Page 66 of Treacherous

"You were just eavesdropping on a private conversation," Noah offered, his eyes dark, his brows set in a deep frown.

"What're you…Where'd you…" I looked up and glared at him. "You're trespassing on private property –again."

Okay, so not the right thing to say.

Noah clenched his jaw and I felt a sizzle of fear burn through me. "Get up," he growled.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm good where I am thanks."

He sighed in annoyance. "It's freezing cold. The whole street is out," he grumbled gesturing to the sky with his torch. "And you, genius, have locked yourself by the looks of it."

"I have not," I said defensively. "I just don't see well in the dark, that's all. I can't find the handle. If you shine your torch on the door I'll be out of your way in a jiffy."

"You can't see what isn’t there," he grumbled. "That door?" He raised his brows. "Its key accessible only."

I glared at the door. "You tricky bitch…"

"You like talking to wood, don't you, Thorn?" he mused.

"Oh yes," I snapped as I climbed to my feet. "I can't wait to talk to the wood surrounding your dead body."

"Nice," he chuckled. "But you'll be waiting a while."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," I spat.

"What makes you say that?" he asked in an oddly curious tone.

"Hmm, let's see." I pretended to check the reasons off with my fingers. "You fight violently, you smoke constantly, you drink excessively – you more than likely consume illegal substances – and you most definitely sleep around."

I looked him up and down, a look a pure disgust. "The cheerleaders talk, Noah." They didn’t – well, not to me at least, but it was an educated guess. "I'll give you 'til you're thirty-five – thirty if that nasty temper gets the better of you."

"Thanks for the morbid checklist," Noah said flatly. "I was going to help you out, but considering you're still a judgmental bitch you can help yourself."

Noah turned to leave and a sudden burst of fear flooded me.

"Wait." I grabbed his elbow. "You're going to leave me here?" I swallowed deeply. "Alone?"

"You'll survive," he said mockingly, pulling free from my grasp. "A tough girl like you," he taunted. "You can talk to some trees if you get lonely. Oh, and watch out for the bears," he added spitefully.

"Wait…Noah, please wait." I raced after him, clutching onto the back of his t-shirt with a death grip.

He took pity on me and stopped walking causing me to smack into his back. I staggered backwards as I tried to regain my balance.

Surprisingly, Noah reached out and caught me and when I felt his hand cover mine my pulse thumped so hard I was almost certain he could feel it.

Nemesis or not, Noah Messina was currently the only thing standing between me and isolated darkness. "Please don’t leave me on my own."

"You're a fucking thorn in my side," he told me, but he didn’t let go of my hand. Instead he held my hand as he walked. The feel of his hand covering mine caused my stomach to twist and flip around.

"Let go for a sec," Noah ordered when we got to the bottom of the garden.

"No way." I held onto his hand with both of mine. Knowing how much bad blood was between us, he would disappear and leave me on my own out here.

"Teagan, let go," he repeated clearly annoyed. "I'll help you over, but I need to jump the wall first."

"I can't," I hissed. It was true. My hands were glued to his in fear. "Please…"

Noah growled and muttered a swear word before crouching down. "Climb on my back,Thorn," he ordered and I did, choosing to ignore the jibe. I wanted to live; name-calling and snarky retorts weren't a priority right now.

---