“Is that true?” her father asked.
“Noah was holding hands with Dare,” Milly blurted.
Noah choked on his first bite of baked potato. He managed to swallow, then chugged more wine. He didn’t know how to respond to that. They sounded like teenage kids attempting to place blame on the other.
Then again, they were attempting to place blame on the other because the last thing either of them wanted to talk about was any significant—or insignificant—other in their lives.
“Who was this overnight guest?” Larry asked, his undivided attention now on his daughter.
Noah knew he would likely get out of this one for the simple fact that Larry was not fond of Milly dating, much less her spending the night with a guy.
Unable to help himself, Noah chuckled as he began shoveling food into his mouth, not looking up from his plate.
Milly couldn’t believe that Noah had thrown her completely under the bus. Then again, she had started it.
That didn’t make it right, though.
For the past half hour, she had been explaining to her father (again) that she was a grown woman, and grown women tended to have sex from time to time. Even when they weren’t married. For the record, her father had cringed every time she’d mentioned the word sex. One of the many reasons she’d used it as often as possible.
Now that dinner was over and she and Noah were in the kitchen cleaning up, she figured it was the best time to address the situation.
“Okay, spill it. What happened between you and Dare?”
“Milly…”
“Oh, cool it. You know I’m not gonna stop until you spill, so you might as well save some time and get it over with. Have you seen him since we’ve been back?”
“Yes.” The reluctance in his tone made her smile.
“And?” Reaching for the dish he’d finished washing, Milly prepared to dry it. It would’ve been easier to use the dishwasher, but Milly hated the idea of her stepmother or her father having to unload it afterward, so she’d taken to hand-washing them. Not to mention, it usually gave her a little extra time to spend with Noah. Considering they weren’t that close, and she really wanted them to be, she had to take what she could get.
“And nothing, Mill. There’s nothing to say.”
Based on his tone, there was a lot to say.
Men.
“Did you have a fight?”
Noah cast a sideways glance at her. That was all the answer she needed.
“I’m sorry.” She really had been hoping things would work out between the two of them, but she’d promised herself that she would stay out of this one. As nosy as she wanted to be, this really wasn’t her business. Had they been closer than they were, Milly would’ve attempted to intervene, but she knew it would only upset Noah.
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
“You think things might work out between you eventually?” She took another dish and dried it.
“Doubtful. We want different things.”
“Oh.” That was interesting. “The same way you wanted different things the first time around?”
Noah nodded but didn’t look her way. She took the last glass from his hand while he turned off the water and grabbed the extra towel to dry his hands.
“We’re different people now, Milly. He wants something I can’t give him.”
Wait. After placing the last glass in the cabinet, Milly spun around to face him. “He wants a relationship and you don’t? Please don’t tell me you’re going through this again. Noah Jeremiah Pearson, why—”
He held up a hand to silence her, then Noah sighed. “That’s not what I said.”
“Then what did you say?” She was thoroughly confused right now.
“He’s not interested in more and I’m not interested in casual sex.”
Oh. Well.
Crap.
She certainly hadn’t seen that coming.
Milly hated that there wasn’t anything she could do to help. She probably could call Gannon and get him to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, but she knew how much he hated that.
Darn it.
“Don’t try to figure it out,” Noah said softly.
But she wanted to.
She really wanted to.
Thirty-Two
Monday, June 13th
By the time Monday rolled around, Dare felt as though he had something sitting on his chest. It was hard to breathe, but he knew it wasn’t a virus. He didn’t actually feel sick. Well, not that kind of sick. He felt … off.
Which was why he was in the marina’s main office, lying on the counter, staring up at the ceiling. He knew that Roan and Cam would give him a hard time if they walked in and found him there—he usually did it to rile them up—but he couldn’t bring himself to care. In fact, he didn’t care about much of anything right now.
For the past couple of hours, he’d been staring at his phone, wishing Noah would text him. It was stupid because he hadn’t heard from Noah in eight days. One hundred ninety-two hours. The same length of time they’d been on that ship together, actually. The past eight days hadn’t been anything like those on the cruise, though. However, from an emotional standpoint, it hadn’t been that much different.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Dare turned his head to the side, watching as Roan walked in through the back door, Lulu trotting in behind him. “Thinking.”
“And you can’t think standing up?”
“No.”
Roan shrugged. “You’re gonna have to man up and call him.”
“Call who?” Dare frowned, still watching Roan.
“Noah.”
“Why would I want to do that?” It was the only thing he wanted to do.
“Because this lovesick bullshit is getting on my nerves.”
“I’m not lovesick.” He was. That was the only explanation, although he fucking hated it. He did not want to love Noah—well or sick.
“Well, whatever it is, you’re startin’ to get on my nerves.”
“Starting?” Dare chuckled, staring up at the ceiling again. He didn’t move off the counter.
“You’re right. You’ve been getting on my nerves for years.” Roan grinned, reaching under the counter and pulling out the appointment book. “But that’s beside the point.”
“Then what is the point?” Dare was simply trying to make conversation. Anything to keep his mind off Noah.
“The point is…” Roan stopped talking, his full attention on the appointment book.
Dare turned his head and focused on Roan again. “What’s wrong?”
His friend’s eyes lifted to meet his. “Nothing. Sorry.”
Clearly something in that appointment book had caught Roan’s attention. Dare just wasn’t sure if that was good or bad based on Roan’s non-answer.
“You gonna be working tomorrow?”
Confused, Dare stared at Roan. “Of course. Where else would I be?”
“I’m gonna need to take the day off, but there are a couple of appointments in the afternoon.”
Okay, so now his buddy was acting all kinds of strange. However, Dare didn’t get the chance to call him on it because Roan tossed the appointment book on the shelf, then pivoted and walked right out of the office, taking Lulu with him.
“That was weird,” Dare said to the empty office.
“No, what’s weird is you’re talking to yourself.”
The sound of Cam’s voice scared him, making him jerk. The movement was enough to send him right off the counter and onto the floor. He managed to get his hands and one foot down before he face-planted, but the impact wasn’t all that comfortable.
Apparently Cam found it highly entertaining.
“Jesus. Warn a guy, would ya?” Dare stood, dusting off his hands.
“I’ll be sure to do that next time.” Cam didn’t sound as though he had any intention of doing so.
“You done with the books yet?”
“Yep. Why? You need the
afternoon off?”
What the hell was with people today? In the ten years he’d worked at the marina, he’d rarely taken time off. He enjoyed being there more than he enjoyed not being there, so it wasn’t a hardship.
“Why would I need time off?”
Cam shrugged, the response very similar to Roan’s earlier. “Thought maybe you’d want to head into Austin. Stop at a particular fire station. Like, you know, Station 45.”
“You suck at hints, Cam.” Dare hadn’t known what station Noah worked at and he hadn’t come up with a way to figure it out, either, without being way too obvious. Now he knew.
“Maybe. But it gave you all the information you needed, right?”
“I don’t need any information.” He repeated the station number in his head.
“Suck it up, buttercup. You’re in love and you’re starting to act like a pussy. We don’t like pussies around here.”
Dare nearly fell over, a laugh bursting out of him. It was the truth. Which made it even funnier.
When he finally stopped laughing, Cam was watching him, still smiling.
“What?”
“I thought you also might want to know that a particular fire station is doing a boot drive this afternoon.”
He was familiar with the Austin boot drive to collect money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. They did it every year.
“So?” Was Cam telling him he needed to make a donation?
“Might not hurt to slip a note in the boot along with your money. And don’t be skimpy on the donation, either.”
Dare shook his head. “You really do suck at subtlety.”
Cam chuckled. “Man, subtlety was lost on you a long time ago. I’m starting to think a two-by-four upside the head might be our only hope.” Cam’s attention turned to the parking lot. “Now, go. Take the afternoon off while I spend some time up here.”
Before Dare could argue, Cam took him by his shoulders and pushed him toward the door.
“Fine. I can take a hint,” Dare grumbled.
“Yes. Because that’s what I’ve been doing. Hinting.” Cam laughed. “Bye, Dare.”
“Pearson!”
Noah spun around and headed back toward the kitchen when he heard one of the guys call his name. “’Sup?”
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer.”
Noah moved closer, hesitant when he saw a small sealed envelope.
“Whoever it was attached it to a hundred-dollar bill. Generous, huh?”
Yep. Generous. Noah didn’t know anyone that generous.
Taking the note with him, he headed for his bunk. He wasn’t sure what the note would say, but he needed privacy regardless. Sitting on his bed, Noah stared at his name written in block letters across the front. It was sealed and for that he was grateful. The guys would give him a rash of shit, regardless of what it said. He wasn’t worried that they would learn that he was gay, because he’d never kept his sexual orientation a secret. Since heteros didn’t go around proclaiming they were straight, Noah had never felt the need to announce he was gay. It was who he was, not what defined him, and as with everyone else in the house, no one really gave a shit. To each his own.
Sliding the tip of his finger beneath the flap, he unsealed it and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. His hands were shaking, but he had no idea why. He wanted this letter to be from Dare, but he had no reason to believe that it would be.
As he opened it to the note portion, Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Please be from Dare.
When he opened them, his gaze strayed to the bottom of the note first. When he saw Dare’s messy scribble there, he nearly cried. Not something he would ever be able to live down at the station, though, so he managed to refrain.
Noah,
It’s a long shot, I know, but I’d like one more chance. I wasn’t lying when I told you the last relationship I’d had was you. I don’t know how this works, so I’m probably going to keep fucking it up. But, if you’re up for it, meet me at the marina tomorrow night around seven. I’ll even treat you to dinner.
Dare
Taking a deep breath, Noah tried to calm his pounding heart. It wasn’t much, but Dare had made the effort. Noah had been the one to walk away, but Dare was the one reaching out. He didn’t know what to think. Eight days had passed since he’d last seen Dare, and his heart still ached the same as it had that day. Although they’d reconciled such a short time ago, he had somehow fallen in love with the man all over again. This time, far more intensely than the first. Likely that was due to the time they’d spent together years ago and the feelings that he’d buried.
He needed some time to think about this, to process what the potential outcome could be. He was a planner; that was what he did.
The alarm sounded and Noah shoved the note beneath his blanket before heading out to the bay to grab his gear. A call wasn’t a bad thing right now. It would give his mind a little break and his heart some time to reinforce itself for what he knew would be inevitable.
Tomorrow night, Noah would go see Dare.
He only hoped that it wouldn’t be for the last time.
Thirty-Three
Tuesday, June 14th
By the time six thirty rolled around, Dare was beginning to drive himself crazy. Ever since he’d dropped that letter into that boot yesterday afternoon, he’d been waiting for some acknowledgment from Noah. Something to let him know that he’d gotten it, and that he would or would not be stopping by. Since Dare had mentioned seven o’clock, there was still a little time before he had to panic, but his nerves were already rioting.
Everyone else had bailed on him about an hour ago. Cam had insisted that if he was going to pace the office, then he could handle any walk-ins. He had even offered to take Lulu back to his house for the night so Dare could get a break. Teague had told him he needed to get laid before someone punched him. That was Teague, prone to violence. Hudson hadn’t had anything to say, but that was because Hudson didn’t have to be around him. And Roan … well, Roan hadn’t been there all day, but he had shown up about half an hour ago to check on things before he’d once again headed out.
Hopping up onto the counter, Dare dangled his legs and waited, drumming his fingers on his thighs. He stared out at the parking lot, sucking in air every time he saw a car pass by on the main road. Since Noah drove a truck, it was a stupid reaction, but something he couldn’t seem to control.
Shit.
He should’ve told Noah to message him one way or the other. This waiting game was bullshit. He was antsy and irritable.
And fucking hungry.
He had skipped lunch because his stomach had been churning since he’d woken up that morning. Now, he could hear it rumble over the sound of tires crunching on gravel in the parking lot.
Wait…
Tires crunching on gravel.
Dare focused, realizing he was looking at Noah’s truck pulling into a parking spot.
He’d come.
Holy fuck.
A huge bubble of emotion built in his chest.
Dare hopped off the counter and grabbed his flip-flops from behind it. He slipped them on and then made his way to the door. Should he greet Noah at the truck? Or should he let Noah come to him?
Fuck.
Why the hell was this so hard?
Because he couldn’t stand still any longer, Dare flipped the open sign to closed, stepped outside, then locked the door behind him. When he turned around, he saw Noah rounding the front of his truck.
God, the man looked good.
Better than good.
The faded jeans he wore showcased his muscular thighs while the black T-shirt hugged his fantastic upper body.
Screw dinner. Dare no longer wanted food, he wanted…
“Hey,” Noah greeted, his tone flat.
He couldn’t produce a single word in response as he moved closer, eliminating the space between them before crushing his mouth to Noah’s. No greeting, no warning, only a mind
-blowing kiss that stole what little air was left in his lungs. Dare cradled the back of Noah’s head in his hand, holding him to him. At first, he thought Noah was going to resist, but his lips parted and his tongue danced into Dare’s mouth. They were both attempting to take control, though it was clear neither of them could. This thing between them, it was stronger than either of them and more powerful than both of them combined.
Dare finally managed to pull away, remembering he wasn’t supposed to make this about sex, although that was his first reaction. With any man he’d come across, it had always been his first reaction. No strings, nothing serious. Only sex.
Except for Noah. Noah had been the exception, but he had also been the reason. After Noah had shattered his heart, Dare had refused to allow anyone else to do so again. And it had worked.
Right up until Noah had reappeared in his life.
“I wasn’t sure you were gonna come.” Dare forced his hands down to his sides even though he didn’t want to stop touching Noah.
“I wasn’t sure I was, either.”
Dare didn’t like the sound of that, but he’d learned to roll with the punches long ago.
“You hungry?”
“I could eat.”
Forcing himself to relax, Dare managed to smile. “Good. I know the perfect place. Come on.”
Noah felt as though he were in a dream. The moment his feet had hit the gravel, his heart had started pounding. Now, as he stood face-to-face with Dare, after another soul-stealing kiss that had rocked him in his shoes, he wasn’t sure what he was doing.
Oh, right.
Dare had just offered him food and had started to walk away, which should’ve been his cue to follow.
“Wait. Here?” Noah glanced around. “We’re gonna eat here?”
“Sure.” Dare nodded toward the building he had emerged from. “We’ve got a small restaurant down by the water. Nothing fancy, but they serve good burgers.”
Noah glanced back at the lake, once again taking it all in. The sun was low in the sky, blazing across the still water, adding to the ethereal effect. It was as though Noah had done this before, although he knew that wasn’t the case. The last time he’d been here had been much different. However, eerily the same.
Fearless (Pier 70 Book 2) Page 23
