too scared to look in his eyes, she looked at his dusty boots instead.

“I’ll keep this with my letters,” he murmured in that deep, rich baritone voice of his.

“You kept my letters?” she asked.

He lifted her chin and nodded. “Yeah. I asked my Ma to send them to me. They should be here in a few days.” His bright green gaze flicked to the ring on the jewelry stand over her shoulder. “You like that?”

Heat rushed up her neck and landed in her ears. Avery shrugged. “I think it’s pretty.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but the door swung open hard again and hit the wall.

“I’m gonna have to fix that,” he murmured as Ryder led the chattering, dust-covered tour into the shop.

Avery bustled behind the counter and began handing out surveys and answering questions while Weston charmed the masses right along with Ryder. Two of the couples handed them tips and shook their hands, and for a moment, Avery just took it all in. The clients were happy, Weston and Ryder were happy, and outside, the sun was sitting low in a cloudless sky over the vibrant green Smokey Mountains. She had her first paycheck sitting in her purse, the work day was almost done, and she would be spending the night in 1010 instead of the back of her car.

Life couldn’t get any better than this!

And now she actually looked forward to going back to the heart of Harper’s Mountains with Weston. Why? Because for some reason, she felt safe here, and that was a really big deal.

They said goodbye to the tour, and she closed up the shop while the boys took care of the ATVs out near the garage. When she locked the front door and readjusted her purse on her shoulder, a white diesel truck rumbled under the welcome sign. For a moment, she thought it was a late tour, but Harper was driving, and Lexi sat in the front seat. And behind that truck was a big black one on mud tires. Wyatt pulled his pickup in a wide loop around the yard as Ryder and Weston jogged up the dirt path toward them.

“What’s this?” Weston called over the noise of the engines.

“Obviously, it’s your birthday party,” Ryder said. “Since you broke our pancake bro-date this morning with your emotional constipation, I begged Lexi to make us pancakes so we can have them for dinner.”

Weston hooked an arm around Avery’s shoulder and hugged her close to his side. “Are we riding out somewhere?”

“We can!” Ryder said, his eyes going wide like that was the greatest idea on the planet. “ATV’s are all gassed up, we have shit for a bonfire, and enough booze to fill the Nile. We gettin’ wild tonight, old man?”

Weston snorted and explained, “Ryder is five years older than me.”

“Not according to maturity,” Wyatt said, leaning on the back of his truck.

“He’s got a point,” Ryder deadpanned.

“You want to finally get on an ATV?” Weston asked.

“Me?” Avery asked. “Like…my own ATV? One I get to drive?”

Weston laughed and nodded. “I won’t make you hang off the back of mine. You’re wearing the right shoes for it,” he said, looking down at her hiking boots. “It’ll be fun.”

“ATVs tonight?” Lexi asked. “Hell, yes. First, though…” She pulled down the tailgate of Wyatt’s truck. “I have a birthday surprise for you.”

A giant pile of water guns in all shapes and sizes sloshed forward.

“Oh. My. God. You are the perfect woman!” Ryder crowed, bolting for the arsenal. “You just gave me a boner!”

“Ryder Croy, this is Weston’s birthday present,” Lexi growled, tugging on a huge soaker Ryder was trying to strap to his back like Rambo. “He should get first choice.”

“I…need the…biggest gun,” he gritted out, struggling to pull the soaker out of her hands, “…because I have…the biggest penis!” Ryder yanked the trigger and squirted Lexi right in the face, then froze with an oh-shit look on his face. “Accident,” he murmured.

And oh, when Lexi opened her eyes again, she looked mad as a hornet.

Everyone in the clearing went still for a moment, attention on what Lexi would do. Then, as if there was some unspoken,
ready, steady, go,
everyone bolted for the water guns.

Weston pulled Avery behind him and frantically began strapping himself down with the sloshing weaponry. Avery hesitated a moment, unsure of herself, but Weston said, “You better move, woman. Defend yourself!”

Well, okay then.

Avery pulled a couple straps over her shoulders, shoved two water pistols in the back of her jean shorts, and screamed when Aaron blasted her in the shoulder with a stream of cold water. Giggling uncontrollably, she pulled a couple water balloons from a neon green bucket and launched them at Aaron and Alana, who were on the run.

Wyatt stood in the back of the truck, legs locked, as he shot two water rifles in the air and battle-cried like a lunatic. Ryder was shooting Lexi’s white shirt all to hell, right at her boobs, Weston was running full-speed after Aaron, the mountains were echoing with laughter, and everything was perfect.

Harper blasted her with water, and Avery gasped at how shockingly cold it was. What had they put in these, ice water? She pulled the trigger on her biggest gun, but nothing.

“Pump it!” Weston yelled from where he, Aaron, and Alana were embroiled in a water battle.

“What?”

“Ryder, quit!” Lexi said through a peel of laughter.

Ryder was hugging his mate, pelvic thrusting against her butt. “He said
hump it
.”

“Hump it?” Avery called, confused.

“No, pump it!” Weston yelled again, pulling the mechanism under his water gun to show Avery.

Right. She did as he’d shown her and pulled the trigger on Harper right before she disappeared around the truck. Harper squealed and said, “Aaah, that’s cold!”

Avery chased Harper, but Wyatt was still in the back of the truck raining down water bullets, and by the time Avery caught up to the Bloodrunner alpha, she was drenched and laughing so hard it was difficult to stay upright. She slipped and slid in the mud they were creating, her wet hair plastered to her face, and her clothes sticking to her like a second skin. Alana and Lexi appeared out from behind the truck as Avery bolted for the trees. She and Harper screamed and dodged the new jets of water, looked at each other with giant grins, then turned their guns on the other two girls. Her biggest gun was already empty, so she tossed it on the ground and grabbed the next, ducking and hiding around trees.

“Aaaah,” Aaron yelled as he jumped from behind a pine. He sprayed Avery across the stomach, and she reacted by hitting him in the chest with the stream from hers.

Another splash of water hit her and another, and then Weston was there, pulling her hand toward a thick grove of trees and tossing water balloon grenades at the others as they bolted for cover.

They played and shot and ran and hid until every water gun stream was nothing but a drip. Avery was heaving breath, her arms and legs were shaking, and she was soaked to the bone, but she’d never had more fun in her life. And when her last water pistol was empty, she shot a beaming smile at Weston, who was standing beside her, his short, dark hair dripping, eyes dancing, and his grin big and white. There was that dimple. His chest was heaving with exertion, and his shirt so wet she could see every tattoo through the thin material.

And for a moment, they just stood like that, locked in each other’s smiles. He felt like happiness.

Weston dropped his water gun and cupped her neck, pulled her gently to him, and dipped down to her lips. It was a soft kiss, one where his lips fit perfectly to hers. He didn’t push his tongue past her lips, but instead, stood up straighter and slid an arm around her back, brought her closer to his hard body. His erection pressed against her, but still, he didn’t push. He was tender as he sipped at her lips.

He disengaged, then gave her a soft peck, once, twice, then another lingering one before he rested his forehead against hers and drew her palm against his chest. “Feel.” His heartbeat was fast under her hand. Weston brushed damp hair from her face and smiled. “You do that to me.”

Avery pressed his hand to her lips, kissed his work-hardened palm, then rested it under her collar bone so he could feel how fast hers was racing, too. “We match,” she whispered.

“Weston’s touching Avery’s boob,” Ryder called. And then he loudly sang, “Weston and Avery sittin’ in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N—”

“Ryder!” Harper yelled.

Avery cracked up and rested her face on Weston’s chest to hide the color of her cheeks. “I like your crew,” she admitted. “I thought they would be terrifying and mean, but they aren’t.”

“Nope. Just crass and immature,” Weston said, his voice tinged with amusement.

Weston bent down, and shouldered their water guns. And on the way up, he slung Avery over his shoulder.

She squealed and struggled, but Weston was much stronger than her, so she gave up quickly. He headed back for the clearing, and Avery arched her back so she could see the others. Lexi was riding Ryder piggy-back style, Alana and Aaron were picking up a pair of water pistols off the ground with lovey smiles on their faces, and Harper and Wyatt were making out by a pine tree.