Page 38 of Hard Hitter

“Fuck Craig.”

Noah’s lips twitched at my outburst, but I wasn’t done.

“Your uncle is the worst, and you should block his number. His opinion is no longer welcome. In fact, give me your phone. I’ll do it for you.”

I patted his lapel looking for a phone-shaped bulge, but Noah caught my hand before I could move any lower.

“His opinion isn’t totally unwarranted. I used to lash out a lot as a kid, which was a problem when I was bigger than everyone else. My dad’s influence lives on.”

I snorted. “So you learned to channel your temper into football. You may have noticed I haven’t mastered that particular skill yet. It doesn’t make me a bad person or someone to be ashamed of.”

Noah’s shoulders hunched forward slightly. “He’s the only family I have left.”

I softened, flattening my palm over his heart. “He’s not. You have D and the rest of those idiots on the team, Eva, Riley—and me. You’re one of the best men I know, and my sainted brother is included in that mix. We’re proud to be your family when your blood relations don’t live up.”

“Chloe….” He trailed off to pull me close again, pressing his face to my hair with a ragged breath.

I hadn’t expected the fierce protective instincts rising in me, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

“Noah, you’re not alone.” I could feel my walls crumbling, one by one, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it without tossing Noah aside, which I wasn’t willing to do. Not anymore.

He raised his head, and a strange light glittered in his eyes. At some point in the conversation, I’d leaned my weight fully onto him and we’d stopped moving. Noah stood with his arm around me, staring at my lips, as the tension built between us.

His head tilted lower, slowly, as if hypnotized, and I held my breath. On cue, the music ruined the moment, changing to a faster pace and bringing more people flooding onto the dance floor. Noah straightened, and I let the air out in a frustrated huff.

He dropped his hands, breaking all contact between us. “I should get you back to your brother.”

His words splashed cold water on my perfect lusty daze. I wasn’t supposed to be kissing Noah. He’d brought me here because he was a genuinely nice guy trying to do his best to give me time with D. The truth didn’t stop me from fantasizing about how far I’d need to push him before he broke his promise to make me ask first.

He led me to our table, pulled my chair out, then leaned back with his arms crossed—grumpy persona firmly in place. D sent me a questioning look. I shook my head at him and excused myself to the bathroom.

Stupid DJ. Stupid cinnamon roll football player. Stupid squishy heart.

I found a secluded spot outside the bathrooms, tucking myself between a giant planter of grasses and a gold velvet bench with tiny paws at the bottom of its legs. My back hit the cold wall as I slouched, staring down at the weird little animal feet.

Okay, yes, I was running. My emotions were officially involved, and the prospect scared the shit out of me. I’d learned from experience when I cared, things went to hell fast. My last serious relationship had taught me not to go all in.

When things came crashing down, and things always crashed down when I was involved, my heart ended up ripped open. Guys didn’t want to be cleaning up my problems for the long term. Case in point, I’d tried to show Noah he wasn’t alone, and he couldn’t drop me off fast enough.

I never should have let Eva manipulate me into coming. Pretending I wasn’t interested in Noah only hurt me in the end. Every second I spent with him knocked down a little more of my walls, and I couldn’t shore them up fast enough.

My track record of choosing guys—or making major decisions, really—wasn’t all that great, and Noah had the potential to destroy me. Worse, I had the potential to destroy him. D would never abandon him, but if things didn’t work out between us, Noah would distance himself from the group.

I didn’t have a good reason for believing that, but I sensed the truth the same way I sensed spending the night with him would never be casual.

“Hey, beautiful. What are you doing out here by yourself?”

I raised my head, surprised to find a slim guy in a nicely tailored suit standing way too close. He smelled rich, like the inside of an expensive spa, but the predatory way he dragged his gaze over my dress and down to my stilettos raised my hackles.

“Just looking for some fresh air.”

He smiled, showing off too-white teeth. “Why don’t I show you the balcony on the penthouse suite?”

“No, thanks. I’m about to head back into the ballroom.” I offered a tight smile and tried to slip past him, but he side-stepped into my path.

“What’s the hurry? We could have some fun together.”

I sighed, suddenly tired. The guy wasn’t unattractive, and he was probably used to having women fall at his feet. Old me might even have gotten a little thrill from catching his attention. Too bad for him I was done making bad decisions.

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