Brave (Adrenalin #4)

1. Jace

Chapter one

Jace

I ’d recognize those broad shoulders anywhere—I committed them to memory when I first saw them last month in Katah Vista—and since then, I’ve been dreaming about what they’d look like under the shirt that hugs them.

Add the light brown hair with a hint of curl at the ends?

God, how I wanted to plunge my hands into it and feel the silky strands glide between my fingers.

My heart still races when I think about the way he looked at me that day; lips slightly parted, steely gaze full of desire. What I’d give to feel that again…

I wanted him right then and there, but years of masking my emotions kept my expression in check, and my body frozen in place. He was similarly guarded, and frankly, his gaze was the only hint of him being affected by my presence at all. But it was enough.

I’m not sure which of us broke the stare first, though I do remember shooting glances at each other for the rest of the afternoon.

And when I rubbed my shoulder, sore from hoisting the camera around, he suggested a massage.

To everyone else it was an offhand comment, a friendly offer.

I knew better. It was an invitation to explore this thing between us.

One I planned to take him up on, until our sponsors disrupted the schedule.

They sent us to Moab to film with some other riders, a task we barely completed since my best friend and star rider, Axel, had his mind stuck on his man, Lennon.

They weren’t official at the time, but Axel wanted him, and he went back to Katah Vista to claim him.

I thought about going too, trying to find my sexy masseuse, Blake.

But aside from that brief encounter at the bar, we didn’t have any other contact, and I didn’t want to come off as a stalker.

So, Axel went to Katah Vista, and I went to Arizona to get ready for the first competition of the season.

I don’t usually regret moving from one place to the next—traveling the world to film dirt bike videos and competitions with my best friend is a great life—but leaving without being able to act on the moment I shared with Blake made me feel sort of hollow.

Like I was missing out on something that could’ve been great.

Yeah, that’s a weird thought to have after a simple look.

Doesn’t change the fact that I asked “what if” a few times.

Now, I might finally get my chance.

I’m not usually one to believe in something as cliché as fate, but seeing as how my sexy stranger is sitting across the bar in this pub miles away from Katah Vista, what else could it be?

It can't be a coincidence. Unfinished business, maybe? Regardless, I won’t waste my chance to explore whatever this is between us. Not again.

Standing over his shoulder, I speak just loud enough for him to hear me over the commotion of the busy restaurant. “Is this seat taken?”

He stiffens at the sound of my voice, turning slowly, as if he’s unsure what he might find. Finally, I’m staring into the face I thought I might never see again, and somehow the angles and planes are even more stunning than I remembered .

Although I suspect we’re close in age, Blake looks older. More man than boy, like he has to shave daily instead of once a week. It gives him a ruggedly handsome look compared to my boyishly attractive one.

His hazel eyes blink rapidly as he takes me in, confusion etched in his features. “You’re…”

“Jace.” I give him my hand.

“Blake.” He takes it, thick, strong fingers brushing against the back of my hand. The contact makes me shiver, and I swear I feel him do the same.

“I remember. May I?” I point to the barstool next to him. He nods, jaw shifting subtly as he fights a smile. Does that mean he’s happy to see me?

The bartender sets a coaster in front of me before I can say anything else. “What can I get you?” he asks.

“What’d you get?” I ask Blake.

“A burger. And a pale ale.” He lifts his glass, signaling that he’d like another.

“I’ll have the same,” I tell the bartender, who drifts off to place my order as I turn my focus back to the man beside me, whose broad shoulders are so close to my own the air between us seems to vibrate.

His hazel eyes regard me with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation from underneath his softly rumpled hair.

“What brings you to Utah? Vacation?” I ask.

“Work actually.” He licks his lips before taking a sip of his beer, and I have to tear my eyes away before my mind can wander toward what else I’d like to see him do with his tongue.

“For the spa?”

“My other job. Or at least I think it will be.”

I catch his eyes wandering down my body, and it makes my stomach flutter. Damn, how long has it been since a look made me do that? I swallow, trying to regain my focus. I vaguely remember him talking about teaching kids how to mountain bike. “The bike clinics?”

“You remember that?” The corner of his lip pulls up as he fights another smile.

Without an audience he has to play a role for, he seems flattered, almost bashful.

It’s fucking adorable. I’m suddenly glad our first real opportunity to talk is here, away from people I suspect don’t know this side of him.

“I remember.”

“It’s related to the bike clinics, yeah.”

The bartender sets a beer in front of me, and I take a sip to wet my dry mouth. “So, you have two full-time jobs?”

“Most everyone in the valley does. There aren’t many salaried positions available and one hourly job doesn’t pay the bills.

” A hint of red creeps into his cheeks. I hope he doesn’t think I care about what kinds of jobs he has, or worse, his education.

If I hadn’t grown up riding with Axel, filming him along the way and establishing ourselves as sort of a package deal, I’m not sure where I’d be today.

“If it’s so hard to make a living there, why do you stay?”

“I was born and raised there. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.” He gives a little shrug.

“Have you ever tried?” As soon as the words are out, I panic, wondering if they came across as negative. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to read into them.

“Yeah, actually. I did a few semesters of college in California years ago, and I learned I wasn’t cut out to be a student or exist in a place where the only silence comes in the form of noise-canceling headphones.”

The way he wrinkles his nose makes me chuckle. “You don’t like the ocean? ”

“I do. The best part about California was learning to surf, which is probably why I didn’t make the best student. But I’m a mountain guy, through and through.”

“You’re tethered to Katah Vista, then?”

“For now. Maybe not forever, but if the outdoors is a part of you that’s one of the few places I’ve found where you’re truly surrounded by it.”

I’ve traveled enough to know that’s not true, but I understand the sentiment. Having spent a week there last month I know it’s a special place, mainly because of the rugged beauty of the landscape. “So, Katah Vista is the best place to be, even if you have to work several jobs?”

“Especially then.” His eyes light up as he talks about his hometown. “If you’re willing to work a few jobs to live where you’re happy it means you don’t take that place for granted.”

I feel myself nodding in agreement as the bartender sets our plates in front of us. “I get that. On a broader scale, I think, but I get it.”

“How so?”

“Well…” I gnaw on a fry to gather my thoughts. “Living on the road gives me the opportunity to visit a lot of places, and there are a ton of incredible sights I wouldn’t have seen if my work didn’t involve traveling. But living out of a trailer isn’t exactly easy.”

“You literally have your house with you everywhere you go. That’s not easy?”

I roll my lips between my teeth to bite back a chuckle.

“Convenient maybe, sure. But easy? No. I can’t park it just anywhere, there’s lot of maintenance you have to keep up with when you put as many miles on it as I do, and while I love the fact I’ve been able to travel the world, I don’t always get as much time to enjoy the places I’ve been to since I’m working.

That’s better than not seeing them at all though, at least to me, so the challenges of a nomadic lifestyle are a small price to pay, probably like working two jobs to live in Katah Vista is for you. ”

“I get that,” he says with an almost pensive expression, making me briefly question whether it’s his hometown or the fact I used those exact words just a second ago that has him thinking so deeply.

“What’s the other job, then?” I pop a fry in my mouth, changing the subject. “The one that brought you here.”

“It might be building a mountain bike park. Carter, the owner of the Katah Vista resort, thinks adding one will bring people in over the summer.”

“I’m sure it would. The park here keeps the chairs spinning all summer. I’m actually surprised your resort doesn’t already have a bike park.”

“No one’s ever said it, but my guess is the people who owned the resort before Carter didn’t have the capital to make that a reality.

Frankly, I don’t even think Carter would be looking into it if it wasn’t for an offhand comment my friend Deacon made about wanting a lazy way up the mountain.

He’s a skier, not a biker, so it wasn’t really on his radar. ”

“A resort owner who actually listens to the people?” I feign shock, although that really is shocking. Nowadays most resorts are focused on chasing the bottom line rather than providing a good experience.

“He’s still weighing the finances—” Blake doesn’t miss a beat “—but he’s getting local input on how to do that, which is beyond cool. I never thought I’d say it, but we’re lucky to have him.”

“Why do you sound surprised by that?”

Blake grins thoughtfully, as if he’s been transported somewhere else. “The guy wears a three-piece suit to work on the mountain. The first time we all saw him… Let’s just say we expected his changes to stick out as sorely as he did. ”

“I take it they don’t?”

“Not at all. Well, not what he has planned for the ski slopes. The bike park is a bit of a wild card since we still have to build the damn thing.” The tips of his ears turn red as he takes a bite of his burger.

“I didn’t realize you built trails and taught people how to ride. How do you even have time for the spa thing?”

He finishes chewing with a tiny shake of his head.

“I don’t build trails. I help maintain them with the forest service, but I’ve never built one.

I’m not even sure what my role would be if Carter decides to move forward with this idea.

Right now, I’m just here to meet with a guy who’s done this sort of thing before so we can better understand what it would take. ”

“Jackson Parker?”

Blake cocks his head to the side. “Yeah. How…?”

“There’s some overlap between mountain biking and motocross. We sometimes film in the same areas, so I end up meeting a lot of the riders. I’m actually here visiting Jackson myself. I scored a lift ticket off him so I could ride the bike park for a few days.”

“They have motocross trails on the mountain?” His brows rise to his hairline, and I bite back another laugh. He’s so genuine . It’s refreshing.

“Nothing motorized on the mountain.” I bump his leg under the bar, causing his eyes to dart briefly to mine.

The trace of heat in them sends my pulse racing, but I force myself not to lean toward him.

We are in public, and based on the covert glances he gave me the first time we met, my gut is telling me he’s not out.

“Mountain bikes are a hell of a lot lighter than dirt bikes, and it’s a nice change to ride something that doesn’t weigh twice as much as I do.

Plus, I needed a break from the guys. I love what I do and who I work with, but I’m literally with those guys around three hundred days a year, and sometimes you just need some space. ”

“I get that.” The soft tone of his voice makes me think he really does.

“Yeah?” I can’t stop the coy smile that tugs at my lip.

“Yeah. Although, now that I’m on a break from my little bubble, I’m realizing how much I like living in it.”

“What do you mean?” I take a bite of my burger in an attempt to reign in my flirting.

“Well, sitting here—before you joined me—I realized how much I like knowing people everywhere I go. It beats sitting alone for dinner.”

“But you’re not alone.” I let that little challenge linger.

“Not anymore.” Blake licks his lip again, and I swear I almost groan out loud.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Are you asking if I enjoy the company, or your company specifically?”

“Yes.” I take a bite of my burger, so the act of chewing keeps me from smiling too broadly.

“Hmm.” Those hazel take another trip over my body. “So far, so good.”

I haven’t been with a man in over a year, and while there have been plenty of women during that time, I’ve missed the weight of a male body against mine.

The hard planes of a man’s chest, stomach, and hips.

The hint of scruff on his face at the end of the day.

The big, strong hands sliding over my skin.

My desire to experience those things has been present ever since I sat down, and while we’ve shared some great conversation, my body is growing impatient with all the talk.

“What would make it even better?”

Blake lifts a nonchalant shoulder. “Privacy. ”

Swallowing the last of my burger, I wipe my mouth and toss my napkin on the empty plate. “Any chance I can convince you to come back to my room?

“I was sorta hoping you’d ask.”

We each drop a few bills on the counter and head for the door.