Free Fighting for Flight by Jb Salsbury Page A

throat. “I’m
always in the garage. I didn’t know all this was back here.”
    I scan my surroundings. The modern outdoor kitchen
and bar, flat-screen TV, lagoon-style pool with Jacuzzi, and a fire
pit. But the best parts of the backyard are the loungers. They’re
made for two, complete with large queen-sized mattresses and
outdoor pillows.
    “When you guys make it official, you have to have me
over . . . like a lot.” Eve looks at me over the tops of her
sunglasses with a smile lighting her face.
    My eyebrows pull together. “Make it official?”
    “Yeah, you know, admit you dig each other.” She
shrugs before licking her finger and turning another page.
    “Whatever.”
    It’s all I can say through the full-on grin I’m
sporting. As much as I wish I didn’t, I feel something for him.
What girl wouldn’t?
    Even the women Blake brought seem to fall into a
trance when Jonah’s around—not that I blame them. A swell of nausea
threatens at the thought of Jonah with a girl like that. Their
huge, clearly medically enhanced, breasts and lips push up and out
for anyone’s attention.
    “What’s going on over here, baby girl?” Blake plops
down at my hip.
    There is something about this guy that goes beyond
his super-hot, bad-boy, fighter good looks. That alone would make
any girl fidgety. His light brown hair is buzzed short, drawing all
the attention to his bright green eyes. His looks alone are enough
to leave a trail of broken hearts in his wake. But it’s his
composure, a slight expression he wears, that makes him dangerous,
like his eyes hide a dirty secret he masks with a friendly
smile.
    “If I flip a coin, what are the chances I’ll get
head?”
    Eve turns to Blake, her jaw wide open, and closes
her magazine with a smack.
    “Eww, Blake. That’s gross,” I say through a fit of
giggles. “Please tell me that doesn’t actually work on girls.”
    “You see how many dates I have at this barbeque.
What do you think?” He turns his attention to Eve. “How about you,
Barbie? You up for a game of naked leap frog?”
    “Ugh! I’m going to get a drink. Rave, you want
anything?”
    “No thanks.”
    Eve gets up, and Blake is not shy about watching her
butt until she disappears behind the bar.
    “Is it something I said?” His crooked smile tells me
he likes making girls uncomfortable.
    The fact that he can talk to women like that and
still get dates is a testament to how incredibly attractive he
is.
    I catch Jonah at the bar from the corner of my eye.
He’s watching Blake and me, the weight of his stare makes me shift
in my seat. I don’t want a repeat of what happened earlier.
    “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your dates? I
don’t want to get you in trouble.”
    Blake looks to the girls, but quickly dismisses my
concerns with a wave of his hand. “Nah, they’re cool. And if
they’re not, fuck ’em.” Blake rubs his hand back and forth a few
times on his buzzed head. Turning his head slightly, he fixes his
cocky half smile on me. “You into my boy?” he asks cryptically.
    I prop myself up on my elbows. “Huh?”
    Leaning forward, he looks me in the eyes. “Jonah
tried to take my head off back there. You want to know how often
I’ve seen him do that when I put the moves on a girl, even a girl
he’s going home with?”
    “How many?”
    He makes a circle with his finger and thumb. “Zilch.
Never.”
    I stare at Blake, trying to figure out exactly what
he’s telling me and hoping like heck I don’t misunderstand.
    “We’re just friends.” Thankfully, I’m wearing
sunglasses so he can’t see my eyes betraying my words.
    “Just friends, huh?” He rubs his chin then shrugs.
“Perfect. I’ll see if a couple of my dates want to hang with Jonah
tonight after the barbeque.” He braces his hands on his knees to
stand.
    No. “Wait.” Reflexes have me grabbing his
arm. My heartbeat throbs with panic.
    He looks at me. “You got something you wanna say,
baby girl?”
    I like Jonah.
    The