Novak Raven (Harper's Mountains #4)(34)

“Okay,” Avery said, sitting up in bed to better face him. “What can I do to make you less…enraged?”

“I have interview questions.”

“But I already work at Big Flight.”

“You aren’t interviewing for a job, Avery, come on. You’re interviewing for my twelfth best friend.”

“Twelfth?” It was the crack of dawn and Ryder was being really confusing.

“Yes, twelfth. Weston, Alana, Lexi, Dark Kane, Sprinkles, Harper, Wyatt, Aaron, Sammy Scrotum, Maximus Red Balls, Bart, and then waaaay at the end, you.”

Okay, she knew most of those people, and the name of the mouse that lived in 1010 had already been explained by Weston. “Who is Maximus Red Balls?”

Lexi answered for him in a tired voice. “That’s what he named one of the tomato plants in my vegetable garden.”

Great, Avery ranked lower than a tomato plant. “And Bart?”

Ryder lifted his red-bearded chin primly. “A cat crapped on our porch last week, and in that pile of smelly poo wiggled a little white worm. I named him Bart.”

Fantastic.

“I apologize for anything that happens after this,” Lexi said. “He’s had a special morning.”

“Damn straight, it’s been a special morning,” Ryder exclaimed. “Do you know what today is, Avery Foley?”

“Weston’s birthday?” Avery squeaked out.

“Yes, and do you know where he is instead of sitting across from me on our annual birthday bro-date eating a plateful of pancakes and taking selfies? Hmm?”

“Not…on your brothing with the pancakes?”

“He’s fishing without me! Fishing! Without me!”

“Rein it in, Ryder,” Lexi said.

Ryder composed his face, but his neck was still as red as his hair, and he stroked Sprinkles so vigorously she growled at him.

“Interview question number one. How long have you known Weston?”

“Um, our moms let us start writing to each other when we were ten years old.”

Ryder arched a ruddy eyebrow. “Well, I saw him on the first day he changed, and his dad told me we were going to be best friends and blood brothers, and we are.”

“Next question, Ryder,” Lexi urged.

“Did you always plan on stealing him away from me?”

“What?”

Sprinkles growled again at the rough petting, but he told Avery it was because, “Sprinkles can sense evil.”

Dear lord, she wanted to go back to sleep. “I don’t want to steal him away from anyone. I just really like him and want to be in his life.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew him when you interviewed for Big Flight?” Ryder asked, and now his face was going red again.

“I didn’t mean to conceal anything from you, but I was scared of the Bloodrunners, including you, including Weston. Ravens aren’t the bravest shifters, and then Weston didn’t seem to recognize me, so it was awkward blurting out who I was. I didn’t mean to hurt you or anyone else. And I really don’t want to put a wedge between you and Weston. He used to write about you when we were growing up. I already felt like I kind of knew you, and then working with you over the past week has been really fun. Normal. I don’t really want to lose that.”

Ryder lifted his chin higher and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Good answer, Avery Foley.” He stood to his full, imposing height and told Lexi, “I’m going to put you in my pocket now, right next to my pecker.”

“I’m hanging up now,” Lexi said. “Sorry, Avery. I’ll see you later.” The line went dead before Ryder could finagle the cell phone into his front pocket.

“Air Ryder approved,” he said magnanimously. “You have earned the coveted spot of twelfth best friend for a probationary period. I’ll make the announcement on my social media accounts today.”

“Wait, I don’t really want to be on your social media…”

Cradling Sprinkles, Ryder ignored her and walked out of the room. The front door banged closed, and Avery plopped back onto the mattress. Well, that was weird.

And now she needed to make sure she didn’t cause tension between Weston and the Bloodrunner Crew. Maybe she should talk to Harper. Or all of them? Maybe she should just come clean and tell them everything so they didn’t think she was here for the wrong reasons. But the thought of talking to the notoriously badass Bloodrunners was intimidating and made her want to shrink into the mattress and hide.

But she wanted to give Weston another relationship, not take other relationships away from him. He’d already given her so much, and she wanted him to feel as happy as he made her feel. She could be brave and talk to the Bloodrunners if it meant Weston would give more easy smiles.

Weston was my first.

The thought drew her up short. Avery squealed and kicked her legs, then covered her flushed cheeks with the blanket to hide her massive grin. It had felt so good! Better than she’d imagined. And they joked afterward. On television, sex was so serious and passionate, and there had been that, but after, it had been fun, and she’d laughed hard, for the first time since she could remember. The big belly laughs that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

She’d lost her virginity to the Novak Raven. It was finally done, and she didn’t have to worry about what it would be like anymore. Sure, she wasn’t a professional yet, but she would catch up. She would go back and pay more attention to the smutty scenes in her favorite romance novels, and maybe she would order one of those sex-position books with some of her first paycheck.