We are friends.
It was hard to type that when he wanted to rage at her that she would never be merely a friend.
Zara:
Random question. If you got my number from Heath, why did you tell him you needed it?
Well, shit. This was not a conversation he wanted to have over text. Instead of asking if he could call her, he just did it, hoping she would pick up.
After one ring, she did.
“Why are you calling me?” Jesus, that snotty tone made him hard.
“Can’t one friend call another friend?” Let’s see how she liked it when he threw her own words back at her.
She groaned. “You’re doing this just to piss me off.”
“You’re always pissed at me. How is this any different?” He laughed as he decided to bypass a shower and instead take one in his hotel room.
“I’m not going to get into a battle of wits with you.”
“Are you afraid I’d win?” He grabbed his bag and started walking. The hotel was right next door, and walking would be quicker and less intrusive than taking the team bus. He let the trainer know as he walked past him and then headed out into the night.
“That would never be a concern.” She threw back at him. “I assume you called to tell me how you convinced Heath to give you my number?”
“I didn’t really have to convince him. But I did tell him about us.” He waited to see how she would take that.
She huffed out a breath. “Great, now I’m going to get the third degree.”
“You know, for a minute, just a minute, I thought maybe you and he had a thing.”
“Me and Heath?” She practically screamed the words. “What would give you that idea?”
“He’s very protective of you, and when I brought up the fire and how we met, he almost ripped my head off. It was an obvious assumption.”
“Excuse me while I go vomit.” She pretended to gag. “He’s a friend. More like a brother, really.”
It was a huge relief to hear her say that, even though Heath had told him the same thing. “That’s not really helpful when you keep saying we’re friends. How was I supposed to know that you don’t do the same things we did with all your friends?”
Silence settled over the line. “Fair point. But let me put to rest right now that Heath and I are only friends, and we have never, nor never will, be more.”
“I appreciate that, especially since he told me the same thing and also looked like he wanted to throw up at the thought of being more with you.”
“Now I’m offended.”
Noah laughed. “Because your friend, who you just said is nothing more and literally almost gagged when I mentioned the possibility, doesn’t want to be more than friends?”
“Yes. I’m a catch, and he'd be lucky to have me.”
He laughed again, this time louder. “Your twisted thinking is fucked up, you know that, right?”
“I will never admit that.” She chuckled.
He loved that sound.
Really he loved any sound she made. Especially the ones when she was moaning his name in pleasure over and over.
He came to the front of his hotel, entered, and walked through the lobby.