Having Roni around his friends felt good—damn good. The guys hadn’t even thought it weird when they saw them walk in together. At least they didn’t say anything. The pizzas and pitchers of beer were already there as they took a seat at the table.
Roni seemed uncomfortable at first, but as an hour passed, she’d relaxed. Noah took note of how incredibly slowly she sipped her beer. He remembered her drinking her champagne a little faster on Thanksgiving. Maybe beer wasn’t her thing.
Jack had just finished telling them about how back in his day boxing wasn’t the only sport he was good at. Noah had heard the story before, but it was a good one, so he didn’t mind hearing it again. Jack’s high school basketball team made and won the state championship. Jack always used these kinds of stories and spun them around to include an inspirational twist that would help them in the ring.
“I spun a basketball on my finger for over fifteen minutes just a few weeks ago,” Hector said, biting into a slice of pizza as if that even came close to winning a state championship.
“When was this?” Noah laughed. Hector was always embellishing his accomplishments.
“What do you mean? You were there!” Hector said. “The day after Thanksgiving.” Then he stopped and smirked. “Oh, wait. I forgot. That’s when Rita took you for a ride. Or I should say you gave her a good hard ride.”
He laughed just as two napkins hit his head on either side, one from Abel and the other from Gio. “That’s my cousin, ass!” Gio threw another balled-up napkin at him. “Don’t be making up shit like that.”
“Yeah.” Abel gave him a hard look. “That’s how rumors get started, stupid.”
“Rumors?” Hector turned back to Gio. “Your sister is the one that told me.” Hector shook his head, incredibly not taking the hint. “Besides, everybody knows Noah takes care of business whenever Rita’s in town. That’s no secret, huh, Noah?” He bounced his eyebrows. “Christmas is just a week away. Ho, ho, ho!” He laughed but stopped laughing when no one else did. “What?”
Roni reached for another slice of pizza, and Abel made the most of her momentary distraction to slap Hector on the back of the head and mouth the words, “Shut the fuck up!”
He did and not a moment too soon, because if he’d said even one more word about him and Rita, Noah was getting ready to jump across the table and strangle him.
None of them knew the extent of his relationship with Roni, but they all got that something was up between them. Noah liked it that way. He knew it didn’t matter if they were just roommates with benefits or in an actual relationship. All that mattered was they knew the most important thing—Roni was his. Unfortunately, everyone but dickhead Hector got that it also meant any talk of Noah with other girls around Roni was unacceptable.
Abel changed the subject and went back to talking about the next fight he had lined up for Noah in February. Noah glanced at Roni. She nodded, listening to Abel with interest. It almost bothered him that she seemed so unfazed by Hector’s comments. Of course, he hadn’t dared look at her when Hector was still talking about it. So he couldn’t know for sure what her initial reaction was to it, but if she’d been bothered at all, the way he knew he would’ve been had the tables been turned, she’d gotten over it damned quick.
She knew now—knew that just a few weeks ago, the very day after they’d spent their special Thanksgiving together, he’d gone out and gotten laid. What was worse is that Rita would be back in a week and now Roni knew that too. Did she even care? He tried not to be too obvious as he watched her listening to Abel and Jack talk strategy on how Noah should best handle this next fighter.
She sipped her beer without a care in the world. For a moment, the girl that sat down next to Gio distracted her. Roni looked her up and down, unaware that Noah observed her every move. Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly, and her lips pursed. Now she seemed troubled?
Noah took his eyes off her just long enough to see the girl—one of the ones who’d been waiting outside the shower doors at the gym—stroke Gio’s leg. Gio had always been the pretty boy of their bunch. Even with all the fights he’d been in, his face still remained intact. In high school, he’d been quite the heartthrob. Noah’s looks were rugged compared to Gio’s naturally arched brows, girlie lashes, and green eyes.
Abel had made fun of Gio plenty of times, accusing him of not trying hard enough when they were sparring because Gio was counting on a career in modeling if boxing didn’t work out for him.
Not once in all the years he’d known Gio had Noah ever felt any sort of resentment for him being so damn good-looking, but right now, he thought he could hate his best friend. Could that really be it? Was Roni into Gio? She’d only been around him a few times, and Noah wracked his brain, trying to remember if she’d ever acted strangely around him before. If this was true, then his theory about her wanting to remain strictly friends because of the age difference just flew out the door. She’d stared long enough at them, and Noah couldn’t take it anymore.
“What’s wrong?”
She flinched, startled by his voice, and her brows pinched. “Nothing. Why?”
He glanced at Gio then back at her. “You looked upset there for a minute. Something bothering you?”
“No!” Her eyes widened as if her own tone surprised her.
She was upset. “Relax. I was just asking.”
“Well, I’m not.” There was something else in her eyes now—something even more alarming—she was more than upset. She turned away, her eyes going right back to Gio and the girl. “Can we leave?”
Really? That bad? “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She wouldn’t even tear her eyes away from Gio now, and it drove Noah nuts.
“I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
Noah stood, wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of there—get Roni away from Gio. “Let’s go.”
Her expression now softened a bit. “Or if you think you can get a ride from one of your friends, I can go alone. You don’t have to leave on account of me.”
It wasn’t so easy for Noah to hide what he was feeling. “Nah, I’m tired too.” He turned to Abel, who was already looking at him questioningly. “We’re out.”
“Already?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long day, but I’ll be in early tomorrow. Thanks for the pizza and beer.”
They said their goodbyes and walked out. Noah thought he could wait until the drive home, but it was killing him. Friend or not—there was no way, no fucking way, he’d be able to deal with anything happening between her and Gio. “You wanna tell me what upset you in there just now?”
She’d been digging in her purse, and her face jerked up at his question. He stood in front of her, making her stop. Her eyes said it all. She was still upset, and she was stunned that he hadn’t let it go. To his surprise, she didn’t immediately deny it. Just stared at him—for too long. Finally, she lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Just say it, Roni.” He wasn’t even sure why he wanted her to. Did he really want to hear her say she had feelings for Gio? Hell no! But he needed to know if he should run now—run the hell out of her life and never look back before it was too late.
“Tell you what? What is it you think I’m upset about, Noah?”
Now he stared at her, completely startled by her sudden change in demeanor. She wasn’t just upset; she was pissed. “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
She pulled her keys out of her purse and walked around him toward her car. Noah followed. “I told you. I’m tired.”
Noah fought the incredible urge to spin her around by her arm and pull her to him. Instead, he walked around her car and waited for her to unlock the door.
~*~
Infuriating is what it was. Veronica took a deep breath before hitting the unlock button on her car. She knew coming with Noah tonight was a mistake. She never should’ve done it. And if he expected her to admit she was pissed—beyond pissed—about the fact that he’d given Gio’s cousin a long hard ride the day after Thanksgiving, he was out of his mind.
She thought back to that day now as she shoved her key into the ignition: the day he’d acted disappointed that he couldn’t join her at the park to take her stupid pictures. Yeah, she was sure now that was sincere. A day at the park watching her take pictures of snails and raindrops on leaves, or a day of sex with his holiday whore? Hmm, tough choice.
But again, she reminded herself it was none of her business. Noah was free to do what he pleased. He owed her no explanations, and she wasn’t asking him for any, so why the hell was he pushing this now? Did he want to embarrass her? Was this fun for him? He wanted her to say that it had bothered her more than she’d ever imagined? She’d sooner die.
He finished putting on his seatbelt just as she began to back out. “You were pretty obvious, Roni. I don’t know why you just don’t tell me.” She turned to him, expecting some kind of smug smirk or twinkle in his eyes. Instead, he was glaring at her. “You have a thing for Gio?”
She blinked, stopping the car right there in the middle of the parking lot and stared at him. “What?”
“I saw the way you looked at him with that girl. Admit it. You were jealous.”
She shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of what he’d just said. This is what he’d been referring to all this time? He thought she was jealous of Gio and that groupie?
“You looked disgusted when she sat down next to him. That’s when I noticed you were upset, and then you suddenly wanted to leave?”
Roni’s mind raced as her foot stepped down on the accelerator and they were on the move again. She was glad now that the restaurant was just a few blocks away from her house. She wanted nothing more than to get this night over with. Hector’s comment had hit her like a slap, and she’d spent the entire time after that trying and apparently failing miserably to recover from it. Seeing Gio with that groupie served only as another reminder that this was Noah’s world and she had absolutely no right to be judging him. He was young and deserved to be sowing his wild oats. But there was no escaping the festering jealousy she’d felt, knowing he’d slept with Gio’s cousin and would apparently be doing so again in just a week.
She’d have to worry about her annoyingly contradicting emotions later. For now, there was hope that he’d misconstrued her stewing. Instead, he was under the ridiculous notion that she was jealous over Gio.
“All right, you got me.”
“You’re into him?” His voice was a near whisper now.
“No.” She turned to him. He’d been staring straight ahead, but he turned to face her when she answered. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s your age, remember? But you got me about the groupie. I remembered what you said about them before, and I guess I was a little disgusted. But I wasn’t upset.”
“So you’re saying you couldn’t be into him because of his age?”
Glad that they’d gotten past the subject of her being jealous about anything, she nodded in relief. “Well, yeah. He’s twenty like you, right?”
“But what does that have to do with anything?”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “It has everything to do with it. Why would a guy his age be interested in a woman myage?”
“That’s just it. If he ever was, he wouldn’t be thinking about your age. He’d be interested in you. You’re hung up on a number, Roni. What? Is it because you think a twenty-year-old is not mature enough for you?”
Veronica pulled into her driveway, feeling a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going. She got the distinct feeling they weren’t talking about Gio anymore.
“No, I’m thinking about experience,” she said, getting out of the car.
“Oh, is that it? You want an experienced guy?”
Veronica frowned. “That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about his life experience versus mine. There is still a lot a guy that age—your age—needs to experience, and it would be unfair for me or any older woman to come along and expect him—or any guy his age—to just skip those things to catch up to her.”
He stood a little too close to her as she unlocked the front door, and it unnerved her. She could smell his musky cologne and, this close, feel the warmth of his body, even though they were still inches away.
“You ever change a baby’s diaper, Roni?”
She glanced at him, confused as she pushed the door open. “No.”
“I have.”
“What does that—?”
“I helped raise kids for years when I was the oldest one in my foster home and my foster parents weren’t around, which happened a lot. There were four other kids in the house. One was a baby—eight months old. There were two toddlers and a smart-ass preteen who thought he knew everything, and I was left alone with them all the time. I fed them, bathed them, helped them with their homework, and put them in bed at night. Then I made sure they got up in the morning and got to school on time. They counted on me—me, the fifteen-year-old, to be the adult, not their parents who were supposed to be the real adults.”
They were in the living room now, and Veronica had frozen midway, listening to him. She stared at him, something huge pressing at her throat, holding her words hostage. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke. “Where were your foster parents?”
He frowned, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and tossing it on the coffee table. “They just weren’t around. My point is, at my age, I have more experience raising kids or being a father than a lot of thirty-year-olds do.”
Veronica gulped, bringing her hand to her neck as if that would pull away the invisible hand that gripped it. “I’m talking about other experiences, Noah. People can become parents at all ages in life. It’s not fair, but it’s a fact of life. My mom and my grandparents are perfect examples.”
“Then what are you talking about?” He crossed his arms in front of him and waited for her to answer.
She set her purse down on the sofa and began to peel off the layers she wore starting with her jacket. “I’m just saying people my age are at a different stage of their life.” She thought of Noah and Gio’s cousin. Hit with a sudden hot flash, she pressed her lips together. “I’m not looking for young guys that are in no way ready to settle down, and I’d never be selfish enough or naïve enough to think a twenty-year-old is, especially one with groupies ready to jump at the snap of his fingers.”
“I think I told you how I feel about groupies.”
“Yeah, I remember—they’re hot.”
He peered at her now. “I also said they’re not for me.”
“Oh, yeah? So you’re only into the ones that do drive-bys on holidays?”
She gulped hard, trying to hold back the emotion that overwhelmed her now. The conversation had taken a turn, and Noah stared at her speechlessly. The thought of some girl riding him nearly choked her. As long as they were putting it out there, she’d tell him exactly why she’d never consider a relationship with an immature man-whore. “I need stability, Noah, someone who’s over the one-night stands and interested in a serious relationship, someone I can count on.”
“Like Derek you mean? The guy your age that walked out on you when you needed him most?”
The slap in the face was utterly humiliating. She’d held the tears back long enough. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could do it. Feeling the air sucked out of her, she was sure she might fall apart right then and there, so she spun around and took off to her room.
“Roni, I’m sorry,” he called out.
The second she closed the door behind her, she locked it then leaned her back against it, sliding slowly down until she sat on the floor. She took one long trembling breath, wiping the tears away in anger. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
There was a soft knock at the door. “Roni? You okay?”
She swallowed hard, clearing her throat. The last thing she wanted was to let on how miserable she was feeling. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I just had a long day. That’s all. We both did. You should go to bed. It’s what I’m gonna do.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
She squeezed her eyes shut; the tears were streaming down even more now, and she nodded. “Uh-huh.” As hard as she’d tried, her voice cracked, and she was sure he’d heard it, but he said nothing.
For a few long moments, there was silence, and then finally she heard his footsteps walk away. There was a bang on the wall across the hall then the sound of his door closing.
As much as she’d like to tell herself these tears were about Derek, they had nothing to do with him, and she knew it. The fact that a week from now Noah would be with Gio’s cousin again and she’d have nothing to distract her from thoughts about it while he was gone was what really killed her. She already knew it was going to drive her crazy. The worst part was that she’d be there, waiting for him when he got home, knowing exactly what he’d just done. God, she had to get a life.