~ The Next Day ~
“You’re heading out too?” I ask Gabe as I watch him pulling on his sneakers.
“Yeah, I have a photo shoot for some ad my agent thinks I should do. I shouldn’t be gone too long.” I nod at his response. “Where are you going?”
“I have something to do. I’m gonna pick up Veronica on the way and drop her off.”
She’s not supposed to be working today. But since tomorrow is game day, she offered to come in today so that tomorrow she wouldn’t be in the way, and we could fully focus and rest. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. I’m starting to think she just likes being here or with us.I’m hoping it’s the latter.
“I don’t understand why she takes the subway over. Doesn’t she have a car?” Gabe frowns like the thought of being on one of those disturbs him.Or maybe it’s the safety aspect, I’m not sure.
“She does, but she said she lets Aubrey use it during the day. That’s why I offered to give her a lift this morning.”
“That’s another thing I don’t get. Why hasn’t Ford gotten a car for Baby Ford? You’d think he’d want his sister to be safe behind a wheel, instead of walking around everywhere.”Ah, so it is about safety.
I chuckle. “Yeah, that’s none of our business. Knowing Aubrey, she probably doesn’t want Greyson spending money on her.”
“You’re probably right. Anyway, I’m out. See you later.” He heads for the elevator with a wave.
In the kitchen, I fill two travel mugs with coffee, one for me and one for Veronica. Then I make my way into the elevator and down to the parking garage, where I jumpinto my silver Aston Martin.
Barely fifteen minutes later, I’m pulling up in front of Veronica and Aubrey’s condo. I never realized until now just how close they live even though we helped them move. I make my way to the entrance of the building, noticing there’s no doorman or security like at ours. But the door is still locked, so at least it’s somewhat safe. I ring the buzzer to their condo and wait.
“Hello?” Aubrey’s soft voice filters through the speaker.
“Hey, it’s Noah. I told Veronica I’d be picking her up.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll buzz you in, come on up,” she says.
Seconds later the buzzer to the door sounds and I pull it open, then take the elevator to the fourth floor. Once at their door I knock and suddenly start to feel nervous, like when you’re going on a first date and picking her up at her door, which hasn’t happened in a long time.
I know this isn’t the case, but it still feels the same. I could have simply stayed in the car and texted her to come down, but I wanted to see where my Kitten lived, what she was really like behind closed doors.
The door swings open with Aubrey standing on the other side in a camisole and shorts, her long ash-blonde hair up in a messy bun. “Hi, Noah.”
“Hey, beautiful.” I step in, kiss her cheek, and on cue, she blushes. That girl is always blushing. She really is a beautiful woman, but I’m not into shy girls. Plus, Greyson would rip my head off if I ever went there.
“Ronnie should be out in a sec.” She smiles and turns back to their kitchen.
Their place is nice and spacious, all white walls with turquoise-blue accents everywhere and a big kitchen filled with a whole bunch of appliances. I’m guessing Aubrey spends most of her time here, since she’s the talented baker in our group.
Voices sound from down the hall seconds before Veronica appears with a big blond guy at her side, his hand resting on her lower back. They stop at the mouth of the hallway, where he places his other hand on her hip and turns her to face him, but she doesn’t lift her head.
She keeps looking down, arms wrapped around her stomach and seeming lost in thought. I can’t hear what he’s saying to her, but she shakes her head, smiles faintly, and places her palm on his bicep while saying something back.
A streak of jealousy rushes through me like lightning. My jaw clenches as I widen my stance and fold my arms over my chest, shoulders wide and head held high. Finally, Veronica steps out of his hold and turns my way.
When her eyes meet mine, she stops, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. “Noah, I didn’t know you were here.”
The guy behind her looks me up and down but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t look upset that another man is in her space either. He just looks… unfazed, like my presence doesn’t threaten him in the least.
“Sorry, I forgot you had company…” Aubrey says in a quiet, apologetic voice.
My teeth grind together. I don’t normally get jealous, but I hate knowing Veronica spent the night with another man, especially after she left our place last night. I thought we were getting somewhere with her.
I guess I was wrong.
“It’s okay, Nathan was just leaving.”Jesus, if Aubrey knows his name, it’s because he’s a regular. Not just some random hook up.Veronica looks back at me with a small smile, not like the one she gave that asshole. “Just give me a few minutes to get my things.”
