Page 122 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Oh, is she all right?”

“Yeah, she’s okay.”

My stepmom stepped into the room, and Noah guarded the door so that she wouldn’t see the hole in the wall. I stood there feeling nervous and extremely territorial over him. I couldn’t handle it if she kissed him in front of me again. There was nothing short of me going completely apeshit.

“Sweetie,” she said to me, “you know you can talk to me whenever you need.”

“Yeah, I know.” I tried to hide my scathing intent with a smile. “It was about my mom and my stepdad—sort of needed Noah’s advice about something.”

“Oh, I totally understand.” She turned and faced him. “We’re kind of being bad hosts at the moment.”

“Yeah, I’m right behind you.”

I was relieved when she disappeared. Noah looked back at me and held out his hand, flashing a faint trace of a smile. Without hesitation, I slipped my hand into his and let him lead me back to the kitchen. I was desperate for any kind of physical contact. The scent of his cologne was still all over me, and it absolutely delighted my senses, teasing me with the undeniable fact that his body had been in such close proximity to mine.

“There you are!”

Ryan took me by surprise and I instinctively withdrew my hand away from Noah’s.

“I was beginning to worry you dropped a glass and cut yourself.”

“No, I’m fine. I just needed to talk to my dad about something. It was kind of important.” Ugh, there was that dreaded D word again.

Ryan came over to me and kissed my cheek, wrapping his arm around my waist. I’m sure Noah felt like some lone wolf had trotted over to his pack and was pursuing his alpha female, challenging him to a fight to the death. Ryan wouldn’t win, though. This I was certain of. Noah’s glaring aggression said it all.

“Do you need a hand, Mr. Hunter?” Ryan asked politely.

“No, Aria can help me.” There was an awkward pause before he added, “Thanks, though.”

Ryan was my only friend to address Noah so formally. Usually, Noah insisted that everyone call him by his first name, but I guess it didn’t surprise me that he didn’t this time (given his extreme animosity toward the high school jock).

“I’ll be right out, Ryan,” I said.

He smiled pleasantly at me and kissed my hand before he left. This must have infuriated Noah, because I heard him curse under his breath once Ryan was out of earshot.

“Okay, I’ve got the margaritas prepared,” said Vanessa. “Just carry out the other two trays I left on the counter.” She gave us further instruction and left the kitchen.

Alone again, yay!

“You shouldn’t lead him on like that, Aria.” Noah walked with this intimidating air of dominance, but I found it so sexy. “I want him in friend zone, ASAP.”

Noah Hunter and his endless list of demands.

“I’ll friend zone him just as soon as you friend zone Vanessa,” I said, keeping my voice down.

His arm brushed against mine as we stood side by side at the island. He said nothing, and we stared at one another for the longest while. I’m sure he felt like I was challenging him, pushing his boundaries to see how far I could make him go.

“Fine.”

Wow, he caved.Honestly, I’d been expecting him to reject my request and tell me that Vanessa was his wife,blah, blah, blah …but his response left me stunned. I picked up my tray and walked out of the kitchen with a gleeful grin. At least he would enjoy the view from behind. This was a battle I had won.

****

The house guests started leaving a little after midnight. Ryan and Tyrese were the only people who were still over. The trainer seemed to hit it off well with Vienna—they couldn’t stop flirting with each other.

“Sorry about the overcrowded evening,” I said to Ryan. “It was unexpected.” We were sitting on the patio, chatting away. The temperature was perfect. If there was one thing I loved about living in Cali, it was the climate.

“It’s cool—made me feel more comfortable, actually.” He laughed. “Your dad and stepmom are really nice.”

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