Page 6 of Falling for Fury

“Who knew Satan’s helper could feel such a thing?” I throw her a wink, which earns me a scoff and a very dramatic eye roll. But she didn’t sneak that almost-smirk past me. “Look, I am actually sorry for not seeing you before,” I say, finally accepting that I am probably a dick. I pause but she remains staring at her drink, not saying anything, her eyes appearing vacant. “Well, anyway, I am sorry, and it was nice meetin—”

“You’re forgiven.” She stops me from getting up. “Thank you for the drink. You can stay. You know… if you want.” I sit back down, unsure of what else to say, but unable to move away.

She looks over her shoulder towards Ava and Matt, and I do not miss the eyebrow wag Ava shoots at Addison. Addison rolls her eyes, releases a long sigh, and looks at me with piercing green eyes. “God, I am not going to hear the end of this,” she mumbles. Confusion fogs my brain and I make to move on with the conversation when Mia makes her way to me.

“NOAH! Did you bring me a present?” Shit! Who comes to a birthday party without a present?

“Sorry, Mia, left it at home. I will drop it off to you over the weekend, I promise.” After I go to the store and buy it, are the words I leave out.

I hand Mia my pinkie to swear she will have her present before the week is up. Her eyes narrow at me as she takes my pinkie in hers and squeezes. Child promises are a big deal apparently.

“Will you come play?” And as if on cue, she levels me with the aforementioned, I-melt-Noah-into-a-puddle-every-time puppy dog eyes. I look up at Addison, who has pressed her lips into a smirk and gestures towards the play area.

“He is all yours, Mia.” I don’t miss the mischief in her eyes as she grabs her drink and gets comfortable in her chair, but I do ignore the belly flop and prickles that travel up my spine from the way her smirk lights up her face and make her eyes… sparkle.

I wonder if that is what Caleb meant.

I grab Mia’s hand, shaking my head at Addison, allowing myself to be directed by Mia into the ring of chaos.

I steal glances at Addison every now and then as she sits there sipping on her soda, staring into the distance. It is all I can do to not ask her what she has coursing through that furiously beautiful head of hers.

Addison

I walk in the door of our apartment and lean my back against it as it closes, letting go of a big sigh. Being around four- and five-year-old’s for an afternoon is so exhausting. Add to that, trying to pull myself together enough to socialize with people and put a grand smile on my face for Mia.

I am suddenly distracted by the memory of Noah crawling on the floor, trying to reach under chairs and tables for the soft plastic balls from the ball pit, while having them pegged at him by all of Mia’s friends. All that lean muscle rippling under his tight shirt, the goofy smile that was dangerously sexy, the way he melted for the kids and played without complaint, made my ovaries do that twisting thing again. Scientists should explore the link between swooning and men wearing backwards caps because, yum.

I shake my head from my stupor and remind myself that Noah, the tall, dark, and handsome stranger I met no less than five hours ago, is just another New York bachelor. He might have had deep brown eyes of whisky and chocolate, a golden-retriever energy, and smelled of spring, and linen, and man. But he is that—a man. A boy-man, probably. They all are. He is not worth the wasted brain cells I need focused on other things, like waking up and being a human tomorrow.

I am not sure what possessed me to ask for him to stay and sit with me. I think of the curve of his half-smile and how it made my stomach do a weird swoopy jump as he had apologized and got up to leave. I don’t know why, but something told me it would just be nicer to have him… there.

It was also weird that when he left, he looked me dead in the eyes and said, “See you soon, Addison,” with that same lopsided grin, adding a wink that sent weird shivers down my spine. I curse myself for letting such a thing have any effect on me. He ploughed you down like you were an insect and proceeded to ask you out. Men equal pigs, Addison.

“Um, what is that?” Rosie asks from the couch, finger pointed and twirling, as she gestures to my face. I shake my head, releasing me from my thoughts, and choke on a cough in an attempt to hide my stupid grin.

“What is what?” I move towards the kitchen, dumping my dinner ingredients in the fridge before making my way over to the couch to join Rosie and Casey. They are cozied up with a glass of wine each in hand. I grab a clean glass from the counter on my way down and fill it with the chilled glass of white on the coffee table.

“That little grin you tried to hide from us,” Rosie questions as Casey laughs and swats Rosie on the leg as she interjects.

“How was the party?” And I am so grateful for a topic change.

“Good, I guess. The kids are adorably cute but also full of energy. I am exhausted,” I reply as I fall to the couch and grab a pillow into my lap. “Actually, had another horrific run in with a member of the male species, reminding me why men are trash.” At least I can count on my girls to support my man-hiatus and rage out on their constant and inexplicable need to be such assholes.

“Oooo, and the origin of the grin is exposed. Tea, now, ASAP,” Rosie demands. I roll my eyes at her but proceed to give them a run-down of the day’s events.

No, no, not good. I can practically see all the dots connecting in Rosie’s head as her eyes slowly grow wider and her grin stretches to show a mouth full of white teeth. “YES! This is EXACTLY what you need, Ads! You need good, no strings sex! Wipe the plate clean and get those endorphins spreading!”

“Um, no! You were meant to man-hate with me about everything I just said! You can’t be serious. I just met the guy!” Is my friend deaf? “Did you not just hear the horrific display of flirting, not ten seconds after he nearly toppled me to the ground? What about the eye dragging over my body like I am some display available for him to peruse?” That sent tingles down my spine, causing a familiar ache to spur awake is what I leave out.

“The man looked like Matt Donovan trying to pull off Damon’s smoulder, for Christ’s sake!” Well, I mean he didn’t look like Matt, that wet blanket from Vampire Diaries. “Like a six-foot-five Greek gym-bro version, but still… yuck.” I feign ignorance to Noah’s obvious good looks, but that is what makes this situation so much more frustrating. He was sexy as hell, and he knew it. The girls sit there staring at my rambling denial and Casey, to my absolute horror, looks at me with apologetic eyes.

“Sorry, Ads, I hate to admit this, but Rosie’s right.”

“I am always right! Did you get his number?”

“No, I didn’t get his number. Why would I ask a stranger I spent five minutes talking to for his number?”

“Ugh, missed opportunity. I need to take you out and show you how to do this whole sex in your twenties thing.” She throws her head back against the couch in defeat. Casey and I giggle, shaking our heads at her.

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