Noia’s eyes dance. “Is that so?”
“Don’t listen to her,” I mutter, taking a long sip of whiskey. “She’s full of shit.”
“Oh, I’m definitely listening,” Noia grins, leaning in close. “What else has he been doing?”
Claire’s smile turns wicked. “Well, there was that time he was so distracted he accidentally tattooed ‘No Ragrets’ instead of ‘No Regrets’—”
“That never happened,” I interject, glaring at Claire. “Now she’s making shit up.”
With a grin, Clair raises an eyebrow, then turns back to Noia. “But seriously, it’s great to finally meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“Come on.” I gladly place my hand on the small of her back again. “Let me introduce you to some other people before Claire starts making more shit up.”
“Oh, yeah. There’s much more where that came from!” Claire calls after us as I quickly guide Noia through the crowd.
“Everyone is staring,” she whispers, pressing closer to me.
“Can you blame them?” I murmur against her ear, wrapping my arm around her waist. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the room.”
Her cheeks flush pink again, and it’s all I can do not to drag her into a dark corner and show her exactly what that dress is doing to me.
I introduce Noia to Lizzy and Owen, who immediately make her feel welcome. Lizzy, in particular, is thrilled to meet her.
“A romance novelist?” she gushes. “That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to write a book.”
“You have?” I ask incredulously.
“It’s not as glamorous as it sounds,” Noia laughs. “It’s mostly just me in my pajamas, drinking too much coffee and talking to my cat.”
“Still, how cool would it be to create whole new worlds and characters,” Lizzy sighs dreamily.
When I catch Noia’s eye, something unspoken passes between us. If Lizzy only knew just how real those characters could become.
“It has its moments,” Noia says softly, her eyes never leaving mine.
The temperature in the room seems to spike about ten degrees. I’m about to suggest we step outside for some air when Jax shows up, Sasha in tow.
“Jax,” I nod, noticing how comfortable he and Sasha look together. “I see you’ve met Noia’s best friend, Sasha.”
“We’ve been getting acquainted,” Sasha grins. The mischievous glint in her eye tells me everything I need to know about what direction they’re heading tonight.
“You’re Ryder’s partner?” Noia asks.
“Co-owner,” Jax corrects with a grin. “Equal partners in ink and crime.”
“And bad jokes, apparently,” I mutter, which earns me a punch in the shoulder.
Sasha’s expression turns coy as she swirls her cocktail. “Jaxwas just telling me about your apprentice days. Something about you passing out during your first piercing?”
I shoot Jax a death glare.
“What?” He grins at me maliciously. “It’s a good story! Big, bad Marine gets taken out by a needle and a little blood.”
Noia’s eyes widen with delight. “You passed out?”
“I did not pass out,” I growl. “I got lightheaded.” I shoot Jax another scowl. “There’s a difference.”
