Page 72 of Jump

“You’re dramatic,” Jen huffs. “Give the man a minute to decide what to buy—and let him have his fun. Axel deserves not to always be in on everyone’s gossip… and Ruiz has earned the right to be giddy and dumb sometimes.” She purses her lips and studies her nails. “He’s not playing anyone. He’s not nearly smooth enough to have two women going at the same time.”

“Comforting.” With an exhale of exasperation, I come around the counter and snag a stool so I can settle in. “I don’t like feeling like a secret.”

Hannah throws her head back, mouth wide. “Ha! Girl, I’ve had that conversation before. But in your case, this isn’t about you or him. It’s about screwing with Axel. He deserves to be wound up sometimes.”

“Yeah? Well, I think Matt deserves to get his ass kicked for using me to taunt someone else.”

“So…” Turning in her seat, Sophia crosses her legs and meets my gaze with a sly look in hers. “Kick his ass, girlfriend. Show him who’s boss. He’s playing a game with his friend right now, and you’re aware and unhappy about it, so get in there and shake things up.” She flashes a wicked grin. “It’s my favorite way to exist.”

“Oh shit.” Kit takes out her phone and unlocks the screen in a single heartbeat. “I know someone who can help.”

Dialing, and laughing under her breath, her shoulders still bounce as the call connects. “Hey. You busy tonight?”

“Don’t,” I groan. “Please stop.”

“We have an emergency,” Kit continues in spite of me. “Can you be here in an hour?” She listens to her friend’s response, then her smile grows larger. “You’re already in town? Fantastic! I’ll text you the address. Bring your flirt.”

Pulling the phone from her ear and killing the call, she types her message while my stomach roils with nerves.

“Wh-what did you do?”

“I got you a date.” Hitting send on her text, she looks to Nicole and snickers. “You know exactly who I called. Don’t ruin our fun.”

“He’ll ruin her,” she breathes. “And he’ll start a fight with Ruiz.”

“Meh. Ruiz already had a fight this week. He even got a lesson from the world champ and didn’t die. He’ll be fine.” She sets her phone on the counter as footsteps echo on the floor just outside the kitchen. “You’re gonna be fine, too,” she assures me. Then she peers to the doorway when Axel and Matt wander in together.

They stop on the threshold, bringing themselves out of their own conversation to study us instead. “What happened?” Axel steps away from his friend and makes a beeline for Hannah.

He circles the counter and wraps her in a hug, even as she still holds her wine in one hand and a spatula in the other. After dropping a noisy kiss on her cheek, he pinches her chin between his finger and thumb. “A man knows trouble when it’s brewing in his own kitchen. What the hell’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She rolls her eyes and turns away to focus on cooking. “Jesus, Feeney. Paranoid much?”

My eyes are on Matt’s. My stomach rolls and my heart thunders, because he watches me, searching for a hint as to what’s not being said.

But for as long as he wants to play the ‘let’s tease Axel’ game and leave me over here in the cold, he doesn’t have the freedom to come to me and demand an answer. So I give him a small smile, knowing it’s not nearly enough to assuage his concerns.

“I can smell trouble,” Axel insists. He moves to the fridge and takes out two beers before slamming the door shut. “It’s like pheromones in the air. I can taste them.”

“Ew,” Ellie grumbles. “Your sister is in this room, dude. You’re gross.”

He purses his lips and scowls at the back of Hannah’s head when she still refuses to turn. “Sullivan? Talk to me.”

“Dinner’s almost ready,” she singsongs instead. “We’re just waiting on one more guest, then I’ll serve it up.”

“A guest?” He counts heads, like he thinks he can figure out who is missing. “Everyone is here.”

“Nah. Nic was saying she misses hanging out with Drake, so we invited him along.”

His eyes swing to his sister’s and narrow. “You miss Drake? Your abusive baby daddy’s former detective partner? Why?”

The doorbell rings, the chime echoing across the house. In response, Sophia bounds up from her stool and dashes that way. “I’ll get it!” she shouts. “Y’all serve up dinner. I’m starving!”

Ruiz

IT’S A CONSPIRACY. IT’S ANARCHY!

I wait in the kitchen while the others trickle toward the formal dining room. While the Solomon sisters corral most of Hannah’s and Axel’s guests in the direction they want them to go.

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