“Ineeded you,” I say, too fast. Noah flinches, barely, but it’s enough.
Shit.My hands shake.
“Your mother needed you. Paislee...you missed her birth.”
Noah sits back in his chair. Obviously, that strikes a nerve.
“Yeah…well… Iamsorry about that,” he says quietly.
“Good to see you actually give a shit,” I mutter under my breath.
Noah’s eyes lift to mine, and all I see is heat and fire. “You know what? Fuck this. I don’t have to sit here and be scrutinized. I just got back.” He moves out of his chair and heads into the kitchen, putting away his plates.
“I leave for work at five-thirty tomorrow morning. You’re either on time or you miss your ride,” I call over my shoulder.
Veronica gives me a subtle thumbs up, as though I need the encouragement to keep him in line.
“Yeah, whatever,” Noah mumbles. I listen as his footsteps fade, followed by the sharp slam of his bedroom door.
Okay, maybe this could work. Keeping him where he’s supposed to be.
At arm's length and not an inch closer.
23
Noah
“It’s exactly five-thirty. You do that on purpose?” Brad mutters under his breath, eyes flicking from his watch to me as I walk down the steps.
Okay, so Imighthave waited until the very last second before making it downstairs. I also might have done it for this exact reason. Seeing his face stern, his jaw clenching, the way his eyes seem to betray him as they gaze down my body.
I bite back a smile. He gets so grouchy in the morning.
I remember whatother emotionhe gets in the morning, but before my thoughts gravitate to old memories, I fight against it.
I’m still more than pissed that he’s been stonewalling me since I got here. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a small part of me that thought he’d sneak into my room last night—that I’d wake up to his lips on my neck orsomething.
Instead, he’s sticking to this wholeI don’t carebullshit. It’s a crock of shit, and he knows it.
I know it hasn’t even been a full day since I arrived, but still… I’m already getting impatient.
“On time is late.” He tosses an apple at me.
I catch it in one hand. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast. Now, let’s go.” He turns to leave, opening the door for us.
***
“So, where are we headed?” I ask, my knee bouncing up and down. I can’t deny that I’m a little nervous. I’ve never been a handy type of guy. And now I’ve got to act as if I am in front of Brad and his work crew. It’s a lot of pressure.
“Just off of highway seven, there’s a new subdivision going up. We’ve been hired to tear down and rebuild some affordable homes.” Brad explains.
“And you’re actually expecting me to know what to do?”
A small smile lifts the corner of his lips. I see it. It’s there. “Just watch today. Don’t need you hurting yourself.”
“Hm,” I answer back casually. I take this opportunity to look over at him. One hand on the wheel, he sits back in his seat like he’s fully prepared.
