Page 38 of Enticed
The barn door flew open, and Nash stepped in, coming to an abrupt stop when he saw us. We were standing entirely too close for what could be considered professional or friendly.
Jasmine drew back and took the reins from my hands. “Thanks for tacking her up for me,” she said in an unnaturally chipper voice, then awkwardly patted my shoulder. She led Juniper out of the barn and to the training arena, not looking back once. I would know since I didn’t take my eyes off her.
“How long have you been fucking my sister?”
My head snapped in Nash’s direction. His expression was inscrutable. His head was tilted to the side like he was simply curious, but his eyes were slightly narrowed like what I said next determined my fate.
“I … what … no.” I stumbled over my words, shock tying my tongue in knots. He widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest as his mouth formed a flat line as though his bullshit meter was alarming like a tornado siren. He didn’t believe me.
“Nash, I swear to you, I have never slept with your sister,” I declared, holding my hands up in surrender.
“So you’re just messing around then,” he stated like it was a fact, but his tone lacked condemnation. He didn’t appear angry, rather mildly concerned.
“No!” I declared. “I’ve never even kissed her.” I’d wanted to plenty of times, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Then why was she wearing your shirt when she came home the other night?”
Fuck. I should’ve known that would come back to haunt me.
I scrubbed a frustrated hand over my face, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole. “It’s not what you think,” I replied, and he shot me a withering look. That sounded pathetic and like a complete lie.
I figured it was best to start from the beginning, so I told him about Rory and I running into Jasmine and Rose and how Rory invited Jasmine to spend the day with us.
“Afterward, Rory invited her over to watch a movie. They were playing with Andy when he peed on her,” I explained.
“Who the fuck is Andy?” Nash clipped, his face twisting with disgust.
“Rory’s pet chinchilla.”
“Oh,” he said, then motioned for me to continue.
“Jasmine was worried about the pee getting on her insulin pump, so I offered her a clean shirt to wear. That’s all.” His skeptical gaze narrowed on me for a moment as he tried to determine if I was telling the truth.
“So you’re not sleeping with her?” he asked and I shook my head.
“Absolutely not.”
“And you’re not seeing each other behind everyone’s backs?”
“No. We’re just friends.”
“Then why do you two seem so…” he began, pausing to search for the right word, “cozy all of a sudden?”
“We’ve been working together a lot, and now I’m traveling with her to races. You get comfortable with a person real quick when you’re sharing close quarters with them.” He studied my face for a long moment, searching for any signs of deception. When he was satisfied I wasn’t lying, he nodded once.
“A word of advice,” he offered, quirking a brow, “don’t let my dad or brothers catch you looking at her like I just did. They’re more likely to throw punches first and ask questions later.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JASMINE
Something I shouldn’t.
Those three words played over and over in my head. I couldn’t stop thinking about Gabe’s gruff voice or the way his eyes flared when he said them. It was the confirmation I needed that this wasn’t all in my head. I’d had my doubts after that night in the trailer when I practically begged him to admit he felt something for me too. But he’d pushed me away, refusing to confirm or deny my claims, but there was no misinterpreting those three words.
I hadn’t seen him much since then, but he’d offered to pick up my insulin from the pharmacy while he was in town yesterday. When I opened the bag, nestled among the insulin vials was a box of Raisinets and a bottle of my coffee creamer. He must’ve realized I was almost out and grabbed some without me even asking. It had felt like an olive branch, like he was bridging the gap that had formed between us the last couple weeks.
Now that it was the weekend and time for another race, we were about to be in close quarters again. This was my chance to show him we could be more, that it was worth exploring thisthing growing between us. To do that, I needed to get him out of the trailer, out of our usual environment and routine.
