Page 72 of So Steady

No, but she knew her forgiveness was motivated less by compassion and more by the fact that he’d made her orgasm so hard her brain had melted. Was she one of those women who got suckered in by a charming criminal? Became complicit in his dodgy behaviour without even knowing it?

Dad liked him, she reminded herself.Dad liked him, and Sam trusts him, and he paints like an angel. And he’s driving you to Adelaide to help you move—

And to get away from a bikie-wife who may or may not have spray painted the c-word on his house. So how broken are those ties?

Valid questions, but not ones she could answer. She’d have to wait, give Noah the benefit of the doubt. Trust. She washed her hands in a way she wished she could wash her mind and left the bathroom. She paused as she passed the petrol station counter and grabbed a couple of bottles of water, beef jerky, and salt and vinegar chips. The attendant looked at her strangely. “Doubling up?”

Nicole frowned. “Um, I guess so?”

Was this some new kind of slang? She’d have to ask Tabby. She walked outside to see Noah already inside the van.

“Hey,” she said as she climbed inside. “I got water and snacks and stuff.”

Noah’s brow furrowed.

“What? Are you not hungry?”

He pointed at the inner console where she saw two bottles of water, a packet of beef jerky and salt and vinegar chips.

“Oh!” Nicole said. “Doubling up! That’s what that meant!”

She beamed, and to her surprise, Noah beamed back. Truly. His face broke wide and the skin around his eyes crinkled, and he was so handsome, she felt dizzy. Before she could say anything he leaned in and kissed her, hot and hard. Her surprise evaporated. She clutched the back of his neck and pulled him in closer, relishing his warmth, the short bristles of his hair. When they broke apart, her head was spinning. “What was that for?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“No, but I’d like one.”

“Okay, how about you’re fucking beautiful?”

He said it hard, like a challenge, watching to see how she’d respond.

There was pleasure, yes, but a million write-offs hovered. Was he just trying to get on her good side to keep her from asking about The Rangers? Was he just trying to get laid? Was she as beautiful as Daniella in his eyes? What about Kelly? He could say this to everyone because she wasn’t, couldn’t be, had never been beau—

“Nikki.” Noah’s green gaze bore into hers.“It’s a fucking croissant.”

And she laughed again. Laughed the way he’d smiled when he saw her carrying the doubled up snacks. He was right. It was just an effing compliment. Why couldn’t she just eat it? Believe him? She swallowed. “Thank you. I’m glad you think I’m beautiful. I think you’re—”

But he’d put a knee into the console and kissed her again. She moved closer to him, feeling the salt and vinegar chips crunch beneath her and not caring one bit. His mouth was needy, crushing against hers like he had an urgent message to give with his tongue. They kissed for a long time. Nicole’s spine hurt from the awkward position, but she didn’t stop and neither did Noah. Some part of her knew she was being ridiculous, but the reality of it couldn’t touch her. Not when he was. She kissed him back without thinking, without breathing. Her body was so tight it felt like she could break.

And maybe it would be good to break? Break and see what comes next.

A horn blared behind them and they broke apart. A bald guy in a Ford Fiesta flipped them off. They were blocking the pump. Chuckling, Noah released the handbrake and drove away, waving a lazy apology to the man.

Nicole moaned and buried her face in her hands. “How old are we?”

“Old enough that we can make out at a petrol station.” Noah grabbed her hand in his warmer one. “You okay?”

Nicole looked at their joined hands. Hers pale and thin, his big and scarred and covered with gothic-looking tattooed tendrils. They were nothing alike, but it felt good to touch him.

Trust, Nicole thought. “Yeah, I’m okay. Can we keep going?”

Chapter 14

Nicole’s neighbourhood was about what Noah expected; neat brick houses, bright white fences, green grass despite the sweltering heat. A place for young professionals to rear their two-point-five children and aim for the upper echelons. A place where the likes of him were as welcome as antibiotic resistant gonorrhea. Nicole was twisting her fingers in her lap. She’d fallen silent in the last hour, fiddling with her phone and staring out the window. He’d thought about saying something, but he’d already asked if she was okay—to which she said ‘fine’ in a high boiling kettle voice—what else was there?

“Noah?”

His hopes skyrocketed. “Yeah?”

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