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Hot, laboured breaths scatter across the back of my head. Noah’s moved closer to me, and something inside of me preens at that. It might as well be a spoken approval.
“You’re sure pushy. The rest of us waited in line to meet Noah, so go back and wait your turn. Thanks,” the woman snarks. Her smug smile might as well be a declaration of war.
I lean toward her and ask, “Why would I wait in line when I can have his attention whenever I want to?”
She jerks back and narrows her eyes. Finally, she pulls her shirt closed and covers her chest. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend.”
“He doesn’t. I’m his best friend,” I clarify.
Am I reminding her . . . or myself?I scold myself. Her. Definitely her.
Noah makes a sound behind me, and I ignore him again.
The woman watches me curiously, searching for something. “So, what’s the problem, then? I waited a long time for this, and I didn’t bring anything else for him to sign. I already have an appointment set up tomorrow to get his signature tattooed.”
“It’s just not happening.” I straighten my back, a petty part of me wanting to look at her beneath my nose.
She looks over my head at Noah, her lip jutting out. “Please?”
I wait for Noah to tell her to get lost. I’m expecting it, but as the silent seconds tick by, growing heavier, my stomach sinks. Embarrassment bites into me as I replay the last few minutes in my head. I’ve made a fool of myself in front of all these people for nothing.Fuck my life.
Confused with both my actions and Noah’s, I sidestep the two of them and glance at Sparks. Sensing my stare, she looks away from the two security guards and shakes her head at me, obviously frustrated. I heave a breath and mutter a quick apology at the fan before taking another step away from them.
Noah grabs my wrist and tugs just enough to grab my attention. I don’t want to look at him, but guilt forces me to lift my eyes. The woman who prides herself on being brave and strong crumbles. I expect him to be annoyed with me for cockblocking him, but it’s concern intertwined with a flaming heat that I find in his waiting stare. It makes my knees wobble.
“Sign her chest and make her day, Noah. The bedroom is yours tonight if you want it. I’m sorry,” I say, the words quiet enough only he can hear me.
And then, I pull my hand free and walk out of the room. The space between us helps me breathe again as I try to collect my thoughts.
I step into the hallway and lean against a wall. Bending at the waist, I grip my knees and exhale. My pulse is racing.
“Are you okay?”
I want to scream in frustration at the stranger’s voice.Leave me alone, please.
“Fine. Just needed to be alone,” I reply, squeezing my eyes shut.
“I’m sorry to bother you, then,” the man says.
I don’t reply, and footsteps sound as the person walks away. Being rude to someone, especially someone who’s just trying to be nice, is not my thing. I’m not that type of person. But right now, I don’t feel like myself at all. I feel like a stranger in my own body.
“Tinsley,” Noah barks.
I haphazardly shove my hair out of my face and stand, staring at the wall across from me. “Can a person not get any goddamn alone time in this place?”
“Don’t walk away from me.”
“I’m not walking away.”
I feel him getting closer. The power rippling off him is smothering. It wraps around me against my will, keeping me from running.
“You did. Back there,” he growls.
“Would you have preferred an audience? Because I might like to look at boobs from time to time, but hers held no appeal to me.”
Suddenly, his palm meets the wall beside my head as he moves into my space, crowding me. We’re so close we could hold a piece of paper between us. Anger pulses off him, but I’m the furthest thing from afraid.
He releases a ragged breath and watches me, those dark eyes flaring. “Tell me something, Tinsley.”
