Page 54 of Noah

Putting her head on his chest and sliding one palm over his heart, she could hear the steady thrum of each beat.

His arms automatically reached around to hold her.

Adrienne almost sagged in relief. She’d been worried he was planning to ignore her or worse leave her dancing alone. She smothered the satisfied sound that wanted to escape and snuggled into his warm body.

He started to relax, tension drained from his body and a soft rumble began. It was a silent sound that left his chest vibrating. Adrienne could feel it under her cheek as they twirled. The faces of the couples blurred. She found a smile pulling up her lips.

Then the song ended.

He dragged her to the table and got them both drinks. “Here.” He passed her an orange and gestured to the Numbers still dancing. “They are good.”

Adrienne watched them move to the beat and had to admit they were better than she was expecting. They were coordinated, happy, and sure of their steps. They were having a riot. One female danced with enthusiasm. Her face was radiant with joy. The cut of her dress and the low light made faint marks on her neck visible.

When she noticed Adrienne’s eyes on her, she stopped moving and prowled over. “Hello, I’m Wren. I wanted to come and say welcome.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Adrienne.” Adrienne swallowed her drink and held out her hand. Wren pulled her in for a hug. Adrienne saw Noah’s face pull tight, only relaxing when Wren let her go. It was like he was ready to rip Wren away if she moved wrong. It was almost endearing, a bit overbearing, and a tad crazy. “Why didn’t you?”

“I was strongly discouraged. Apparently, I’m quite a lot for newbies,” Wren said with a sly grin. “Too much nervous energy. I like to talk.” Wren looked at Noah. “Do you like dancing?”

When Noah stayed quiet it began to look rude. Adrienne was sure he didn’t know what to make of the female and wasn’t intentionally being obstinate.

Adrienne broke the ice. “I like dancing, but I prefer slow dancing because I’m not the most proficient at freestyle.” She was terrible at freestyle. Her feet always moved in the wrong way, jittery and stilted. She was like a robot when she danced on her own. Give her a partner and music to dance to any day. “We had a dance; we’re just taking a break to get a drink. What do you do?”

“I work at the bakery, sometimes at the florist, and occasionally at the hub in Moon. Drop me a line if you have any questions.”

“Thank you. That’s kind.” Adrienne nudged Noah. He grunted a positive noise.

“What do you do? I’ve seen Noah around Moon all week but not you.” Wren grabbed a champagne flute and sniffed at the alcohol. She wrinkled her nose and then sipped it. Making a face, she swallowed it and smacked her lips together in distaste.

“Err…I.” She hated questions like this.

She felt like a teenager again. She still wasn’t sure what she was doing, and it was worse being in Moon…she was even more confused.

All these opportunities kept waving under her nose. Adrienne couldn’t accept them; she would feel like a fraud, guilty as hell. She had a vague plan in mind but nothing concrete.

“She’s a painter,” Noah growled, and Adrienne almost swallowed her tongue.

A painter!

“Really? I would love to see your work,” Wren said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Do you have any with you? I tried drawing but I didn’t have the patience for it.”

When Wren paused to say hello to someone walking past, Adrienne turned and put her glass down because the condensation made it slip in her hand.

Wren turned with a playful look; her eyes danced with humour. “Plus, I keep breaking the pencil tips.” Wren chuckled.

“I don’t have anything here.” Hesitating, she glanced at Noah. There was one piece, so she told Wren, “I’ve started something. It might be finished in a few weeks.” She shrugged because it would take as long as it took, and she didn’t want to rush it.

Wren nodded; her eyes flicked to a couple laughing loudly as they stumbled over each other’s feet because they were moving too fast.

Wren turned back to them and asked, “Noah. Did you decide what you were doing?”

“No. I’m still unsure.”

Wren arched her brow at Noah. “Was there something you wanted to do?”

He hadn’t told Adrienne that he was interested in anything.

Noah shook his head. “Not really. I like security but it’s too closed in for me. I want to move and be in the open.”

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