Page 49 of Naz & Roz

SIXTEEN

Naz, at best, was an impatient fucker. It could be considered his greatest flaw if he cared to think about his few flaws. Except he didn’t … and he was more than willing to embrace all his impatientness when it came right down to it.

Throwing back the last bit of whiskey—he’d let himself have one glass for this party just in case Roz wanted to get the hell out of there later and he had to drive—he peered over the crowd again to see if he could find his girl. He swore every time he laid eyes on her, someone else was coming around to take her away.

He hadn’t gotten five minutes of conversation with her the whole night. It was driving him nuts.

A hand clapped his shoulder hard on the left side, and Naz relaxed a bit at the sound of his father’s quiet chuckles. “What are you doing over here in the corner, Naz?”

“Maybe I’m letting Luca have his spotlight.”

Cross arched a brow like he was considering that statement. “I might believe that, if you actually thought you might take it away. You wouldn’t—you’re not the type. Try again.”

His gaze swept the crowd again. “Did you see where Roz went?”

“Ah.”

He would not look over at his father. He would not.

Except he did.

Cross was wearing a shit-eating smirk again. Goddammit. “Everyone taking up her attention and time, and I bet you’re a sad little puppy over here.”

Just the tone of his father’s voice was enough to make Naz bristle. “I swear, if you try to pet my head like—”

His father slapped his cheek twice instead. “Nope, just going to enjoy pestering the fuck out of you, son. No one else dares to.”

That was mostly true.

Luca did, sometimes.

“You know, back when I was your age and this was me and Catherine … I used to just sneak her out the first chance I could. We’d take off, and it’d be hours later before someone realized we were even gone. Good times.”

Usually, when his father talked about things like that regarding his mother, Naz tuned him out. He didn’t need to know those things of things. But that was actually kind of helpful, and he was going to pull a Cross as his mother liked to say.

He was his father’s twin, after all.

Or that’s what everyone told him his whole fucking life.

Naz’s lips split with a sly smile. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“Hey, I didn’t—”

“Thanks, Papa.”

He heard his father’s sigh echo behind him as he turned his back to his father, and headed into the crowd. If he couldn’t find Roz, then she could come and find him. And once she did, they’d be gone.

Perfect, really.

“There you are,” Roz said as she slipped out the front door of her parents’ home. Her wide smile made Naz grin, too. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“I bet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Naz chuckled, and shook his head. “Means nothing. I just figured instead of waiting for you to find me in there, it might be better if you found me out here.”

Roz eyed him curiously as she came down the steps. The chill in the air wasn’t too bad, but it was enough that he could see a slight shiver crawling over her exposed shoulders under the dress she wore. Once she was close enough for him to reach out and grab her, Naz did just that.