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Noah gave his head a slight shake, lifting his eyes to meet mine again. Oh wow. I’d forgotten how intense Noah Tate’s gaze was. His chocolate-brown eyes matched his hair perfectly. When I was old enough to notice guys in high school, he’d been hard not to notice, yet I doubted I even registered on his radar back then. But as one of the older brothers of my closest friend, he’d been the star of a few fantasies. Luckily for me, I’d been a sensible girl until that one time when I was spectacularly not.
But me being sensible or not had nothing to do with Noah. I just had enough sense to realize he was four years older than me and would never bother with me, so I hadn’t let myself get too hung up on him. Of course, I did wonder why I’d never gotten hung up on Ian, who was the youngest of Thea’s brothers and only two years older than us. All her brothers were handsome, but I’d only fantasized about Noah back then. Seeing him years later in the flesh was almost overwhelming.
The years had been kind to Noah. His once boyish good looks were honed and sharpened. He had a jaw sharp enough to cut glass and sculpted cheekbones with an aquiline nose. His intense dark gaze added a dash of intimidation. I giggled, thinking about how he’d pulled a gun on me in the hallway. I would’ve been terrified if I’d had much time to think about it or seen what I imagined the look in his eyes had been at that moment.
One of his brows rose in a slash while one corner of his mouth kicked up in a bemused grin. That look sent my belly wild, butterflies tickling as they spun inside.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I was just thinking it was probably good I didn’t see your face when you pulled a gun on me earlier. It probably would’ve terrified me.”
His grin stretched to the other corner of his mouth, and my pulse cheered, taking off in a mad dash. “Sorry about that. I honestly had no idea who was here. I didn’t figure it was all that bad because most burglars don’t bring their dogs, but my habits kicked in.”
“Are you carrying your gun now?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He shook his head. “Nah. I put it away. I literally came straight here from our offices in Boston. I know Thea offered you the house, but what are you doing here all alone? You have a daughter, right?”
Even though Noah had graduated and left town by the time my life became the mini-teenage drama of Haven’s Bay High School, there was no way he hadn’t heard the whole story. I got pregnant when I was fifteen and had a baby when I was sixteen. And—oh!—what a scandal it had been.
“Quinn’s on a ski trip with her aunt for Christmas. It’s my first whole week without her. I needed a change of pace, so Thea offered me the house. If you prefer for me to get a hotel, I’ll find something tomorrow. I hate to intrude. I don’t think Thea knew you were planning to be here.”
My body was going flat-out haywire around Noah. Between my pulse, these waves of heat rolling through me, and my belly working on some kind of gymnastics routine, I didn’t even know what to think. But now, genuine worry and anxiety spun into the mix, and it wasn’t a good combination. I didn’t want to drive back to Boston because I really needed a change of scenery just to reset and get my bearings. I also didn’t have money for a hotel. This wasn’t working out how I had hoped, but Ireallydidn’t want to impose on Noah.
“Thea definitely had no idea I’d be here. Because I didn’t tell her. I made the decision in my head this morning,” he said, tapping his temple before leaning over to lift his beer off the coffee table.
“You sure came prepared,” I observed, my eyes drawn to the motion of his throat as he tilted his head back.
Sweet hell. Apparently, I had a thing for his throat, and his wrist. Watching the flex of it, I let my gaze linger on his fingers as they slid along the bottle when he lowered it. I wondered what his hands would feel like on me.
Besides my one and only teenage scandal, I’d lived a rather staid and decidedly boring life since then. Being a young single mother didn’t lend itself to the dating world. I was always scrambling to make ends meet, just to keep my head above water. Half the time, I felt like I was treading water madly only to slip below the surface every so often. Most of the guys around my age were shocked—shocked, I tell you—that I had a teenage daughter. They weren’t even ready to think about having a baby, much less navigating the treacherous waters of parenting a teenager, especially one who wasn’t theirs.
When you had a child, dating necessitated brutal honesty up front. Because I didn’t have time to waste at all, much less get to know someone with zero interest in dating someone with a child. It wasn’t like I went into dating looking for Quinn’s imaginary stepfather. I just couldn’t imagine putting time in with someone who wasn’t into kids. Long story short, I didn’t get much action. At all.
Maybe all that lack of sex was what had me so tied up in knots over Noah. This was probably the closest thing I’d had to a date in years, even though he had no idea, and that was crazy thinking.
He chuckled. “I stopped at the grocery store when I passed through town. Got a pizza to go and some beer and wine. I picked up bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. I grabbed some eggs too, although I have no idea what I’ll do with them.”
I grinned back at him, and maybe I was seriously out of practice, but I could’ve sworn for just a second I saw a flare go off in his eyes. Maybe that, or perhaps I was losing my mind. Sexy was not the word that came to mind when men knew anything about my life.
“I can whip up some omelets. Even plain egg omelets are good if you have a few spices knocking around the kitchen.”
“I got cheese and coffee and cream too. I thought ahead,” he added, giving me a quick wink.
My belly did another spin.
“To reiterate, you’re not imposing. This is a giant house.” He gestured expansively with his hand around the large living room. The ceilings were tall in this old house, so every room felt spacious, even the old servants’ rooms on the uppermost floor.
This house was once owned by some crazy-wealthy family a few centuries ago. They had paid staff and everything back in the day. I remember being excited to spend the night here when I was a kid. Thea and I would stay upstairs in the old servants’ bedrooms. They were also sizable rooms. The slanted ceilings of the upper floor just didn’t create as much airy space as the rest of the house.
“If you’re sure. If you change your mind in the morning when you’re feeling saner and it’s not snowing and windy, just let me know,” I finally said.
Noah held my gaze for several long beats, and my stomach went back to its gymnastics routine while my pulse raced. “I’m not changing my mind, Sasha. So back to you. Your daughter’s on a ski trip, and it’s your first vacation without her. Seriously?”
I arched my brows and pursed my lips. “Yes, Noah. I’m a single mother. I love it, and I wouldn’t change it, but it doesn’t give me much time to myself, much less the funds for many vacations.”
He nodded slowly. “I wasn’t here when it all went down, but if I recall, Thea told me your parents kicked you out. Did they really?”
I nodded. “They sure did. It’s okay. I stumbled a few times, but I landed on my feet. Family isn’t always great.”
