Page 16 of Fighting a Riot

“You haven’t told her?”

She shook her head. “I feel really guilty already, but it’s not exactly something to share in a phone convo, you know?”

“Do you get along with her?”

She widened her eyes at him. “Of course I do, but she’ll be here in a couple of weeks… actually, I should—” she cut herself off, driving her fingers into her hair.

The action puffed out her chest and his eyes immediately went to her breasts.

Shit.

He had to focus. “What’s the problem?” he asked.

She frowned. “I should tell her to cancel her trip. Save her the trouble.”

“Woman, if you get along with her, call her and tell her the wedding isn’t happening, but she still needs to be here. You’re right. Telling her this shit in person would be better –but you gotta let her know.”

She shook her head. “There’s not much she can do, and she’s fourteen months from retirement. Yet she’s got a boss itching to give her the boot which might jeopardize her pension.”

He clenched his jaw. “Find someone to help you. You can’t… Call Trixie. She’ll help.”

“Not calling my landlords about this,” she muttered.

He stared at her for a long, heated moment. “Find someone, Nora. I mean it.” He started to turn away and thought better of it. “And stay outta the pool until May. It’s too fucking cold for you.”

Her hands settled on her hips. “It’s heated, you big lug! Get in here and feel for yourself.”

Feel for yourself. Those words went right to his balls.

He shook his head. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

Nora

Don’t say things I didn’t mean? Who was this guy?

The more I thought about what I said, I realized my earlier words sounded like a tease, maybe. I couldn’t help it, though. Noah standing shirtless in pajama pants made me scatter-brained. He had no discernible chest hair. That intrigued me. Add to that, the very discernible tattoos covering his chest and arms… and boy, did my brain check out.

He put the ‘score’ in scorching, that was for certain.

With a headshake, I arched into a back-flip in the water to clear my head. I loved this heated pool. It was so freaking fabulous.

I rose to the surface and saw he’d stopped a few feet from the back door to his place. “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “Don’t you have work tonight?”

“No. Now answer my question, princess.”

Every time I thought I was cool with the ‘princess moniker’, he used it like he did just now and I despised it all over again.

I climbed out of the pool and grabbed my towel. “Yeah. I have work in the morning. Sorry if I kept you from something important.”

He shook his head. “Good night, Nora.”

I trudged into my new digs. The sight of my many boxes and the piles of clothes I needed to sort had me lamenting my impulse decision to swim. Yet, I wasn’t that mad about it. The moment Trixie mentioned the pool was heated, I was sold. Wild horses would have to drag me away from this property.

I’d spoken the truth to Yak. Very soon, I wasn’t going to be in a position to swim for quite a while. The moon was full and bright, providing the perfect light for a nighttime swim since I had no idea where the switches were for the outside lights. I loved everything about the moon. Mom said it was because I was born at night, making me a moon baby. I figure that was just a coincidence. The sun was a big ball of energy all the planets orbited around, but the moon was ours. The moon orbited us and it controlled the tides and probably other stuff, too.

I took a quick shower and the Sunday blahs set in with brute force. Not only did I have to tell some of my co-workers the wedding was off, I had to figure out how to work with Mia. We covered for each other during lunch hours, sick days, and during vacations.

---