Wreck Me (Nova #4)(19)
Author: Jessica Sorensen

“You barely ever talk,” I argue defensively. “And neither do I.” I nod my head toward Nova. “This one here on the other hand…”

Nova’s lips part in shock, then she swats my shoulder, eliciting a laugh from Quinton and me. “I’m not that chatty. It just seems that way because you two can barely carry on a two second conversation.”

“The quiet can be peaceful sometimes,” I tell her, and Quinton nods in agreement as he swallows a sip of his coffee.

“Whatever.” Nova starts to walk off to where Wilson is gathering the workers, but Quinton snags her elbow with his free hand and lures her back to him.

“You know I love it when you talk,” he says softly in her ear, pulling her closer until her back’s pressed against him. “Love the sound of your voice, love the…”

I leave before I can hear the rest. I’ve always heard that people get less sappy and lovey-dovey the longer they’ve been together, but Nova and Quinton seem to be getting worse with each passing day and I’m beginning to get really sick of it. Or jealous. It’s hard to tell sometimes.

I check in with Wilson before I begin cutting boards with the table saw like I was instructed to do. My attention is half there though. The other half is on the driveway, waiting for Avery’s Jeep to pull up. Usually when I spend more than five minutes thinking about a woman, it’s to fuck her. The only exception to this is Nova, and I never did sleep with her.

But now Avery has taken that place.

Part of me wants to sleep with Avery and see if it’ll clear my head, but then again I already know her better than any other woman I’ve hooked up with, so I’m unsure how well that would work. Besides she seems very adamant about her no guy rule, so getting her to break it for me is probably impossible. And I’m not even sure if I want her to break it. Avery isn’t like the usual type of woman I sleep with. She’s not a druggie or a whore. She’s not looking to get a fix. Not looking to kill time. Not looking for anything really, at least in the guy department. It was kind of the same way with Nova and fuck, maybe that’s why I developed a thing for them both. Maybe I want more. But, like things proved with Nova, wanting more doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily get it.

It’s not until I spot Avery’s Jeep pulling up that I realize just how big of a problem having her around is going to be. Because I get excited when I see her car and the feeling heightens when she gets out it. I can’t take my eyes off her as she closes the door and glances around the property as if searching for something. I’m kind of hidden out of her sight, but I can see her perfectly and get a full view of the cut-off shorts she’s wearing along with a tank top that’s just low enough in the back that I can see part of that damn tattoo I desperately want to see.

God, what I’d give to understand the meaning behind it.

“Dude, you’re bleeding all over the boards.” Quinton’s voice yanks me from my obsessive thoughts of Avery.

He’s standing on the other side of the table saw, staring down at my hand. I track his gaze and see blood covering the entire side of my hand and dribbling onto the board I’m holding.

“Fuck.” I drop the board and rotate my hand over, examining the deep gash. “I don’t even know how the fuck that happened.”

“I think you scraped it on a nail,” Quinton says, rounding the table saw.

I wipe my hand on the side of my cargo shorts then wince from the sting. “Yeah, but I didn’t even feel it.”

“That’s because you were too busy staring.” His implying gaze travels toward the driveway to Avery’s Jeep.

“No, I wasn’t,” I lie as I stare at the blood bubbling from the cut on the side of my hand.

Quinton elevates his brows as he picks up a board. “Whatever you say.”

Between him and Nova always accusing me of having feelings for Avery, I’m starting to lose my cool.

“And I said I wasn’t staring at anyone or anything.” I turn away and hike up the shallow dirt incline toward the cement foundation to find something to clean the cut up with.

As I’m unraveling some paper towels from the roll I found near the drill saw, Avery turns the corner with her attention on her phone and she just about runs into me.

“Oh, hey.” She shuffles back, putting her phone away. She looks about as unenthused to see me as when she first bumped into me yesterday. “I didn’t know you were back here.”

“Yeah, I was just getting some of these.” I rip off the paper towels and dab the blood off the side of my hand.

“Oh my God, what happened?” she asks, reaching for my hand.

I almost pull away from her, but stop the moment her fingers wrap around my wrist as a soothing sensation lulls through my veins. “I cut it on a nail.”

When she leans down to inspect where my skin is sliced open, strands of her purple bangs fall into her face. I have the strangest urge to reach up and tuck them behind her ear, just so I can watch her watching me.

Why does she see me so well?

“You might need stitches,” she mutters then peers up at me through her long, dark eyelashes. “We—you should definitely go to the doctor.”

I pull my hand away from hers then press the paper towels back over the bleeding area. “Trust me, I’ve had way worse cuts than this that I’ve never gotten stitches for.” Besides, I can’t afford a doctor, another reason why Nova is right—I do need to find a job.

“But you could get a scar.”

“I have a ton of them already. What’s one more?”

Her fingers absentmindedly brush the hem of her tank top while she gazes over my shoulder, the sunlight reflecting in her hazel eyes. “I don’t know…” She focuses back on me. “At least let me put some peroxide and a band aid on it.”

“I’m not sure you’re going to find that stuff around here. Well, maybe a band aid, but not the peroxide.”

“I have some in my purse in my car.”

“You carry that stuff with you?”

“Yeah, I like to be super prepared.” Her laugh is off pitch then turns her back to me. “I’ll be right back.”

I watch her leave, checking out her ass the entire time. Moments later, she’s returning with a bottle of peroxide and a few band aids.

“All right, give me your hand.” She’s put on a pair of sunglasses so I can’t see her eyes anymore. I find myself a little saddened because I can no longer observe her while she’s studying me.