Free Breaking the Silence (Hard Drive Book 2) by Tricia Andersen Page B

was hardly audible. It was still the sexiest sound he had ever heard.
    As soon as Rico dropped Avery off at home, he headed to the grocery store to get the items he would need to make her dinner. Things would have to be sliced and chopped before he went to bed. It looked like it would be a late night then an early morning. He wasn’t going to get any sleep, but he didn’t care. It would all be worth it if he could impress her.
    Rico was up with the sun the next day, tugging on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before he fully woke. He slumped onto the couch then pulled on his running shoes and tied them. This was a switch for a Saturday morning. Normally, he slipped his shoes on to head to Hard Drive. Running wasn’t usually on his agenda, or at least not three miles. He knew he could make it the whole distance, but it had been quite a long time since he had run that far. He would have to shake the rust off.
    There was a pile of plastic tubs waiting on the porch when Rico parked outside Avery’s house. He stared at them, puzzled, as he strolled up the sidewalk. No matter how many times he thought it through, there was no way that many boxes were going to fit in his vehicle. Avery stepped out the door as he reached the bottom step, dressed in a white tank top and little pink running shorts with black trim. Rico lost his breath as he took her in. She greeted him with a kiss. Good morning, sunshine.
    “Good morning, baby.”Rico cocked his head toward the containers. That is a lot of boxes.
    It is. All of the race stuff is in there.
    “ It is going to take a couple trips to get them to the lake. I can’t fit that much in the Jeep.”
    Lindsay shoved the front door open with a bang, his arms too full of boxes to maneuver the doorknob. By the look of disgust on his face, Rico could tell that he had something to do with the force that Lindsay had used to slam it open. “I’m going too, genius. Most of this will go in my truck.”
    Rico scowled at Lindsay. Yes, he understood that the former Army Ranger was very protective of his little sister. But it didn’t warrant getting snubbed or earning that nickname. “That makes sense.”
    Lindsay growled as he stalked off to his vehicle. Rico mused for a second then climbed the porch steps. He gathered a couple bins in his arms and followed Lindsay. He met Lindsay’s hot glare with a cool, collected one of his own. “What are you doing?” Lindsay demanded.
    Rico carefully set the bins on the tailgate of the truck then slid them in. “Helping.”
    Lindsay stared at him, clearly astounded, as Rico spun on his toe and retreated to the porch for more boxes. Silently, they worked to load the truck with most of the containers. Then, Rico set the remaining in the backseat of his Jeep. Avery wrapped her arms around Rico’s waist for a quick hug then faced her brother. See, he is a keeper.
    Lindsay huffed. “ He's all right .”
    Avery giggled as she took Rico’s hand and led him to the Jeep. Rico fought back a chuckle. Was Lindsay actually starting to warm up to him? Could it be possible that her over-protective, big brother might actually grow to like him?
    Lindsay followed in the truck as Rico drove to the lake. Avery was bubbly, signing away even though he couldn’t watch her fingers. Occasionally, he would hear her laugh as she realized she was really talking to herself. Despite the tired circles under her eyes from the week of studying, she was full of life.
    Max, Chloe, and the store owners were already at the lake when they arrived. Having more hands helping to unload the boxes made things move faster. The containers were unloaded and everything was set up long before the first runner arrived. Avery and Chloe signed happily to each other as they sorted T-shirts. The shop owners divvied up the other jobs between themselves, a couple settling behind the registration table, others setting out refreshments for the runners, and the rest finishing small, miscellaneous tasks. Max and