Jacked Up (Fast Track #6)(40)
Author: Erin McCarthy

It was safe to say he was falling hard for her, and that made him just a little nervous. It had been a while since he’d felt this way about a woman. If he needed to remember exactly how long, he could certainly ask his mother. She seemed to have his dating history worked out on a spreadsheet.

Evan met his gaze straight on. He had stopped into the garage to check on his car for the Phoenix race. “Yeah, I might have heard about that.”

“Did Eve tell you?”

“No. Elec did.” Evan put his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

He didn’t look annoyed, which Nolan took as a good sign. “So you don’t have a problem with that? From a work point of view, I mean.”

“It’s not really any of my business what you do in your free time. But Eve is my sister, and I’m going to be honest with you, she’s not easy to get along with.”

Why did everyone feel like they needed to warn him Eve was a pain in the butt? No one ever seemed to notice her good qualities. He did. “Eve and I get along just fine. We’re having fun together.” If he sounded a little defensive, well, he had a right to.

Evan’s hand came up out of his pocket. “Whoa, alright, I’m not criticizing your relationship. I’m just saying dealing with her takes finessing, something I personally suck at. She and I fight all the time, but I love her. And I don’t want her hurt. Nor do I want the two of you going at it at work.”

Nolan wanted to argue. He wanted to say that they hadn’t fought yet and he didn’t plan on it. But he knew Evan had a legitimate concern and being defensive wasn’t really Nolan’s style.

“I think you can trust both of us to be professional. But you know what it’s like—you can’t help who you’re attracted to.” There really wasn’t any explanation for why he and Eve hit it off, but they did.

Evan laughed. “Well, you’ve got that right. Some people were telling me that dating Kendall was a bad move for my career. I didn’t listen. So I guess you shouldn’t listen either.”

“I plan on keeping my relationship with Eve separate from work. For the most part. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to take advantage of the traveling.” If he and Eve were both going to a race, he was sharing her hotel room, plain and simple. They had crazy schedules and he wanted to ensure they got to spend time together.

Evan made a face. “I really don’t need to think about you and my sister sheet diving, okay?”

Yeah, he could see that. “I meant spending time together. I wasn’t necessarily talking about sex.” He had been talking about sex. Spending time together with Eve meant a lot of things, one of which should always include sex. Now that he’d dipped his toe in that water, he wanted to go swimming on a regular basis. But he didn’t need to be discussing that with Eve’s brother. He wouldn’t want to hear that about his own sisters, so he needed to respect the boundaries before he ended up with Evan’s fist in his jaw.

“Let’s just not ever say the word ‘sex’ in relation to my sister and we’ll be fine.”

“No problem.” This conversation wasn’t going horribly, yet it was still making Nolan uncomfortable. “So let’s talk about Eve’s birthday instead. It’s next weekend.”

“Huh. I guess it is. I imagine we’ll do a family dinner or something during the week. You angling for an invite?”

“No, no.” Nolan had no idea how Eve would feel about him meeting her parents. That was for her to initiate, not him. But he had a few other tricks up his sleeve. “She’s feeling bad about turning thirty-three, which is stupid, because she looks amazing. She is amazing. Anyway, I was thinking of throwing a surprise party for her in Vegas.” Otherwise, knowing Eve, she’d sit in her hotel room and do push-ups.

“Oh, damn, Nolan, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Evan was shaking his head. “Eve doesn’t really like surprises. She’s not a surprise kind of girl. She likes to know the ending of every movie and book in advance and she’s a master at handling details. She could probably tell you every single article of clothing in her closet, categorized by color and type. No. No surprises.”

“I get what you’re saying.” He did. “But that’s the point. Eve has fun when she gets out of her comfort zone. Why let her stay home and dismiss her birthday when we can throw a party and she’ll have a great time?”

He knew she liked to plan things herself. Hell, she’d planned their having sex. But that was also why she’d gotten upset when it hadn’t gone according to plan. If there was no plan, then there was no way an event could disappoint. Not that he thought she’d been disappointed with their night together, but she hadn’t completely let go either. He wanted her so relaxed that she forgot to worry. That she forgot her phone even existed, let alone where it was.

“I think you’re insane,” Evan told him. “This has the potential to completely backfire on you. And when Eve backfires, everything around her feels the sting.”

Nolan was disappointed. “So are you saying you won’t be there?”

Evan sighed. “Of course I’ll be there. Kendall, too. She is my sister. But seriously, Ford, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.” It was brilliant, he was sure of it. “I’m telling her I won’t be there until Saturday, but I’ll come in on Thursday and we’ll surprise her that night.”

“Okay. Count us in. Who am I to interfere with your nut racking?”

Nolan laughed. “She’ll be pleased. Trust me.”

Tilting his head slightly, Evan studied him. “You really dig her, don’t you?”

“Hell yeah, I do. She’s a rare one and I aim to stick around as long as she’ll let me.” Nut racking or not. No pain, no gain.

“Good. I’m glad to hear that. Eve deserves someone who thinks she’s the shit.” Evan grinned. “And who can put up with her. So you need a list of people to invite?”

“That would be really helpful, man, thanks.”

“I’ll get it to you later today.” Evan clapped him on the back. “I hope it works out for you. Now I’m taking off. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Nolan waved as Evan left.

Nolan had no clue how to go about planning a party in Vegas, but he had a feeling Suzanne Jefferson might be willing to help him. He seemed to recall she had done some wedding planning, and she and Eve were friends. Hopefully she’d be willing to give him some ideas on how to throw a party on a Big Mac budget. A room and a cake, that’s all they really needed.