Chapter 2
SADIE
Iwas too busy trying to wrench my wrist free from that prick to even notice that another guy had shown up.
“Now, let her go.”
He stood tall and still like a statue. His huge arms were crossed over his chest, and I could see below the silver mask on his face that he had a jaw that would make Superman envious.
His hair was dark red, with a little silver around the temples that let me know he was clearly older than me. But he wore his age well.
He also seemed extremelyfamiliar.
“What the hell’s your problem?” Tyler didn’t take too kindly to the interruption. However, his momentary distraction gave me the chance to yank my hand free.
“I’m going to give you one warning,” the man said. “Let her go and get the hell out of here.”
His accent was Irish which made him seem even more familiar.
Who the hell was this guy?
Tyler turned toward the man, puffing his chest out in that obnoxious, wannabe alpha sort of way. As annoyed as I was by Tyler, it was kind of funny watching him trying to get all aggressive with a man who was easily twice his size.
Even though I had the situation perfectly under control, I had to admit that seeing this guy standing there, tall and built and steely-eyed, was a turn-on.
“Listen, Lucky Charms, you’re putting yourself in the middle of something that doesn’t concern you. Now, why don’t you just turn around and—”
“Tyler.” I spoke with a sharp tone, cutting him off. It was enough to get him to shut up and turn in my direction.
“I don’t want to talk to you. Whatever you’ve got on your mind, keep it to yourself and back the fuck off.”
“But Sade—”
“Don’tcall me Sade. Just turn around and get the hell out of here before you embarrass yourself even further.”
Tyler narrowed his brown eyes at me from behind his mask. The man, seeming to understand that I had the situation under control, stood still and silent.
Tyler scoffed. “Whatever. If you want to blow it with a guy like me, that’s your own damn loss. Later, losers.”
With that, he turned and stormed off, disappearing into the crowd. I felt intense relief come over me when he was finally gone.
The man turned to me. “You alright?”
He gazed down at me with those rich, green eyes, his luscious mouth flat and serious, his face dusted with salt and pepper stubble.
That’s when it hit me.
I finally recognized the man. It was none other than Noah freaking McMurray, the father of my best friend and the man who’d been single-handedly responsible for my sexual awakening when I was a girl.
Granted, he had no idea about all that.
“I’m fine.”
Judging by the look on his face, I could tell that he didn’t recognize me. That meant I had a choice to make ? tell him who I was, little Sadie Clarence ? or keep my identity a secret.
Nothing wrong with a little fun, I decided.
He flagged down one of the passing servers carrying a tray of high-end water bottles. Noah plucked one of the bottles off the tray, cracked it open, and handed it to me.