Rookies Say It Better: Book 2 in The Minor League Mayhem Series

by Heather C. Myers

  “Hmm.” He said nothing more, and they continued to drive off in silence. However, he didn’t let go of her hand, and that meant more than she was willing to admit. It was her lifeline. It rooted her in place, grounding her to this moment with Alec, and that was exactly what she needed right now, to calm down.

  Alec pulled into the parking spot and the two were forced to let each other go. Noah ignored the disappointment in the pit of her stomach. She shouldn’t be getting attached to anyone, especially not Alec. It scared her how easily she could pretend to be his girlfriend, how easily it was to be happy with him. He wasn’t as bad as she thought he was. And knowing that was the worst epiphany she could have had because there was now a small tiny flickering flame inside of her heart that felt like hope. And until she resolved things with Aaron, she didn’t feel like she deserved to have hope in any shape.

  They were silent as they headed back to the apartment. Noah made sure their shoulders did not brush. She didn’t want to touch him right now. She just wanted to run away behind the safety of the bedroom doors and spend the rest of the night forgetting everything that happened today, including that kiss.

  Except, everything went out the window the second the couple got to the apartment. Aaron was there, waiting. He knew. Of course, he knew. Why wouldn’t he? How many people had seen them kiss? How many people had uploaded their videos? If Pat talked to Aaron about Noah dating Alec, Aaron would probably be watching out for news regarding Alec. Everything fell neatly into his lap.

  Aaron and Pat both had resources to track Alec down, where he lived. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to find out the address. And now he was here, waiting for them, smiling when he saw Noah. Except, the smile didn’t reach his eyes, and Noah’s gut coiled tightly.

  “Can I help you?” Alec asked as he neared the door. He sounded pleasant enough, and Noah realized he probably thought it was a fan who managed to find out where he was staying and sought him out for a photo or an autograph.

  Noah opened her mouth to warn Alec about Aaron. She couldn’t keep quiet anymore. Not when he was here. But it didn’t matter. Without warning, Aaron punched Alec in the face, sending Alec staggering back.

  Noah let out a small scream, her hands coming up and covering her face. She reached for Alec, but someone coiled their fingers around her wrist and snapped her away from him.

  “There you are, princess,” Aaron said, his voice clipped and firm. The words were supposed to be sweet, but all Noah could hear were sirens in her head, a warning that this was going to end, and it was going to end badly. “I’ve been looking for you for so long. You know, it isn’t nice to avoid me. After what happened with your mother, I expected you to know better. Instead, I find you shacking up with a mediocre hockey player. Are you trying to make me jealous?”

  Before Noah could respond, Alec righted himself. His face was marred into a scowl, blood trickling from his nose. Noah didn’t think Alec got caught off-guard, especially when it came to fighting, much, if at all. He was always poised, always ready for anything.

  “Who the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing here?” Alec asked through clenched teeth.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” Aaron said, avoiding answering his questions. “How about I leave with Noah here and I won’t kick your ass.”

  “My ass?” Alec smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “You sucker-punched me. That won’t happen again.”

  “Again?” Aaron arched a brow.

  “What, you think one punch signifies you’ve won?” Alec cracked his knuckles. “Boy, I’m just getting started. And if you don’t watch yourself, I’m going to beat you black and blue. Let go of Noah and let’s handle this like men, huh?” He managed to catch Noah’s eye. “Noah, why don’t you go inside?”

  “You don’t get to tell her what to do,” Aaron said, tightening his grip on her. “She’s not yours to order around.”

  “Alec doesn’t order me to do anything,” she said before she could stop herself.

  Noah paused, waiting for Aaron to react. Instead, Aaron’s brow furrowed. Surprise and anger both flashed across his face, and Noah knew if she didn’t do something, he was going to react. It was almost as though he could handle being insulted by Alec, but if Noah said anything that even hinted at being offensive, she was going to pay for it. Her heart slowed down so it thumped against her chest slowly, painfully. She needed to do something. She needed to react. She couldn’t just keep staring at him like she was some sort of fish with its mouth hanging open.

  You cannot be too stupid to live, she thought to herself. Do something!

  She had no idea what. Instead of thinking about it, she ripped her arm away from Aaron. He was so focused on the words that came out of her mouth that he didn’t realize he needed to keep a tight grip on her. As such, she managed to pull away from him easier than she anticipated. In fact, her force caused her to step back because she thought he’d grip her harder. She managed to land against Alec’s chest, however. Alec gingerly took his hand in hers and pushed her behind him.

  Noah’s eyes widened. He was protecting her? Why would he choose to protect her after everything that had happened? She didn’t deserve that kindness, not when she was responsible for Alec’s injuries.

  “Noah,” Aaron said, his voice firm.

  She winced. Immediately, shame burned her cheeks and she hated herself for giving into her past, for reacting as though she was still with him and he was punishing her for something she did. She didn’t want to flinch every time someone spoke sharply to her, but it was difficult not to, especially considering she had been conditioned to do so by him.

  “Come here.”

  “She doesn’t have to go anywhere with you, fucktard,” Alec said. He angled his body like a fighter, ready to give Aaron a powerful blow if he needed to.

  That was the last thing Noah wanted. Not when she knew he could injure his hands, and those hands were incredibly important for his career. She couldn’t let that happen, but she had no idea what to do about it. There was no way in hell she was going to go willingly with him, even if that might be what he wanted.

  “Noah.” Again, Aaron ignored Alec. He tried to look over Alec’s broad shoulders in order to catch her eye, but he couldn’t. Alec repositioned himself in front of her so he couldn’t.

  “I’m not going,” she said.

  Aaron narrowed his eyes, his body freezing. “Excuse me?” he asked, his voice nearly as soft as a whisper.

  “I’m not going.” Noah had no idea where the conviction to repeat herself came from, but it sure as hell got easier to say the more she said it. Confidence bloomed in her, and even though she was cautious, she didn’t stop herself from saying it. “I’m not going with you.”

  “You heard her,” Alec said. He flicked his wrist at Aaron as though he was dismissing him. Noah’s eyes widened despite her attempt to control her facial reactions. “Run along.”

  Someone behind Alec and Noah opened their door. “Just so you all know,” she said. “I called the cops and they’ll be on their way shortly.”

  “Thank you,” Noah managed to say. If the cops were coming, she doubted Aaron would stick around and wait to see what happened.

  “Fuck this,” Aaron said. “Noah, I will get you and we will talk about everything that occurred here. Do you understand?” He raised his brows.

  Noah pressed her lips into a thin line, doing her best not to let him know just how scared the threat left her. She waited until he walked away, leaving Noah and Alec alone.

  “Come on,” Alec said, pulling out his keys and heading to the door. “Let’s get you inside. Then, we have lots to talk about.”

  13

  Alec

  Alec hurried Noah inside. He didn’t want to show it, but his heart slammed against his chest, his fingers shook. Alec was afraid. Not of the bastard. Alec could give two shits about him, and, deep down, Alec knew that he could kick the guy’s ass. He had never been afraid of a fight and he wasn’t going to b
ack down now just because the guy was violent in nature. No, Alec was scared for Noah, and that was something that had never happened before. He had never been scared for someone before.

  Once the two were tucked inside, Alec made sure the door was locked. He whipped out his cell phone and shot Jack a text.

  Don’t come home. Take my sister to some fancy-ass hotel. I’ll explain later.

  The last thing he wanted was for his sister and Jack to get sucked into the drama here. Once that was taken care of, he put his phone back in his pocket and began to pace the length of the living room. Noah made her way to the kitchen. What she was doing, Alec had no idea. Right now, he didn’t care. All he could think about was figuring out a solution to this problem. Except, he didn’t know what the problem was, and Noah wasn’t talking.

  “Well?” Alec winced at the gruffness of his own voice. He needed to settle down or Noah wasn’t going to tell him anything.

  Instead, he stopped his pacing and released a breath. The fridge door closed and he watched Noah pour some milk into a glass cup before taking it over to the microwave and sticking it inside. She didn’t even turn around.

  Annoyance flared up into his gut and he flexed his fingers. She was just going to ignore him? After everything? She had no right.

  “Noah,” he said, his voice filling up the living room.

  She snapped her head so she could glance at him over her shoulder. How she was able to do that without pulling some kind of neck muscle, Alec had no idea. As it was, it didn’t matter. He tried to read her eyes, but whether it was because of the distance between them or if it was because there was too much emotion that it was difficult for him to get a handle on what was what, he didn’t know.

  “Do you want some hot chocolate?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes. It was hard to keep his temper in check when she was doing her best at being a smart ass. He flared his nostrils. Clearly, she was traumatized by what happened, by what might have happened to her before this that led her to his place, to his sister. He wanted to be patient with her. But how could he help her if she kept pushing him away? How could he do anything if she wouldn’t open up to him?

  “Look,” Alec said, the hum of the microwave filling up the space between them. Her back was to him. She stood just off to the side, her upturned face staring at the machine. “I get that maybe you don’t want to tell me everything that’s happened to you. I can respect that. But after everything that’s happened, I need something to go off of, you know? I mean, you come out of nowhere, you’re staying with us, Pat Zummo and you talk and you tell him that you’re my girlfriend. And then, some crazy asshole shows up at my door, wanting to take you with him and probably would have if a neighbor wasn’t willing to call the cops. I punched said asshole so hard I think I bruised my fingers, which already sucks because it’s going to affect my play, and if my play of affected, people are going to assume I really am a shitty player who can’t keep his dick in his pants.”

  Noah turned, arms across her chest. He didn’t understand it, but Alec absolutely hated when she did that. It was like she was saying she didn’t trust anyone; she didn’t trust him with her thoughts and feelings, and felt she needed to protect herself.

  “You think you bruised your fingers?” she asked in a small voice.

  Alec glanced down, as though he could see for sure. He didn’t want to be the drama queen that made a big deal out of nothing. However, as he curled his fingers into a loose fist just to test it out, he flinched.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted, just as the microwave beeped.

  Noah continued to stare at him, making no move to fetch her hot chocolate. Instead, she pushed onto the balls of her feet and grabbed something from the top of the fridge. It took Alec a moment to realize it was a first aid kit. Lily must have pointed it out to her at some point.

  “Can I see it?” Her voice seemed both shy and concerned at the same time. “Maybe I can help.”

  Alec hesitated. It wasn’t as though he didn’t trust her. In truth, he trusted her more than he trusted most people. The problem was, that didn’t answer his question, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to figure out just what the he’ll happened without Noah being willing to talk to him.

  “Sit,” she murmured, gesturing at the kitchen table. “I have no idea what I’m doing but I can try to help.”

  “Noah,” he said through a breath. He hadn’t moved. It was almost as though he didn’t trust her, didn’t trust himself to get close to her because the second he did... Well, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen if he did. Part of him wanted to demands answers and refrain from anything else until he got them. The other part of him wanted to back her up into a wall and kiss her until they both couldn’t breathe anymore.

  She looked down, her eyes scanning the floor. For what, Alec didn’t know.

  “I’ll tell you everything,” she said. “I will. Just, please. Let me check your fingers. I have no idea what I’m doing but I want to try to see if I can help them.”

  Alec paused. That seemed like a fair exchange. He walked into the kitchen as Noah pulled the hot chocolate out of the microwave. She took her spoon and began to mix up the drink before setting the spoon down and taking a sip. She jumped, and Alec guessed it had to do with the drink being hot. That didn’t seem to deter her in the slightest. She kept drinking until Alec took a seat at the dining table.

  When she finished, she set the cup down and grabbed the medical kit she grabbed from the fridge. Wiping the residue away with the back of her hand, she stepped forward.

  “May I see your hand?” she asked after clearing her throat.

  Alec held out the one he punched Aaron with. Noah knelt down between his legs, causing Alec’s eyes to widen. He hadn’t expected her to willingly place herself in such an obvious compromising position. As his eyes watched her, however, he realized that she probably didn’t even realize what she was doing. She seemed focused on his fingers. As her own fingers brushed his, he winced slightly.

  “There don’t seem to be any cuts on them,” she said, meeting his gaze. “The only thing I can do for them is get you some ice. Other than that, there’s nothing else except maybe resting them.”

  “I think I can do that,” Alec said. He tried to make it one of his usual cheesy quips but it came out more serious than he intended it to. It must have to do with her fingers on his, the way she was on her knees in front of him. “Uh, you haven’t told me anything and you said you would.”

  “Right.” She forced herself to stand up, running a hand through her hair with her free one while the other reached up to put away the kit.

  Alec couldn’t help but notice a sliver of flesh that was revealed by Noah’s movements, and he immediately chided himself. After everything that had just happened to Noah, he was really checking her out. Was he this much of a monster?

  “Aaron was my high school sweetheart,” she said, turning around. Her fingers started to tug at each other.

  “I don’t remember him,” Alec said, leaning back in the chair.

  “He wasn’t at our high school,” she said. Her eyes glanced down at his hands and she turned on the ball of her foot to the freezer, as though she just remembered that she needed to get his ice. “He was a few years older. I call him that because I was in high school at the time.”

  “Hmm.” Alec wasn’t sure what to say to that, and didn’t want to interrupt. It was difficult not to, though. He had more questions than he expected to have.

  Noah pulled out a blue ice block and set it on the counter, shutting the freezer.

  “Things were good in the beginning,” she continued, grabbing the paper towels. She snorted, shaking her head. “They always are, in the beginning. Until they weren’t. The thing about Aaron was he didn’t seem all that interested in me. We met at a party, one of those party that blurred the lines between being a high school party or a college party. Not that anyone cared. My favorite teacher just announced he was moving, and I looked up to hi
m, like he was a father, so that was more of a blow than I anticipated. I saw Aaron, thought he was cute, but I didn’t talk to him and he didn’t talk to me. Why would he? He was a college kid and I was a sophomore in high school.”

  Noah took the now-wrapped ice cube and knelt down in front of Alec. Gingerly, she took his hand and placed the ice against his knuckles. He let out a slow breath, wincing slightly, before he got used to the cold on his wounds.

  “So?” he asked, pushing her on. He was surprised by how curious he was in regards to this tragedy. He didn’t understand how someone as astute as Noah could let herself fall for such a terrible person. But if his own sister could miscalculate someone’s character, it must be more common than he thought. “How did you guys start talking?”

  “It was a week later, at another party,” Noah said, standing up. She made her way to the sink where her hot chocolate was waiting for her. “He sought me out. Looking back at it now, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the plan all along – get me to notice him and then do something later so it felt as though I was being rewarded with his attention.” She rolled her eyes and took a long drink of the hot chocolate. “I’m such an idiot.”

  “You are,” he agreed. “But I get it, I guess. We all just want to be loved, especially when change is happening, something we can’t control. We want something we can hold onto.”

  Noah nodded, taking another sip of her cup. “It got bad,” she said, staring into it. “Really bad. I tried to leave. He wound up hurting my mom. I mean, who does that? The cops are doing all they can, but they haven’t been able to catch him, and so when I saw Zummo – his friend – I panicked. I didn’t realize Pat was a sports journalist. I just –“

  “Hey.” Alec beckoned her over to him. “Come here.”

  Noah hesitated, but only for a moment. She set her mug down and crawled into his lap. He held her for a moment, kissing her forehead.