Page 7 of Gossip Game

“Can we go home now?” she asked loudly, presumably for the benefit of their audience.

“Mm-hmm.” He was happy to play along with the warm, pliant woman in his arms. It had been several months since his girlfriend had thrown him over for a pro athlete with more zeroes in his contract. Noah hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having a female body pressed up against his. Until now. Especially a female body that might be inclined to thank him more profusely later.

She pulled away just far enough to link her fingers with his. Her grip was strong, as if she were hanging on to a life preserver. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before she turned to lead them out of the shadows. Unfortunately, the dude she was trying to escape blocked the hallway.

Noah bit back an “oh fuck” at the sight of none other than Bucky Kincaid, a jock sniffing pest who thought he was a bigger talent than he was.

“Well, isn’t this cute?” Kincaid sneered. “Does McManus know you’re screwing his sister, Hudson?”

The woman next to Noah hissed out a breath. Sure, it had been dark in the hallway, but any idiot associated with the Blaze would have recognized her by her height alone. Noah was a first-class dumbass. One who wasn’t going to get lucky tonight.

But he was going to do right by his boss’s sister.

“Does McManus know you like to manhandle women in the dark?” he clapped back. Two could play Kincaid’s game. “Including his sister?”

She squeezed his hand in apparent appreciation before tugging him toward a side door leading to the service entrance connected to the hotel. The door slammed behind them with Kincaid on the other side of it, thankfully. Noah tried to withdraw his fingers from hers, but she held tight.

“What floor?” She demanded when they made it to the hotel lobby and were lucky enough to grab an empty elevator.

He arched an eyebrow in question.

“I’m not staying here,” she explained with an exasperated huff. “I can’t very well walk out the front door right now. He’s been dogging me all over London.”

The idea of that prick harassing any woman had Noah’s hackles up. He reached around her and pressed the button for the twenty-first floor. Hiding her in his room for a while wasn’t crossing any line, he decided. He rested his hip against the back railing as the elevator doors began to slide closed. They were seconds from a clean getaway when a hand snaked in, pushing the doors apart.

Of course, the hand had to be attached to freaking Kincaid. He stood outside the elevator wearing a smug look. She was right. The man was a wily snake.

Noah didn’t think. He simply reacted, pulling Charlotte against him and covering her mouth with his. It was meant to be a kiss for show. To throw Kincaid off the chase. But seconds after his mouth met hers, Noah realized that the only one being thrown off his axis was him.

That’s because Charlotte acted out her part to award-winning perfection. Her supple lips opened without question, giving him access to the sweetness of her mouth. Looping her arms around his neck, she slid her tongue along his with wild abandon. That was all it took for Noah to lose all coherent thought. Suddenly, he was devouring her like some savage just released from captivity.

Not that she appeared to mind. If anything, she acted as if she was enjoying the ruthless way he was kissing her. His body temperature lit up like an inferno when she nipped his bottom lip playfully before soothing it with her tongue. He burrowed beneath her hair to find the graceful curve of her neck, intending to leave his own mark. She tilted her head to give him better access. Her movement brought her body more firmly against his. Christ, she was a perfect fit. A keening sound escaped the back of her mouth when his hands found the curve of her ass, angling her dangerously closer to his growing need.

The unexpected chime of the elevator was like a referee’s whistle blowing the play dead. Noah came to his senses first, sucking in a deep breath as he tore his lips from hers. Surprisingly, they were the only two in the elevator, its doors wide open on the fifteenth floor. A mother and her young daughter stood in the hallway looking in, the mother wearing a miffed expression while the child stared open-mouthed at them.

Noah did his best to shield Charlotte from being recognized while he furiously jabbed at the button to close the door. The silence inside the compartment was heavy by the time they arrived at his floor. Now it was Noah gripping Charlotte’s hand like a lifeline as he hurried her through the twists and turns of the hallway leading to his room. Once at his door, he swiped his key card and rushed her inside.

Charlotte didn’t say a word. Absently fingering some bracelets on her wrists, she wandered over to the windows overlooking London’s Eye, all lit up in the night sky. Noah grabbed two waters from the minibar, downing one in a single gulp before leaving the other one on the desk for her. The cold drink did nothing to quiet his wildly beating pulse, however. He couldn’t stay in here alone with her. Not after what just went down in the elevator.

“I’m going to find your brother,” he announced. “He needs to know about Kincaid.”

She whirled around, her eyes anxious. “Jay isn’t arriving until tomorrow. And I’d rather he didn’t know about this. I’d almost prefer Kincaid’s boorish behavior to Jay in big brother mode.” She crossed her arms over her chest and notched up her chin. “Trust me, I plan on avoiding this place for the rest of the team’s stay.”

Noah’s sister was seven years older than him, but he was pretty sure he’d want to know if some asshole was preying on her. He wasn’t too keen on keeping Charlotte’s secret, either. But her mulish look had him backing down.

“Suit yourself. You’re welcome to hide out here.” He picked up the Stuart Woods novel he’d been reading and headed for the door. The team’s meeting room would be quiet at this time of night.

“You don’t have to go,” she called after him, her voice still sounding a bit shaky.

Parts of his body argued otherwise. As it was, he didn’t think he’d be able to sleep in this room tonight after seeing her so close to the king-sized bed. Not to mention the fact that his body was still humming from their close encounter in the elevator.

Christ, he was no better than Kincaid.

He made the mistake of looking into her beseeching blue eyes and he was a goner. His feet felt like they were frozen to the carpet as he watched her move around his room. She nervously fingered the travel backgammon set on the coffee table. Noah and the Blaze’s punter had a long running competition going. Her soft smile nearly knocked the breath from his lungs when she looked up at him.

“I haven’t played this in forever.” She eased herself down onto the sofa. “Jay taught me when I was in the first grade. Before he...left.” Her shoulders slumped briefly. She shook her head as if to wipe away a bad memory before lifting her gaze to him, nearly taking him out at the knees with her impish smile. “The last time we played together, he accused me of cheating.”

Noah snorted.

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