Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,64

Blastoviak to Blastoviak. It was like they were crawling out of the woodwork or something. This latest one was the middle brother, Chase, who was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

Like Brody and Mason, he looked obnoxiously good, even in work clothes. And for some reason, I only found this more annoying.

It was like all three of them had been sprinkled with "lucky dust" or something. They were rich, famous, and so good-looking, they might as well be movie stars. But then, I remembered. They were stars – just of a smaller screen, that's all.

Well, goodie for them, too.

After the near-collision, I told Chase, "Excuse me," and made a move to go around him.

As I did, he said in a tone that was almost friendly, "So, you're the pyro, huh?"

My steps faltered. Pyro? As in pyromaniac?

Well, this was just delightful.

I stopped and turned to face him. "I'm not a pyro."

He grinned. "Hey, I meant it as a compliment."

It was vintage Chase. From watching the show, I'd seen enough of him to know that everything was a joke to him. But didn't he get it?

This was no joking matter.

With a stiff smile, I turned in the opposite direction, heading once again toward the beach, having decided that it was better to brave Roy's camera than to deal with anyone named Blastoviak.

Still, as I marched toward the back of the house, I felt like a giant toad for being so rude to this latest brother. After all, he'd been the only Blastoviak who hadn't acted like I was some sort of psychopath, even if he had called me a pyro, which admittedly wasn't much better.

As I walked, I gave Roy a nervous glance. Sure enough, he was filming my march of shame like it was the most interesting thing he'd seen all morning, even amidst all the other commotion.

Ignoring the camera as best I could, I picked up the pace and kept on going. Probably, I looked like a total idiot.

But this was exactly what I'd signed on for, wasn't it?

Still, my thoughts churned like the waves crashing against the shore. The construction project had just barely begun, and already I was asking myself a serious question.

What on Earth had I been thinking?

Chapter 35

Brody

Next to me, Chase said, "You never mentioned she was hot."

He'd just sidled up to me after nearly colliding with Arden. On purpose? Maybe.

Ignoring my brother's bullshit, I watched Arden as she stalked around the side of the house, heading toward the beach. She was wearing jeans and a plaid long-sleeve shirt – just like your average construction worker, except she didn't look average to me.

She looked like apple pie and homemade cookies – assuming the pie was poison, and the cookies were filled with sand.

She was trouble.

Even the way she moved was getting under my skin.

From the sidelines, Roy and his video camera captured her movements in one long, candid shot. When Arden gave the camera a worried glance, I had to stop myself from jumping between her and the guy wielding it.

Not my problem.

And yet, I was still looking.

I watched in silence as she turned and disappeared behind the house. When Roy turned away, seeking another target, my shoulders relaxed, and I let out a long, unsteady breath.

Chase said, "Nice ass, too."

I felt my fingers clench. Arden's ass was none of my brother's business.

A dumber guy would've told him so. But me? I knew better.

I knew what Chase was doing. He was trying to get a rise out of me.

I wasn't biting. Without turning to face him, I replied, "If you want her, go ahead."

But even as the words left my mouth, I knew that if he put the moves on her, I wouldn't like it. I wouldn't stand for it either.

And I wasn't the only one.

If Chase hooked up with her, Mason would lose his shit long before I did. He wasn't a forgiving guy, and Arden had committed the ultimate sin. She'd messed with something important to him – and I didn't mean the truck.

Chase laughed. "Nice to have your permission."

He didn't need it. He didn't even want it. He was just stirring the pot, as usual.

I looked to him and said, "Don't you have a hammer to swing or something?"

"Sure," he said, glancing at his watch. "But not for ten minutes."

As part of the show, we'd already restored nearly forty houses now. We had a system, and it worked well enough, even on days like today, when my brothers were sticking their noses where