“Then maybe you should do something to make sure I stay interested rather than discourage me.” His feral smirks stirs my libido awake. He advances, and I back up until I hit the wall. I gasp as his mouth comes down on mine, demanding and harsh at first before softening as he explores. I put up my hands to push him away, but instead my fingers grip the fabric of his shirt, and I pull him closer. I’m participating in this kiss as much as he is, and I’m powerless to stop him. Not because he won’t stop but because I don’t want him to.
“Aunt Aria, what are you doing?” Noah’s voice sends me skittering away from Drakos. My nephew looks from Drakos to me and back again. He’s clearly confused yet hopeful. “Are you going to be my new uncle?”
“I, uh, I, Aria?” Drakos’s eyes grow as wide as saucers. Panicking, he turns to me to bail him out.
“No, he isn’t. Drakos was just saying hello.”
Jakob pushes forward. I hadn’t realized he’d witnessed our lapse in judgment, one of many. “Looks like more than hello.” He chuckles and pushes his sons through the bathroom door. Before following them, he pauses in the doorway. “Watch out, Drake. I doubt you know what you’re getting into with her.” Then he’s gone.
“What’s going on?” Noah stands with his hands on his hips and regards us with suspicion.
“Nothing. We need to get home. It’s past your bedtime. Now.” I grab his hand, ignore his protests, and pull him with me as I hurry out of the restaurant.
Noah is quiet for part of the trip home, but I know that won’t last, and it doesn’t.
“Do you like Drakos?” he asks.
“No.”
“Does he like you?”
“No.”
“Then why were you kissing him?”
“He was kissing me.”
Noah’s gaze is pure skepticism.
“It won’t happen again,” I add.
“It’s okay with me if it does.”
“Well, Noah, it won’t.” I lower my tone and smile in an attempt to soften the blow.
“I like him.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m not equipped to handle problems like this.
“He’s gonna help me with my slap shot and some other stuff.”
“You have coaches for that.”
“I don’t have any coaches like him. When I grow up, I want to be a pro hockey player.”
An unreasonable fear slithers through me that I’m losing Noah. Drakos signed away his rights. I need to find that paperwork in case he figures shit out and has regrets. Since I’m possibly launching a career as an investigative journalist, I’ll hone my skills by dredging up my sister’s old secrets and securing a copy of the necessary documents regarding Noah. Next stop, the storage unit. I’m afraid of what I’ll find there, but I have to uncover the truth. What was my sister doing in Vegas if she wasn’t working at the university? Why did she fraudulently use my name on a credit card? And what other secrets was she keeping? Regardless, she was still my sister, and I loved her. I wish she’d spoken to me about whatever mess she might’ve gotten herself into.
I owe it to Anna, Noah, and myself to ensure that Drakos doesn’t force his way back into his son’s life only to abandon him when he’s no longer convenient. My attraction to that man adds an extra layer of difficulty, but Noah has to be first and foremost.
Chapter 21
Investigating
~~Drakos~~
We lost the next game in Colorado. We’re down three to two. We play tonight at home. If we win, the final game is played in Colorado.
Kirby is unusually dejected. He’s blaming himself as he was the defender on the last goal and missed blocking the shot. He’s been despondent ever since the team plane landed yesterday. This morning he shuffles out of his room and slumps onto the couch, staring at the wall. I sit next to him.
