Page 13 of Falling for Fury

“I only have a few single friends. Noah, Caleb, Ethan, and Lucas.” My spine snaps straight at the mention of Noah’s name because I am suddenly drawn back to the circle, and I realize the backwards cap wearing tall “friend” to the left of the group, wearing a No. 23 Bulls top, is—

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” I groan as I slam my head to the table and cover my face with my arms.

“What just happened?” Matt asks. Rosie and Casey look at each other, look at the group, and then back at me with questions in their eyes.

“Ads, what’s up? What just happened?” I raise my head, look at Matt, and then back to the girls.

“Sexy sunshine God. Ten o’clock.” I curse myself at the description in front of Matt and slam my head back to the table, knowing it is the only way the girls will know who I am talking about.

Rosie releases an excited gasp. “The backwards cap one?” she asks with the most excitement I have ever heard.

“Yup.”

“Dark curls sticking out of the sides like a fucking romance novel?” Casey mimics Rosie’s question style.

“Mmhmm.”

“You mean the one wearing your favorite jersey, drinking your favorite drink, watching your favorite sport, with all his tall, tanned, sexy smiliness?” Rosie says as her pitch gets progressively higher. I release a grunt and Matt puts his beer on the table.

“Woah, woah, woah. Hang on a second. What is going on right now?” he asks to any one of us that will answer him.

“Ads has a huge crush on backwards cap guy,” Rosie says matter-of-factly.

“I do not!”

“Noah?” Matt raises an eyebrow and curls a lip as if the idea is horrific. He shimmies his body, releasing a cringe, and raises his hand, silencing us all.

“Actually, no. I am leaving this conversation. Please don’t tell me.”

“What is he even doing here?” I mutter mostly for myself, my annoyance stoking the flames of my fury.

“Celebrating, like I said before. The deal was with Noah’s company. Caleb works there, too, hence the bar and beers.”

“Noah’s company?” I had assumed the company on the card was his dad’s or a family business, not his company. So he’s charming, sexy, nice, and successful. Great.

“He owns Karvelas Media, who Ava works for. Branding and marketing stuff. AIM signed a pretty big deal with them, thanks to Noah and Caleb’s hard work. Should set us both up nicely.” AIM was Matt’s baby that he and a few of his college engineering buddies set up. The adorable softy named it AIM after his ‘greatest creation’, Mia.

“Anyway, back to Addison sexing Noah,” Rosie chimes in elegantly.

“And that’s my cue.” Matt gives me a nod and wastes no time vacating the area.

“Oh my god, Ads. I know you described him as sexy, but Christ.“ Casey looks like she is drooling at this point.

“Go say hi!” Rosie squeals. “This is a sign for sure! You can’t have this many run-ins with the same guy and it not be fate,” Rosie deadpans.

“No, I came here for happiness and a distraction. Can we please just have our drink, eat our food, and leave? Plus, they are busy… celebrating.”

Casey releases a sigh and picks up the menu again.

“Bu—” Rosie attempts to protest, but I raise my hand.

“Enough. I am too tired for this. Please, can we just try to have a nice girls’ night without you trying to marry me off?” I try to add some amusement to my scolding, letting her have one of my soft smiles. Shoving back the anger that has no business being hurled at my friends.

“Ugh, fine. Be boring then.” She picks up her menu then and we pick our food.

We order and eat, finishing two drinks each, and watching the game as it ends. I tell the girls to wait out front while I use the bathroom before we walk back. I turn the corner down the hallway to the toilets and I run straight into a wall. No… not a wall… A six-foot-five body. Christ, that is firm.

“Well, well, well. Now who is following who?” I squeeze my eyes shut. I almost, almost made it out of here without an interaction. I snake my eyes up the solid wall of muscle that is his body, tracing the line of his tanned neck and the little curls flicking out under his cap, over his sharp jawline, to his lips pulled into a lopsided grin, and up to his deep chocolate eyes.

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