Chapter 5
Chapter Five
JAYSON
“ I need sustenance. Want to grab something from Ruby’s?”
Ryder’s head emerges from under the hood of the sleek muscle car he’s been working on, a thin smudge of grease streaking his cheek.
“Almost done.”
Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he goes back to figuring out why the engine won’t crank. We spent most of the day fine-tuning his bike, getting it ready for tonight’s race at the Fields.
I truly believe Ryder has it in him to go pro—whether it’s bikes or cars, the guy has a natural-born gift. Like all true adrenaline junkies, he says he races for the thrill of it and has no plans for his hobby to become something more. He knows what he wants in life, and that future includes taking over his dad’s auto shop. Simple. Defined. Unlike me.
I wish I had my life mapped out that clearly. Instead, it’s just a maze full of twists and turns that all seem to lead back to the same place: Liz.
My phone buzzes at the same time as Ryder’s. A quick glance at the screen, and my breath catches in my throat.
“ Fuck me ,” I mutter under my breath, staring at the pictures Liz just sent.
I hold my phone out to Ryder. He takes one look and lets out a groan.
Wiping his hands off on a rag before reaching for his own phone, I watch him swipe through the images, his fingers pausing on each one a little longer than the last.
“What are you doing?” I ask, but I already know.
“None of your business,” he replies, saving each picture of Liz to a file on his phone he thinks Julien and I don’t know about. We all have one.
“I like the green one. It’s the same color as her eyes.”
I bite back the territorial growl that rises instinctively. I don’t comment because…yeah. Not going there. Not now. Not ever. The truth? Liz should feel like a sister to me after all the years we’ve spent together. We’ve been best friends—me, her, Ryder, and Jules—for almost a decade. We’ve had sleepovers, shared inside jokes, cuddled on couches during movie nights, and I’ve snuck through her window countless times just to be near her. Normal things friends do.
But Elizabeth Penelope Fairchild has never felt like a sister to me. Not once. She’s been the center of my universe since I was six years old. From the moment I first laid eyes on her.
But here’s the catch—the part that keeps me up at night.
I glance at Ryder.
He’s in love with her, too.
And that knowledge digs into me like a sharp thorn I can’t pull free. I’ve tried to bury my feelings. Ry’s been my closest friend for longer than I can remember.
But damn it, Liz makes it hard to stick to those friendship boundaries. Especially when she sends pictures of herself dressed in only a bikini. She’s clueless to the effect she has, and the temptation to cross that invisible line is always there, waiting for me to slip. But fuck if it wouldn’t be a fantastic fall.
“You coming?” Ryder asks, already walking out of the garage bay.
I know what he’s thinking because it’s exactly what I’m thinking.
However, I’ll be the guy buying her the swimsuits because I’ll get to see her wear them at the beach next week.
Maybe that’ll be enough to keep my heart in check.
Yeah, not likely.