Her first thought was that Noah Newcomb was so not handsome. His bent nose and forehead were exaggerated by the strobe lights and he looked so menacing, she’d have picked him for a bouncer. But her second thought was that she was glad he’d come. More than glad.Relieved. Her insides warmed like she’d been drinking Christmas brandy and all she wanted was for him to look up. To see her.
As though he could hear her thoughts, Noah turned. Their eyes met, green into blue, and the heat in her middle became something akin to burning. She waved, because she didn’t know what else to do. “Hi!” she mouthed. “Thanks for coming!”
Idiotic. So, so dorky.
Noah didn’t deign to reply. Instead he smirked, that familiar, ‘you want it, don’t you?’ leer. He studied Sam’s dress with lazy approval, gaze lingering on her hemline.
She wanted to be disgusted, butsparks skittered across her skin. She stood in the spotlight of his attention, her body tingling as though his hands were on her, stroking gently. She couldn’t remember a man ever looking at her like that. Like she was Marilyn Monroe, swirling her white skirt; the epitome of feminine attractiveness. The crowd surged around her, but she didn’t pay them any mind. She needed to stay here, keep him watching her—
An elbow clipped her side.
“Oof!” Nicole turned to see a man in a pinstripe shirt grinning. “Sorry. Shit place to stand though.”
Nicole rubbed where his elbow had caught her ribs. “Jerk.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Noah rise to his feet, his expression murderous. He looked like a stone giant brought to life by an evil wizard.
She waved both hands at him. “No! Please don’t come over.”
Noah glared after pinstripe guy and she could see the anger thrumming inside him. Panic shot through her, its taste metallic on her tongue. He looked so—she hated herself for thinking it—mean. It was the easiest thing in the world to imagine Noah taking the pinstripe man outside and cracking him open like an egg. And not because of her, though that would be the excuse, but because he could. Because it would be easy.
For the millionth time, she wondered who Noah Newcomb was. Sam and Tabby knew so little about him.Sheknew so little about him. All around him men moved aside, tucked their girlfriends under their arms. How would it feel to have that power? To be so intimidating? Did it make you mean just on principle?
Noah’s nostrils flared and he sat down. Relief swamped her and, not wanting another excuse for him to get up, she turned and headed for the bar. He watched her leave. She could feel it. Her ass tingled like eyesight had a touch.
“How’d you go?” Tabby shouted when she returned to the dance floor with their drinks.
“Fine,” she lied. “Noah’s here. Did you invite him?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think he’d show.” Tabby took a long sip of ginger rum. “Did you know he’s fucking Kelly?”
Time did a little stop-reverse. “What?”
“Noah’s drilling Kelly. You know, Sam’s model.”
Oh, she knew Kelly. Five-eleven, blonde, pretty tattoos all over her tanned skin. She’d been on the cover ofFHMand had twenty thousand Instagram followers. Sexy, sensual, sexpot Kelly. And she was having sex with Noah. Her gut twisted like a fish on a hook. She had no right to be upset, none whatsoever, but why had he made her feel…? How could she have ever thought…?
Tabby pounded her back. “Nix, brah. You cool?”
“How could he do that?”
Tabby raised a brow. “Eh?”
She swallowed, trying not to imagine Noah and Kelly in bed together, tall and tattooed and groaning in unison. “How could Noah do that to Sam? Kelly’s her favourite tattoo model. What if it ends badly and Sam can’t use her anymore?”
“Sam’ll live. And it won’t end badly. The dark horse knows what he’s doing.”
“Excuse me?” She could hear herself becoming prim. She always did that when she was upset.
Tabby drank more ginger rum, oblivious to her panic. “Uh, pretty much what I said. Noah gets laid like it’s his job.”
Nicole gaped at her sister. “But why? He’s so quiet and he’s covered in blackwork and he always looks angry and he’s just so not the kind of guy anyone fantasises about!”
She blurted it out like a confession, as though she wanted Tabby to solve the crime of her infatuation. But she just shrugged. “He’s big, man. He’s big and he’s mean and he looks like he could tear a boar apart with his bare hands.”
“So?”
Tabby rolled her eyes. “Christ, you’re naïve. Hey, I think that’s Murphy. Murph! Murph! Over here!”