Page 21 of River
“I’m in a bad mood because I saw something last night that I think will hurt you, and I don’t want to be the one to tell you.” Noah crushed the can in his hands until it was flat and tiny.
My heart rate was actually faster than usual, but I found the strength to meet his eyes. “You saw Maximum in conversation with Patricia. Yes, he told me about her.”
“He did?” Noah’s eyes widened.
“She studies philosophy, and they had an interesting conversation.”
“They had more than conversation.”
This was ridiculous. I should just tell him Maximum was my brother, but somehow I’d cornered myself by letting him believe otherwise.
“I’m sorry, River. It’s just that I know you’ve been lied to in the past with Storm. Maximum seems like a nice guy and all, but he’s not crazy about you, or he wouldn’t have been flirting with Patricia so openly. They were practically kissing on the dance floor.”
I took another sip of my water. My hands were shaking a little.
“You can hate me for telling you, but I pride myself on being honest, and it pisses me off that Maximum doesn’t appreciate you. Hell, I’ve never even seen him touch you or check you out when you walk around in your bikini.”
I was still quiet, and it only made Noah babble on.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you, but I just think you deserve better. River, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I get that I might not be your type, but why are you with a man who clearly doesn’t see how special you are?”
“Maximum is my brother.”
That shut Noah up, and in the awkward silence between us, I moved to the door.
I’d only made it one step through the doorway when Noah pulled me back inside and confronted me.
“He’s your brother?”
“Yes. Well, adopted brother. You would have seen that if you’d researched a little further.”
“So, you’re not dating him?”
I wrinkled my nose up. “Of course not. I just told you he’s my brother.”
Lowering his brow, Noah crossed his arms. “Why did you lie to me?”
“I never said that we dated. You simply assumed, and I didn’t correct you.
“Why not? It would have been the honest thing to do.”
The energy that crackled between us made me take a step back. “I hardly know you, and it’s none of your business who I date. I’m not interested in you that way.”
Noah looked mad as hell. “No, you only go for men with thick wallets, don’t you?”
It shouldn’t matter what he thought about me, but his accusation was like a personification of my inner critical voice, and I snapped back, “Are you implying that I’m shallow?”
“Are you?” He moved closer with a hard stare.
Yes,my inner voice called out.And this man sees right through you.
“Are you?” he repeated. God, such intelligence and strength was shining from his eyes. It raised all my defensive mechanisms, telling me I couldn’t get close to this man. I’d never met someone who could make me defensive and angry while at the same time causing my stomach to flutter.
I couldn’t allow myself to get close to this stranger. There was something different and dangerous about Noah. He clearly wasn’t afraid of conflicts, and he didn’t seem like the kind of man I would be able to distract from physical intimacy. Noah outright oozed sexual confidence. Poor or rich, I avoided men like him because what they wanted from me, I couldn’t give them.
“For your information, I’m already rich myself, but since you researched me, you would know that I’m a fashion blogger and influencer, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that I appreciate men with a sense of style.” Looking at his tousled hair, I chose attack as my best defense and scoffed. “When was the last time you had a simple haircut?”
Noah’s hands lifted to his hair, but I didn’t give him a chance to answer before I hissed, “I shouldn’t have come.”
Rushing out of the door, I was relieved that this time, Noah Parker didn’t chase me.
