Page 93 of Hard Rock Tease
Noah hugged me closer. "I can make an exception. For you."
"What are you doing here, Noah?" I murmured.
He scanned the crowd with a frown.
"Can we not do this here?"
"I don't even know what 'this' is."
His eyes burned into mine. "I want to apologize."
My heart started beating faster. I tried not to react, showing no emotion.
"Can we step outside for a few minutes?" Noah took my hand and tugged me off the dance floor before I could answer. I let him drag me out one of the side doors and into a back alley. The door closed behind us, leaving the two of us alone in silence.
I tugged out of his grip and crossed my arms. "My previous stance still stands."
"What?"
"I'm not fucking you in a crack alley."
Noah looked taken aback for a moment. "No. That's not why we're here."
"Good. Because I'm mad at you and I don't do angry break up sex."
He seemed to almost smile, before his lips turned down in remorse. "I'm sorry."
"For which thing? There's a lot you need to apologize for."
"All of it. I did some shitty stuff. I said even shittier things."
"You did."
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have blamed you. I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have shut you out."
"No. You shouldn't have." I gave him no mercy.
"And I never should have…" He looked shame-faced. "I never should have brought up your mom."
My chest ached, the pain I'd felt when I'd first lost her rearing its head. "That was awful of you."
"I'm sorry," he repeated desperately.
"You know how much I was still hurting over what happened with my mom. You know I was only just starting to forgive myself. And you still went there."
"I know," he groaned, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I was a complete asshole. I lashed out."
"Like always."
"It was Lily," Noah blurted.
"What about her?"
"Lily was the one who leaked it," he said. "She said she knew I was going to try to keep her a secret. She said she didn't want to be kept hidden away. She doesn't care if everyone knows she's Noah Hart's little sister. She said she's an adult and she can handle herself."
I nodded, indicating that I'd heard his words. It made sense. Lily wasn't a kid anymore. I couldn't imagine she would enjoy being treated like a glass doll to be put away and cared for, never having a life of her own.
I met Noah's eyes.
