Shaking away the sudden visual of his hard body under the shower, she walked away quickly to the bathroom.
Once safely behind the closed bathroom door she allowed herself to let out the trembling breath she’d held back when she’d been so close to him in that kitchen. This had to stop and she would make sure nothing like that happened again.
At Noah’s age sex was probably eternally on his mind, and she was certain that’s all he was thinking when he looked at her the way he did sometimes. As young as he was, he was an adult of sound body and mind. He knew what he was doing so if things ever escalated but didn’t work out between them she was certain he’d be okay with it. In fact she hated to admit it but that’s exactly what she was worried about. Not only would he be okay with it, most likely it was what he’d prefer. And why not? Why on earth would a guy his age, looking the way he did be thinking about settling down? It would be selfish of her to expect him to.
She shook her head. “Nope, nope, nope,” she whispered turning the shower on.
She wouldn’t even consider it. Besides she’d finally found another friend—one wonderful enough to go all out and plan a feast for them on Thanksgiving. Why would she be stupid enough to ruin that?
“Done,” she said pulling her pajama top over her head.
That was it. It was out of the question and she was done thinking about it. She’d take a shower, get dressed and enjoy the very special meal her roommate, trainer and now good friend Noah had planned. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before stepping into the shower.
CHAPTER 8
Noah was seriously going to have to go out and get laid soon. He couldn’t believe he’d gone this long, but wanting to be home spending his time with Roni had won out each time he’d had the opportunity these last few weeks.
What he’d done in the shower today had been happening too often now that he was around her so much. It wasn’t going to be enough soon even if he visualized Roni the entire time. It only made him crave the real thing more, especially if things like what happened in the kitchen earlier kept happening.
It was odd to say the least. When he first met her, out of shape, in baggy sweats the last thing he would’ve figured her for was a girlie girl. Then watching her work out week after week without a trace of makeup on and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail he assumed he was right. He’d worked out with girls before but sweaty or not there was always a telltale sign of girliness—the manicured nails, cute earrings, or perfectly matched workout outfits.
Roni had none of these things. Even when she started wearing the more flattering workout outfits, she steered far from cutesy and stuck with simple black or gray. Not that her new outfits hadn’t driven him insane anyway, particularly when he noticed some of the other guys at the gym eyeing her. He’d openly stared them down especially when they’d gaped and silently sent them clear warnings—don’t even fucking think about it.
The first time he’d gone in her bathroom he expected to find lots of lotions and perfumes, maybe even scented candles. But what he’d suspected all along was correct. Roni wasn’t a girlie girl. In fact he’d yet to see her all done up. It was when she was in her loose fitting comfortable clothes and fuzzy pajamas that she seemed most in her element. Noah had always been into girlie girls. He liked them to fuss over their hair and loved watching them apply their makeup, especially the lipstick. Roni didn’t even wear any, yet something about her exuded femininity. She didn’t have to do all those things. And she didn’t need makeup or scented lotions. It was all natural with her. It was what he now loved about her.
In the kitchen earlier, he’d barely been able to contain himself. He’d been that close to pulling her to him and taking her mouth in his. The only thing that stopped him was fear of ruining this day he’d so carefully planned out.
He knew Veronica was reserved and in a way, that was also part of the attraction. His days in the ring had been short lived because of his injury but he’d been around Abel and Gio enough to know all about the groupies. Neither he nor any of his friends had made it to the big time yet, but even at this level, there were groupies. There was no denying that some of them were hotter than shit. And of course he’d had fun with plenty of them. He was a man after all. But there was something refreshing about a girl like Roni.
He’d long ago stopped looking at her as older than him. Of all the girls he’d ever met he’d never felt as comfortable around any of them as he did with her. He always thought it but he had no doubts at all now. Age had nothing to do with friendships or any type of relationship. He’d known this his whole life. Some of his closest relationships, male or female, had been with people decades older than him.
Veronica was no different. The day she’d told him she was okay with being alone for the holiday he’d seen right through those big sad eyes and again this morning. When she walked in the kitchen trying to pretend she was upset about him not going to Gio’s. There was no hiding the glee in those beautiful eyes of hers. In some ways he felt she was younger than him. She hadn’t told him a whole lot yet. Judging from the fact that someone had thought far enough ahead to make sure she was taken care of with a house and all the family portraits he’d been so consumed with since he moved in, he was pretty sure she’d been sheltered most of her life.
He finished getting dressed and braced himself to meet Veronica in the kitchen. She was already singing and that voice of hers could silence a crowd. Not because of her singing abilities. That was average at best, but that low silky smoothness of her voice could almost put you into a trance. He frowned remembering how even Abel had noticed it. But Noah had to admit it was hard not to notice. There was something so uniquely mesmerizing about it.
Gio called just as he was getting ready to walk out of his room and Noah winced remembering he’d forgotten to call him.
“Hey, Gio what’s up?” Noah could hear the noise in the background. Even this early Gio probably already had a full house.
“Not much. What time you coming down? Rita is here and she was asking about you.”
Shit. Rita was Gio’s cousin from up north. They had sort of a holiday understanding. Since she lived so far and only really came down for the holidays a relationship was out of the question. Not that Noah had ever felt inclined to have one with her but she was fun and very generous under the sheets. So a few times a year, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter—the holy holidays—they got together. Though their trysts were anything but holy. It was perfect because she openly admitted she wasn’t into settling down so she’d never been clingy. Once she went home, he rarely heard from her except maybe to text him good luck before a fight or a random question here and there. She was a cool chick and hot enough, but most importantly he never had to worry about her getting hung up on him.
“I meant to call you earlier, man. I’m not gonna make it this year.”
“What? What do you mean? Where you gonna be?”
Gio knew better than anyone that unless Noah was spending time with a chick or was at the gym he really didn’t have anywhere else to be. And since Gio’s family was the closest thing Noah had to family he wouldn’t pass up spending the holiday with them for a night of lust. But this was different. As cold as the shower had been that he was forced to take earlier this wasn’t about lust. “I’m having dinner here—at home.”
The second the words came out, it hit him. He’d never used the word home in relation to where he lived. It was always the Fuentes’ place or whatever other foster parent’s place he was staying at. The thought nearly suffocated him—he was getting too sucked into this whole thing. He had to keep in mind that this also was only temporary. Just like all the other homes he lived in through out his life, this was no more his home than any of those had been. So why the hell was he referring to it as that?
The silence on the other end went on a little too long. “You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” Gio said, clearing his throat.
“So uh, yeah. Let
your mom know—”
“Noah, what are you doing?”
“What do you mean?” Noah squeezed his eyes shut, knowing exactly what Gio was getting at. Several times over the past couple of weeks, he’d gotten strange looks from Gio, especially when he’d slip and refer to Veronica as Roni in front of him—Gio already knew what Noah hadn’t even admitted to himself yet.
“Are you falling for this chick?”
Noah’s first thought was to play stupid. Act like Gio was being ridiculous but he knew it was pointless. So instead, he sat down on his bed, letting his head fall back and said nothing.
“Dude, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it, or that it couldn’t work out. I just hope you’re not getting too comfortable, in case it doesn’t. You’re my boy and you know with everything you’ve been through… I don’t wanna see you hurt is all.”
Noah wanted to smile but he couldn’t. Things weren’t even close to what he knew Gio must be imagining. “It’s not like that with us, man. So if you’re ever around her don’t go saying something that would make her think I said it was. She just… she has no one. I know what that feels like and she was gonna be alone tonight, so I decided to stay and keep her company. That’s all.”
Noah knew Gio would never buy that’s all it was, but he also knew he’d let it go. He heard his friend exhale and then he spoke again. “Okay. Well, I’ll tell Rita and you’ll be missed, bro. Enjoy your day with Roni.” He chuckled. “We’ll have plenty of leftovers so come by this weekend and grub. You know my moms. She’ll be disappointed you didn’t come by tonight so you’ll have to make it up to her.”
Noah chuckled. “Got it. I’ll make my rounds this weekend. Thanks.”
He hung up and took one last look in the mirror before walking out of the room. As he walked around the corner of the hallway, Veronica came into view. She stirred a coffee cup and then sipped it. He sucked in a hard breath when she glanced up and smiled at him. How was it possible that she’d gone from being average looking, when he first met her, even after she’d lost the weight he thought her somewhat attractive but now she was beautiful. Not much had changed in her appearance, but everything about her now seemed to glow—the curls, her eyes—those lips.
She raised her cup at him. “You thought of everything. Pumpkin spice creamer. I love it.”
Noah smiled, trying hard to conceal the fact that having pleased her for something as simple as picking the right creamer made him feel damn good. “I thought it fit the occasion.”
“I also saw the champagne in fridge. How’d you manage that? Didn’t they card you?”
Taking an annoyed deep breath he walked into the kitchen, the smell of her freshly shampooed hair, with a touch of something else—perfume maybe—very subtle, overwhelmed his senses as he walked by her. He almost forgot about the irritating question. He’d had a fake I.D. for over a year now, not that he got carded too often. Like this morning, the clerk glanced up at him and just asked him for his birthday. He gave it to her with the fake year and she just punched it in.
“I also got beer. And no they didn’t card me.” As smug as he had hoped to sound, his words sounded more defensive than anything. If she noticed, she didn’t let on. Instead, she barely glanced at him before her eyes were on the oven behind him. “It’s already lunch time. We spent so much time preparing the food we skipped breakfast.”
“You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Well let’s do this.”
With everything done, they moved the food to the dining room table and sat down prepared to eat. Just as he saw her fork dig into the mashed potatoes, he had to ask. “Aren’t we supposed to say grace first?”
With a near frown Veronica shrugged and dropped her fork. “You can if you want to. God and I haven’t exactly been on speaking terms for a while.”
Ah. With that in mind Noah kept it short and to the point then they dug in. Noah glanced up at her after a few minutes of silent ravishing. She wasn’t kidding when she said she was starving and he hadn’t realized what an appetite he’d worked up with such a busy morning.
“So your mom was really the only family you ever had?”
She nodded and thankfully, she didn’t seem uncomfortable with the subject. “My mom mentioned having a much older sister who she never really knew. My grandparents were older when they had my mom. She was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.” She buttered a roll as she spoke seemingly okay with sharing this part of her life with him. She told him all about the much older sister her mom had that ran off when she was eighteen and never returned so while she knew she had an aunt somewhere she’d never met her.
“What about your dad?” Judging by her sudden change in expression, this obviously wasn’t quite as easy a question as his first. Worried that this might change her mood he added, “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”
“No. It’s no biggie. I never met him. My mom fell in love with an acquaintance of the family who came from Mexico to visit for weeks at a time. He made her all kinds of promises, especially after they became intimate and when he’d go back to Mexico they’d write each other constantly. When she wrote him to tell her she was pregnant he never wrote back.” Her expression hardened. “She later found out he’d been married the whole time. His visits over here were to make money to send back to his wife and kids. She was devastated but my aging grandparents helped raise me though I was really young when they passed and from then on it was just me and her.”
She dipped her roll in her potatoes and took a bite.
Feeling bad that he’d dredged up such a sore subject Noah felt compelled to say something and then hopefully change the subject. “Well, I’m sorry about your dad but at least your grandparents stuck by your mom. I know the older generation tends to be very stern about those kinds of things.”
Her smile made him feel better. “No. My grandparents were wonderful.” She glanced around. “This was their house. They left it to me and my mom.” Her eyes met him and were suddenly full of compassion. “And don’t be sorry. At least I had my mom. Were you really in foster care your whole life?”
Noah wanted a change of subject but this certainly wasn’t the direction he had in mind. He continued to eat trying to play it off as it was no big deal. “I honestly don’t know anything about my dad and I barely remember my mom. All I know is we lived in a house here in Los Angeles. We shared it with several other families. I’d go to school, come home, go into our room and wait for her to get home from work.” He took a hard drink of his coffee surprised that talking about it still made him sad. “One day when I was six she never came home. The other women in the house looked after me saying the migra had taken her from the factory she worked at and sent her back to Mexico, but she’d be back for me. Then weeks later, we got notice that she’d been killed when the truck she and about thirty other immigrants were being smuggled in crashed just before crossing the border. So I was placed in foster care and was told it was only until one of my mother’s family members came to get me.” He moved his food around on his plate. It’d been years since he told this story to anyone and he was surprised now that he was telling her this. The only other person he’d ever shared this with was Gio. He glanced up at him and she was staring, her eyes full of compassion. “No one ever came. End of story.”
She nodded as if she understood and wouldn’t ask anything else. Strangely, he wanted her to. As hard as it was to relive it, it felt good to tell someone else. He’d only told Gio bits and pieces over the years and that was usually when he was drunk.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Noah. Have you ever tried to find any of your mom’s family?”
Noah shook his head almost annoyed, not at her, but at the idea of him trying to reconnect with people who obviously didn’t give a shit about him. Over the years he’d come to the conclusion that if he and his mom were all alone living with strangers in a shared house then none of her family gave a shit about her either. “What for? If t
hey had any interest, they would’ve come looking for me. I was the kid.”
“Maybe they didn’t know about you.”
Noah chuckled bitterly. “Someone knew. They knew enough to send word about my mom being killed.” He stared at her eyes that now seemed to search for more in his. “You know that saying ‘blood is thicker than water’?” She nodded. “It’s bullshit. Growing up I got to know a lot of different families and it always amazed me how fucked up some of these families were.”
Noah bit his tongue before he went on. As good as it felt to let it out, today wasn’t the day for it. Today was supposed to be fun. He shook his head and speared a piece of turkey breast with his fork. “Anyway, some of the relationships I’ve developed over the years with friends, I would never dream of trading them with someone just because we have the same blood running through our veins. That’s all I’m saying. I didn’t mean to get all heavy on you.”
He stuck the turkey in his mouth and stood up. “You ready for some champagne?” Her pensive eyes were still glued to him even as he glanced back at her. “I know it’s early but what the hell? It’s a holiday.”
Her expression finally eased up then she smiled. “Yeah, I’ll take some.”
All the muscles in his back and arms seemed to have tensed up with that last conversation. He needed something to bring him down. Help him relax so he could enjoy the rest of the day and evening with her. The very thought pulled him immediately out of his edgy mood and he smiled as he pulled the bottle of bubbly out of the fridge.
CHAPTER 9
After only one glass of champagne, Noah switched to beer. He said he wasn’t much of a champagne drinker and only ever had a glass or two when he was in a celebratory mood. Veronica’s insides had warmed when he said that today he was celebrating his new friendship. Given the little speech he’d just made about how he felt about his friends, it was even more heartwarming that he now considered her a friend. That of course only made her reasoning even more pertinent about why she shouldn’t get caught up in anything like what happened that morning.
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