“Hello, Noah.” Lani took a deep breath in and hoped her heart stopped pounding soon.
“Why are you here in Howling?” He was frowning. It looked fierce due to his two black eyes, which in no way deterred from his good looks.
“I-I, ah, I was passing through.”
“To where? It has one road in and out.”
“I heard it was a nice place to visit.”
He had dark brows and lashes, and his eyes were the color of midnight. She’d known they were, of course, because Lani had spent that night staring into them. His beard was cropped close, and she bit back a shudder at the memory of it rubbing over her skin. His body was hard and toned. This she also knew, as she’d touched it, licked it.Don’t go there.
She’d wanted to forget that night because it had been so out of character, but that wasn’t going to be possible if she was in the same town as Noah.
“How long?” He demanded.
“How long what?” This wasn’t the polite man she’d met that night.
“How long will you be here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, hell,” he said, looking pissed off, which in turn pissed her off. Lani hadn’t known he lived here or that seeing her again would annoy him so much.
“I didn’t come here to find you, Noah. How could I? We never discussed where you lived. Are you married?” The thought slipped into her head.
“No, why would you say that?”
“Steady girlfriend?”
His black brows lowered into a long, angry line.
“Do I look like the type to sleep with a woman while married or in a relationship?”
“How do I know what your type is? I barely know you.”
“We talked for hours, and you should know after that I wouldn’t cheat. Besides, you said I was one of the good guys.”
“Men can be nice to get what they want. And we talked in a bar while we were both drinking. You could be a completely different man in the daylight.”
“That makes no sense unless I’m a vampire, but the part that does is insulting.” His hands were on his hips now.
“You don’t think your reaction to seeing me is insulting?”
He exhaled slowly. “Okay, and you’re right. I forgive you, and sorry back at you for the way I just behaved. Seeing you was a shock.”
“Ditto.”
“So, Lani, fancy you turning up in my town.” The anger fled as fast as it had come, and there he was again, the man she’d made love with.
She followed his eyes as he looked around him. Pride was there in that glance.
“You own it?”
“Funny girl.”
She was nervous now the anger had gone. The man was a lethal combination of many things. He had actually listened when she talked; not many people had done that in her life, let alone a man. He was hot… boy, was he hot, and way out of her league, even if she was interested, which she could never be. She knew Noah would be one of those people who knew what to say and when to say it, unlike her. Lani just bet he’d been one of the cool kids in school. Comfortable in his own skin.
“Look, Noah, I’m sorry this is your town and now I’m in it, but there is no need to make a big deal out of this. What happened, happened, and we’re consenting adults.”
