“What time’s your shift over?”
Too stunned by the shift in questions, I answer honestly. “Three.”
“I’ll be here to pick you up.”
“What? No. I have to pick up my cousin from school.”What is happening?
“We’ll grab him on our way. Give me your phone.” I react to his demand without meaning to. Handing over my phone, I can feel Trista’s eyes on me. “My number's in there. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”
“I don’t even know your name,” I say as I stare down at the phone he hands back, to see that he didn’t even enter it—just his number.
“Tonight, Noelle.” He smirks, and this tiny dimple appears in his cheek, making me tingle.
“Tonight what? What is happening?” I should be panicked, but I’m intrigued and possibly a little excited.
He reaches forward again, this time cupping the side of my neck and rubbing his thumb along my jawline before pulling me closer. Our bodies are so close they should be touching. I want them to. His mouth hovers just above mine as he speaks, “Tonight,” still not answering me.
My eyelids flutter as his lips come closer, and when I sigh, I hear, “What the fuck, Noelle?”
“Cory.” Startled, I try to pull away, but this man, he doesn’t let me.
“Who the fuck is he?” mystery man asks.
My gaze slides to where Cory stands a few feet away. “My boyfriend,” I confess, hating myself for wanting this man to kiss me and then not getting that kiss.
He smirks again, and the dimple breaks out. “Not anymore.” Without another word, he gently releases me and walks away.
I watch him as Cory storms over to where I am, completely flabbergasted, and begins questioning me about what he just witnessed.
I don’t understand what happened, but I feel like my world is about to explode. Again.
* * *
Holden
For a month, I’ve been coming to this place, ordering the same black coffee, sitting at the same table. Watching the same girl.
Noelle Rose. Twenty years old. Taking courses part-time at Brighton River College for Hospitality Business Management. Working at The Snug, part-time—a coffee shop and bookstore combination. She imparts a fake smile to everyone she greets. Well, almost everyone.
The dick from this morning sure as hell didn’t get one. Which is for the best because I likely would have snapped his neck and walked over his fresh corpse to get to her.
The boyfriend she claims to have is a cheating asshole who isn’t worthy of her time. In the month I’ve been studying Noelle, I’ve seen him with at least four other girls. None of whom he cares for, but it's easy sex. That, in itself, leads me to believe she isn’t giving it to him. Which pleases me.
Checking my watch, I find I have an hour before I pick Noelle up. The perfect amount of time to give this dick a piece of my mind and scare him off my girl.
Climbing out of my Tahoe, I follow behind him as he takes the steps two at a time to a seedy hotel that rents by the hour. With my head down, I wait until he’s opened the door before I shoulder him in and close it behind me.
“What the fuck, man?” Cory scrambles off the floor, shaken by my actions.
Retrieving the blade from my pocket, I grab him by the front of his shirt and slam him into the wall. Lifting his body off the floor, I snarl, “Stay away from Noelle.”
His eyes shift from side to side, and I know he’s tweaking. “You’re the guy from this morning.”
“I am. You gonna stay away?” I ask, and he’s already shaking his head.
“Hell no. Noelle is my girl.”
My hand twists in his shirt collar, closing off his airway. “Say that again,” I dare him.