

Books by Elizabeth Reyes

Desert Heat

 Defining Love

Moreno Brothers Series

 Forever Mine

 Sweet Sofie

 Forever Yours

 When You Were Mine

 Always Been Mine

 Romero

 Making You Mine

 Tangled—A Moreno Brothers novella

5th Street Series

Noah

Gio

Hector

Abel

Felix

Fate Series

Fate

 Breaking Brandon

 Suspicious Minds

 Again

Rage

 His to Guard

 Uninvited

Boyle Heights Series

 Lila

Beast

Nine

Looking Glass Series

Girl in the Mirror

We Were One

### Noah

5th Street #1

### Elizabeth Reyes

Noah

5th Street #1

### Elizabeth Reyes

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 By Elizabeth Reyes.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, the please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For information on the cover art visit Stephanie Mooney's website at: http://stephaniemooney.blogspot.com

Editing by  Theresa Wegand

This is dedicated to my husband Mark who grew up on 5th Street. Thank you for all the crazy, funny, and heartwarming stories you've shared with me over the years!

## Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Epilogue

Next in the 5th Street Series

Also by Elizabeth Reyes

Acknowledgments

About the Author

## Chapter 1

The night Veronica Cruz prayed for her mother to die, she never imagined her mother wouldn't wake the next morning, but she didn't. She died in her sleep in the very house that Veronica was now destined to spend the rest of her life _alone_.

That was six months ago. Since then, Veronica's bane of existence consisted of waking to a silent home and wandering aimlessly about from her bed to the sofa in the front room to the kitchen table until it was time to crawl back into bed and start all over again.

Her mother had left her a substantial trust with the stipulation that the house would never be sold. The home that had been in the family for generations was to stay within the family for at least another hundred years or until there was no one left in the family to pass it on to. Unless she lived to be more than a hundred, it would probably be sooner since having kids required male companionship and meeting a man required her leaving the house for more than just grocery shopping. Still, she had promised her mother on her deathbed that she would never sell the house.

Since she was an only child, the house that was now paid for was hers, free and clear. The closest relative she had was an aunt her mother had only spoken of a few times. She'd never met her father, so she had no idea if she had any family on his side.

At twenty-eight, Veronica felt like a spinster. Sure, most would consider her relatively young for a spinster, but the years leading up to her mother's death had aged her in so many ways. When Veronica found out about the cancer and how little time her mother had left, she dropped everything. She took a leave from her job as a human resource director at the local college—a job she loved—to care for her mother full time. Her social life became non-existent for over two years.

By the time her mother passed, Veronica was forty pounds heavier and drained completely of any energy to return to the real world. She had no desire to go back to work so worn and completely out of shape. Feeling as if she'd aged ten years and heavier than she'd ever been in her life, there was no way she was showing her face there again. Not only did her mother's death drain her physically, but it had also taken her spirit. She was no longer the vibrant young woman full of goals and ambitions she once had been.

Losing her mom the way she had, watching her wither away hopelessly in so much pain with no way to help her, had scarred her forever. She was angry with God and saw no reason to even try being a contributing member of society anymore. What good did it do you, anyway, when it could be taken away just like that?

A loud knock at the front door jolted Veronica out of her dreary thoughts. She already knew who it was, and she rolled her eyes, dragging herself off the sofa to answer the door.

Her best friend Nellie smiled widely as soon as Veronica opened the door. "Guess what I got us?" She held up what looked like tickets of some sort.

"I told you," Veronica said, already heading back to her favorite spot on the sofa. "I'm not going to any movies or concerts or any event that involves me being around other people. I'm a cow, Nellie. I don't even have clothes that fit me anymore."

"Do you have sweats?"

"That's _all_ I have." She pulled the material on the sweat pants she was wearing. "I haven't bought anything else in months. It's all I can get my fat ass into, and I refuse to go shopping for anything else in this embarrassing size."

"That's perfect then," Nellie said, "because these are one-week passes to the gym over on Fifth Street."

Veronica gaped at her. "A gym?" She wasn't even aware there was a gym on Fifth Street.

"Yes, a gym. Get up. We're going." Nellie grabbed her hand and pulled. "I'm tired of you using your weight as an excuse to bury yourself from the world. We'll go together."

Veronica groaned as she got up off the sofa. "I didn't know there was a gym on Fifth Street. Are you sure?" She took the tickets from Nellie. They were very amateurish looking—printed on regular paper even cut a bit raggedly. "Where did you get these?"

"Never you mind. I knew you wouldn't want to go to the crowded gym over at the mall full of all those _people_ you're so adamant about staying away from." She shoved Veronica toward the front door. "This is a smaller community gym, but they're still nice enough to offer free one-week passes. We'll do a week, and then depending on how you feel, we can sign up for more."

Veronica tried to protest about not having a gym bag, but as usual, Nellie was one-step ahead of her. "I have everything we need in the car. Just grab your keys and wallet. No excuses."

For months, Nellie had done her best to try to pull Veronica out of her funk, and Veronica hated to sound so ungrateful. She seriously doubted she could even do one jumping jack without keeling over, but she'd humor her friend this one time. Truth was she really did need to lose weight.

On the drive over, Nellie told her about the gym. Her husband was now a member of the big gym by the mall, but he took kickboxing training once upon a time at the Fifth Street gym. He said it was just small enough that Veronica wouldn't feel overwhelmed. Great. Nellie had told her husband what a fat pathetic hermit she'd become. "So when the guy outside the supermarket gave me the passes, I thought this would be perfect."

Veronica didn't even attempt to be as excited about this as Nellie seemed to be; though she suspected it was a bit of an act. They'd been best friends since they were kids, and she'd done everything to try and cheer Veronica up after her mother died. One thing Veronica knew about Nellie was that she hated working out. So, as usual, this was a completely selfless act on her part, all for the sake of pulling Veronica out of the cave she called her home. It was just one of the reasons that made Veronica love and appreciate her best friend even more.

When they arrived, they were both surprised to see there were no other women. Veronica peered at the ticket she held in her hand. "Are you sure this isn't an all-male gym?"

Nellie didn't look so sure herself but quickly disagreed. "That's silly. I've never heard of an all-male gym."

" _I_ have."

"Why would the guy offer me the passes if it was an all-male gym?"

Veronica looked around. It was a far cry from the gym at the mall that was for sure. For starters, the place was in great need of a paint job. There were a few treadmills and stair climbers on one end of the gym, four weight benches and weights on the other end, a rowing machine, lots of punching bags, and a big boxing ring in the middle of the gym. This was definitely a boxer's gym.

She followed Nellie up to a man with a clipboard, who stood near the punching bags, and showed him the tickets. "We're here for the free week of training."

He was an older guy with a full head of graying hair. He looked them both over and smirked. "You ever train before?"

Veronica attempted to suck in her gut and stood up straight. What seemed like a lifetime ago, she was actually on her college tennis team. And before her mother fell ill, she used to get together with a few of her colleagues to play regularly. Now she dreaded what a little workout might do to her.

"No, not really, but we're here to start," Nellie said, her chin up.

The man glanced over to an open door where a few guys stuck their faces out, staring in their direction. As soon as they saw him looking, they jerked their heads back in. Veronica could hear them laughing. _Wonderful_. They were already being mocked, and she hadn't even started jiggling her flab. This was going to be worse than she imagined. Veronica exchanged glances with Nellie before they both turned to the guy in front of them.

The man leaned over into a box next to him and grabbed two clipboards with small index cards on them. "Read and sign these. Lemme see what I can do." He walked away toward the very door with the laughing guys.

Veronica tugged at Nellie's arm. She'd already begun to read what appeared to be a liability waiver. "I don't think this is such a good idea after all."

"Stop." Nellie's tone was firm. "We're going to do this for at least a week. You can't stay cooped up in that house forever, Roni. I won't have it."

The idea of having one of those young guys, who were obviously already ridiculing them, stand over her and train her while she nearly passed out from doing a couple of sit-ups was really beginning to panic her. "Maybe you and I can just go walking every night, you know, at the park. We can do our own workout."

Nellie arched an eyebrow. "No, you're not getting out of this. It's just one week. After that, we'll decide what we'll do. But for now, we're doing this."

Veronica sighed, defeated. Nellie wasn't going to budge. Veronica knew how she could be once her mind was made up. Just as she finished signing the waiver, she looked up to see two more young guys enter the same room as the man they'd been talking to, then heard more laughter. Her stomach tightened even more now. She knew leaving the comfort of her home was a mistake.

~*~

Determined to convince Jack that he was ready to start training, Noah walked into the gym office with a purpose. As soon as he and Gio were in, the guys already there started laughing. Noah frowned. "What's so funny?"

None of them said anything. Abel smirked, walking out of the office. Hector could barely contain himself. Jack was the only one not laughing. He held a clipboard and handed it to him. "You wanna train, Quintanilla? Today's your lucky day. I got two out there that walked in with free one-week passes. You got a week to prove to me you can do this."

Noah could hardly believe it. For nearly a year now, he'd been trying to convince Jack he could do training like the trainers that Jack so meticulously handpicked. First, Jack said he'd give him a shot when he turned nineteen; then when he turned nineteen almost a year ago, it'd been one excuse after another. Jack had hired him years ago as a maintenance boy. The pay wasn't much, but he also got to work out at the gym and train with some of the other boxers for free. In exchange, he maintained the equipment, helped keep the place clean, threw the towels in the washing machine then dryer, and wiped down the exercise machines—no brainer stuff.

After watching other trainers for years, he knew he had it in him to train, and the pay was much better than his maintenance position. Since his shoulder injury had put his boxing on hold for at least another three months, going pro or even semi-pro, where he had the potential of actually making some money from his fighting, would be pushed out even longer. He needed this money _now_.

Noah threw his gym bag on the floor and glanced at the clipboard, still smiling. It was the standard workout sheet.

"They're total beginners," Jack said. "So you'll have your work cut out for you."

"Are they training to box?" Noah glanced at Hector, who held his fist against his mouth, stifling a laugh. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." He nearly squeaked the word out before hurrying out of the office.

Gio walked out of the restroom. He'd gone straight to it as soon as they got there, so he'd missed everything. "Ready to work out?" he asked.

"Nah." Noah smirked, lifting the clipboard at him. "I'll be training today."

Gio's brows went up. "Really?"

"They're waiting," Jack said. "You should get out there."

Noah winked at Gio, who still looked surprised but smiled. If anyone knew how bad Noah wanted to move up to trainer, it was Gio. Not only did he know how bad Noah wanted it but how bad he _needed_ the raise. Ever since he turned eighteen, he'd been paying his foster parents so he could continue to stay with them. They insisted he didn't have to pay them, but it didn't feel right.

Once he turned eighteen, the state stopped paying them to keep him there, and with four other foster kids and two of their own, he knew they needed the money. He'd even moved into their garage to make room for the new foster kid they picked up once they were no longer being compensated for him, but what he really wanted was to get his own place. That wasn't going to happen with his maintenance-boy pay.

The gym was busy as usual, and tonight he noticed two women there when he walked in. That was rare. Although it wasn't an all-male gym, it was known mainly as a boxing gym. Women came in once in a while, but most of the time it was with ulterior motives—they were there on the prowl. Most women, like most of the girls he went out with, preferred the fancier gym at the mall.

He glanced around as he stepped out of the office, searching for his would-be trainees. He saw a couple of unfamiliar guys punching a bag. Being there almost daily, he knew just about every one of the members, so he figured these two new faces were it. Leaning back into the office, he asked, "Is it the two guys by the punching bags?"

"No," Jack said, stepping out and standing next to him. "That's who you'll be training." He pointed at the two women he'd seen when he walked in.

Suddenly, Noah knew why the guys had been laughing. He turned back to Jack, wondering if this was a joke. Jack lifted a shoulder. "They're here to be trained. So go train them."

"For boxing?"

Noah knew girls who boxed, but these two women didn't look in any shape for it. They weren't even dressed appropriately. Loose fitting sweat suits were not going to cut it in the ring.

"I dunno. They didn't say. Go find out."

Noah glared at Jack. If this was Jack's idea of a joke, he was going to be pissed.

"What?" Jack asked. "I really was looking to give you a shot at training this week. These two just happened to walk in today, and I got no one else available. So they're women. What's the big deal?" He smirked. "You might even score."

Noah still glared at him. "Ha, ha." They both looked old enough to have been married for years. "They're probably in here to lose weight from the last kid they had."

Finally moving his glare away from Jack, Noah glanced toward the women who stood awkwardly by the door. The heavier one seemed to be inching her way closer to the door.

"Get over there before they bail."

Reluctantly, he walked away from Jack and toward the two women. As he reached them, the shorter mousy looking one smiled big while the heavier one stood a bit guardedly behind her, making no attempt to hide her unease. He reached out his hand to the mousy one. "Hey, I'm Noah. I hear you're here to train."

She shook his hand. "I'm Nellie," she said then turned to her friend. "This is my friend Ron—" She stopped when her friend gave her a look. "Uh, Veronica."

Veronica held her hand out, barely making eye contact with him before glancing away.

"We're looking to get into shape. Neither one of us have worked out in a while, so you'll have to go easy on us," Nellie said, handing him the clipboards with their signed waivers.

Noah took them, laughing. "No such thing." He noticed Veronica's big eyes grow even bigger, but he wasn't holding anything back. If this was his chance to prove himself to Jack, getting these two out-of-shape women even slightly trained would be quite the feat. "Might take more than a week, but Jack's rates are more than reasonable. Not only that, he's been known to extend the free period to a few weeks if you ask nicely."

Both women stared at him then glanced back at each other. Nellie shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"All right." He smiled, trying to sound more sure about this than he felt. "Let's get started. Follow me."

He started filling out the workout sheets, writing their names down on the top of each sheet. When they reached the scale, he turned to face a wide-eyed Nellie, and Veronica's face had nearly gone white. "Is there a problem?"

"You're weighing us?" Nellie, who at this point seemed to be the spokesperson of the two, asked.

"Well, yeah. How else will we know by the end of the week if you've lost any weight?"

Veronica shook her head very slightly, but she finally spoke up. "I don't wanna get weighed if that's okay with you, Noah."

It was only then that Noah realized it was the first time he'd heard her speak. Her voice was deep and husky and a little too firm. He smiled, noticing another thing about her for the first time. Even though she was about the same height as Nellie, she was anything but mousy. It wasn't just because she was heavier either. Her highly arched eyebrows gave her a very confident appearance, almost too confident. Though at the moment, he was sure her arched eyebrows had nothing to do with confidence. She was trying to get out of being weighed. That wasn't happening. If he was going to do this, he was doing it right.

"Actually, it's not okay, Veronica. It's part of the training; I gotta keep track of your progress."

She crossed her arms in front of her, shifting her weight, and unbelievably, the eyebrow went even higher. "I'm not getting on that scale."

"Oh come on, Roni," Nellie said, slipping off her shoes. "What's the big deal? I'll go first."

_Roni?_ Noah ignored the name, but he had to smirk at Veronica's exasperated expression. He stepped closer to adjust the weights on the scale and jotted Nellie's weight down—right around what he thought for her height and body size—hundred thirty-nine. "Oh my God. I've actually lost a few pounds." She turned to Noah, her smile dissolving when she saw his unimpressed expression. "Yeah, I know I need to lose more."

"It's a good thing you're here," Noah said, setting the weight back down to zero. He turned to Veronica. "Your turn."

"I'm not getting on that thing."

"Look." He brought the clipboard down against his leg. "I can pretty much guess what you weigh just by looking at you. Why not get the exact number?"

"Because I'm not getting on that thing. So guess all you want."

Noah stared at her stubborn lips, now pressed together tightly. "Fine—one sixty."

Her jaw dropped momentarily, and she seemed genuinely scandalized, but she composed herself quickly.

"You two know how to stretch, right?" Nellie nodded, Veronica wouldn't even look at him. "Great. Start stretching, standing up. I'll go grab some mats so you can stretch on the floor too."

He glanced again at Veronica, who was obviously still upset about his guess of her weight. She should be thankful. He'd been nice about it. Though he said one sixty, he wrote one sixty-five. Walking back to the equipment room to pull out some mats, he cursed Jack under his breath. This was going to be one long-ass week.

## Chapter 2

As soon as Noah was out of sight, Veronica jumped on the scale. _How dare he!_ She'd never even been close to one sixty her entire life. She gasped when she had to keep moving the weight _past_ one sixty. It finally stopped just over one sixty-seven. Bringing her hand to her mouth, she _felt_ the knot forming in her throat, and then she pushed the weights back down to zero before Nellie could see what she weighed.

"Was he right?" Nellie must've seen her near-tears expression because she added, "Well, that's why we're here, right?"

Veronica felt like throwing up now. She could hardly believe she'd let herself put on _that_ much weight in just two years! "Can we leave, Nellie? Please?"

"No." Nellie stood in front of her and took Veronica's hands in hers. "I'm not letting you add any more reason for being depressed and locking yourself away from the world. If being overweight is what has you so depressed, then this is exactly where we belong."

Where _we_ belong. Veronica had to smile. What would she do without Nellie? "You don't even need to lose weight." She sniffed, bending over to get a bottle of water out of the small gym bag Nellie had brought. The only things in it were two medium bottles of water, Nellie's wallet, and her inhaler.

"Yes, I do! Even though I've lost a few pounds, I'm still over my ideal weight! Did you see how he looked at me when I said I'd lost some pounds? Like he was thinking _lose a few more_!"

Veronica held back a harrumph. "I'm sure you'll lose whatever else you need to lose today. It's probably all water weight." She took a sip of her water then turned to look up at Nellie. "Your asthma acting up again?"

Nellie shrugged. "Not really, but I figured since I haven't worked out in so long, better safe than sorry."

Veronica frowned, remembering how in the past there'd been times when Nellie had to be hospitalized because of her asthma. From the corner of her eye, she saw Noah was on his way back already, and they were supposed to have been stretching. The closest they'd come was Veronica bending down to get the water.

"Here he comes," Nellie said, spreading her feet apart and reaching for the floor with her hands. "So what do you think of our trainer?"

Veronica looked up at her from where she was bending. "Huh?"

"Talk about sexy!" Nellie whispered as he neared.

"Nellie, he's a kid."

Halfway to them, Noah dropped the mats and went back. Nellie and Veronica watched him from behind. His muscle shirt left nothing to the imagination. There wasn't a perfectly defined muscle on him you couldn't see. And he had a lot of them. Typical trainer-looking guy. Not an ounce of fat on him and whole lot of huge everything.

"Oh, c'mon, where's your sense of escapism? I'm a married woman, and I'm enjoying the view. Who cares if he's young? Nothing wrong with fantasizing—besides how many _kids_ have you seen with a body like that? He's gotta be at least twenty-three, twenty-four."

"Twenty-four? No way." Veronica said, bending over again. "You're just saying that because he's so big. He has a baby face."

"One of the strongest jaws I've ever seen on a baby." Nellie giggled. "And did you get a load of those lips? Umm, umm. Talk about suckable lips."

Veronica had to giggle now too. "Will you stop? The guy can't be more than twenty-one, and I'm being generous." She'd been around students enough when she worked at the college to be able to guess their age fairly accurately.

"Let's ask him."

"No!" Veronica stood up. "Don't you dare."

Nellie laughed. "Why not?"

"Because it's none of our business. You better not."

Nellie shook her head, her face still full of humor. "All right, all right. You're no fun anymore. The old Roni would've already been flirting with him."

Veronica rolled her eyes, going down for one more stretch. "Yeah, well the old me didn't weigh a hundred and sixty-seven freakin' pounds!" She groaned, disgusted with herself. How could she have let herself go like this? She'd gained _more_ than the forty pounds she thought she had.

Nellie was right about one thing: she'd almost forgotten what a flirt she could be. But she was wrong about the other: there was no way she'd ever think about going out with someone so much younger than her. It was hard enough to find a mature guy her age. She most certainly was not taking her chances on the younger ones.

Noah dropped a mat in front of each of them and then one in front of himself. "All right, ladies. Have a seat."

After stretching for only about ten minutes, Veronica was already sweating. _Sweating!_ And they hadn't even started the work out. This was humiliating. Once they stretched out to Noah's satisfaction, he had them hop on the treadmill. What he called a warm-up had Veronica drenched within minutes.

As they did their _warm-up_ , before the real workout started—good Lord, this was going to kill her—he talked to them about his plan for them. Since Veronica needed to lose so much more than Nellie, their workouts would be a little different, which, to Veronica, translated into he'd be working her out until she was in tears. Oh yeah, she'd be coming back for more of this crap. If she made it out of here alive tonight, Nellie would be lucky to get her to take that walk in the park she talked about earlier, much less get her to come back here.

Once the _real_ workout started, Veronica did feel like throwing up. She regretted wearing a sweatshirt now. She was roasting, but taking it off and revealing the T-shirt that probably now clung to her sweat-drenched body was out of the question. Just like she could make out every chiseled muscle on Noah's body, he'd be sure to make out every roll on hers. No thanks. She'd faint from heat exhaustion before that happened.

Thankfully, Noah was paged because he had a call in the office. He apologized but told them to keep going. "You guys have ten more minutes on that anyway. I'll be back before then. Keep up the pace." He lifted an eyebrow at Veronica, and she almost growled in response.

No sooner was he out of sight than both she and Nellie slowed down to a crawl. The water bottles Nellie had packed were long gone, and their dry mouths were aching for some now. Soon, Nellie got off her treadmill and reached for the gym bag, pulling out her inhaler. After two hits, she was back on the machine.

"I can't," Veronica started saying but found she could barely talk, "believe . . . I let you . . . talk me . . . into this."

Nellie was breathing just as hard. "But aren't you excited?" She stopped to catch her breath. "You're gonna lose so much weight."

Two loud bangs brought their attention up toward the office door, where Noah stood with the phone to his ear. His hand was on the wall he'd apparently slammed it against, and his expression seemed menacing but at the same time sexy as hell. It surprised her that, at a moment like this, she would even be thinking like that.

He pointed his finger up forcefully, as in _pick up the pace_. Both Nellie and Veronica groaned and changed the speed on their treadmills back up, but Veronica didn't go back to the speed he'd left them on—she couldn't. She already felt ready to drop.

Half an hour later and one of the most excruciating workouts she'd ever endured done, Veronica and Nellie sat on the floor with their backs against the wall as Noah handed them both a suggested diet. Nellie took a couple more hits of her inhaler, shaking it after each time. "Now it's not mandatory for you to stick to this particular diet, but I highly suggest that you do if you want to get the most of your training and lose weight as quickly as possible."

Veronica watched what Nellie called his _suckable_ lips as he spoke and had to admit they were probably the most suckable she'd ever encountered. Too bad she'd never see them again, because if he thought she was coming back for more of this torture tomorrow, he was out of his mind. Luckily, after today's workout, she was pretty sure Nellie wouldn't be anxious to come back either.

Tomorrow—gads! Just the thought. She'd probably be too sore to even walk. Once Noah was done with the rundown of the week's schedule, they were finally out of there. They started very slowly to the door as Noah began picking up their mats from the ground. "Veronica."

Veronica turned to him, her body already aching. "You did good. I'm proud of you."

His smile alone was enough to warm her insides, and she immediately felt ashamed: first, for dismissing the next workout so quickly, but then for the scandalous thoughts that followed about her and her young trainer.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at Nellie.

As soon as they were out the door, she knew Nellie would have something to say, and she did with a smirk. "He didn't tell _me_ I did good or that _I_ made him proud."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "That's probably because he _expected_ you to do well. Obviously, he wasn't expecting much from me."

She moaned as she sat in Nellie's car. "God, I need a hot bath and a glass of wine." She glanced down at the list of food on her _suggested_ diet and frowned. No surprise that wine wasn't on it. She sat back and tossed the paper in the back seat.

She heard Nellie wheeze as she took another hit from her inhaler, cursing as she shook it. "Damn, I'm out."

"You have another one?"

Nellie frowned. "At home." She must've seen the concerned look on Veronica's face because she smiled, turning on the car. "I'll be fine. That just goes to show how out of shape I am."

Even as they drove, Veronica could hear the low wheezing in Nellie's breathing. She saw Nellie reach for her phone from the cup holder.

"No texting and driving, Nellie," Veronica warned.

"No, I'm just checking my voicemail." She hit a couple of buttons and put the phone back in the cup holder as her voicemails started on speaker.

"Nellie, I have news for you. It's not good. Call me as soon as you get this message." Nellie's younger sister, Courtney, didn't sound too happy, and Veronica and Nellie exchanged a concerned glance. Nellie's face was more than concerned, almost as if she already knew what it could be.

When the second message started, it was Courtney again. "Nellie, Rick is having dinner with her right now. You need to call me. I know you don't want me doing anything, but I can hardly stand this. "

Veronica began to understand the situation. Rick was Nellie's husband, and her suddenly labored wheezing said it all. Whoever he was having dinner with was not someone Nellie approved of. The third message started, and Nellie pulled over to listen to it. Courtney was louder and sounded furious. "Nellie, I followed them when they left the restaurant. He just checked into a hotel room with the bitch, and their hands were all over each other. I know you said to call you first if I ever found something else, but I can't wait for you to call back. I'm gonna confront the bastard!"

The line clicked, and Nellie was now wheezing out of control. "Honey, are you okay?" Veronica asked in a complete panic.

Nellie gestured to the glove compartment, her hand on her chest, trying desperately to catch her breath. Veronica flung it open, praying for another inhaler. There was none.

She tried to relax, remembering the worst thing Nellie could do was panic. The slower the breaths she took, the better. She grabbed Nellie's hands and spoke calmly. "Deep breaths, Nel. Relax."

Nellie's wide eyes were frantic. Veronica picked up her phone but continued to stroke Nellie's arm calmly. "Slow breaths. You can do this."

Her own heart felt as if it were about to burst through her chest, but she managed to remain as calm as possible as she explained the situation to the 911 operator.

Nellie's wheezing was only getting worse, and her lips were beginning to darken, reminding Veronica of the attack Nellie had when they were kids that nearly killed her. "Please hurry!" Her calm was now almost completely gone, but she had to hold it together for Nellie's sake.

The four minutes it took the paramedics to arrive had to be the longest of Veronica's life. Nellie was barely conscious when they arrived, and at this point, Veronica was the hysterical one. They let Veronica know what hospital the ambulance was rushing Nellie to, but the paramedics refused to let Veronica drive until they checked her vitals to make sure she wasn't going into shock.

When it was determined she wasn't, they finally let her go. Almost at the hospital, she broke down again in hysterics. She remembered overhearing one of the medics urging the other medic to call the hospital to have a team waiting outside the emergency room for Nellie. This was bad.

What in the world would she do without Nellie? She was all Veronica had now. Surviving her mother's death was hard enough, but it was expected. She'd had years to contemplate and accept that it was coming. But this—Veronica was certain she'd never survive losing Nellie.

~*~

"How'd it go?" Jack asked as Noah closed the supply room.

"It went good." He smiled. "I went easy on them since it was their first day. I wanna make sure they come back."

"Good thinking. Too many times these beginners come in here all gung ho, get their tail whipped, and never come back."

Noah nodded. That's exactly what he'd been thinking, especially about Veronica. For obvious reasons, the workout had seemed so much harder on her. That's why he'd made sure to tell her she did good.

"So they're coming back tomorrow?"

"That's what they said." Noah really hoped they did. He needed this money, and if something didn't change soon, he'd have to look for a job somewhere else. He really didn't want to have to leave the gym. It'd been like his second home for years now. He felt more comfortable there than he did at the garage where he was now staying. He even showered here instead of using his foster parents' bathroom. A lot of his personal belongings were here in his private locker too.

"Noah, I wanted to talk to you," Jack said, scratching the back of his head and looking a bit nervous. "I already talked a little to Gio about this. You boys are all I got. It's not that I didn't think you had it in you to train. I hope you know that. I just wanted to wait until I thought you were ready. I'm counting on you guys to do more and more around here as my tired ass gets older."

Noah shook his head. "Nah, you still have a few more fights in you," Noah kidded him. "And don't worry. You can always count on us, Jack."

Jack had done so much for them already. He'd never married and had no kids of his own. 5th Street and the people he met through it were his life. Gio told Noah that when his dad died, Jack took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew about boxing and being a man. When Gio introduced them and Jack found out he was an orphan raised in foster care his whole life, he'd done the same with him.

Noah clapped Jack's back. "And thanks, man, for giving me the opportunity to train. I'll make you proud. I promise."

Jack smiled, and with that, their man talk was done. Noah headed for the parking lot. He hopped on his motorcycle and headed _home_. His bike sputtered, reminding him of the other reason he needed more money. The motor on his bike needed a major overhaul. There was no way he could afford to buy a new one. He didn't want one anyway. This was another one of his comfort zones. He and his Ninja had been together now for over two years. Even if he ever could afford a newer and better one, he'd never sell this one.

He saw the gang as soon as he came around the corner of First Street. Abel was already laughing. Hector smirked, but Gio didn't seem as amused as the others. They were leaning against Abel's old pickup truck. He was forever working on it.

Noah slowed as he came up to them.

"So how'd it go with the _chicks_?" Abel laughed. Clearly, this was hilarious to him.

Hector, Abel's younger brother, added, "So did you _work them out_ good, Noah?"

Noah ignored the suggestiveness of Hector's tone, putting his foot on the ground as he came to a stop, and pulled off his helmet. "I took care of business, since none of you wusses stepped up," he said this as if that annoyed him. But the more he thought about it, the more he was glad none of them _had_. The funds from the joke of a check the state provided him with were running very low. This couldn't have happened at a better time.

Hector made a face. "Waste of time. Those two old ladies ain't coming back."

Noah eyed Hector. At sixteen, he _would_ think those women old. But after getting a closer look, Noah realized neither was as old as he first thought. Out of shape, yes—but old—no. They couldn't be more than a few years older than he and Gio.

"Nah, they might," Gio said. As usual, he was the only one Noah could count on for a little support. "You didn't work them out too hard, did you?"

"Nah." Then remembering how tired they both seemed afterwards, he got a little worried. "I don't think so, anyway."

"Then they should." Gio shrugged. "They'll probably quit eventually, but I doubt they'd quit after only one workout. By then, Jack'll know you're good to go."

Noah wouldn't mention to them how much he was counting on that, but he'd already started applying for jobs, using the computers down at the library. He was getting that desperate.

Gio, who had been leaning on his own bike, got on it. "Stop by my house before you go home. I got something for you."

"I'll just follow you then," Noah said, pulling on his helmet. "I gotta long day tomorrow. I wasn't planning on hanging out here too long anyway."

Unlike girls, neither of them ever said it, but Gio had been his best friend since he'd moved from his last foster house to the Fuentes' home over four years ago. He lived up the street, but that wasn't how he met him. They'd met in auto shop in high school sophomore year. When Gio found out about Noah's love for bikes and that he was working on getting his Ninja running, he invited him over to check out the bike he was working on: an old GXXR his uncle had given him.

Gio introduced him to everyone else on First Street including the Fifth Street gym where they all hung out, Noah discovered his passion for boxing, and the rest was history. He'd been part of the gang ever since, but his bond with Gio was the tightest.

They pulled into Gio's backyard and parked their bikes just in front of the detached garage. "Whatta ya got for me?"

"Mom's spaghetti—she made me promise I'd bring you over to have some."

Noah laughed. Gio's mom knew her spaghetti was his favorite. He'd told her so ever since he first had some. She called it spaghetti, but it was more like a lasagna because she used whatever pasta she had available. Then she mixed everything together with extra cheese and baked it. But it was always awesome, and she made the best garlic bread to go with it. Noah's stomach growled just thinking about it.

"Damn, that'll hit the spot. I'm starving."

Not wanting to be too much of a burden on his former foster parents, who he knew weren't doing so great financially, he'd started eating less and less at their place. For months now, he'd been telling them he'd already eaten at least four times out of the week. Tonight was going to be one of those nights, settling for whatever he could put together from the small fridge in the garage—usually a bologna or just cheese sandwich, if he was out of bologna.

Tonight it would've been a cheese sandwich, but thanks to Mrs. Bravo, he'd be feasting. He smiled, hoping tomorrow would be as good a day as this one had been.

## Chapter 3

The waiting room was quiet now, but just hours earlier, it had been pure chaos. Veronica called Courtney to notify her of her sister's asthma attack. Courtney notified the rest of the family, and they were all there within minutes. They were already upset about Nellie's attack, but it was when Rick arrived that things got ugly.

Courtney had to be held back. She refused to let Rick in to see Nellie. She blamed him for Nellie's being in the hospital in the first place. Then Nellie's brother, Raymond, arrived, and when he realized why Courtney was so upset, he went on the attack himself. Eventually, Rick left and things began to calm. During the hours that passed, Courtney filled Veronica in on what Nellie had suspected for months. _Months_. And not once had she mentioned it to Veronica. She couldn't be sure why, but Veronica had a feeling.

Since her mother's death, Nellie had been doing everything she could to try to cheer Veronica up. Veronica was too caught up in her own depression to even notice Nellie might be having marital issues. Nellie had never even let on. The guilt was more than Veronica could bear.

Nellie's parents finally came out of her hospital room, allowing Veronica to enter. Nellie was doing better from what the doctors had told them, but she'd be in the hospital for at least a few days. They wanted to run a few more tests and have a specialist see her before she was released.

When Veronica walked in, Nellie smiled. The oxygen mask on her face and the tubes in her arm made her look so incredibly helpless. Veronica felt the lump begin to form in her throat again. She walked over to the side of the bed and took Nellie's hand in hers. "How are you feeling?" she whispered.

Nellie nodded and smiled. "I should know better than to let myself get so low on my Albuterol."

Veronica had to wonder if maybe Nellie had been using it more than usual lately because of Rick. She squeezed her hand. "Why didn't you tell me, Nel?"

Nellie squeezed back. "Oh, honey, how could I? You were going through enough."

Veronica felt a tear slip down her cheek. "But I should've been there for you."

"I had Courtney. She was the only one that knew of my suspicions." Nellie attempted a weak smile. "And she's quite the sleuth, that girl." Then she chuckled. "I heard she almost kicked his ass in the waiting room."

Veronica laughed softly, wiping her tears away. "Yeah, she had to be held back."

One thing about Nellie and Courtney's relationship was that it had always been strained. Growing up, Courtney was Nellie's pretty, outgoing, popular, younger sister while Nellie had always been the bookish, less than exciting sister on the outside. Even though Nellie never admitted it because her heart was too big, being the popular pretty one wasn't enough for Courtney. She was still jealous of Nellie's close relationship with their father. Nellie was obviously the favorite.

Of course, their father never declared it, but Nellie never got into trouble. She had great grades all through grade school and high school and was never promiscuous. Courtney, on the other hand, was the opposite, but it was more than that. Just as Nellie fawned over Veronica—going out of her way for her and genuinely worrying about her—Nellie had always been the same for anyone she loved in her life. Her father saw this. Courtney was never like that, which was why it surprised Veronica that she'd reacted the way she had to Rick's betrayal of Nellie.

Still, Veronica knew she should've been there for Nellie. "Well, I know now." She squeezed Nellie's hand. "So I expect you to come to me no matter what happens. I owe you, Nel. It's not fair that I wasn't there for you."

Nellie nodded, agreeing, and began telling her about Rick's affair. She suspected things had been changing between the two of them for over a year now. When she confided in Courtney, her sister had taken it upon herself to investigate. At first, there were nothing more than dead ends, but there were many things that didn't add up. She admitted to not telling Courtney every detail, because deep inside she was hoping she was wrong.

There were his late nights at work happening far more often. And she'd caught him in a few lies that eventually seemed to check out, but in hindsight, she knew now that Rick was just very good about covering up his tracks—that and the fact that she didn't _want_ to see things for what they really were.

"Now that you know, what are you gonna do?"

The tears had come halfway through their conversation, and Veronica wept with her friend, holding her hand the entire time.

"I still love him."

Veronica nodded, fully understanding. She thought of the only serious relationship she'd ever had—with Derek. They had even begun to speak of her moving in with him. Then her mom got the news of her cancer. In the beginning, he'd been patient, but as her mom's illness got worse and she began to have less and less time or energy for him or their relationship, they began to drift apart. Unlike Rick, he at least had the decency to tell her he'd met someone else. He even suggested they take a break and maybe try again later when she had the time—in other words, when her mother died. She was so hurt and angry, and, at the time, told him she wanted nothing to do with him.

Even though she thought what Rick had done to Nellie was despicable, she understood completely what Nellie was feeling. There had been times since her mother had died that she'd been tempted to call Derek. And her relationship with him didn't even compare to Nellie's marriage. Nellie and Rick had been married for four years, and he'd been her first real love.

Although her feelings for Derek had died almost the moment he admitted to meeting someone else, she'd never loved him like Nellie loved Rick. In fact, she questioned now whether she'd ever loved Derek at all.

Nellie took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "I can't stay married to him now. I don't even know that he'd want to. I know Rick. He would've never done something like this unless he was in love with her. I just wish I had confronted him the moment I noticed the change in him. Maybe he wasn't in love yet." She lifted a shoulder. "I'll live. You've been through worse and look at you."

"Please don't look at me as inspiration on how to handle depression. God, I've been a mess."

"But you're doing something about it now. Remember?"

Veronica stared at her, not sure if now was a good time to tell her she wasn't going back to the gym, but she didn't have to. Her friend knew her too well. Immediately, she lifted an eyebrow. "You're going back tomorrow, Veronica."

"I can't," she whispered, knowing she sounded like such a wimp.

"You have to," Nellie said then dropped the guilt bomb. "It would be one less thing I'd have to worry about, honey. You have no idea how worried I've been about you. I promise you, as soon as I can, I'll join you again."

Suddenly, Veronica felt like the most pathetic crybaby in the world. Nellie had to deal with her marriage falling apart, had been dealing with it all on her own, and all Veronica had to do and for her own good was workout. Nothing bad could come of it except maybe some achy muscles, but she'd get started on shedding those forty plus pounds she'd packed on and maybe start feeling like a human being again.

"You don't have to join me, Nellie. I know how much you hate working out, and we both know you do not need to lose weight." Veronica wouldn't say it because she didn't want to make her feel worse, but Nellie had always dropped weight when she was stressing. Nellie had already been surprised tonight to find out she'd lost weight. Veronica knew why now and something told her Nellie's weight would surely plummet further after this. "I'll go back, and I promise I'll try my hardest to lose weight as fast as I can. I need to snap out of this already, because now it's my turn to be there for you."

They talked some more before Veronica went home, took a much needed shower, and had a glass of wine that, despite her eventful evening, helped her sleep like a baby.

~*~

Admittedly, Noah had been surprised to see that, not only had Veronica returned alone the next day, but that two weeks later, she was still as committed to her workouts.

She even got on the scale at the end of the first week and confessed she'd weighed herself that first day and told him what her real weight had been. She also explained why Nellie hadn't come back, but most importantly, he saw a renewed energy in her now. She asked him to work her out as hard as he could. Then she'd turned blood red when he smirked while telling her he'd never had a female put so much pressure on him. That had finally gotten a smile out of her—a really sweet smile at that.

At the end of week two when it came time to weigh in, she was nervous. She'd lost five pounds the first week, and she'd been ecstatic. "Ready?" he asked. He already saw the difference in her face. Her cheekbones were becoming more defined, and her sweatpants were looking even looser than when he'd first laid eyes on her.

She took a deep breath before stepping up on the scale. Her head fell back, and she stayed in that position, obviously not wanting to see what her weight was. Noah moved the weights on the scale, adjusting them until the bar was balanced.

Veronica still didn't look down. "How much?" she asked.

Even after two weeks, he still hadn't gotten used to her husky voice. He'd only heard voices like that in the movies and on television. It was all kinds of sexy, and at times, he struggled to stay focused when she spoke to him. They'd started talking a little more now—becoming more comfortable around each other.

When he saw how much she'd lost, he smiled. "How much do you think?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I'm gonna be so mad if it's zero. I've heard that could happen."

"Six pounds, baby!"

Her face jerked back down, her jaw dropped, and then she turned to him, her eyes wide open. She threw her arms around his neck, catching him completely off guard. Before he could react or even get a chance to get an arm around her, she pulled her arms back. "I'm sorry." Her hands flew to her mouth, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"Don't be." He smiled, a little irked with himself that he didn't think fast enough. He would've loved to have felt what was under all those loose sweatshirts she always wore.

"I can't believe it! Eleven pounds in two weeks. I thought for sure I'd lose less this week than the first."

"Why? You worked just as hard if not harder."

"I know. I know. But I was still scared I wouldn't."

Her bright smile made him smile even bigger too. "You're doing it, Veronica. I'm gonna go ahead and admit something. That first night you were here, I was a little nervous you weren't coming back."

She bit her bottom lip, and he hated how something that small could distract him. "I almost didn't," she admitted sheepishly. "In fact"—her smile suddenly dissolved—"if Nellie hadn't had that asthma attack, I might not have. She's the one that pushed me to come back, and I couldn't say no."

Noah felt guilty about being thankful for Nellie's attack. Not only was he a full-time trainer now, training a few other boxers besides Veronica, who paid real well for his services, he was really beginning to enjoy his training sessions with her. She actually listened when he talked about the work he'd done on his bike and his plans to try to make it as a light-heavyweight boxer, once he recovered from his shoulder injury. Most girls' eyes glazed over after a few minutes of either subject, but Veronica listened intently—even asked a lot of questions.

"How is Nellie doing?"

"Oh, much better." That smile was back. "But she's always hated working out. I knew the day we started she was really only doing this for me."

"And you?" He smirked. "You didn't hate working out? That first day you sure looked like you did."

She laughed. "Well, I hadn't worked out in years. You almost killed me." She picked up her gym bag and smiled at him. "But I'm glad you did. I needed that."

"I'm just glad you came back. Even though I'm sorry Nellie had to have an asthma attack to get you back in here."

She flung the gym bag over her shoulder. "Well, like they say, God works in mysterious ways. It took her attack to get me to do what I absolutely had to do. You don't even know the half of it."

"So tell me about it." The smile dissolved again, and he ground his teeth in regret. "Only if you want. I know it's none of my business."

She shook her head. "It's just a bunch of depressing crap. You wouldn't want to hear about it. Trust me."

"I trust you. If it's personal and you'd rather not, I understand, but if you ever do, I don't mind hearing about it."

She tilted her head. "I'd rather not now, but I wouldn't mind going out for a celebratory drink if you're up for it."

"I don't—"

"Okay, stop the lecture." She held her hand up, smiling. "Alcohol is _not_ a part of my diet, but I've been really good about keeping it to only one or two glasses of wine a week since I started working out. And tonight would be the night. I haven't had any all week."

Had she really asked him to go for a drink with her? She'd grown on him in two weeks, and he'd never seen her out of her sweats, ponytail, and no makeup. He knew so little about her except she was more determined than most girls her size to try and whip back into shape. And she was smart. That he definitely picked up on. "I'm not twenty-one."

For the second time that night, her jaw fell open, only this time it didn't feel good. "You're not?"

"It's not like I've never drank." Hell, he and the guys had been drinking for years. "I just can't go into a bar and drink . . . yet."

Her eyes were still big and overly concerned. "How old _are_ you?"

He knew she couldn't be more than twenty-one or twenty-two. He towered over her, and at times, she seemed so small and delicate next to his six-foot-two stature. "I'll be twenty soon," he said with confidence.

"Oh my God." Her absolutely horrified reaction was not what he was expecting. "I'm so sorry. I had no—"

He had to laugh. "What? I'm legal!"

"I know," she said, hurrying her step toward the exit of the gym. "I had no idea. I apologize."

"Again, for what?"

"I just didn't know."

"So I'm not twenty-one. How old are you? Twenty-one, twenty-two?"

She glanced at him, her eyes still lit with bewilderment. Since she wasn't slowing down, he took a step in front of her to make her stop. "How old are you?"

She turned away and hesitated for a moment before answering. Finally, she looked back at him, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm twenty-eight, Noah."

It came as a surprise. She didn't look it, but the way she was acting you'd think she was forty. "All right, so you're twenty-eight. You don't look it." She didn't, not at all, especially now that she'd lost a few pounds. She tried to walk around him, but he moved with her. "Don't get all weird on me, Veronica. If there's one thing I've learned my whole life, time and age are but an illusion." The crease that suddenly made an appearance between her eyes again made him smile. "I'll be twenty in a week by the way. You lost eleven pounds in two weeks because of me—your nineteen-year-old trainer."

She stared at him for a moment; then the crease disappeared with her forced smile. "I know. And you'll never know how much I appreciate it. I'll see you Monday, okay?"

She walked around him and was almost out the door, but he had to ask, "Why never?"

Glancing back, she took a moment to answer. "I mean I'll just never be able to thank you enough." She shrugged before waving at him and walked out the door.

Noah showered at the gym before leaving, thinking about Veronica the entire time—twenty-eight. She'd never mentioned a husband or boyfriend for that matter. But then their conversations had never gotten that personal. Now that she knew just how old he really was, he got the feeling they never would. In a weird way, that bothered him. Maybe he'd just make sure things didn't change. After all, he'd meant what he said. Age _was_ just an illusion.

## Chapter 4

The very next time Veronica went to the gym, she made it a point to keep any awkwardness at bay. She had no idea what she'd been thinking when she asked him if he wanted to go for a drink. She'd just been so excited about the weight loss she _hadn't_ been thinking. God, she was an idiot.

How young Noah really was had been a shock to say the very least, and she was more than happy she had a day away from him to shake it off. He seemed content that there had been no weirdness and they'd fallen back into their regular routine. Veronica made sure there was never any more talk of their socializing outside the gym.

Nellie had been separated from Rick for over a month now and was doing better, but she still had her bad days. Rick actually wanted them to try and work things out. He swore the day Courtney followed him to the hotel had been the only time he'd even considered taking his relationship with the other woman to that level. Because of Courtney's confrontation, it never happened. But Nellie just didn't know if she could ever trust him again.

The woman was an apprentice who'd been working at the studio where he worked for months. He said he was mentoring her. Nellie said he'd actually spoken of her when she first started. She was no longer working at his office, and after what happened, she wasn't coming back.

Veronica did everything she could to try to be there for Nellie. She was still consumed with the guilt from not having been there while this had all unfolded. The guilt she felt was channeled into her workouts. It made her focus—push herself even harder.

Six weeks into it, she'd now lost almost thirty pounds. Feeling so much better about herself already, she'd even shed her baggy sweat suits for tighter fitting workout clothes. The first day she'd walked in wearing one of the new outfits, she noticed Noah avoiding her eyes at first then later caught him checking her out a few times. She told herself it was nothing more than the newness and shock of seeing her out of her sloppy sweats—nothing else.

It was Sunday again and she sat on her sofa, her fingers tapping away on her laptop. She'd begun to look into going back to work. When she took her leave, her supervisor told her she could take all the time she needed and a job would still be waiting for her whenever she was ready to come back. She said, even if it wasn't the same position, Veronica would get in somewhere. She needed to go back—needed to feel normal again. Losing weight was just the first step, but she needed to get back to playing tennis, going out. She needed to get her life back.

After tweaking her resume, she looked up movie times and called Nellie. Disappointed that her call went to voicemail, she left a quick message and flipped through the channels on her television—nothing. She tossed the remote on the sofa and stared at her phone pathetically for a few minutes, hoping Nellie would call. For a second, she was tempted to call Derek. He'd actually left a few messages in the past few months, asking her how she was and saying he missed her.

Veronica didn't miss him and she knew it. She was just feeling lonely. Most of her days were spent cleaning or working on the house, and she'd resurrected her hobby of photography—a hobby she'd once loved, but like everything else in her life, once her mom got sick, she'd pushed it aside, forgetting about it altogether.

Even though most of the stuff she did now was digital, she still held on to her darkroom. There was something so aesthetically pleasing and therapeutic about spending hours in there and watching a picture magically appear on the paper, not to mention the memories she had of spending time in there developing photos with her mother.

She managed to stay busy all week until Sunday rolled around. It was the one day she couldn't look forward to her workouts. Some Sundays she'd taken to walking in the park with her camera handy. Then she'd come home and spend hours in her darkroom, developing whatever masterpiece she'd captured, but today it was pouring. It was one of the worst storms they'd had in a while. From the looks of it, there'd be plenty more.

The day was finally over and Veronica went to bed, looking forward to her workout the next day—something she hated to admit she'd come to look forward to a little too much. But it was because of the excitement of all the weight she was losing—that's all it was.

The next day she double-checked her watch when she arrived at the gym, because Noah wasn't there yet. Had she really been so anxious that she arrived before him? He was always there first. She'd just begun to stretch out when Jack came over to inform her Noah wouldn't be coming in. "You may wanna call in for the rest of the week before coming because I don't know how long he'll be out."

Feeling more than a little concerned, she asked, "Is he okay? Did something happen?"

"He's fine," Jack said, scratching his head. "It's his roof that's not so good. Seems this storm is really giving it a beating, and he's been busy packing things up and getting things covered up. He may have to stay here for a few weeks until they can get the roof fixed. But first, he's gotta get his things out of there."

"He's staying here? At the gym?"

"Yeah, well, he practically lives here as it is." Jack smiled. "We've gotta fridge back there, and he already showers here. I got a blow-up mattress he can borrow. He'll be fine. It's only for a few weeks. Anyway, this week is up in the air. I'm not sure when he'll be in. Does he have your number? I can have him call you and let you know so you don't waste a trip."

All this time there'd been no reason to give Noah her number; though she had written it down on her application when she signed on past her first free week. Obviously, he hadn't jotted it down or anything, or he would've called her today to let her know. It had been pouring since Saturday night. She shuddered to think of what this weekend must've been like for him.

She gave Jack her number but decided that since she was already there she may as well work out. Even though she pushed as hard as she did when Noah was there, it just wasn't the same. There was this strange void, and she walked out feeling less enthused about it than she normally did.

The next day it poured all day again, and she was sure he wouldn't be in again. She didn't recognize the number when she saw it on her phone's screen, but her phone rang so little lately she knew it had to be him. She picked up her phone, feeling a small flutter in her belly.

"Hello?"

"Veronica?" The flutter turned into an all-out somersault. His voice was so deep and resonating she had to gulp before responding.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Hey, this is Noah. Sorry about yesterday. I was so busy I completely forgot to call any of my trainees."

"That's okay. You had good reason. How's your roof?"

"Not good. I won't make it in again tonight to the gym. Maybe not for the next couple of days, except to sleep. But I'll be out of there first thing in the morning. It's a bitch trying to get this roof patched up, especially in the rain."

Picturing Noah all alone on an air mattress in that big cold gym filled her with guilt. She'd thought about the two extra bedrooms in her house ever since Jack had mentioned it, but she had no idea if Noah would think it too weird. Was it even an appropriate suggestion, especially given how her heart hadn't stopped thumping since she answered his call? How would she handle knowing he'd be sleeping just a couple of doors away from her?

"So you're staying at the gym?"

"Yeah, I slept there last night. It's not too bad except for the no-heater thing. I'll just take extra blankets tonight."

That tugged at her heart even more. A few times, he'd mentioned foster parents, but unlike when he talked about working on his Ninja and about boxing where his eyes lit up, she sensed that was a subject she shouldn't ask too much about. So she never did. What he did say about it was always very vague, almost as if it had slipped out accidentally, and he usually moved on to another subject quickly. She could only imagine what his living situation must be if a storm had done it in.

With the words at her lips, Noah spoke again. "Listen I gotta go, but I'll call you again tomorrow and let you know if I'm gonna make it."

"Noah?"

"Yeah?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath, but the words that came out were not what she wanted to say. "Be careful."

"Okay. You too. Stay out of the rain. It's bad out there."

She hung up, feeling like the biggest coward ever. As the temperature dipped even lower, she called Nellie.

"Hey." Nellie was sounding more and more cheerful these days.

She and Rick were speaking more now. Though she still hadn't decided what she was going to do about the marriage, she wasn't nearly as depressed as she'd been when it first happened.

After asking her about how she'd been doing and Nellie filling her in on her latest conversation with Rick, which didn't offer anything new, Veronica got to her real reason for calling. She'd already told her about the awkward way she found out how much younger Noah was. Nellie didn't seem to agree with Veronica about how inappropriate it would be to do anything social with him out of the gym.

"Veronica, you act like you've never had lunch or gone to a movie with a male friend," had been Nellie's response to Veronica's mortification over having invited an _almost_ twenty-year-old to have a drink with her.

Ever since then, Nellie had assured and reassured Veronica that continuing her workouts with him was perfectly acceptable. Only Nellie couldn't know, because Veronica had yet to admit it even to herself, that she enjoyed her time around Noah a little too much. She was sure it was nothing more than loneliness, and right now, he was hands down the best and only company she could count on, on a nightly basis. With nothing else going on in her life, how could she _not_ look forward to seeing him?

"I didn't work out today."

"Why?" Nellie knew she hadn't missed a day since she'd gone back, and she was more than ecstatic about the amount of weight Veronica had already lost.

"Noah wasn't there yesterday, and he just called to tell me he wouldn't be again. I would've gone in anyway, but the storm is so bad I figured why chance it? Maybe I'll work out a little here at home instead."

"Why hasn't he been there?"

Veronica was counting on her asking that. "His roof is all messed up, and he's spent the last few days working on it. He's sleeping at the gym until his roof is fixed, but with the storm not letting up, that might take some time."

"The gym?" Nellie sounded as incredulous as she felt when she first heard about it.

"Yeah, I guess he has no place else to stay."

"Is that place even heated? It's been freezing these last couple of nights."

Veronica felt her stomach knot up as she walked by one of the extra rooms in her heated home with a comfortable bed. "No, it's not. But he said he'd take extra blankets."

"Oh, man, that's gotta be brutal. Poor guy."

"I know, right?"

"Yeah, doesn't he have family he can stay with?"

The knot grew even bigger, making Veronica chew her nail in indecision. "No, I don't think he does. He mentioned having foster parents once, but I'm guessing he's too old to have any now. Nel . . ." God, she couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"What?"

"I, uh, was thinking of asking him if he would want to stay in one of the extra rooms here at my place. You know, just until his roof is fixed. You think that would be too weird?"

Nellie was quiet for a moment, and Veronica almost wished she'd say yes. It would make her feel so much better that she was in this big warm house with extra rooms, but it would be just too inappropriate for her to even offer. "I don't think so, Veronica. They say it's only supposed to get colder in the next week. I mean, if he thinks it's weird, he can just say no, right? It's not like you're offering _your_ bed; he'd have his own private bedroom."

Just the thought of her offering him her bed heated her face. "It's too late tonight. Maybe I'll mention it tomorrow when he calls. He's supposed to call to let me know if he's going to make it to the gym or not."

Nellie agreed and it was settled. Veronica would mention it to him the next time she spoke to him.

That night she hardly slept. Every bolt of lightning that lit up her room, followed by the thunder that shook her windows, made her feel worse and worse. Even with her heater on a timer, there were moments when she shivered under her blankets.

The next day, she chided herself all day. There was no way she'd back down from bringing it up that evening when he called. The worst thing that could happen, and maybe it'd be a good thing, was he'd pass on her offer. But at least then she'd have a clear conscience, and she'd be able to sleep. Yawning most of the day because of the lack of sleep she'd gotten gave her all the more reason she had to at least make the offer. She wasn't going through another night like last night again.

When her phone finally rang early that evening, her heart jumped to her throat. She took a deep breath before answering and felt that familiar stir in her belly when she heard his voice again. "Veronica?"

"Yes?"

"I'll be there tonight."

Feeling a tiny bit of disappointment, she asked, "Oh, did you get your roof fixed?"

"No. I decided to just wait until these storms pass. This one is supposed to be done by the end of the week, but there's another one blowing in next week. I'm just gonna have to wait it out. Even once the storms let up, it'll be a while before I can go back there. So I figure I may as well keep working. Lord knows I'm gonna need the money."

"Oh."

This changed things. When she first considered having him stay at her place, she thought it would be for just a few nights. That alone was nerve-wracking, but now he was talking over a week maybe more. "Okay, so I might be a little late. I didn't think you'd be going in. I need to get ready."

She hoped he didn't put too much thought into the fact that she hadn't planned on going in unless he was there. Tonight was about as rainy as Monday had been when she happily drove there in the rain and all for her workout—with him. Thinking that he wouldn't be there tonight, she just hadn't felt like going in.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, this was beginning to feel dangerously close to a crush—a crush on her much younger trainer—just another reason why she really should think through offering her place up to him.

Immediately after hanging up with him, she called Nellie. She explained how the situation had changed and again waited for Nellie to discourage her from doing it. Of course, she did just the opposite. "Wow. I feel so bad for him. Fixing a bad roof is no easy feat, and this is just the beginning of winter. Maybe you can offer to rent the room out to him, since it's possible he'll be there a while."

Feeling her insides tighten, Veronica took a deep breath. "I don't know about all that, Nellie. I wasn't looking for a roommate. I just felt bad for him."

"You _should_ feel bad for him. Winter just started and he's homeless."

Leave it to Nellie to make it sound so terrible. "Well, when you put it like that, Nel . . . Geez."

She heard Nellie giggle. "Just think. You'll have a new roomie in time for the holidays."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "He hasn't said yes yet."

"Oh, I think he will." Nellie sounded too pleased. If Veronica didn't know any better, she was probably relieved that just maybe Veronica wouldn't be alone during the first holiday season since her mom died, not that last year had been very pleasant with her mom so sick.

She'd already been so incredibly nervous about bringing up her offer to Noah over the phone. Now, not only would she be offering him a place to stay in his time of need, but she was practically asking him to move in with her, and she'd be doing it in person. _Super!_

## Chapter 5

There was something about Veronica tonight. Noah couldn't put a finger on it, but she was acting a little differently. After all this time training her, they'd finally found a happy medium. The first few days after his age revelation had been a little weird, but they'd gotten past it.

He still couldn't get over how good she sounded on the phone. He'd been struck by her voice from day one, but hearing her over the phone had been something else. When she walked in tonight, his heart had taken on a different beat. It was crazy. It had only been two days since he'd last seen her, but he actually thought he might've missed her. If he hadn't been so busy moving all his soggy shit out of that garage and trying to patch the roof up in the pouring rain, maybe he would've noticed more.

She was a little too thoughtful tonight. A few times, he had to ask her the same thing twice because she'd been so preoccupied.

Done with her run on the treadmill, she stood off to the side, draining her bottled water into her mouth. This had become one of his favorite moments of her workout. The way she sucked that bottle with such thirst could make a grown man blush. He watched and enjoyed until she was done.

She'd lost close to thirty-five pounds now, and they'd started working on toning—her arms—her legs. Her stomach was nearly flat, and she'd soon be sporting a six-pack if she kept this up. He actually hoped she didn't lose much more. The curves on her were one of the first things he noticed most when she finally showed up wearing something that allowed him to see what she'd been hiding under all those layers of sweats. He'd hardly been able to contain himself, and he was pretty sure she caught him gaping a few times. He'd since learned to be more discreet, but there'd been too many times, especially when she bent over to stretch, that she'd awakened certain parts of his body, and he'd had to excuse himself to _cool down_.

While watching Veronica drain water bottles was one of his favorite parts of her workout, it was also bittersweet. It meant they were done for the night. Working her out had slowly become the highlight of his day. He didn't even realize it, until he missed their workout session last night. He'd planned on missing it all week, but after his day was over last night and he lay on the air mattress instead of thinking about the chaos going on in his life, all he could think of was hearing Veronica's voice on the phone and how much he regretted having missed their workout.

The lights in the gym flickered, and then the thunder boomed, rattling the windows of the old building. Veronica's eyes said it all. She didn't like the thunder. "You scared of thunder, Veronica?" He smirked.

She turned to him, shaking her head, but seemed concerned. "Noah, I'm sorry I didn't make the offer last night. I just wasn't sure how you'd take it. I'm still not, but I _have_ to." She paused and glanced away, shifting her weight from one leg to another. "I have two spare bedrooms in my home. You're more than welcome to stay in one until you get your roof patched up."

Noah was speechless but made sure she didn't notice how shocked he was about her offer. He remembered how horrified she'd been when she found out how old he was. He still had no clue whether she shared the home she spoke of with anyone else. Ever since her awkward departure after finding out his age, just as he anticipated, their conversations steered clear of anything too personal. The most he'd managed to get out of her was that she wasn't married and never had been. That was only because he asked her straight out, but she'd changed the subject rather abruptly, so he didn't press any further about her relationship status.

Now he wasn't so sure how he'd feel about seeing her with a boyfriend, if in fact, she did have one, but that air mattress Jack lent him had a slow leak, and his back was still feeling the effects of it now. A bed sure as hell sounded good. "Wow, Veronica. I don't know what to say." She still looked very apprehensive. He wasn't sure what to make of it. But he thought of her statement. "I don't think it's weird. I get it. You're just being kind and—"

"I just feel bad that here I have these two extra rooms and you're here and—"

"No, I know, I know, and I appreciate it, but, um, I . . . I'm not sure when I'll be able to move back to my place. It might be a while."

"That's okay."

"I could pay you rent."

"No, you don't have to."

"I insist, Veronica. You do understand this could be months, right?" He saw her eyes widen and now prayed she wouldn't retract her offer. "Of course, I could move out at any time if it doesn't work out."

He knew that last statement carried the weight of ten elephants, but his mind was crisscrossing thoughts a mile a minute now from the relief that he might have a bed to sleep on tonight to the churn in his stomach that he might get a glimpse of her life outside of the gym. She'd been so guarded ever since he revealed his age. This could be a good thing—or a very bad thing.

"We'll work something out. No one is using my extra bedrooms, so there'd be no rush at all."

He decided that instant, looking into her confident eyes, that he'd take his chances. He unleashed the smile that was dying to get out the moment he heard her offer. "That air mattress really sucks."

He thought that would make her smile; instead, she frowned. "I'm sorry. I should've said something last night when you called me."

"No, don't be sorry, but I am glad you said something tonight. I wasn't looking forward to another night here."

The building shook with another wave of thunder, and the sound of rain pelted against the ceiling and windows. Veronica's anxious eyes made him want to reassure her she'd be okay, but then she surprised him again. "I don't think you should ride your bike tonight. It's too dangerous. We can go in my car."

That made him smile. He couldn't even remember the last time anyone had worried about him. "All right, we'll go in your car."

She waited as he grabbed a gym bag full of his things for the night and tomorrow, and then they left in her car. They drove up the driveway to a big old house just on the other side of his usual stomping grounds and counted to three before jumping out of the car and running through the pounding rain onto her front porch.

Even though they both had run as fast as they could, they were soaked when they reached her front door. Veronica giggled as she fumbled with the keys, trying to get the door open. "Jesus, you'd think it'd let up a little. It's been coming down non-stop the whole way here."

She pushed the door open and Noah followed her in. He tried not to be too obvious, but he took in everything as soon as he walked in, looking for any hints of another roommate.

Scanning the pictures on the walls and on the shelves in the front room, he saw nothing that indicated she was in any type of relationship. There were a ton of photos. Lots of baby pictures and black-and-white stills of what appeared to be older family members adorned the walls and tops of furnishings.

"You can choose which of the two rooms you want. They're both fully furnished with full-size beds, so it's really just a matter of which you prefer."

He continued to follow her through a dining room with a china cabinet that again overflowed with not just old dishes but more pictures and doilies, reminding him of one of his first foster homes with one of the sweetest foster parents he'd ever had—an older woman who'd died just a few days before his seventh birthday.

"Either is fine. I sure as hell am not gonna be picky."

Veronica closed one of the doors in the small hallway they walked through. "This is my room." She glanced back at him, looking a little embarrassed. "I didn't get a chance to clean it today." She pointed to the door directly across from her room. "This is one of the rooms." Then she took a few more steps ahead to the next room up the hall and pointed into it. "And this is the other one."

Noah stuck his head into the first room. It was simple enough and all he needed: a room with a bed, a closet, and a couple of dressers—lots and lots more doilies and old family portraits. He didn't even need to see the second room. He'd made up his mind the moment he saw the proximity of her room to the first, but in an effort to conceal his excitement about how close he'd be sleeping to her, he walked to the second room and peeked in. "I'm cool with that one." He pointed to the first one, trying to sound as casual as possible. But unable to take another minute this close to her in her house without knowing, he had to ask. "So you live here in this big house all by yourself?"

She nodded and the enormous relief that overwhelmed him surprised him. He knew that still didn't mean anything. Just because her boyfriend didn't live with her, didn't mean she didn't have one, but at least for now, he wouldn't have to worry about living with her _and_ her boyfriend. He wondered now if picking the bedroom closest to hers had been the best idea. What if she did have a boyfriend and he ever spent the night? Just thinking of the possibility had him questioning if moving in with her was the best idea. Already he was feeling things around her he'd never felt before.

He watched as she walked past him back in the direction of the room he'd chosen. So many more questions came to mind, like where were her parents or all these other people in these photographs. Why on earth hadn't someone already snatched her up?

Then he remembered he didn't know that to be fact—yet. He'd have to get to the question pretty quickly. The answer to that would determine how long he'd be staying here. Just the subtle scent of her shampoo and her unique musky femininity as she walked by him in the enclosed hallway had begun to do things to him.

She walked into _his_ bedroom and he followed closely behind. "The dressers are empty, except for maybe a few things, but you can move everything to one drawer if you want so all the others will be empty for you." She opened the door to the closet and pulled the string to the light. It, too, was nearly empty, except for some blankets she pulled down from the top shelf. "Here are more blankets in case you get cold. There's more up there if you need them."

"Veronica," he said, dropping his soggy gym bag on the floor. He wasn't going to ask until later, but curiosity got the best of him. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but why do you live here in this big place by yourself?"

She gave him a weak smile and lifted a shoulder. "It used to be my mom and I, until she passed away earlier this year."

Normally, he would've regretted having brought up such a painful subject, but in a strange way, he was glad to know a little more about her, especially something so personal. "I'm sorry to hear it."

"She was sick for a while, so it wasn't sudden or unexpected."

Though she seemed to be attempting to appear unaffected, he saw the pain in her eyes. It touched him. She was all alone too. "What about your dad or siblings?"

She shook her head, and he knew with certainty now that he'd hit a nerve. "None." She turned back to the closet and turned off the light. "I'm exhausted." She avoided his eyes now. "Your workouts usually do that to me. Feel free to grab anything out of the fridge and the pantry. I'm gonna take a shower then hit the hay." She stopped just before she walked out the door and turned back, her somber eyes meeting his. "The shower is all yours when I'm done. Sorry, we'll be sharing—only one bathroom in this old house."

Noah smiled. Sharing a shower with her was hardly what he'd consider a sacrifice. "It's cool. Anything beats showering at the gym where the hot water runs out after the first five minutes."

He saw that now familiar irritation flash through her eyes. "I should have offered sooner."

"Nah." He sat down on the bed that felt like heaven compared to the old mattress he'd been sleeping on for over a year now. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you decided it wasn't too weird to ask. I can't thank you enough."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Good night."

He lay back on the bed, wondering if he should be feeling as content about this as he was, or if he should be a little worried. After a few silent minutes, he heard the water running in the shower. There was immediate life in his pants as a visual of Veronica's naked body just a few doors down from his new bedroom danced in his head.

He squeezed his eyes shut, but no matter how hard he tried, there was no chasing away the image of Veronica lathering up every inch of her body. The full-blown erection pressing against his pants now said it all. This was going to be a challenge.

~*~

The sound of hammering from the kitchen woke Veronica the next morning. Groggily, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand and saw it was only a little after seven. She rose from her bed and grabbed the robe she'd thrown on the chair near the door. She flung it on, slipped into her slippers, and opened her bedroom door.

The intoxicating aroma of brewing coffee immediately infiltrated her nose, and she took an even deeper breath, enjoying it. The hammering stopped as she turned the corner and saw Noah on his knees next to the window in the breakfast nook. He wore a playful expression. "Morning, Roni."

Veronica wasn't sure what to think. Obviously, he'd gone through some of her things if he knew her mother's pet name for her. Thankfully, before she could accuse him of anything, he pointed to a picture on the wall. "Took me a minute to figure out that was you in that graduation picture since it said Roni Cruz's graduation. Then I remembered your friend calling you Roni your first day at the gym. Not only that, the smile gave you away."

The emphasis on her smile and the way his face seemed to brighten just after he said it made her face warm. "Roni . . ." Again with that same unnerving expression. "That's cute. I like it."

Veronica tried to shake it off as if the way he said it didn't do the weirdest things to her insides. She glanced away and walked toward the coffee. She needed coffee _now_. She shrugged. "Yeah, that's what my mom and a few of my friends in high school called me."

"Does anyone call you that anymore?" He took a few steps towards her, and much to her relief, he stopped when he reached the counter where a cup of coffee sat, and he picked it up, staring at her.

"Only Nellie does sometimes." She wouldn't mention Derek, especially because the only time he did was when he was hinting he was in the mood—God, that seemed like so long ago. The thought of getting _in the mood_ with Derek or any man hadn't even crossed her mind until . . .

"Good, so you don't mind me calling you that too, right? I think it suits you." Before she could respond to that, he took a sip of his coffee then turned back to the window. "Sorry if I woke you. Just so you know, in case you ever hear someone at the door early in the morning, I run every morning."

He had woken her, but she didn't want him to be sorry about it. Reminding herself that this was only their first morning together and he may be here for a while—months—she tried snapping the ridiculous nervousness. "That's okay, I usually get up around this time anyway. What are you up to?"

"You have a few leaks around some of your windows. I wasn't sure where you kept all your tools, but I managed to round up a few. I'll grab my tools when I go pick up my stuff later." He pointed at the corner of one of the other windows. "That was the worst one, but I think I fixed it."

Veronica tried concentrating on his words, but the way the muscle on his arms flexed as he pointed the hammer was incredibly distracting. She'd seen him in his muscle shirts plenty of times, but seeing him first thing in the morning in her kitchen like this was something else. He was so big and put together, but she had to be mindful that this _man_ standing in her kitchen was only twenty—eight years younger than she was. So as he'd pointed out, he was legal. It was a significant age difference, and she should be ashamed of herself for some of the thoughts entering her head that very moment.

"I could have someone come out and fix it. You shouldn't have to be bothered by it." She leaned against the counter, trying to focus on the invigorating coffee that instantly warmed her insides.

"It's not a bother. With the right tools, it's actually an easy fix. I'll check all the other windows. A house this old probably needs a lot of work."

Her mouth involuntarily pulled to the side. "I'm sure it does, but don't you dare think you're going to be fixing everything. That's way too much work. I wouldn't dream of—"

"Roni."

She turned to see him looking at her with his eyebrows raised. Jesus, that was her nickname—her mother and some friends had been calling her that for years. So why did hearing him say it make her heart skip?

"I don't mind really. What with you letting me stay here, it's the least I can do."

"But—"

"No buts. I actually enjoy doing this kind of stuff."

Veronica let it go after he smiled and went back to work on the window. She glanced at the gadget on the counter. She was so out of it when it came to the latest and greatest gadgets it wasn't even funny. Even her photography equipment was sorely outdated. Though it didn't stop her from creating masterpieces.

"Is this your iPod?"

Noah glanced back for a second to see what she was referring to. "Close. My iPhone. It's one of the first things I bought with my first checks as a trainer."

She lifted it, almost embarrassed that she hadn't the faintest idea how you would even make a call on one of these phones. She was totally old school; her coworkers had called her phone a dumb phone as opposed to their smart phones, and that was over two years ago. She'd since graduated to one with a keyboard, but it was still considered one of the simplest phones out there.

"I don't get why people need such extravagant phones just to make a phone call or send a text."

Noah stood up and walked toward her. "Are you kidding? There is so much you can do nowadays with these phones you'd be amazed. I got it for all the apps that help me track my training progress, running, counting calories, you name it. But there is a lot more I haven't even touched on. I'm still learning."

Veronica tried to appear impressed, but he may as well be talking another language. Apps? In an effort not to embarrass herself by saying something stupid, she decided to change the subject. "You hungry? I'm starved."

"Yeah, I could go for a bite of something."

She pulled open her pantry. She was dying for a stack of pancakes, but technically, she was still on a diet. She'd been known to cheat here and there, but with him living here now, that was going to be nearly impossible. Instead of reaching for the box of pancake mix, she grabbed the bag of whole grain bagels and pulled the toaster out.

They ate together, sitting at her kitchen table. When they were almost done, he asked if she could give him a ride back to the gym to pick up his bike. "My friend has a truck, and he's gonna help me get some of my stuff moved in here." He must've mistaken her sudden change in expression because he quickly added, "Don't worry. I don't have a lot."

"Oh, that's not what I was thinking. It's just that it's still so dangerous to be driving your bike out in this weather. Maybe I could just drop you off at your friend's instead." The second she realized how motherly that sounded, she glanced away, licking the cream cheese off her bottom lip. When she turned back, he was staring at her lips. She immediately stopped licking and their eyes met.

He smirked. "Sure, it's actually closer if you drop me off at his place. He's right over on First Street."

She cleared her throat and picked up her cup, standing up. "What time did you wanna go?"

"As soon as you're ready. Looks like the break in the rain will only be for a couple hours before it starts up again."

She placed her cup in the sink then turned around, nearly jumping out of her skin when her hand grazed his arm.

"I'm sorry." He moved his cup away from her and took a step back. "I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's okay." Could she be any more prudish? All she did was touch him for crying out loud! She brought her hand to her forehead. "I was just . . ."

"I didn't expect you to turn around so fast. I shouldn't have—"

"No, no." God, please make it stop. She could feel her face burning, and she was sure he could see it. "Don't apologize. I just didn't see you there."

She walked around him as quickly as she could. "I'll go get dressed so I can drop you off."

Rushing toward her bedroom, she prayed he wouldn't say another word. Thankfully, he didn't. When she got in her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, cursing herself inwardly. Supposedly, she was the older, more mature of the two. How could she turn into such a bumbling idiot just from one touch? It barely even counted as a touch. Geez, what he must think of her already. And she still had months of this to look forward to? Good Lord.

## Chapter 6

After the little mishap in the kitchen that morning, Noah decided he'd be more careful about the things he said and did around Veronica. Obviously, she had her reservations still. The last thing he wanted was to weird her out again and have her change her mind about their arrangement.

Truth was her long soft curls had taken him by surprise. Normally, she wore her hair up in a ponytail, and he'd never noticed the curls like he did this morning. Then when he was close enough to take in the scent of her hair, he'd greedily leaned in to get an even closer smell when she turned around. To his enormous relief, he was pretty sure she hadn't caught him sniffing her.

The ride to Abel's was somewhat quiet, but he managed to make some small talk, mostly about the weather then a little about Abel's truck. He was now anxious to get her back into the gym where he knew she'd be in her comfort zone again. More than that, he was anxious to know why a woman her age was still alone. She'd been overweight when she first started working out, but she'd told him she only gained the weight in the past year or so. Clearly, from what he saw now and in all the pictures all over the house, she'd been attractive up until she started letting herself go. Even then, when he first met her, he didn't think her _unattractive,_ just out of shape and noticeably self-conscious about it.

As far as he was concerned, she was where she should be weight wise now. But judging from her skimpy breakfast, she wasn't satisfied yet. Based on her reaction to even touching him and the way she still remained far off of personal subjects, his telling her he thought she looked perfect now or finding out more about her personal life would have to wait. He had to take it real slow if he didn't want her bolting for the door again.

Abel and the guys were waiting outside his foster parents' house when he and Veronica drove up. In addition to Abel, his younger brother Hector and Gio would all be helping him move his things.

Abel, who would most likely be fighting as a heavyweight soon as big as he was getting, crossed his arms in front of him, leaning against his truck.

"Are they all boxers like you?" Veronica peered at them as they pulled up next to Abel's truck.

"Yeah, even the younger one."

"Which one is the younger one? They all look so young."

That made Noah frown. "Of the two taller ones, Gio is my age and Abel is a year younger. Hector is Abel's younger brother."

She nodded then turned to him as she stopped the car. "Well, get to it." She then glanced up at the sky. "Looks like it's gonna start up soon. I'm stopping at the market on my way back. Anything in particular you want me to grab for you?"

It was weird to feel like someone was looking out for him but a good weird. Noah reached in his pocket. They were going to have to figure something out soon, but for now, he'd just offer her some cash. He pulled out a couple of twenties, handing them to her. "Just grab the usual stuff you'd normally get and lots of eggs."

She stared at the two twenties apprehensively.

"You need more?" he asked, reaching in his pocket again.

"No! It's just that . . . Well . . ."

"Take it." He shook the twenties at her. "We'll figure this whole grocery money, rent, and utilities thing out later." Then their eyes met. "Tonight over dinner."

He realized how that sounded. Just because he was renting a room in her house didn't mean they'd be sharing meals or spending time together. He'd inadvertently set a dinner date for them tonight—assuming she didn't have other plans. He held his breath and waited to see how she'd react.

To his surprise, she took the money, her deadpan expression giving nothing away. "Okay." She looked over his shoulder then back at him. "Will your friends be staying for dinner too?"

Noah turned back to his friends, who were blatantly staring at them. _No way_. "Nah." He turned back to her. "I'll just buy them a pizza for lunch or something."

Since she hadn't balked at his dinner suggestion, he was now looking forward to it. No way was he ruining it by bringing this bunch with him.

Veronica had barely driven away when, as expected, Hector was the first one to speak up. "So you're really moving in with that chick?"

"I'm renting a room in her house. I'm not moving in with her."

"And you're not"—he made a lewd gesture with his hand, pumping it outward and inward, and whistled, keeping with the rhythm of his hand—"her?"

While Abel laughed and Gio smirked, Noah frowned, shaking his head. "Don't be stupid. She's a client. She heard about my roof issues, and she had extra rooms, so she offered to let me rent one."

"Ah," Abel said. "So you were _already_ working her out." Then he stopped, bringing his fist to his smiling mouth. "Wait. She's the one you've been training, right? Is she one of those ladies that walked in together that night?"

"Yeah, she was one of them," Noah said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible.

"One of the _old_ ladies?" Hector asked then made a face. "She didn't look old today."

"That's 'cause she's not," Noah said, walking toward the garage, the annoyance beginning to build.

"But she _is_ older, right?" Hector's expression was a bit disgusted. "Too bad 'cause she's not half bad looking."

"Why too bad?" Noah asked, a little irritated that he'd let his friend's sixteen-year-old brother bait him into this dumb conversation.

"I'm just saying, you and her alone in this kind of _frightening_ weather, getting warm and cozy in front of the fireplace." He bobbed his eyebrows with a stupid smile. "Might've been fun if she was, you know, younger."

He decided to stop with any more talk of Roni, since he was even more irritated that this kid added another visual to Noah's already overly active imagination. He changed the subject as he opened the door to the garage. "So it's mostly a few totes and some of my weights. I'm throwing this mattress out." He lifted the wet mattress, taking in the moldy smell. He'd only been gone from this place for a couple of days, and already he had no desire to ever come back.

Gio came around and stood next to him, examining the damp garage and all of Noah's soggy things. "Dude, I'm sorry we couldn't get it all out of here sooner."

Noah knew Gio felt awful about his mom not wanting him to stay at their place. She was a little old-fashioned, and with Gio having three boy-crazy sisters all just a few years younger than Noah, she wasn't having it. And no way was he staying with Abel, Hector, and their mom. They already had to share a room because their mom was renting the third room in their house, and they always had one or two relatives from Mexico staying on their sofas.

Even Jack had apologized for not being able to offer him a place to stay, but the landlord at his already cramped tiny apartment didn't allow roommates.

Gio and the guys all felt bad when they heard he'd be staying at the gym, but Noah understood. If there was any way they could've helped, they would've like today and the rainy days when he'd tried in vain to fix the roof. They'd all been there getting soaked with him. None of them had given it a second thought when he asked if they could help. He never even asked Hector. If Abel was coming, you could sure as hell bet Hector would be there.

"Nah, it's cool. I got the important stuff out fast enough." He'd never even kept the real important stuff here to begin with—his boxing gear. All that stuff had always been kept in the comfort and security of the gym.

Abel walked into the garage. "So which totes are yours, and which ones belong to the Fuentes?"

Noah pointed out which things were his, and between the four of them, they had all his stuff in Abel's truck just as the sky started to thunder. They hurried to cover everything with a tarp. "Shit, it's gonna start coming down soon," Abel said, tying down the tarp on one end. "We better get this outta here."

"Are we all gonna fit in your truck?" Noah walked around the old truck.

"Hector's not," Abel said, walking to the cab of the truck.

"Hey! Why me?" Hector stalked around the truck toward Abel. "I helped too. I wanna check out Noah's new place!"

"Then jump in the back if you wanna be nosey." Abel opened the driver's side door. "'Cause you don't fit in the front."

Hector thought about it for a moment then grudgingly jumped in the back. _Great_. Noah was hoping he'd pass on the possible soaking he'd be getting if the clouds burst as they seemed to be threatening to any minute now. None of his friends were known for being reserved or shy around women, but Hector, being the youngest and especially immature, was known to be the loudest. The last thing he wanted was for him to say anything that would make Veronica any more uneasy about their arrangement than he suspected she already was.

Fortunately for Hector, the clouds had mercy on him. Though they looked like they were ready to burst, the guys made it to Roni's house without so much as a sprinkle.

Roni walked out onto the porch just as they all got out of the truck. "Do you need me to open the garage for you?"

Noah glanced up as the rest of the guys did too. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a soft pink sweatshirt, and she wore fuzzy matching pink boots. No way did she look even close to twenty-eight. She walked to the end of the porch, stopping at the railing, and leaned on it.

"Yeah, actually. I'll put most of my stuff in there for now. I can move it in later when it's not threatening to come down like it is now." Noah forced himself to look away from her and glance up at the dark clouds. Getting used to seeing her out of her workout clothes was one thing, but that hair . . . The humidity had tightened the curls even more than they were this morning. Long tight ringlets of dark hair hung down the sides of her cheeks, clashing against her pale skin, making that smile of hers even sweeter now. That gave Noah even more reason to question whether moving in with her was such a great idea.

"I'll go open it for you then." She walked back in the house.

"Whoa," Abel said. "That can't be the same lady from the gym, Noah."

Noah's jaw tightened as he walked toward the back of the truck. "Yeah, it is."

When he looked up at Abel, he seemed to be still in shock. "Tell me you're tapping that. Because if you're not, I could—"

Noah threw the rope he'd untied at him. "Dude!" He glanced back to make sure Roni wasn't within listening distance anymore. "Will you shut up! And don't go saying anything stupid in front of her either. Roni's kind of reserved, and she's my roommate now, so can you be cool?"

Abel laughed. "Relax. I'm just having a little fun."

Gio was staring at Noah now. "Roni?"

"Veronica," Noah said quickly.

"But you called her Roni," Hector said.

"It's Veronica." Noah snapped, his patience thinning by the second. "Now stop worrying about her and grab something, will ya? It's about to start pouring."

They were able to get everything in the garage and a few totes that Noah would need immediately in the house before it really started coming down. They still stood in the garage, talking.

Noah's original plan had been to buy these guys lunch as a thanks for having helped him move his things, but with it pouring the way it was now, that would mean Hector would be assed out and get soaked riding around in the back of Abel's pickup. It didn't seem fair when Noah could just stay home and let him take his place in the cab.

The back door to the house opened and Roni stuck her head out. "You boys want something to drink? I could make coffee or hot chocolate."

Abel chuckled. Noah knew what he was thinking. Coffee or hot chocolate was probably the last choice of drink for any of them. They could all go for a beer right about now—even Hector. So before any of them could say anything, Noah spoke up. "Nah, they were just leaving." They all turned and looked at him, so he pulled a twenty and a five out of his pocket and handed it to Abel. "Thanks for helping me out today. Here go pick up a pizza and a six-pack. Enjoy it—on me."

Gio's scrutinizing eyes didn't go unnoticed. The way Noah was acting, they'd all be onto him soon, but Gio was probably already thinking it. He knew him better than anyone else did.

"What? You're not coming with?" Abel asked, taking the money.

Noah shook his head. "I gotta lot of unpacking to do. Then I still gotta go into the gym tonight." He flexed his arm. "Rain or shine, baby, can't stop training. Pretty soon, I'll be back in the ring."

Abel smirked, ignoring his comments about training and being back in the ring soon. "So how old _is_ she?" He lifted his chin toward the back door Veronica had just closed. "She can't be much older than us, right? She doesn't look nearly as old as I thought she was that first day at the gym, and she's sure as hell a lot cuter than I remember. That voice is sexier than shit too. What is she? Twenty-one? Twenty-two?"

The unease he felt was unexpected. Noah himself didn't quite get what he'd begun to feel when he was around Veronica. What was even harder to understand was how territorial he suddenly felt. These _were_ his good friends, and she _was_ just his roommate—his client. But he didn't like how eagerly their eyes had watched her on the front porch, and he certainly didn't like Abel getting any ideas about her. Older than _us_? This was exactly why he'd decided to send them packing rather than order the pizza to be delivered there.

He didn't even realize he was glaring until Abel laughed. "What's with you today? This whole moving thing must really be getting to you. Will you relax? Looks like you got yourself a good little setup here."

Noah's attempts to try not to be so obvious were weak at best and he shrugged. "It's not the smartest thing to be asking a chick her age, so I don't know." He glanced at Gio, who lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

With Hector declaring he was starving, Noah would be rid of them in a matter of minutes, and he could finally lighten up. He'd only just then realized how tense he'd become.

~*~

Nellie insisted Veronica was being silly. "So he's a little younger than you, Roni. He's just gonna be your roommate for a few weeks. You're not marrying the guy. What if he was sixty? Would you be feeling weird then?"

Veronica peeked out her kitchen window at the group of _boys_ chatting in her garage. At first glance, they'd all looked so damn young when she dropped him off today. Taking a better look at them now, with Noah's big muscular arm stretched out up against the wall, he hardly looked like a boy. His biggest friend was a man in every sense of the word. Even the youngest one was big. Maybe that's what was beginning to bother her. Why hadn't she thought this through further before making such a big decision? This _man_ was moving in with her now. And he'd be sleeping in the bedroom just across from hers.

The worst part was he wasn't just any man. He was her sexy trainer, the one she'd fantasized far too many times about already. Most importantly—body of a man or not—the fact still remained she was nearly a decade older than him. That alone was the biggest no-no. Serious relationships were probably the furthest thing from his mind, and at her age, the _last_ thing on her mind was a fling.

"I don't know. This is kind of a big step people take, isn't it? Even if this were a girl moving in with me, I have to live with someone now. The only person I've ever lived with was my mother. What if things don't work out? He's become sort of a friend now. What if this messes things up?"

She wouldn't make Nellie feel guilty by telling her she'd started to rely on her training sessions now to make up for the loneliness she'd been feeling ever since Nellie had become engrossed in her marriage-counseling sessions and trying to work things out with Rick. Secretly, Veronica couldn't believe Nellie was giving him another chance, but she wouldn't go there either.

"Why don't you just tell him up front that you're feeling a little nervous because you've never actually lived with anyone else and to keep an open mind about the possibility that this may not work out? This way he doesn't get too comfortable. Personally, I think you're worrying for nothing."

Yeah, Nellie didn't know about any of Veronica's fantasies. Of course, Veronica wasn't about to tell her either. She wasn't admitting that to anyone _ever_. She watched as his friends walked out of the garage and toward the truck, then admired Noah's big muscular back as he closed the garage. Even in a shirt, it was impressive.

"He's on his way in now. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, and stop worrying, will you? Enjoy the company while you have it."

Veronica frowned, hating how pathetic that sounded. She hung up just as the kitchen door opened and in walked Noah shaking the rainwater out of his hair with his hand.

"I thought you were having lunch with your friends?"

"Nah," he said, walking by her to get to the sink. "There's only room for three in the cab of Abel's truck, so I figured I'd spare Hector a soaking and stay here so he could jump in the front." He rinsed his hands then turned to Veronica. "But I could go for a bite to eat. Did ya get anything good at the market?"

"Uh-huh." She walked over to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of bread. "I got cold cuts for sandwiches, and there is stuff for salad. I was going to throw some fish in the oven later tonight, but I could—"

"A sandwich is fine." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out the stuff for a sandwich. "Were you gonna eat too?"

Veronica set the bread on the counter. "Well, yeah, I guess I could go for a sandwich too."

This was definitely going to take some getting used to. She was so used to being alone. Having someone to share her meals with and hanging out permanently was going to be different.

"So I guess we get to talk about this arrangement sooner than I thought." Noah didn't even look up from his sandwich-making as he spoke. "Me and my friend Gio had talked about getting a place to share a few months ago. So I kind of had an idea of how things would work. Maybe it's something we can implement in our case."

After making their sandwiches, they each sat at the table across from one another. Veronica listened to Noah, trying not to get too caught up in his intense dark eyes as he spoke. She actually had to look away a few times, worried he'd notice how taken by them she was. By the time they finished their lunch, she'd agreed to everything except the amount of money he was offering to pay her. It was too much. With the house paid off, she didn't even have a mortgage or rent to pay. The utilities were all she wanted to split and maybe a small portion of what she put away monthly for the property taxes she paid twice a year. But no more.

"I can't stay here rent free, Roni."

Veronica wiped her mouth, wondering how long it would take her to get used to hearing him call her that. She was being ridiculous. Truth was she'd really begun to feel fond of Noah and his friendship—a friendship she wouldn't ruin by thinking of him in any other way than just that—a friend—a younger brother even. Yeah, she could look at him that way. It would be easier to think of him that way than just a guy living with her.

"Why not? I do. The mortgage is paid, so there is no need for me to collect rent, but all the other stuff we talked about I'm in agreement with."

Noah frowned but grudgingly agreed. "All right, but I'm fixing everything that needs to be fixed around here, including your car. I noticed it leaks. Which reminds me. If you're going to insist on driving me around in this weather, then I'm going to insist on giving you gas money." She began to protest, but he held his hand up. "Don't push it, Roni. You already got your way on one big thing. I won't bend on this one."

Veronica stared at him then smiled. "Okay."

It was settled now, and with her newfound epiphany on how she'd be going about this, she was sure now this _could_ work out painlessly. It was almost maddening that she hadn't thought of it sooner. She was the older, wiser one, right? From that moment on, she decided to take Nellie's advice about this sudden change in her life and embrace it.

## Chapter 7

Just a couple of weeks after moving in with Roni, Noah thought her place was really beginning to feel like home. This was a new feeling for Noah since he'd never really felt like he was home anywhere, even when he lived with the Fuentes. Though that had been his longest stay of all the foster homes he'd lived in, he always knew it was just a matter of time before he had to leave.

Even now with Roni, he knew he shouldn't be feeling this way. This would eventually come to an end too. The agreement was he'd stay there until he was able to fix the roof on the Fuentes' garage. But the long cold season was just getting started. He still had months to look forward to living with her, so he wouldn't even worry about it until then.

Noah walked in the back door. His hands were a grimy mess. He'd been working on Roni's car for most of the morning. Roni was on her phone in the front room.

"I know it's your family, Nellie, but it'll feel weird without you there. I'm telling you I'll be fine. I never got what the big deal was about Thanksgiving anyway. I can get a turkey dinner and a slice of pie at Denny's without the mess to clean afterwards."

Noah listened as he washed his hands. Roni had mentioned she'd be having Thanksgiving dinner with Nellie and her family. He'd be spending his at Gio's. Gio's mom and aunts went crazy, cooking even when there wasn't a holiday that warranted it. So Thanksgiving at his place was the place to be—always had been. The Fuentes were never big on holidays.

"I don't know why you're getting all worked up. I promise you I'll be fine. You go on your retreat and enjoy. Okay? I'm really happy things seem to be working out for you two."

Noah leaned against the kitchen counter, drying his hands. Roni walked in once she was off the phone. She seemed a little down, but she smiled. "So did you fix the leak?"

"Yeah, it was a bitch, but I think I finally got the damn thing to stop leaking."

Her smile faded fast, and Noah waited for her to mention Thanksgiving. He hated to think of her spending her first Thanksgiving without her mom alone. He was sure Gio wouldn't have a problem with him inviting her, but given that she apparently didn't even feel comfortable with Nellie's family unless Nellie was there, she'd most likely decline the invitation.

He watched her pour herself a glass of juice and grab a string cheese from the refrigerator. "You okay?"

She glanced at him, her expression a bit surprised. "Yeah, why?"

He shrugged. "You seem a little down. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Nellie's not gonna be around for Thanksgiving?"

"Oh that." She nodded. "Yeah, she and her husband are going on some couples' retreat. They've had some issues this year they're trying to work out, so the pastor down at her church suggested they try it. They'll be gone the whole holiday weekend."

She sat down at the small table and began pulling the strings of cheese apart. She opened her mouth, and she dangled a string in front of her mouth, then played with it with her tongue, making Noah swallow hard. He nearly forgot what they'd been talking about when he finally snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "So where are you spending Thanksgiving?"

She lifted a shoulder but continued her affection with the string cheese. Noah made a mental note to buy more string cheese—a lot more.

"I'll probably just stay here, maybe rent some movies or something. It's no big deal."

"Alone?"

She finally looked up at him and away from her cheese. "Yeah, alone." She smiled weakly. "I've been alone for over eight months now, well, until you moved in. But I'm used to it."

"But it's a holiday." He walked over to the table and sat across from her. "One you're supposed to spend with family or friends."

Immediately, he felt so stupid for saying that because those eyes that seemed a bit sad when she first walked into the kitchen were now undeniably cheerless; though she still attempted to hide it.

"I've never had much family, and the only friend I ever really had is Nellie. So I'm immune to these kinds of things. They don't affect me like they would other people."

Noah wasn't buying this shit for a minute. He reached over and touched her hand. "You have me now."

She stopped chewing and stared at him. He saw a bit of what he'd seen in her eyes the night he told her how old he was. "Noah, I—"

"I mean we're friends, right? Not just roommates. So you can include me now as one of your friends." He sat up straighter, panicked she still had that look in her eyes. "Why don't you come with me to Gio's house for Thanksgiving? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, and—"

"Oh no, I couldn't." She shook her head adamantly.

"Why not?"

"I hardly know him." She stood up and Noah stood with her. "Really. I'll be fine."

"Then I'll stay with you."

She turned to him, her eyes even wider. "No!"

God, she was cute when she was being stubborn. "Why the hell not? Look. You're my friend now. I don't want you to be alone."

"Noah, you're being silly. I'll be just fine. You should be with your friends. You said it's where you always spend Thanksgiving. You were looking forward to it." She crossed her arms in front of her. "I'm not going to keep you from it."

Noah could see she wasn't going to give in to this, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her spend the holiday alone. He knew what that felt like, and he didn't want her to. "All right."

She seemed a little surprised he'd given in so easily, but pleased. "Good. I appreciate you offering, but I promise you I'll be just fine."

Noah couldn't help but smirk. Yes, she would be fine. He'd make sure of it. "Well, maybe you don't plan on eating a lot this week, but I do, so I say we get in a damn good work out tonight."

That smile of hers was breathtaking, and Noah struggled to pull his eyes away from it. "Okay then, I'll go get ready."

He couldn't help feeling a little irritated with himself for staring at her as she walked out of the room. He had to stop with all the thoughts he'd been having about her lately. They were friends now, and nothing would ruin a friendship faster than doing some of the things he could only dream of doing to her.

The tension he felt throughout his entire body was unreal. Food had nothing to do with why he wanted to work out hard tonight. Between watching her make love to that damn string cheese and then staring at her lips as she explained why he shouldn't stay home with her on Thanksgiving, a hard-ass workout was exactly what he needed.

~*~

Thanksgiving morning Veronica woke to a familiar aroma, one she hadn't smelled in the house in years. She wasn't completely sure, but as she walked through the hallway toward the kitchen, the smell was unmistakable: honey ham. It smelled delicious.

She turned the corner to see Noah in the kitchen, wearing an apron and peeling potatoes. The dining table was set for two, centerpiece and all, and there were pies on the center island. "What do you think you're doing?"

Noah glanced up at her with a grin. "I'm making Thanksgiving dinner for us."

"No, you're not. You're going to Gio's house. You said you were really looking forward to it."

He raised an eyebrow with the grin turning into an all-out smile. "But what I decided I've been looking forward to even more—my entire life—was preparing a Thanksgiving meal."

When she didn't return the smile, his smile turned into a pout. "Foster care system all my life, remember?"

How dare he use that to guilt her into not being mad at him. She should've known better when he'd given in so easily the other day. When his smug grin returned, she couldn't help but smile this time. She walked toward him, trying to appear still angry, but secretly she was a little excited. Though it really wasn't a big deal that she'd be spending Thanksgiving alone, she wasn't exactly looking forward to it. "I can't believe you. When did you do all this?"

He seemed relieved that she was more curious than upset. "Well, I've never actually prepared a meal like this, so I sort of cheated. The ham was already prepared and spiraled. All I had to do was stick it in the oven, and I figured a turkey would be too much for just me and you, so I got a stuffed turkey breast that, again, all I had to do was stick in there." He gestured to the oven. "I'm not much of a baker, so I bought pies already made, but I did wanna prepare _something_ and was hoping you'd help me. We could sort of, you know, do this together. So I'm making the mashed potatoes, and I bought some string beans so we can make a string bean casserole." He pointed at a bag on the counter by the refrigerator. "And in keeping with the Mexican tradition, I bought some tamales from the lady selling them in the parking lot."

Veronica laughed, bringing her hand to her mouth. She didn't want him to notice how giddy she was beginning to feel. This was completely unexpected, and she hadn't had a Thanksgiving feast like this in ages.

"So whatta ya say? You gonna help me with this or what?"

"Sure, I'll help." She walked around the island to where he stood.

"You wanna do the potatoes or the green beans?"

Remembering the easy recipe her mother had taught her, she chose the green beans and got to work. She watched as Noah pressed a few buttons on his phone then set it on the table next to what looked like a speaker, and soon Christmas carols began playing.

"Well, that's cool." She had to admit.

Noah laughed. "That's like one of the easiest things you can do on this phone. The more I play with it, the more awesome I think it is."

"Still too extravagant for me. I'll stick to my dumb phone. Thank you very much."

Noah promised to sell her on it yet and said he'd find an app just for her that would make her go out and just have to get an iPhone for herself. The conversation made her feel like an old unyielding geezer afraid of change like the ones she used to work with, who were angry anytime there was an upgrade to their computer system. She decided to change the subject by singing along to the music. To her surprise, Noah sang with her. Veronica laughed at how seriously intense he got at certain parts of the songs, then blushed and stopped singing when he told her he loved her voice.

"No, don't stop. That's the best part. I was waiting to hear you sing it."

She sprinkled the fried onion topping over the casserole and smiled, chewing her lower lip. Her face was on fire now, and she refused to look up at him. It was just a compliment. Geez. How old was she anyway? At the moment she felt like she was five in the middle of her elementary school yard and someone had just declared their love for her in front of the rest of the giggling student body.

"Lemme see?"

She knew what he meant. He wanted her to look up, but she shook her head. She could feel him staring.

"Look at me, Roni."

Spinning around so she wasn't even facing him now, she took her time placing the casserole in the oven. The music still blared away. When she finally turned to face him, his smile was so genuine, and it was all for her. It made her heart speed up. "God, you're adorable when you're embarrassed."

"Okay, so stop embarrassing me," she said, feeling the heat from her face rush south down her neck and back. She wiped the counter and cleared her throat. "Is that it? Are we done?"

The smile was ever present, and she did everything in her power to try not to stare at those suckable lips and his normally intense eyes that almost twinkled now. "Well, looks like you are, but I'm not. You wanna give me a hand with these potatoes?"

She walked over and helped him peel and cut more potatoes. A few minutes later, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" started to play. It was one of her all-time favorites, so she gave in and sang along. Noah smiled, and to her surprise, he knew all the words, so he sang the male part to her female part. She playfully leaned in to him, singing. And he'd lean back when it was his turn. She noticed his gaze became heavier as the lyrics got more and more flirtatious, but she kept singing. "So nice and warm."

He glanced at the window, amazingly not missing a single lyric. "Look out the window at that storm."

She gulped, knowing what was coming up. "My sister will be suspicious."

His eyes were on her lips now. "Man, your lips look so delicious."

Veronica pretended not to notice how his voice changed ever so slightly with that last line. "My brother will be there at the door."

His eyes were still on her lips. "Waves upon a tropical shore."

Giving in to temptation, she glanced at his lips as he licked them. "My maiden aunt's mind is vicious."

He stopped singing and spoke the next line. "Gosh, your lips look delicious."

Feeling a sudden heat, she forced her eyes away from those lips and stared at the potato in her hand. "I think this is enough potatoes."

He was quiet and didn't even move for a moment. She was almost afraid to look at him. When she did, his playful expression had gone hard, and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, that should be enough."

She scrambled across the kitchen and pulled a pot out of the cabinets near her knees. "You can use this," she said, handing him the pot. His expression looked almost as stunned as she felt. "So that's it. I think I'll go shower now and get ready for our feast. Looks like we'll be eating all day."

Nodding, he glanced at her, his eyes making a stop at her lips again before turning back to the pot in his hand. "Okay, I'll put these on to boil and do the same when you're done with the shower."

Shaking away the sudden visual of his hard body under the shower, she walked away quickly to the bathroom.

Once safely behind the closed bathroom door, she allowed herself to let out the trembling breath she'd held back when she'd been so close to him in that kitchen. This had to stop, and she would make sure nothing like that happened again.

At Noah's age, sex was probably eternally on his mind, and she was certain that's all he was thinking when he looked at her the way he did sometimes. As young as he was, he _was_ an adult of sound body and mind. He knew what he was doing, so if things ever escalated but didn't work out between them, she was certain he'd be okay with it. In fact, she hated to admit it, but that's exactly what she was worried about. Not only would he be okay with it, most likely it was what he'd prefer. And why not? Why on earth would a guy his age, looking the way he did, be thinking about settling down? It would be selfish of her to expect him to.

She shook her head. "Nope, nope, nope," she whispered, turning the shower on.

She wouldn't even consider it. Besides, she'd finally found another friend—one wonderful enough to go all out and plan a feast for them on Thanksgiving. Why would she be stupid enough to ruin that?

"Done," she said, pulling her pajama top over her head.

That was it. It was out of the question, and she was done thinking about it. She'd take a shower, get dressed, and enjoy the very special meal her roommate, trainer, and now good friend Noah had planned. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before stepping into the shower.

## Chapter 8

Noah was seriously going to have to go out and get laid soon. He couldn't believe he'd gone this long, but wanting to be home spending his time with Roni had won out each time he'd had the opportunity these last few weeks.

What he'd done in the shower today had been happening too often now that he was around her so much. It wasn't going to be enough soon, even if he visualized Roni the entire time. It only made him crave the real thing more, especially if things like what happened in the kitchen earlier kept happening.

It was odd to say the least. When he first met her, out of shape, in baggy sweats, the last thing he would've figured her for was a girlie girl. Then watching her work out week after week without a trace of makeup on and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, he assumed he was right. He'd worked out with girls before, but sweaty or not, there was always a telltale sign of girlishness—the manicured nails, cute earrings, or perfectly matched workout outfits.

Roni had none of those things. Even when she started wearing the more flattering workout outfits, she steered far from cutesy and stuck with simple black or gray. Not that her new outfits hadn't driven him insane anyway, particularly when he noticed some of the other guys at the gym eyeing her. He'd openly stared them down, especially when they'd gaped, and silently sent them clear warnings—don't even fucking think about it.

The first time he'd gone in her bathroom, he expected to find lots of lotions and perfumes, maybe even scented candles. But what he'd suspected all along was correct. Roni wasn't a girlie girl. In fact, he'd yet to see her all done up. It was when she was in her loose-fitting, comfortable clothes and fuzzy pajamas that she seemed most in her element. Noah had always been into girlie girls. He liked them to fuss over their hair and loved watching them apply their makeup, especially the lipstick. Roni didn't even wear any, yet something about her exuded femininity. She didn't have to do all those things. And she didn't need makeup or scented lotions. It was all natural with her. It was what he now loved about her.

In the kitchen earlier, he'd barely been able to contain himself. He'd been _that_ close to pulling her to him and taking her mouth in his. The only thing that stopped him was the fear of ruining this day he'd so carefully planned out.

He knew Roni was reserved, and in a way, that was also part of the attraction. His days in the ring had been short-lived because of his injury, but he'd been around Abel and Gio enough to know all about the groupies. Neither he nor any of his friends had made it to the big time yet, but even at this level, there were groupies. There was no denying that some of them were hotter than shit, and, of course, he'd had fun with plenty of them. He was a man after all. But there was something refreshing about a girl like Roni.

He'd long ago stopped looking at her as older than him. Of all the girls he'd ever met, he'd never felt as comfortable around any of them as he did with her. He always thought it, but he had no doubts at all now. Age had nothing to do with friendships or any type of relationship. He'd known this his whole life. Some of his closest relationships, male or female, had been with people decades older than him.

Roni was no different. The day she'd told him she was okay with being alone for the holiday, he'd seen right through those big sad eyes. Again this morning, when she walked in the kitchen, trying to pretend she was upset about him not going to Gio's, there was no hiding the glee in those beautiful eyes of hers. In some ways, he felt she was younger than him. She hadn't told him a whole lot yet. Judging from the fact that someone had thought far enough ahead to make sure she was taken care of with a house and all the family portraits he'd been so consumed with since he moved in, he was pretty sure she'd been sheltered most of her life.

He finished getting dressed and braced himself to meet Roni in the kitchen. She was already singing, and that voice of hers could silence a crowd. Not because of her singing ability—that was average at best—but that low silky smoothness of her voice could almost put you into a trance. He frowned, remembering how even Abel had noticed it. But Noah had to admit it was hard not to notice. There was something so uniquely mesmerizing about it.

Gio called just as he was getting ready to walk out of his room, and Noah winced, remembering he'd forgotten to call him.

"Hey, Gio, what's up?" Noah could hear the noise in the background. Even this early, Gio probably already had a full house.

"Not much. What time you coming down? Rita is here, and she was asking about you."

_Shit_. Rita was Gio's cousin from up north. They had sort of a holiday understanding. Since she lived so far and only really came down for the holidays, a relationship was out of the question, not that Noah had ever felt inclined to have one with her. But she was fun and very _generous_ under the sheets. So a few times a year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter—the holy holidays—they got together. Though their trysts were anything but holy. It was perfect because she openly admitted she wasn't into settling down, so she'd never been clingy. Once she went home, he rarely heard from her except maybe to text him good luck before a fight or a random question here and there. She was a cool chick and hot enough, but most importantly, he never had to worry about her getting hung up on him.

"I meant to call you earlier, man. I'm not gonna make it this year."

"What? What do you mean? Where you gonna be?"

Gio knew better than anyone that, unless Noah was spending time with a chick or was at the gym, he really didn't have anywhere else to be. And since Gio's family was the closest thing Noah had to family, he wouldn't pass up spending the holiday with them for a night of lust. But this was different. As cold as the shower had been that he was forced to take earlier, this wasn't about lust. "I'm having dinner here—at home."

The second the words came out, it hit him. He'd never used the word home in relation to where he lived. It was always the Fuentes' place or whatever other foster parents' place he was staying at. The thought nearly suffocated him—he was getting too sucked into this whole thing. He had to keep in mind that this also was only temporary. Just like all the other homes he lived in throughout his life, this was no more his home than any of those had been. So why the hell was he referring to it as that?

The silence on the other end went on a little too long. "You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Gio said, clearing his throat.

"So, uh, yeah. Let your mom know—"

"Noah, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Noah squeezed his eyes shut, knowing exactly what Gio was getting at. Several times over the past couple of weeks, he'd gotten strange looks from Gio, especially when he'd slip and refer to Veronica as Roni in front of him—Gio already knew what Noah hadn't even admitted to himself yet.

"Are you falling for this chick?"

Noah's first thought was to play stupid, act like Gio was being ridiculous, but he knew it was pointless. So instead, he sat down on his bed, letting his head fall back, and said nothing.

"Dude, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it or that it couldn't work out. I just hope you're not getting too comfortable in case it doesn't. You're my boy, and you know with everything you've been through, I don't wanna see you hurt is all."

Noah wanted to smile, but he couldn't. Things weren't even close to what he knew Gio must be imagining. "It's not like that with us, man. So if you're ever around her, don't go saying something that would make her think I said it was. She just . . . She has no one. I know what that feels like, and she was gonna be alone tonight, so I decided to stay and keep her company. That's all."

Noah knew Gio would never buy that's all it was, but he also knew he'd let it go. He heard his friend exhale, and then Gio spoke again, "Okay, well, I'll tell Rita and you'll be missed, bro. Enjoy your day with _Roni_." He chuckled. "We'll have plenty of leftovers, so come by this weekend and grub. You know my mom. She'll be disappointed you didn't come by tonight, so you'll have to make it up to her."

Noah chuckled. "Got it. I'll make my rounds this weekend. Thanks."

He hung up and took one last look in the mirror before walking out of the room. As he walked around the corner of the hallway, Roni came into view. She stirred a cup of coffee and then sipped it. He sucked in a hard breath when she glanced up and smiled at him. How was it possible that she'd gone from being average-looking when he first met her—even after she'd lost the weight he thought her somewhat attractive—to being beautiful now. Not much had changed in her appearance, but everything about her now seemed to glow: the curls, her eyes, those lips.

She raised her cup to him. "You thought of everything: pumpkin spice creamer. I love it."

Noah smiled, trying hard to conceal the fact that having pleased her with something as simple as picking the right creamer made him feel damn good. "I thought it fit the occasion."

"I also saw the champagne in the fridge. How'd you manage that? Didn't they card you?"

Taking an annoyed deep breath, he walked into the kitchen. The smell of her freshly shampooed hair, with a touch of something else—very subtle perfume maybe— overwhelmed his senses as he walked by her. He almost forgot about the irritating question. He'd had a fake ID for over a year now, not that he got carded too often. Like this morning, the clerk glanced up at him and just asked him for his birthday. He gave it to her with the fake year, and she just punched it in.

"I also got beer, and, no, they didn't card me." As smug as he had hoped to sound, his words sounded more defensive than anything. If she noticed, she didn't let on. Instead, she barely glanced at him before her eyes were on the oven behind him. "It's already lunch time. We spent so much time preparing the food we skipped breakfast."

"You hungry?"

"Starving."

"Well, let's do this."

With everything done, they moved the food to the dining room table and sat down prepared to eat. Just as he saw her fork dig into the mashed potatoes, he had to ask, "Aren't we supposed to say grace first?"

With a near frown, Roni shrugged and dropped her fork. "You can if you want to. God and I haven't exactly been on speaking terms for a while."

_Ah_. With that in mind, Noah kept it short and to the point, and then they dug in. Noah glanced up at her after a few minutes of silent ravishing. She wasn't kidding when she said she was starving, and he hadn't realized what an appetite he'd worked up with such a busy morning.

"So your mom was really the only family you ever had?"

She nodded, and thankfully, she didn't seem uncomfortable with the subject. "My mom mentioned having a much older sister who she never really knew. My grandparents were older when they had my mom. She was an unexpected but pleasant surprise." She buttered a roll as she spoke, seemingly okay with sharing this part of her life with him. She told him all about the much older sister her mom had that ran off when she was eighteen and never returned, so while she knew she had an aunt somewhere, she'd never met her.

"What about your dad?" Judging by her sudden change in expression, this obviously wasn't quite as easy a question as his first. Worried that this might change her mood, he added, "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

"No, it's no biggie. I never met him. My mom fell in love with an acquaintance of the family who came from Mexico to visit for weeks at a time. He made her all kinds of promises, especially after they became intimate, and when he'd go back to Mexico, they'd write each other constantly. When she wrote him to tell him she was pregnant, he never wrote back." Her expression hardened. "She later found out he'd been married the whole time. His visits over here were to make money to send back to his wife and kids. She was devastated, but my aging grandparents helped raise me, though I was really young when they passed, and from then on, it was just me and her."

She dipped her roll in her potatoes and took a bite.

Feeling bad that he'd dredged up such a sore subject, Noah felt compelled to say something and then hopefully change the subject. "Well, I'm sorry about your dad, but at least your grandparents stuck by your mom. I know the older generation tends to be very stern about those kinds of things."

Her smile made him feel better. "No, my grandparents were wonderful." She glanced around. "This was their house. They left it to me and my mom." Her eyes met him and were suddenly full of compassion. "And don't be sorry. At least I had my mom. Were you really in foster care your whole life?"

Noah wanted a change of subject, but this certainly wasn't the direction he had in mind. He continued to eat, trying to play it off as if it was no big deal. "I honestly don't know anything about my dad, and I barely remember my mom. All I know is we lived in a house here in Los Angeles. We shared it with several other families. I'd go to school, come home, go into our room, and wait for her to get home from work." He took a hard drink of his coffee, surprised that talking about it still made him sad. "One day when I was six, she never came home. The other women in the house looked after me, saying the _migra_ had taken her from the factory she worked at and sent her back to Mexico but she'd be back for me. Then weeks later, we got notice that she'd been killed when the truck she and about thirty other immigrants were being smuggled in crashed just before crossing the border. So I was placed in foster care and was told it was only until one of my mother's family members came to get me." He moved his food around on his plate. It'd been years since he told this story to anyone, and he was surprised now that he was telling _her_ this. The only other person he'd ever shared this with was Gio. He glanced up at her, and she was staring, her eyes full of compassion. "No one ever came. End of story."

She nodded as if she understood and wouldn't ask anything else. Strangely, he wanted her to. As hard as it was to relive it, it felt good to tell someone else. He'd only told Gio bits and pieces over the years, and that was usually when he was drunk.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Noah. Have you ever tried to find any of your mom's family?"

Noah shook his head, almost annoyed, not at her, but at the idea of his trying to reconnect with people who obviously didn't give a shit about him. Over the years, he'd come to the conclusion that, if he and his mom were all alone living with strangers in a shared house, none of her family gave a shit about her either. "What for? If they had any interest, they would've come looking for me. I was the kid."

"Maybe they didn't know about you."

A bitter chuckle escaped him. "Someone knew. They knew enough to send word about my mom being killed." He stared at her eyes that now seemed to search for more in his. "You know that saying 'blood is thicker than water'?" She nodded. "It's bullshit. Growing up, I got to know a lot of different families, and it always amazed me how fucked up some of these families were."

Noah bit his tongue before he went on. As good as it felt to let it out, today wasn't the day for it. Today was supposed to be fun. He shook his head and speared a piece of turkey breast with his fork. "Anyway, some of the relationships I've developed over the years with friends, I would never dream of trading them with someone just because we have the same blood running through our veins. That's all I'm saying. I didn't mean to get all heavy on you."

He stuck the turkey in his mouth and stood up. "You ready for some champagne?" Her pensive eyes were still glued to him even as he glanced back at her. "I know it's early, but what the hell? It's a holiday."

Her expression finally eased up, and then she smiled. "Yeah, I'll take some."

All the muscles in his back and arms seemed to have tensed up with that last conversation. He needed something to bring him down, help him relax so he could enjoy the rest of the day and evening with her. The very thought pulled him immediately out of his edgy mood, and he smiled as he pulled the bottle of bubbly out of the fridge.

## Chapter 9

After only one glass of champagne, Noah switched to beer. He said he wasn't much of a champagne drinker and only ever had a glass or two when he was in a celebratory mood. Veronica's insides had warmed when he said that today he was celebrating his new friendship. Given the little speech he'd just made about how he felt about his friends, it was even more heartwarming that he now considered her a friend. That of course only made her reasoning even more pertinent about why she shouldn't get caught up in anything like what happened that morning.

They now sat on her porch. There'd been a break in the weather, and the sun had actually made an appearance, so they'd gone out to enjoy the beauty of the sunrays that sliced through the clouds. Though there was a chill in the air, the champagne helped warm Veronica.

She sat on the swinging bench while Noah sat on the porch stairs, leaning back, his elbows supporting him on either side as he stared up at the clouds. "This break ain't gonna last. Those are some mean-looking clouds."

"That's okay." Veronica stared up at the bright sunrays that seemed to fight the weather. "As pretty as this is, I like the rain."

"You do?"

She continued to admire the sunlight but nodded. "Something about it. It's cozy, moody—romantic."

"Romantic, huh?"

She finally pulled her eyes away from the sunlight and smiled. "Yeah, don't you think?"

Noah straightened out then moved up to the top stair, leaning up against the porch railing so he faced her now. "I guess it can be romantic." His smile was teasing. "The cold weather is always a good excuse to snuggle."

Veronica laughed, feeling a bit nervous about where this was going but then decided they were friends. If she did in fact want to keep him as a good friend and see him like she decided earlier—a younger brother, then they _should_ be able to talk about anything without it getting awkward. "I doubt you've ever needed an excuse to get cozy with anyone. You probably have them lining up."

A stupid nervous laugh escaped her again when those damn suckable lips of his curved into one of the sexiest smiles she'd ever seen.

Not awkward. Not awkward.

"I wouldn't say lining up, but I'm flattered that you'd think so."

This time her laugh was more sarcastic than nervous. "Oh, please. With a body like yours, and you're a boxer to boot, I wouldn't doubt that you have a fan club already."

He frowned at that. "Groupies don't count. They're only attracted to three things: fame, status, and money. On occasion, maybe they're just looking for a good time they can brag about later. Hot, maybe. But romantic? Hell no. That's not what I'm into."

Veronica was just taking in how familiar he seemed to be with what inspired groupies and most notably that, though the thought of groupies didn't seem to excite him, he did consider them _hot_. She was certain now he'd had his share. Then he brought the subject back to her. "So how come you're not married?"

She didn't even realize her smile had vanished until he spoke again, lifting his beer bottle. "I'd blame the beer, but I've only had a couple. I'm sorry if I'm getting too personal."

Friends, she reminded herself. She could do this—she should—so she cleared her throat and sat up again a little straighter. "No, that's okay. I've nothing to hide. I just haven't met the one yet. Well . . ." She paused, wondering if she should even mention it. He seemed to be hanging on her every word. "I was in one pretty serious relationship for a while there. We were even talking about moving in together. But then my mom got sick, and . . ."

She glanced away, unbelievably feeling her throat constrict.

"And what?"

When she glanced back at him, his playful demeanor was now replaced with a look of concern or disgust.

She cleared her throat again, taking a sip of her champagne to swallow back the emotion. "I, uh, got real busy with my mom, and it was just a really hard time for me, so Derek said maybe we should take a break."

She'd only seen the expression he now wore on him a few times at the gym, and even then she never knew exactly what to make of it. Out of nowhere, she'd glance up at him sometimes, and he seemed distracted, but the expression was the same as he wore now: hard and almost menacing. "So he walked away when the going got tough—when you needed him most? What an asshole! How long were you with _Derek_?"

She'd never heard Derek's name, or anyone's for that matter, sound so foul. With the lump gone now, she almost giggled. Instead, she lifted and dropped her shoulder. "I really don't blame him. I was absolutely no fun—"

"Roni, you were going through some heavy shit. Did he expect you to drop everything to entertain him? What he should've done is help you through it—help make your life easier. It's what I would've done."

Veronica smiled, feeling a newfound tenderness for Noah. On this Thanksgiving Day, she was absolutely grateful for her new friend. And though their circumstances were a bit unconventional, she really hoped now that their friendship would be a lasting one—one that would continue even long after he moved out. The very thought killed her suddenly warm and fuzzy moment. It had taken a few weeks, but she was used to this arrangement now. She liked having him around. Just last night, she'd thought of the day ahead of her with a bit more dread than she'd admit to herself—a day he'd be gone all day. How was she going to feel when he left for good?

She glanced at him, and even though he still wore that fierce look of disgust, she smiled. "I don't wanna talk about Derek anymore." She stood and held her champagne glass up. "I need a refill."

Like magic, his fierce expression morphed into an incredible smile, and he stood up. "Yep, I'm ready for another one too."

He was so much taller than she was, and his masculinity was so potent that, if she didn't know what a sweetheart he could be, she might be intimidated. "Besides," she said as they walked through the front door, "with everything that's happened in the last year and me trying to get back to a normal life, the last thing I need in my life right now is the distraction of a relationship. I need to work on me first, you know? Baby steps."

She glanced at him and saw he studied her. "So what's the next step?"

"Going back to work," she said, surprising herself at how definite her words came out. She'd put some thought into it and vamped up her resume, but she really hadn't been completely sure until now. "I'm hoping to go back at the beginning of the New Year," she added with a smile.

"Well, good for you," he said, his own smile as big as hers felt. They walked in the kitchen together. "Ooh!" Noah said as if he'd just remembered. "I could go for some pie too."

Veronica had to laugh. "Really? Beer and pie?"

"Yeah." Noah smiled, pulling a beer out of the fridge, tucking the whipped cream can under his arm, then grabbed the bottle of champagne out with his free hand. "It's the best. Actually pumpkin pie is one of those universal desserts that go with almost anything. I've never tried it, but it probably goes great with champagne too."

He was right. Turned out the pie was great with champagne. They sat at the table, eating their pie. Veronica watched, her eyes widening as he sprayed a very heavy dose of whipped cream on his second slice of pie.

"That much, huh?"

"Oh yeah," he said, putting the can down and digging his fork into the pie. "Everything tastes better covered in whipped cream."

There was something so sinfully wicked about his smile just before he stuck the forkful in his mouth. It made her squirm in her chair, and she had to turn away. Then she heard him chuckle, adding annoyance to the list of emotions she'd gone through just today. He was enjoying this, but if this is who he was, then she'd have to get used to it, so she decided two could play this game. Friends could be playful, right?

She sipped her champagne, glancing up at him. He was still smirking even as he chewed. "Oh yeah," she said, lowering her voice a little, "I _know_ everything tastes better with whipped cream."

His eyes widened, and he stopped chewing, but the smirk was still there. "Is that right?"

"Sure does." What was she doing? This wasn't playful; this was flirting, something she'd always done so naturally. She needed to stop.

"Even the salty stuff?"

"Especially the salty stuff." _Too much! Too much!_

That wiped the smirk right off his face, and his dark eyes stared at her now. So she switched gears as fast as she could, standing up and heading toward the living room. "Aren't there a lot of good movies on tonight? We should watch one."

Oh, right. Snuggle up on the sofa together just after she mentioned liking her whipped cream on the salty _stuff_. She set the champagne glass on the counter just before walking out of the kitchen. She'd had enough. It was bringing out the idiot in her.

Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, she clicked the television on and made sure to take a seat on the recliner that sat one. She didn't want him thinking she was suggesting anything. She could kick herself now for flirting with him. Like Nellie had mentioned that first day at the gym, the old Veronica _was_ a flirt. The champagne seemed to have allowed it to resurface. She made a mental note to keep the alcohol intake to a minimum while around Noah, especially alone. It was hard enough not to notice how incredibly sexy he could be even when she was completely sober. Adding alcohol into the mix was just stupid. She should've seen that coming.

Noah waltzed into the living room, looking a little too smug. Veronica gave him a quick glance then averted her eyes to the television. " _Polar Express_! My favorite. And it just started." She jumped out of her recliner. "I'll go make popcorn."

Halfway into kitchen, she heard Noah call out, "You gonna put whipped cream on that?"

Then she heard the laugh. She bit her tongue, holding back what she really wanted to say. _That's not the kind of salty stuff I was talking about._ Instead, she said, "Ha ha. No. That would be way too messy."

"Isn't the mess part of the fun?"

She spun around, her face going hot, not just from his words but at the sound of his voice so close behind her. He stood a couple of feet away from her now, a tinge of humor in his smoldering eyes. Clearing her throat, she turned back to the pantry and grabbed a bag of naturally flavored, lightly salted popcorn. The best thing to do was ignore his question and change the subject. "Do you know that, not only did I use to buy the buttered popcorn, but for a while there, I actually added _more_ butter?"

As embarrassing as her fat-ass confession was, it beat anymore talk of whipped cream. Thankfully, she turned away from his penetrating and playful eyes as she took the few steps to the microwave.

"Depression will do that to you. Food is comforting. Lots of people turn to over indulging on it just like others turn to alcohol or drugs to help them cope. You had every right to be down, Roni."

Their eyes met, and his usually intense eyes now teamed with compassion for _her,_ something she only ever got from Nellie.

There were two powerful forces fighting against each other now. While his smoldering eyes earlier had begun to wear her down, making her consider that maybe allowing herself to give in to something exciting and so against her better judgment for once in her life wasn't such a bad thing, then he said things like this. The genuine kindness in his voice was undeniable, and it reminded her how stupid she would be to ruin a friendship with such a great guy.

The microwave beeped just in time for her to catch her breath and turn away again. "Well," she said as she took the popcorn bag out and grabbed a bowl to spill its contents in, "the over indulging came with its consequences." She turned back to him and smiled. "You were witness to that firsthand. No more extra butter for me."

That smile again, so tender, but unlike when Nellie smiled at her like this, touched her in a way she couldn't understand. "I'm proud of you. You fought your way out of that dark stage of your life, and look at you now." For a moment, the tenderness in his eyes disappeared as he took her in from top to bottom, making her breath catch. Then it was back and he smiled again. "Not an easy thing to do, you know. You did good, Roni. You should be proud."

She took in a slow breath, hoping he wouldn't notice how a few words and his beckoning gaze affected her. "I am proud." Picking up the bowl of popcorn, she started to the living room, feeling his presence right behind her. She now regretted not grabbing another bowl because sitting by herself on the recliner would be rude since they were going to share the popcorn.

Sitting down on the sofa, Veronica decided she would stop worrying about her relationship with Noah and just enjoy the rest of her Thanksgiving evening. She didn't even flinch when he sat a bit closer than she had expected, and after several instances of their fingers _accidentally_ touching as they both reached for popcorn at the same time, her heart stopped reacting so erratically. For God's sake, they were two grown adults, not middle school kids.

By the time the evening was over, they made it through without any more uncomfortable moments or inappropriate flirting, and Veronica concluded this was the beginning of what she hoped would be a wonderful long-term friendship.

~*~

Visions of Roni and some of the wicked things Noah imagined her doing to him with a can of whipped cream, made for an extra-long shower the following morning. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to be around her and not let on what he was feeling. Though he wondered if he should even try. If she wasn't so damn hard to read, maybe he'd know whether or not to hide it. She sent out more mixed signals than a baseball coach: one minute flirting outrageously and staring blatantly at his lips, then in the same breath, backing down and making an exit out of the room just as fast.

But it was just as well. Even though it'd be more than fun to have Roni underneath him, and admittedly in the beginning it's all he thought about, the more he spent time with her and got to know her, the more he was afraid that wouldn't be enough. If he ever did get that far with her, he'd want more, and she made it clear she wasn't ready for anything like that. Losing the only family she'd ever known had to be hard. No telling how long it would take her to be ready. He had to shove the thought out of his mind and be thankful for what he did have—her friendship. For now, it'd have to do.

Roni had dropped him off at the gym that morning. With the rain letting up even if it was predicted to be only for a day, he'd finally be back on his bike.

Noah was spending a few hours at Gio's today. He hated to admit it, but if he hadn't already spoken to Gio that morning and agreed to come over, he would've gladly accompanied Roni to the park instead. She told him, after he'd gotten off the phone with Gio, that she was going to be there for a few hours, taking pictures—said it was something she used to do a lot until her mom got sick and only recently started doing it again. She even gave him a quick tour of her small darkroom. He got to see some of the photographs she'd taken over the years.

To his surprise, she had a lot more talent than she'd let on. But even more surprising was how he'd felt seeing the pictures she still kept of her and Derek's names carved into a tree with a heart around it that appeared to have taken a lot of work. He wasn't going to ask at first, but after seeing a couple more, the words had just flown out, and the contempt in his words had hardly been masked. " _Why do you still have these?"_

Her answer was unsatisfactory to say the least. She shrugged, saying she almost never threw out any picture she took. Maybe she didn't, but these pictures were displayed most prominently, and it literally turned his stomach. He'd been _that_ close to asking her if she still had feelings for the dick. But he realized that was getting a little too personal. Most importantly, alarms had gone off when he glanced at the picture again and was inundated with a rage he'd never felt before. Certain that any more questioning would come out more like unjustifiable demands than a simple question, he'd excused himself and walked out of the dark room, confused as hell by his reaction.

Even now as he rode his bike, which usually calmed him, thinking about the damn pictures and wondering if she did still feel something for the douche had him involuntarily gripping the handlebars harder than he would normally.

He drove his bike all the way into the back of Gio's driveway. As expected, Gio, Abel, Hector, and a few of Gio's sisters were all out back as Gio worked on his bike. What he hadn't expected was for Rita to still be there. Her eyes gleamed as he took his helmet off.

"You were missed last night." She smiled teasingly. "What kept you? Or should I say _who_ kept you?"

Abel smirked but otherwise didn't seem to know anything. Hector wasn't even paying attention. He was too busy talking to Gio's sisters. Noah glanced at Gio, whose expression gave nothing away, but Noah knew there was no way Gio would tell anyone his business. "I just had other plans this year, but I'm here now to make up for it."

"Ooh, sounds promising," Rita said, walking up to his bike. "I got a car this year—the Honda out front. Did you see it?"

Noah hadn't noticed anything as he drove in. His mind had been so muddled the whole way there. All he could think of was Roni and Derek. "No, I didn't see it." He stepped off his bike, hanging his helmet on the bike's handlebars.

Rita's hand was immediately in his. She'd never made a secret of her attraction to him, and she had no qualms about everyone knowing about their _understanding_. "C'mon, I'll show it to you. It's why I'm still here. I'm leaving later today, but maybe we can go for a drive first."

She smiled and the continued gleam in her eyes was very telling about what she had in mind—something that Noah would normally jump at the chance for and could actually use the way he'd been feeling lately. Somehow, that morning's exchange took the excitement out of even this for him. He couldn't believe how worked up he still felt. Turning back to the guys, he saw Abel smirking, and he rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back."

Rita turned back to them as well, lifting an eyebrow. "Maybe not _right_ back."

"Two minutes?" Abel asked, laughing.

Noah didn't bother responding, but a chuckle escaped him. For once since seeing the pictures in Roni's darkroom, he felt his tension dissipate ever so slightly.

Rita clicked the keychain she held, and the chirp of her car went off as they walked out to the front of Gio's house. It was an older model Honda Accord but still in very good shape. "I love the color," she said as they approached the silver sedan.

Once in it, Noah had just closed his door when she leaned in and planted a deep wet kiss on him, leaving very little to anticipate. Her tongue was in his mouth, eagerly roaming every inch. She moaned against his lips, sucking on his bottom one. "God, I love your lips," she said breathlessly. "Let's get out of here."

She sat back, licking her lips, and turned on the car. As they sped off, she updated him on everything she'd done since she'd last seen him. Noah didn't know why, but his head spun, trying to come up with a reason why they shouldn't do what he knew she had in mind.

They reached a secluded parking garage not far from Gio's house. It was a place they'd frequented in the past for the very same reason. Rita wasted no time. Her lips were on his the moment she pulled the keys from the ignition.

Something had changed since the last time he'd been with Rita. Noah couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't feel the same carnal excitement he normally felt when he was with her or any other girl. Maybe it was the fact that he still couldn't get Roni and those damn pictures out of his mind. Somehow, he didn't think anything would get his mind off them now.

Rita's hands fumbled with his zipper, pulling it down then reaching into his briefs. She wrapped her hands around his instant erection then smiled at him. Wasting no time, she pulled a condom out of the glove compartment with her other hand and in seconds had it on him. Then with a move so fast a ninja would envy her, she was on his lap, her skirt pulled up to her thighs, and she slipped right on to him.

Noah's head fell back, accepting the incredible pleasure of it, holding her by the waist. He lifted his hips in rhythm with hers, pushing in as deep as possible. Her moans only intensified his arousal. Okay, maybe nothing could alleviate the annoyance he felt over the pictures, but closing his eyes, imagining this was Roni, making him thrust even harder, definitely helped.

## Chapter 10

Noah's injured shoulder had healed nicely, and he was training in the ring once again. With his client list growing, he was busier than ever. He spent entire days in the gym now, training others in the morning then working on his own training throughout the afternoon.

Since Abel, who was as good a promoter as he was a fighter, had already lined up a fight for Noah before the end of the year, Noah's training was in high gear. After working out with the bags for a couple of hours, he sparred with either Abel, who was a monster compared to him, or Gio who was more at his weight level, and on occasion Hector, who was still a featherweight.

At that point of the day, he'd become a bit distracted, looking out for Roni, who arrived for her workout in the evening. In the past weeks of living with her, his feelings for her, which he tried to play down even to himself, were beyond just physical attraction. He looked forward to talking to her now—telling her about his workouts and the new clients he'd picked up. She was as excited about his first fight as he was; though she admitted to being a little nervous about watching him fight. But she promised she'd be there ringside even if she had to cover her eyes.

Not only that, he loved hearing her talk about the photos she'd taken. Roni had even shown him how she developed them and the process of getting them printed. She'd since removed the offending photos from her lab. Noah hadn't asked why. He was just happy to see them gone.

Her excitement about photography finally got her interested in his phone. He showed her some of the many apps available for photo enhancement. The equipment she had in her darkroom looked pretty expensive to him, but she admitted there was a lot she could do on his phone. He had her email him some pictures she'd taken, and she regularly sat on the sofa now, playing with his phone. She was amazed at the things she could do to some of her photographs. He loved how into it she got because half the time she didn't notice how he'd sit there and just stare at her the whole time. The times she had caught him, he'd easily play it off as if he were trying to check out what she was doing. Little did he know when he bought his phone that he could use it as a means of getting closer to her. It was a little alarming now how much he looked forward to their moments alone.

The scariest part was that he also loved that she was now the last person he saw and spoke with before going to bed each night and the first one he saw every morning. That wouldn't be forever, and he didn't even like to think about it, but as the weeks passed, the reality of it grew heavier on his mind.

Everyone at the gym, including Abel, Hector, and Gio, had picked up on Noah's territorial behavior when it came to Roni—everyone except her. He didn't even have to say anything, but it was understood. The guys who had once gawked at her openly then stopped when their eyes met Noah's murderous glare got it now. It was unsaid, but Noah was happy with the outcome of his efforts. No one was getting any funny ideas about trying to get friendly with Roni, not while he was around. And he made sure he was _always_ around. Now if he could only figure out how to get past the just-friends thing Roni was so set on . . .

Aside from her saying she needed to get her life back first, he knew his age would be another obstacle to overcome. So he was determined to prove to her that he wasn't your average twenty-year-old. She already knew enough to understand that some of the things he'd gone through growing up should set him apart from other twenty-year-olds who were still living at home, mooching off Mom and Pop. But if she needed more, he'd give it to her, whatever it took.

~*~

The night of the fight came faster than Noah expected. It would take place right there in the gym against another nobody like himself. They weren't even charging, so they had a good-sized crowd. Abel said it wouldn't be much of a competition. His opponent was really new to the boxing scene, and this was one of his first fights. However, Abel said it was good conditioning for bigger stuff, and Noah had bigger stuff coming.

Gio did a last-minute check of Noah's gloves while Abel applied more Vaseline to Noah's face. Jack stood on the side of the ring, giving him last-minute advice. "Don't get overconfident out there. This guy is new, but that might work to his advantage. He probably knows way more about you than you do about him. If he's smart, he did his homework. As soon as you catch your groove, get on him and end it as fast as possible." Noah listened, all the while watching as Roni turned around in her seat, striking up a conversation with the guy sitting behind her. She now sat facing backwards from the front row. "Are you listening to me?"

Noah forced his eyes away from the guy talking to Roni and brought his attention back to Jack, nodding. "Don't take this fight lightly, Noah. The last thing you want is to take it for granted that you got this and get hurt again."

"I won't," Noah promised.

Gio tapped his gloves. "You're good," he said then jumped out of the ring as the ref gave them a one-minute warning.

Abel finished up with the Vaseline then looked at him very seriously. "Keep your head in the fight. You hear me? I've never seen you fight with this kind of distraction out there." His head gestured in Roni's direction, but he never took his eyes off Noah. "You need to focus, or it's gonna cost you. Just use that left jab of yours, and you should be good. Only thing this guy has is speed."

The warning bell rang, and Abel jumped out of the ring. Noah stood up, glancing in Roni's direction. She was facing the ring now, but the guy was still leaning forward, talking to her from behind. _Focus, damn it._

The ref rattled off the last-second reminders about the rules and what not to do. They touched gloves, the bell rang, and they were off. Abel was right. The guy _was_ fast. Getting in that left jab wasn't going to be too easy, but it certainly wasn't impossible. The added adrenaline from knowing there was a dude a little too interested in Roni in the audience might actually work to his advantage. Another glance in that direction made him want to punch someone out, and he landed a hard one on his opponent's jaw, making him stumble back, but he stayed on his feet.

"There you go!" Abel yelled from his ringside seat.

"You got this, Noah," Gio yelled.

Noah jumped around the ring, trying hard to focus on the fight. He landed a few more body shots before the bell rang ending the first round. Gio and Abel were immediately in the ring. Abel counted down from ten before letting him sit down then toweled him down and applied more Vaseline while Gio gave him water. "Why you slowing it down?" Abel asked. "You could've ended this in the first round. He almost went down with that first jab."

Noah's eyes were on Roni again as she turned around to talk to that same guy. Abel patted Noah on the chin twice. The second time harder than the first. "Focus!" He pointed his two fingers at his eyes. "I need you right here right now. Don't blow this, Noah. This should be a piece of cake for you. This guy should've gone down already."

Noah nodded as the bell rang again, and Abel and Gio jumped out of the ring. Abel banged his fist on the ring floor. "Let's do this now!"

Roni was facing the ring again, but the idiot behind her still leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. The jab to his temple came out of nowhere. Noah stumbled to the side, seeing stars. "God damn it, Noah!" Abel yelled.

After shaking it off and feeling a sudden adrenaline rush, Noah moved in fast, landing a left hook to his opponent's nose and then another one to his jaw. Just like that, the guy went down. The ref rushed in between them and started the countdown. Everyone was on their feet now, including Roni. She'd worn her hair down; the curls he now loved fell softly down past her shoulders. She looked beautiful.

Their eyes met and he smiled at her. She smiled back but still wrung her hands nervously. She'd admitted to being _really_ nervous about seeing him fight on their way there. His eyes then traveled to behind Roni where the guy stood clapping and also smiling, only now Noah wasn't smiling. His eyes locked on the guy. He gave him that look reserved exclusively for the ring when he stared his opponent down just before his fights, letting them know they were going down. Noah could only hope that the sudden disappearance of the guy's smile meant he got the message loud and clear. He glanced at Roni again, softening his expression back to a smile before the ref lifted his arm, declaring him winner by knockout.

~*~

Relief didn't even begin to describe what Veronica was feeling. She'd finally broken down and admitted to Noah on their way to the gym that she was very nervous about seeing him fight. But she didn't tell him just how much of a wreck she really was. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn't have faith in him. She'd heard he was good from his friends and others at the gym, but she still couldn't help worrying.

Veronica had only watched fights on television, but she'd never been a fan, so even when she had, she never really paid attention. Nellie's husband was a fan, and they often had big pay-per-view fight parties at their place, inviting her over. Those were the only times she'd ever sat through an entire fight. She never thought she'd be watching one in person and certainly never thought one of her now dear friends would be the one in the ring, possibly getting hurt.

When she overheard the guy behind her talking about having seen Noah fight several times in the past, she couldn't help asking him about it. There were a few things she'd started to wonder about as she sat there waiting for the fight to start, as in had he ever been knocked out—something she hadn't thought to ask Noah. It helped that the guy was a talker and an obvious fan of Noah's, filling her in on Noah's strengths like his left hook, reminding her after the fight that he'd told her so when Noah used it to knock out the other fighter.

Veronica had just been glad it was over so fast and he hadn't been hurt. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to watching him fight, but now that they were friends, she told herself she better get used to it. She'd never seen him more excited than when he spoke of his fights. This was only the beginning. As dear a friend as he was slowly becoming, she intended on being at as many of his fights as possible. That reminded her that she hadn't talked to Nellie in almost a week. They'd exchanged a few texts in the last few days but hadn't actually spoken. She'd have to give her a call soon.

She stood by the gym exit, trying not to think about what Noah had said about groupies. There were four scantily dressed young girls just outside the door Noah and the other fighter would be coming out of once they finished changing.

When the other fighter came out, two of them were immediately at his side. Which meant only one thing—the other two were waiting on Noah. They were so damned obvious it was ridiculous. Veronica wanted to feel sorry for them. They were young, and clearly their self-esteem was in the gutter if this was how little they thought of themselves. Instead, she felt _irritated_?

Veronica swallowed hard, wondering if Noah would even need a ride home now. They'd come here together in her car, but now these two _lovelies_ would probably be more than happy to take him home—or back to their place.

Abel and Gio walked out first, the girls immediately hugging them. Then Noah came out, and one of the girls wrapped her arms around him. Veronica turned away when she saw his big arm wrap around the girl's waist.

Surprised that the irritation she'd felt earlier had now turned into full-blown rage, she stalked out the door. _Don't do this_. Hurrying to her car, madder at herself now more than anything, Veronica reprimanded herself under her breath. She knew perfectly well what she was feeling was not just rage. It was utterly irrational, _seething_ jealousy. She had absolutely no right to be angry with him, but she was, and that only made her more furious.

"Roni!"

Taking a deep breath before she turned to face him, Veronica tried desperately to hide her sudden change in mood.

"Where you going?"

She turned to see him walking across the parking lot toward her—alone. "I, uh, thought maybe you already had a ride." She lifted her chin toward the gym.

Noah glanced back, and then his eyes were on her again. "No, well, we're going out for pizza later to celebrate. But I didn't feel much like a cold shower, so I told them I'd go home first to shower and meet up with them later."

Her heart started up again. _Them?_ One wasn't enough?

"You wanna come?"

Her eyes must've screamed how scandalized that made her feel because he laughed. _Laughed!_

"What's that look about?"

"Come with you?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Abel's treat. Can you pop open the trunk?" he said as he reached her car. She did, and he continued talking as he put his gym bag and boxing gloves in the trunk. "And the place we go to doesn't card, so you won't be the only one able to drink beer."

By the way he was smiling, she was pretty sure now that "them _"_ meant Abel and the other guys. But even then, she wouldn't feel comfortable around him and his friends.

"No, I'll pass, but thanks."

"Why?" The disappointment in his voice warmed her.

"Because it's a guy thing, right? I wouldn't—"

"Nah, there's gonna be other girls there."

Her stomach dropped, and she had a sudden realization. If not tonight, it would happen eventually. Being Noah's friend meant inevitably having to hear about or see him with other girls—a girlfriend even. Could she really do this? Given that she was ready to scream earlier just thinking about him and the groupies, could she really stand to see him with them? "Oh?"

"Yeah, anytime we get together after fights, it's a pretty big crowd. 'Course, Abel's only paying for us. But there's always other girls there too. Even Jack's going." He walked around the car, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. "You're going, Roni. I'll be hurt if you don't celebrate with me."

He opened the car door and got in. Veronica exhaled, unable to come up with a single reason why she couldn't go with him. He was right: she _should_ be there to celebrate with him. This was great: his first time back in the ring and he knocked the guy out in the second round.

Feeling a little guilty about not wanting to be there tonight, she got in and began to put her seatbelt on.

"So who was the guy you were talking to during the fight? He a friend of yours?"

Veronica glanced at him as she turned on the car and thought about it for a second. "Oh, you mean the guy behind me?" She pulled out of the parking space. "No, I just met him tonight."

"Is that right?" he said, looking out his window. "You make a new friend, Roni?"

"Not really. He's a fan of yours, I guess." She smiled again, remembering the guy's enthusiasm. "He went on and on, saying you have some major potential." That got Noah's attention and he turned to her. "He called it too. Before the fight even started, he said you'd probably knock the guy out early and it would most likely be with your left hook."

"What else did he say?"

Veronica laughed. She had no idea what it must feel like to have fans, but it must feel good. She didn't blame him for wanting to hear more. "He talked to me even as you were fighting, giving me the play by play of what you were doing up there. It was almost cute how into you he was." She turned to Noah, but he didn't seem as happy as she would've imagined given what she'd just told him.

"Cute?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "Oh, and he even said you seemed a little off your game the _second_ before the guy landed one on you. I almost missed the knock out because I covered my face when you got hit."

She winced, thinking about how her heart had gone to her throat when she saw him get hit and couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"That's what happens," he said, staring straight ahead, "when you get distracted even for a moment."

"What distracted you?"

He looked out his window again and shrugged. "I don't remember. I just know I lost focus for a second and it almost cost me."

They reached her house, and Veronica freshened up while Noah took a shower. Standing in front of her mirror, she studied herself. Nellie was right; she didn't look twenty-eight, and ever since she'd lost the weight and kept going to the gym, she felt fitter and more in shape than she ever had. She wouldn't tell Noah, but the guy sitting behind her had asked if she was Noah's girl. She'd blushed, telling him she was just a friend, but he gave her a knowing look as if he knew better.

Physically, she could pass for being around the same age as Noah. She shook her head, frowning at herself in the mirror. "Don't even think about it."

Noah's life was just beginning. There was so much he hadn't even experienced yet, and she was sure he was looking forward to it all—the nightclubs where he could meet a ton of girls, for example. And the way the guy at the fight spoke of Noah, who knew? By the time he was twenty-one, he might even have VIP status at all these clubs. If he had groupies now, imagine what his life would be like then.

Veronica didn't know much about boxing, but one thing was for sure: he looked damn good up there—more than good. Like the guy said, he had major potential and he definitely had the heart. His future held so much promise.

She took a deep breath. After witnessing firsthand today her reaction to seeing Noah around other girls and they weren't even involved that way, she knew now, without a doubt, a romantic relationship was out of the question. Moreover, if she wanted to keep their friendship intact—so was a fling.

## Chapter 11

Having Roni around his friends felt good—damn good. The guys hadn't even thought it weird when they saw them walk in together. At least they didn't say anything. The pizzas and pitchers of beer were already there as they took a seat at the table.

Roni seemed uncomfortable at first, but as an hour passed, she'd relaxed. Noah took note of how incredibly slowly she sipped her beer. He remembered her drinking her champagne a little faster on Thanksgiving. Maybe beer wasn't her thing.

Jack had just finished telling them about how back in his day boxing wasn't the only sport he was good at. Noah had heard the story before, but it was a good one, so he didn't mind hearing it again. Jack's high school basketball team made and won the state championship. Jack always used these kinds of stories and spun them around to include an inspirational twist that would help them in the ring.

"I spun a basketball on my finger for over fifteen minutes just a few weeks ago," Hector said, biting into a slice of pizza as if that even came close to winning a state championship.

"When was this?" Noah laughed. Hector was always embellishing his accomplishments.

"What do you mean? You were there!" Hector said. "The day after Thanksgiving." Then he stopped and smirked. "Oh, wait. I forgot. That's when Rita took you for a _ride_. Or I should say _you_ gave _her_ a good hard ride."

He laughed just as two napkins hit his head on either side, one from Abel and the other from Gio. "That's my cousin, ass!" Gio threw another balled-up napkin at him. "Don't be making up shit like that."

"Yeah." Abel gave him a hard look. "That's how rumors get started, _stupid_."

"Rumors?" Hector turned back to Gio. "Your sister is the one that told me." Hector shook his head, incredibly not taking the hint. "Besides, everybody knows Noah takes care of business whenever Rita's in town. That's no secret, huh, Noah?" He bounced his eyebrows. "Christmas is just a week away. Ho, ho, ho!" He laughed but stopped laughing when no one else did. "What?"

Roni reached for another slice of pizza, and Abel made the most of her momentary distraction to slap Hector on the back of the head and mouth the words, " _Shut the fuck up!"_

He did and not a moment too soon, because if he'd said even one more word about him and Rita, Noah was getting ready to jump across the table and strangle him.

None of them knew the extent of his relationship with Roni, but they all got that _something_ was up between them. Noah liked it that way. He knew it didn't matter if they were just roommates with benefits or in an actual relationship. All that mattered was they knew the most important thing—Roni was _his_. Unfortunately, everyone but dickhead Hector got that it also meant any talk of Noah with other girls around Roni was unacceptable.

Abel changed the subject and went back to talking about the next fight he had lined up for Noah in February. Noah glanced at Roni. She nodded, listening to Abel with interest. It almost bothered him that she seemed so unfazed by Hector's comments. Of course, he hadn't dared look at her when Hector was still talking about it. So he couldn't know for sure what her initial reaction was to it, but if she'd been bothered at all, the way he knew _he_ would've been had the tables been turned, she'd gotten over it damned quick.

She knew now—knew that just a few weeks ago, the very day after they'd spent their special Thanksgiving together, he'd gone out and gotten laid. What was worse is that Rita would be back in a week and now Roni knew that too. Did she even care? He tried not to be too obvious as he watched her listening to Abel and Jack talk strategy on how Noah should best handle this next fighter.

She sipped her beer without a care in the world. For a moment, the girl that sat down next to Gio distracted her. Roni looked her up and down, unaware that Noah observed her every move. Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly, and her lips pursed. _Now_ she seemed troubled?

Noah took his eyes off her just long enough to see the girl—one of the ones who'd been waiting outside the shower doors at the gym—stroke Gio's leg. Gio had always been the pretty boy of their bunch. Even with all the fights he'd been in, his face still remained intact. In high school, he'd been quite the heartthrob. Noah's looks were rugged compared to Gio's naturally arched brows, girlie lashes, and green eyes.

Abel had made fun of Gio plenty of times, accusing him of not trying hard enough when they were sparring because Gio was counting on a career in modeling if boxing didn't work out for him.

Not once in all the years he'd known Gio had Noah ever felt any sort of resentment for him being so damn good-looking, but right now, he thought he could hate his best friend. Could that really be it? Was Roni into Gio? She'd only been around him a few times, and Noah wracked his brain, trying to remember if she'd ever acted strangely around him before. If this was true, then his theory about her wanting to remain strictly friends because of the age difference just flew out the door. She'd stared long enough at them, and Noah couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong?"

She flinched, startled by his voice, and her brows pinched. "Nothing. Why?"

He glanced at Gio then back at her. "You looked upset there for a minute. Something bothering you?"

" _No!_ " Her eyes widened as if her own tone surprised her.

She _was_ upset. "Relax. I was just asking."

"Well, I'm not." There was something else in her eyes now—something even more alarming—she was _more_ than upset. She turned away, her eyes going right back to Gio and the girl. "Can we leave?"

_Really? That bad?_ "Are you sure you're okay?"

She wouldn't even tear her eyes away from Gio now, and it drove Noah nuts.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Noah stood, wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of there—get Roni away from Gio. "Let's go."

Her expression now softened a bit. "Or if you think you can get a ride from one of your friends, I can go alone. You don't have to leave on account of me."

It wasn't so easy for Noah to hide what _he_ was feeling. "Nah, I'm tired too." He turned to Abel, who was already looking at him questioningly. "We're out."

"Already?"

"Yeah, it's been a long day, but I'll be in early tomorrow. Thanks for the pizza and beer."

They said their goodbyes and walked out. Noah thought he could wait until the drive home, but it was killing him. Friend or not—there was no way, no fucking way, he'd be able to deal with anything happening between her and Gio. "You wanna tell me what upset you in there just now?"

She'd been digging in her purse, and her face jerked up at his question. He stood in front of her, making her stop. Her eyes said it all. She was still upset, and she was stunned that he hadn't let it go. To his surprise, she didn't immediately deny it. Just stared at him—for too long. Finally, she lifted an eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just say it, Roni." He wasn't even sure why he wanted her to. Did he really want to hear her say she had feelings for Gio? _Hell no!_ But he needed to know if he should run now—run the hell out of her life and never look back before it was too late.

"Tell you what? What is it you think I'm upset about, _Noah_?"

Now he stared at her, completely startled by her sudden change in demeanor. She wasn't just upset; she was pissed. "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

She pulled her keys out of her purse and walked around him toward her car. Noah followed. "I told you. I'm tired."

Noah fought the incredible urge to spin her around by her arm and pull her to him. Instead, he walked around her car and waited for her to unlock the door.

~*~

Infuriating is what it was. Veronica took a deep breath before hitting the unlock button on her car. She knew coming with Noah tonight was a mistake. She never should've done it. And if he expected her to admit she was pissed—beyond pissed—about the fact that he'd given Gio's cousin a long _hard_ ride the day after Thanksgiving, he was out of his mind.

She thought back to that day now as she shoved her key into the ignition: the day he'd acted disappointed that he couldn't join her at the park to take her stupid pictures. Yeah, she was sure now _that_ was sincere. A day at the park watching her take pictures of snails and raindrops on leaves, or a day of sex with his holiday whore? Hmm, tough choice.

But again, she reminded herself it was none of her business. Noah was free to do what he pleased. He owed her no explanations, and she wasn't asking him for any, so why the hell was he pushing this now? Did he _want_ to embarrass her? Was this fun for him? He wanted her to say that it had bothered her more than she'd ever imagined? She'd sooner die.

He finished putting on his seatbelt just as she began to back out. "You were pretty obvious, Roni. I don't know why you just don't tell me." She turned to him, expecting some kind of smug smirk or twinkle in his eyes. Instead, he was glaring at her. "You have a thing for Gio?"

She blinked, stopping the car right there in the middle of the parking lot and stared at him. "What?"

"I saw the way you looked at him with that girl. Admit it. You were jealous."

She shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of what he'd just said. _This_ is what he'd been referring to all this time? He thought she was jealous of Gio and that groupie?

"You looked disgusted when she sat down next to him. That's when I noticed you were upset, and then you suddenly wanted to leave?"

Roni's mind raced as her foot stepped down on the accelerator and they were on the move again. She was glad now that the restaurant was just a few blocks away from her house. She wanted nothing more than to get this night over with. Hector's comment had hit her like a slap, and she'd spent the entire time after that trying and apparently failing miserably to recover from it. Seeing Gio with that groupie served only as another reminder that this was Noah's world and she had absolutely no right to be judging him. He was young and deserved to be sowing his wild oats. But there was no escaping the festering jealousy she'd felt, knowing he'd slept with Gio's cousin and would apparently be doing so again in just a week.

She'd have to worry about her annoyingly contradicting emotions later. For now, there was hope that he'd misconstrued her stewing. Instead, he was under the ridiculous notion that she was jealous over _Gio_.

"All right, you got me."

"You're into him?" His voice was a near whisper now.

"No." She turned to him. He'd been staring straight ahead, but he turned to face her when she answered. "Don't be ridiculous. He's your age, remember? But you got me about the groupie. I remembered what you said about them before, and I guess I _was_ a little disgusted. But I wasn't _upset_."

"So you're saying you couldn't be into him because of his age?"

Glad that they'd gotten past the subject of her being jealous about _anything,_ she nodded in relief. "Well, yeah. He's twenty like you, right?"

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "It has _everything_ to do with it. Why would a guy his age be interested in a woman _my_ age?"

"That's just it. If he ever was, he wouldn't be thinking about your age. He'd be interested in _you_. You're hung up on a number, Roni. What? Is it because you think a twenty-year-old is not mature enough for you?"

Veronica pulled into her driveway, feeling a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going. She got the distinct feeling they weren't talking about Gio anymore.

"No, I'm thinking about experience," she said, getting out of the car.

"Oh, is that it? You want an _experienced_ guy?"

Veronica frowned. "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about his _life_ experience versus mine. There is still a lot a guy that age—your age—needs to experience, and it would be unfair for me or any older woman to come along and expect him—or any guy his age—to just skip those things to catch up to her."

He stood a little too close to her as she unlocked the front door, and it unnerved her. She could smell his musky cologne and, this close, feel the warmth of his body, even though they were still inches away.

"You ever change a baby's diaper, Roni?"

She glanced at him, confused as she pushed the door open. "No."

"I have."

"What does that—?"

"I helped raise kids for years when I was the oldest one in my foster home and my foster parents weren't around, which happened a lot. There were four other kids in the house. One was a baby—eight months old. There were two toddlers and a smart-ass preteen who thought he knew everything, and I was left alone with them _all_ the time. I fed them, bathed them, helped them with their homework, and put them in bed at night. Then I made sure they got up in the morning and got to school on time. They counted on _me—_ me, the fifteen-year-old, to be the adult, not their parents who were supposed to be the real adults."

They were in the living room now, and Veronica had frozen midway, listening to him. She stared at him, something huge pressing at her throat, holding her words hostage. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke. "Where were your foster parents?"

He frowned, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and tossing it on the coffee table. "They just weren't around. My point is, at my age, I have more experience raising kids or being a father than a lot of thirty-year-olds do."

Veronica gulped, bringing her hand to her neck as if that would pull away the invisible hand that gripped it. "I'm talking about other experiences, Noah. People can become parents at all ages in life. It's not fair, but it's a fact of life. My mom and my grandparents are perfect examples."

"Then what _are_ you talking about?" He crossed his arms in front of him and waited for her to answer.

She set her purse down on the sofa and began to peel off the layers she wore starting with her jacket. "I'm just saying people my age are at a different stage of their life." She thought of Noah and Gio's cousin. Hit with a sudden hot flash, she pressed her lips together. "I'm not looking for young guys that are in no way ready to settle down, and I'd never be selfish enough or naïve enough to think a twenty-year-old is, especially one with groupies ready to jump at the snap of his fingers."

"I think I told you how _I_ feel about groupies."

"Yeah, I remember—they're _hot_."

He peered at her now. "I also said they're not for me."

"Oh, yeah? So you're only into the ones that do drive-bys on holidays?"

She gulped hard, trying to hold back the emotion that overwhelmed her now. The conversation had taken a turn, and Noah stared at her speechlessly. The thought of some girl _riding_ him nearly choked her. As long as they were putting it out there, she'd tell him exactly why she'd never consider a relationship with an immature man-whore. "I need stability, Noah, someone who's over the one-night stands and interested in a serious relationship, someone I can count on."

"Like Derek you mean? The guy your age that walked out on you when you needed him most?"

The slap in the face was utterly humiliating. She'd held the tears back long enough. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do it. Feeling the air sucked out of her, she was sure she might fall apart right then and there, so she spun around and took off to her room.

"Roni, I'm sorry," he called out.

The second she closed the door behind her, she locked it then leaned her back against it, sliding slowly down until she sat on the floor. She took one long trembling breath, wiping the tears away in anger. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

There was a soft knock at the door. "Roni? You okay?"

She swallowed hard, clearing her throat. The last thing she wanted was to let on how miserable she was feeling. "I'm fine."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"I just had a long day. That's all. We both did. You should go to bed. It's what I'm gonna do."

"You sure you're okay?"

She squeezed her eyes shut; the tears were streaming down even more now, and she nodded. "Uh-huh." As hard as she'd tried, her voice cracked, and she was sure he'd heard it, but he said nothing.

For a few long moments, there was silence, and then finally she heard his footsteps walk away. There was a bang on the wall across the hall then the sound of his door closing.

As much as she'd like to tell herself these tears were about Derek, they had _nothing_ to do with him, and she knew it. The fact that a week from now Noah would be with Gio's cousin again and she'd have nothing to distract her from thoughts about it while he was gone was what really killed her. She already knew it was going to drive her crazy. The worst part was that she'd be there, waiting for him when he got home, knowing exactly what he'd just done. God, she had to get a life.

## Chapter 12

The next morning Roni's bedroom door had been closed when Noah got in the shower, but by the time he'd gotten out, it was open and she was gone. It was almost as if she'd waited for him to get in the shower to avoid him. But she'd at least thought to leave him a note on the counter.

In case you're wondering, I'm meeting Nellie for breakfast, but I made you coffee. I'll see you tonight at the gym.

She signed it with a happy face, and it seemed cheery enough, but Noah had to wonder if she was really over their little exchange last night. He'd felt like such an asshole afterwards, especially when he realized he'd made her cry.

There was no way he was going the whole day without talking to her. He'd give her a few hours—let her finish breakfast with her friend then call her, feel her out. The worst part about the whole thing was he was now certain that Roni still had feelings for Derek. Why else would she be so upset about his comment?

Her remark about his "holiday drive-bys" had kept him up most of the night. Had Hector's stupid revelation really derailed all his efforts to prove to her that he was not your average twenty-year-old? She'd made it damn clear what kind of guy she would never get involved with, and judging from her tone, that's exactly the kind of guy she now thought he was. _Fuck!_

He got a text from his morning client just as he got off his bike in the parking lot of the gym. He was canceling. _Great_. Now Noah had an hour to kill before his next client came in.

Abel and Gio were already in the office when he walked in. Abel was reading the paper. Gio stood next to him, toothbrush still in his mouth. The guy was always brushing his teeth. They both glanced up. "Everything okay?" Abel asked.

Noah pinched his brows in an attempt to appear oblivious to his meaning. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

Abel shrugged. "I hope my dumb ass brother didn't cause you any problems."

Noah pretended to think about it as if he didn't even remember then furthered the act by opening his eyes wide. "Oh, last night? No, not at all."

Just like that, Abel's expression softened and he let it go. Noah knew he would. He'd never been one to pry. Pretty quiet about his own personal life, he stayed out of everyone else's as much as he could. Gio would be another thing.

"Check this out." Abel lifted the paper he was reading. "Felix is going for the title."

"Sanchez? No shit." Noah was relieved Abel had dropped the subject. He tossed his gym bag on the floor and walked over to take a look at the paper.

Felix was the first boxer from 5th Street to make it to the big time in over a decade. Most boxers with any real potential for winning a title usually left 5th Street for bigger, better gyms with trainers who were used to working with up-and-coming boxers—but not Felix. He stayed loyal to the gym he'd started out with. Not only that but he'd been a close friend to all of them, and he'd never forgotten his roots.

Even after he'd started to fight and win the bigger, more heavily promoted fights, he came back a few times a year to visit. He'd even gotten in the habit of ending his after-fight interviews with a plug for the gym. Jack said he'd noticed an increase in memberships ever since Felix started doing that. Each time Felix won another bout and mentioned the gym in the after-fight interview, there'd be a surge in memberships.

"Is that his girl?" Noah pointed to the tall girl resembling a runway model next to him in the picture.

"This week," Gio said, finishing his brushing and walking back to the restroom.

"Yep," Abel said with a grin. "I'm pretty sure this one is a different one from the one I saw him with on TV a few weeks ago."

Abel filled him in on the details of the championship fight. If Felix won, this could mean big things for 5th Street. The press had already come by a few times and interviewed Jack about the alumnus of the gym who had made a name for himself in the boxing world. Felix was part of the reason why Noah's clients were willing to pay so much. The fact that he listed Felix as one the guys he helped train sparkled on his trainer's resume.

Noah had known Felix the least compared to the other guys. By the time he moved into the Fuentes' home, Felix was already on his way to stardom. So Noah got to train with him for only a few months before Felix left town and went on the road. He moved his mother and brothers out to a better neighborhood, and they'd since only seen him when he'd swing by and make an appearance at 5th Street. Gio had been the closest to him. In a way, that's why Noah and Gio had gotten so tight. It was almost as if Noah took Felix's place in Gio's life.

Gio walked out of the restroom, smiling. "Let me see that again?" Abel handed him the newspaper and Gio laughed. "Yeah, that's a different chick. He probably has a different one in every city. Must be nice."

Noah frowned, walking back to pick up his gym bag. He had to admit Felix's lifestyle now was one he did envy a bit. Who wouldn't? The guy had a real shot at the title, and from what he'd heard about the fat contract he'd signed with his promoter, money wouldn't be an issue for him anymore. If he got the title, that would only make the pot sweeter. He'd be set for life. But the whole different-girl-in-each-city thing Noah wasn't so sure about.

He walked to the back and into the locker room, feeling even tenser now than when he'd left the house that morning. What bothered him about his new way of thinking was that he knew it had everything to do with Roni. A few months ago before he'd met her, he would've completely agreed with Gio. What guy in his right mind wouldn't agree? But Noah was no longer in his right mind, not since he'd let Roni invade his every thought. And the most infuriating thing about it was that because of Hector's big mouth, if she hadn't been convinced before that he was just like all the other guys his age—immature players who were in no way interested or ready for a serious monogamous relationship—she was now.

There were a few guys in there, and Gio strolled in, eyeing him with that smirk that Noah had a feeling had to do with Roni. Only Noah didn't need to hear it right now. "What?"

"I didn't say anything." Gio laughed.

"Whatever it is, dude, I'm not in the mood for it today."

"Why? Are you in the doghouse because of Hector?"

Noah wouldn't even look at him. Instead, he opened his locker, trying not to frown. "Like I said, in case you didn't hear me back there, no. I already told you it's not like that with me and her. We're just roommates."

"Noah, come on. Who you kidding? The way you act when she shows up here every night ain't no one gonna confuse her for _just_ your roommate. And you know that's what you want."

Still refusing to turn and face him, Noah began wrapping his hands. Gio was damn right that's what he wanted, but admitting it out loud would be another thing. "Hey, I can't help what everyone else assumes."

"Is that right? So is that why your face went white yesterday when Hector brought up Rita?"

Noah clenched his jaw. He'd hoped no one had noticed he'd felt nearly faint when Hector started in on him. He was still thinking about how to respond when Gio hit him with another surprising observation. "But her reaction was worse than yours."

That was more than enough to persuade Noah to turn back and face his best friend. "What do you mean?"

Gio straddled the wooden bench between the lockers and leaned his back against the wall. "She seemed shocked at first, though I'm pretty sure she was trying to hide it, and then, I don't know, hurt? She definitely wasn't happy about it. Why do you think I threw the napkin at Hector and tried to make it sound like he was making that shit up? Of course, his dumb ass didn't catch on until it was too late. Abel saw it too, man. He let Hector have it after you left."

Noah stared at him. He remembered the change in her tone last night when she mentioned his "drive by" with Rita. Could it be possible that was the cause of her being upset?

When Hector first brought it up in front of her, his fear wasn't that she'd be upset, but that it would confirm what she was thinking all along—that he _was_ too young and immature and in no way someone she'd ever consider getting involved with.

He hadn't even been sure until recently if he even wanted to be involved with anyone. Was he really ready for a _serious_ relationship—ready to settle down? One thing he _did_ know was he sure as hell didn't want her dating anyone else. And the thought of her settling down while he was still living in the same house with her was a thought he wouldn't even entertain.

Noah's mind raced, replaying last night's conversation, frowning when he remembered that she hadn't really seemed upset until he brought up Derek. Was he really such a sore subject for her still? On Thanksgiving, she'd changed the subject, admitting she didn't want to talk about him. After last night, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to bring him up again without making things uncomfortable.

She'd cried. Of that he was almost certain as he'd heard her voice give. Could she have possibly been crying about Rita? It made no sense. That would mean she had feelings for him—actually considered him a possibility. She made certain last night that he knew that wasn't the case. So her tears _were_ for Derek?

Tightening his jaw, he went back to working on taping his hands. "She never even mentioned Rita, so I don't know what to tell you about her looking upset. Maybe it just took her by surprise that dumb ass Hector would say something like that in front of her."

Noah wouldn't mention the one comment she did make about it because then he'd have to explain that it'd been brought up only after he accused her of being jealous about Gio and the groupie. That alone would confirm what Gio was already insisting: that Noah _was_ looking at her as more than just her roommate. Otherwise, why would he care?

"Oh, she was surprised. I'll give you that. But there was more to it. Ask Abel if you don't believe me. He even said he wouldn't be surprised if you ended up sleeping here last night."

Noah looked up at him again. For as much as he was trying to be indifferent about his nosey friend's observations, Gio was making it damn hard. Only he knew Gio wasn't just being nosey. He was worried and Noah knew exactly why.

The one time Noah had gotten his hopes up about a chick, his heart had been crushed. He was younger and a bit more naïve, but truth be told Noah had never truly been young in his life. By the age of eight, he'd been through more shit than some adults he knew. But as Jack had said to him once, "the heart is forever inexperienced." So maybe that was his problem.

Ironically, Tessa, the girl who'd crushed him, was also older as well, and while the age difference wasn't quite as big as the one between him and Roni, the difference between a sixteen-year-old virgin and a nineteen-year-old highly experienced girl was _huge_.

Having always been big for his age, Noah seemed older to Tessa when they first met. When she found out that not only was he three years younger than her but he was also a virgin, she admitted that being his first would be exciting. Being with a nineteen-year-old who professed to being very experienced had been beyond any fantasy that Noah had ever had about his first time. He never imagined the power any sex, much less mind-blowing sex, could have on a hormonally charged sixteen-year-old boy. After they started having it, he was like a lovesick puppy, following her around, doing whatever she asked, even if she didn't ask nicely.

The guys called him pussy-whipped, and in hindsight, it's exactly what he was, but he couldn't get enough. She became like a drug to him. He needed her, and he confused that need for love. When she dumped his ass for an older guy, he'd been devastated. Only even back then, he'd held off from admitting what he really felt. Gio was the only one to this day who knew Noah had actually cried for the bitch. He'd broken down and finally had to let it out and tell someone what he was going through.

Noah wasn't himself for months after that. He began getting in trouble for ditching, and it was the only time in his life he'd tried drugs. Smoking pot and getting drunk was the only thing that helped numb the pain. Between Abel and Gio trying to talk sense into him and then Jack threatening to cut him off and not allow him in the gym anymore—the only other thing that helped get his mind off her—he stopped smoking pot and concentrated on training. Even with all the low moments his life had been riddled with, because this one came at an age when the magnitude of emotion with anything that went wrong was tenfold, it stuck with him _and_ Gio for a long time.

But this was different. He'd yet to even touch Roni. At this point, it was looking like he never would. And though much like with Tessa, Roni was all he thought about lately; there was so much more to his feelings for her. Tessa had been every sixteen-year-old boy's fantasy come to life. But other than the sex, there was nothing remotely profound about their relationship. Besides the unforgettable conversation he had with her when she admitted that being his first would be a turn-on, he couldn't remember even one other conversation with her.

With Roni, their relationship was all he had—a relationship that was growing even still—stronger and deeper than any he'd ever shared with anyone. As much as he wanted more with her, he had to admit that the thought of ruining what they had now scared the shit out of him.

Noah shrugged, bringing his attention back to the hand-wrapping. "She was fine with it. She'll be here tonight for her workout as usual. You'll see."

Gio stood up. "All right. Whatever you say. But if I were you, I wouldn't let Hector in on how _fine_ she was with it. Because you know the moment his ass gets a chance, he'll be opening his mouth again. Let what Abel told him stand, even if things aren't like we're thinking, because that was some uncomfortable shit last night."

Noah nodded but refused to comment any further. He knew Gio wouldn't be mentioning it if he didn't really believe what he had seen: that Roni had been upset about Rita. It just didn't make sense. Then there was that cheery note this morning.

Gio walked out of the locker room, and Noah finished wrapping his hands. He'd just have to wait and see if she ever brought it up again. Or maybe he would.

He'd decided the extra hour he had that morning he'd spend on the speed bag, but there was no way he was going to be able to concentrate until he spoke with Roni. He wanted to make sure she wasn't still upset with him for _any_ reason. He had to know they were good.

He called her before walking out of the locker room, but it went to her voicemail. He almost didn't leave a message but decided last second to leave one.

"Hey, Roni. It's me, Noah. Listen. I wanted to talk to you about last night. I hope you're not still mad at me. Can you call me when you get a chance? I'd feel better if we talked."

Pressing the end button, he stared at the phone for a moment before dropping it in his gym bag. He pushed the whole thing into his locker and locked it up.

The relaxed training Noah had planned on doing with the speed bag turned out to be more grueling than expected after running into Abel out there. Abel said there were some things he saw Noah doing during the fight that he wanted to work on with him. He held the heavy bag for Noah while Noah worked the hell out of his lower jab. Abel thought Noah should've been able to take the guy down even sooner if he'd landed better jabs. Noah knew exactly why his head hadn't been completely in the fight, but he wouldn't mention it; instead, he went along and worked on his body jabs.

The workout had served to get Roni off his mind because he hadn't thought about her until he walked into the locker room again. Anxious to check his phone, he pulled the gloves off as fast as he could.

"Hey, man." Noah turned just as he'd begun to work the combination lock on his locker to see Hector walking up to him. "I'm sorry about last night. I didn't know things were like that with you and Veronica. I hope I didn't mess things up for you."

Remembering what Gio said, Noah decided to neither confirm nor deny anything. He sure as hell didn't want Hector opening his big mouth again, burning up any last shred of hope he might have of convincing Roni he was mature enough to handle her. "Nah, it's cool. Don't worry about it."

"You sure? 'Cause I could talk to her. You know tell her—"

"No! Don't say anything to her. Just don't bring up Rita again."

Noah got the locker open and dug in his bag for his phone. He frowned. The disappointment of not having any missed calls was a little too much. He had to fight the urge to call her again. He'd see her soon enough.

"All right," Hector said. "But if you ever need me to say anything, I will."

Noah threw the phone back in his bag and closed the door. "Just keep your mouth shut around her, and we should be good."

They walked back out to the gym. Noah was determined to make it through the rest of the day without obsessing over Roni.

## Chapter 13

Since Veronica had started working out at 5th Street, the gym seemed to have picked up more members. The place was a lot busier these days. She often had to park out on the street as she did tonight because the small parking lot that once had plenty of parking was always full now. Noah said it had everything to do with their boxer friend who once trained here. He'd been doing a lot of plugging for the gym lately in television and radio interviews.

She hurried in a little earlier than usual. Before last night, she hadn't even planned on getting a Christmas tree, but after deciding she needed to get back to her old self, getting a tree seemed like a _normal_ thing to do, something she normally would've done weeks ago. Before her mother got sick, the holidays had been the best time of the year for her. This was it. She was determined to get back to normal. So tonight, she was cutting her workout short and leaving early to buy a tree.

Her heart sped up when her eyes met Noah's as she walked in. He smiled, but there was something cautious about his smile. She thought about his call. He was probably still worried about last night. She'd almost called him back but decided that would be making too big a deal about their little exchange, and that's the last thing she wanted.

"Hey." Noah still wore his boxing gloves. "You're early."

"Yeah, I need to get out of here early tonight."

He'd started taking off his gloves but stopped and stared at her. "Oh yeah? You have plans tonight?"

She dropped her gym bag on the floor and began to stretch. "Yep."

She knew he was probably thinking something social not a pathetic solo tree-shopping trip, so she let him think that instead of admitting the truth. Unfortunately, he kept on.

"With who?"

She came up from her bent position and pulled her leg up from behind her, holding her foot with her hand. "I have a date." She grinned. Not surprisingly, his eyes opened wide. Of course he'd be shocked, but he'd find out the truth soon enough, so she added with a shrug, "with a tree."

His shocked expression turned into a confused one. "A tree?"

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling. "I'm getting my Christmas tree tonight. I wanna have enough time to get home and decorate it tonight. Christmas is just around the corner."

Noah started working on removing his gloves again, but his eyes remained on her. "Oh, by yourself?"

She dropped her leg and picked up the other one. "Uh-huh." She smiled big, trying to appear more excited about it than she really was. The truth was she wasn't looking forward to it. She'd always had someone to go with her. Before her mom died, they went together and took forever to pick out the perfect one. When her mom got sick, Nellie took her mother's place and Rick helped get it in her house.

The thought of Noah accompanying her had crossed her mind, but after last night, she wasn't sure she should be spending so much time with him. Obviously, her feelings for him had grown way past the friendship or even crush stage. She needed to back up and get a hold of the situation. Christmas would be rolling around soon, and she was going to have to deal with him and Rita.

"I can go with you."

She shook her head a little too hard and too quickly, so she caught herself and tried to be a little more subtle about it. "No, that's okay. You don't have to."

His eyebrows pinched as he placed his glove under his arm and pulled his hand out. "Look, Roni. About last night—"

"Can we just forget about last night?" She shrugged. "They said the holidays would be tough my first year without my mom, and I think it's just been making me a little weird."

She hated using her mother as an excuse, but telling him the truth, that hearing about him and Rita had done such a number on her that she'd tossed and turned all night, was _not_ an option. Ridiculous is what it was, and if she had any intention of holding on to her only friend these days, then she needed to start getting used to hearing things of that nature.

"Okay," he said, pulling the second glove off. "But I wanna go with you tonight to get the tree if that's okay with you." He lifted his eyebrows playfully. "Never picked out my own tree either, and since I live there now, this will sort of be my Christmas tree too. I'll even pay for it."

"No, you will not."

"Why not?" He finished tying the strings on his gloves then threw them over his shoulder. "I'll give you half then. I'm planning on decorating it too, you know. I wanna get the most out of this. Who knows where I'll be next year?"

Their eyes met. That last statement put a sudden damper in their conversation. They were obviously both thinking the same thing. This arrangement wasn't forever, something she never imagined would be so hard to take. For a split second, she thought about the possibility of telling him he could stay for good if he didn't want to go back to living in a garage. She didn't mind having a roommate now. But she shook the thought away. The possibility of him inevitably being around other women, bringing them back to his room even, was something she knew now she wouldn't be able to handle. She'd have to cut her losses and be thankful her heart was still in one piece—hopefully—when it finally came time for him to leave.

"You can come with me if you want, but you're not paying for the tree."

Noah frowned but agreed, saying he'd be back for her workout once he put his things away.

Veronica's breakfast with Nellie hadn't gone as planned. She was going to let Nellie in on how she'd felt the night before when she heard about Rita, but she felt so stupid she couldn't do it. She had absolutely no right to feel angry, _betrayed_ even, and it was embarrassing to admit she had. She blamed Thanksgiving. As much as she'd reminded herself repeatedly that she'd only be setting herself up for the inevitable heartache if she got caught up with such a young guy, Thanksgiving had been so wonderful. She'd felt a closeness she'd never felt with anyone else. She thought maybe, just maybe, he'd felt it too. Then she found out that the very next day he'd slept with someone.

She sighed as she concentrated on stretching until she was interrupted by a sweaty guy holding a jump rope. She'd begun to familiarize herself with most of the members, but since there'd been so many new ones, there were lots she didn't recognize. This guy was one of them.

"Hello." He waved at her. "My name is Edward. I'd shake your hand, but mine is a little sweaty right now."

"Hi," she said and stopped stretching, a bit curious.

"I just started working out here a little over a week ago. I noticed you right away and have been meaning to introduce myself."

Veronica felt the nerves immediately. This guy looked around Noah's age, maybe a little older, but then, like Noah, he was a big guy and that had completely thrown her off about Noah's age. It'd been a long time since she'd had anyone hit on her.

"You're a little early today, aren't you?"

He'd even noticed what time she worked out? Wow. He must've really been watching. "Yeah, I'm leaving early today, so I thought I'd make up for it and get here early. I'm Veronica by the way."

She watched as Noah approached from behind Edward with that hard look he so often had when they worked out.

"Listen. Part of the reason I hadn't approached you was because you're always with that one guy. Are you and him—?"

"Yeah, we are," Noah said, getting a little too in Edward's face.

Edward backed up with a smirk. Veronica watched, her mouth dropping open. Abel and Gio walked toward them cautiously.

Edward lifted his hands, nodding, but the smirk was still there. "I had a feeling that was the case. I'm glad I asked. No harm, no foul, right? Can't blame a guy for trying." He turned and winked at Veronica. "Nice meeting you, Veronica."

Noah didn't say another word. He simply stared at Edward until he walked away then turned back to Veronica. "Ready to work out?"

Veronica's mouth really fell open now. She shook her head and blinked. "First, can you explain what that was about?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked at him incredibly. "Me and you _are_ what?"

"Workout partners, right? Isn't that what he was asking?" Noah walked past her, but she didn't miss the corner of his lip lifting as he did. "We should make this a good one since it's gonna be short."

"That is _not_ what he was asking, and you know it." Veronica followed him, feeling secretly thrilled. Had Noah really implied to another possible suitor that she and he were . . .? She wouldn't even think it. Maybe he'd just been playing; though his body language had said anything but.

He stopped so fast she nearly collided with him. "Why? What do _you_ think he was asking?"

She looked up at his eyes that had gone back to hard again like when he'd gotten in Edward's face. "Well, just based on what he said before you got there—"

"What did he say to you?" His brows furrowed, looking around the gym, and then he turned back to her, searching her eyes.

Great, now she felt like a braggart. She shrugged, trying to make less of it and suddenly feeling stupid. "Just that he only started working out here a week ago, but he said he noticed me right away."

"Is that right?" She watched his jaw work as he looked around the gym again.

If she didn't know any better, unbelievably she'd think her instincts had been right. Noah _was_ jealous. His eyes came back to hers and he stared at her hard. "So what? You interested?"

"No, but—"

"Good. 'Cause he looked like an asshole." He started toward the treadmill again, and she followed, glancing around.

Edward _did not_ look like an asshole to her. But her instincts once again told her she better just shut it and let it go. It was very reasonable that, like her, Noah had begun to feel there was a bit more to their friendship. She couldn't decide if that was necessarily a good thing. This could be bad.

Veronica had every intention, especially after last night, to go back to work starting the New Year. Her old supervisor had already told her to just come in on the second and they'd work out the formalities. She planned to give her social life a jumpstart too. The last thing she needed was for Noah to get the idea it was okay for him to play the overprotective friend/roommate. She'd already seen what he was capable of doing in the ring. Incidents like today's could escalate very quickly.

~*~

Noah was going to have to get a grip when it came to seeing Roni with other guys. He'd known it all along. Everyone had already seen it, and now he was certain she had too. He wasn't even sure if it mattered anymore. The moment he saw the guy talking to her and got close enough to hear what he was asking her, he decided he didn't care if he was obvious.

If she'd pushed even slightly more, he would've told her the truth: admit that, that's what she did to him, and if he ever saw another guy try to make a move on her again, especially in _his_ gym, that's how he'd be reacting to everyone. He could lie to himself and say it wouldn't happen, that he could keep his cool, but after today, he knew there was no way.

The whole point of getting in the guy's face the way he had was so that, if any of the other new members watching ever got any stupid ideas about Roni, they'd now know what they were in for.

The first thing Gio had said to him when he walked into the locker room after Roni's workout was, "You still sticking to your story that there's nothing more going on between you and _Roni_? Even _she's_ gotta know you were ready to knock that guy out—because of her."

Noah had just shrugged but didn't offer an explanation. His actions spoke for themselves. Still, what bothered him most now was that his actions didn't mean anything if she still wanted nothing to do with him. He had to think of a way to convince her and do it fast, because this was getting out of control. He hadn't so much as held her hand yet, and his carnal instincts were already claiming her as his.

Now he was more convinced than ever that he was going to have to come up with a way to give him a shot. He had to. If he didn't, the only other option was to remain friends, but he knew now that would never work. He'd blow up the first time he ever saw her with someone else, and it wouldn't be pretty either. No way could a friendship withstand something like that, and no way would he stick around to see it over and over again. The game had suddenly changed, and Noah felt the urgency. Either he found a way to make her his, or he'd have to make a clean break. There could be no in-between.

They dropped off his bike at her house, showered, then drove to the tree lot in her car. She never brought up the guy at the gym, and Noah was relieved. He needed more time to prove himself to her before he told her how he really felt.

They walked around the lot, and Noah watched as she scrutinized every tree before deciding it wasn't good enough and moving on. He wondered if metaphorically this was how she chose the guys she went out with. Everything had to be just right, not just the look of it but the smell and feel of it too. She also said she was looking for that special something, and she'd know it when she saw it. After the sixth or seventh one (he'd lost count), he had to laugh. "What exactly is it you're looking for?"

"I can't explain it," she said, standing back, taking the next one in from top to bottom. "It's something about the way it makes me feel when I pass by it every day in my living room. My mom always said you'll know it when you see it."

"What if it's not in this lot? How do you know you're looking in the right place?"

"Oh, no, this is the lot. This is the same lot where I always find the perfect one."

"Well, maybe that's your problem. The perfect one for you could be somewhere else this year. Somewhere you've never even given a shot."

She glanced at him, and he held her gaze for a moment, hoping she'd pick up on what he was trying to tell her. She took a deep breath before walking around the group of trees she'd just scrutinized thoroughly.

"This is it," she announced, pointing to a tree that didn't look at all special to him.

"Really? That was fast. Are you sure?"

She nodded but didn't look away from the tree. Somehow, he expected her to be more excited about finally finding the perfect one. She'd taken long enough.

"All right." He walked over to the tree and picked it up.

"You got it?" she asked as he walked by her. "You sure you don't need help?"

"Nope, I got it."

She paid for it while he tied it up on the roof of her car. On the way home, he told her about his next fight. "It's next month. You'll be there, right?"

She winced but nodded. "I hate the thought of watching you get hurt. But of course, I'll be there, as long as it's in the evening, because I'll be back at work by then."

He remembered her mentioning that. He tried not to frown at the thought of her being around a bunch of college guys. "So, it's official? I know you said you wanted to, but it's a sure thing now?"

"Yep, I start on the second. Classes don't start up until the following week, but the administrative staff goes back first thing after the New Year. I have no idea what I'll be doing. But I know the beginning of the year is a very busy time for us, so I'm sure they'll find something for me."

Noah turned to her when he reached a stoplight. Since driving with a tree on the roof made Roni nervous, he was driving. Her eyes had that twinkle in them he only saw when she got excited or happy.

"I'm just glad to finally get back to living again. I'm so grateful for Nellie. If it hadn't been for her pushing, I might've never stepped foot in that gym."

"I'm grateful for her too." Their eyes met and that twinkle turned into something else, something like discomfort or, worse, _fear_. "I mean, if you had never gone to the gym, I would've never met you, right? I got a great new friend out of it and even a place to stay. You bet I'm grateful."

She smiled and he stepped on the gas. The rest of the ride to her house was a quiet one. Noah took a deep breath. He was going to have to be careful from here on about the things he said to her, especially about his feelings for her.

## Chapter 14

Noah took the tree off the car roof and carried it in the house, allowing for little assistance from Veronica.

Between the two of them, they put it up in her living room. Noah turned on the radio and they began decorating. Veronica tried not to be too obvious about how nervous she was suddenly feeling, being around Noah. He seemed just a little too content tonight. There was almost a gleam in his eyes, but after a few songs, she forced herself to snap out of it and enjoyed their decorating evening.

"Ooh, now for my favorite part." She brought a small wooden step stool from the kitchen into the living room and placed it next to the tree. Noah smiled curiously as she took a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper out of a box and unwrapped it carefully. The beautiful and very delicate crystal star tree-topper was as she always remembered it.

"Fancy," Noah said, admiring it.

"It's been in the family for generations."

Noah pulled his hands away. "Then I'm not touching it. I might break it."

Veronica giggled. "You don't have to. It's been my job to place it atop the Christmas tree since I was five. I do it every year. My grandmother said the tradition gets passed on to the newest member of the family, but since no one was ever born after me in the family, I've been the only one doing it ever since."

She stepped up on the stool and proceeded carefully to place the star at the very top of the tree. It took her a few tries before she got it just right. As she pulled her arm away slowly, making sure she didn't disturb the tree, the stool wobbled a bit.

"Careful!" Noah reached out for her hand, but instinctively and a bit panicked, she pulled back before their fingers touched.

"I'm okay." Only she jerked back so fast the sudden movement made the stool wobble even more and down she went—right into his arms.

The stool fell all the way over, but Noah held her safely. With their bodies touching now, the reality sank in fast—she was in Noah's big strong arms.

She could feel his heart begin to thud against her own.

"You okay?"

Veronica nodded, her betraying eyes going slowly from his eyes to his lips, and though she knew she should, she couldn't pull herself away. He licked his bottom lip, and she stared, imagining how his beautiful lips would feel against hers. His hold on her tightened a little. Was this really happening? Was she going to let him kiss her?

Unable to control it, her body shivered, and she closed her eyes, squeezing them tight as she willed away the incredible urge to give into the moment.

"What is it?"

"Noah." She finally found the strength to pull away gently.

"What's wrong?" The concern in his voice was genuinely tender.

"What happened today at the gym . . . I feel like . . ." She glanced away from him, focusing on the star on the tree. "I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about us. I like this: how things are between us."

"I love it."

She turned back to him. God, she hoped he understood. "I love it too, Noah. And that's exactly why we have to keep it this way. If things change—"

"Okay," Noah said a bit too quickly, and Veronica caught the alarm in his eyes. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm not. It's just that your friendship means the world to me now. I want to make sure you're aware of that.

He stared at her. "I am aware of it, and don't worry. I feel the same way."

Finally, the anxiousness she'd begun to feel ever since he'd gotten in Edward's face at the gym eased a bit. "Good." Hoping to lighten up the moment, she glanced back up at the star on the tree again and smiled. "Looks good, right?"

"It's perfect," he said in a near murmur.

She continued to admire the tree, trying to focus on the memories of decorating it with her mother and grandparents. Instead, all she could do was obsess in her head about what they would be doing that very moment had she given in to the temptation. Would it have gone further than a kiss? She turned to him and smiled as the images of her undressing him became too vivid. "I worked up an appetite. How 'bout you?"

"Actually, food sounds great right about now." Noah smiled, following her out of the living room.

Shaking off all the built-up anxiety, Veronica headed to the kitchen. She really wasn't very hungry at all. She just needed something to change the subject and mood _fast_. "So what are you asking Santa for this year, Noah?"

"I already have all I need."

Veronica turned to him from the fridge. "Really?" She didn't want him to guess she was digging, but she did want to get him a little something, and she had no idea what would be appropriate. She was hoping for some clue to something simple and fun. She turned and looked into the fridge, trying to sound casual. "No special cookies or gadget you'd want to indulge yourself with?"

He shook his head. "Nope, how 'bout you?"

"I usually just go shopping after the holidays when everything is on special."

"But you have to open something Christmas morning," Noah insisted.

Veronica pulled out some pastrami and began to unwrap it. "Don Roberto from across the street brought me something. I'm one hundred percent sure it's jam. He has a plum tree, and he makes some every year and passes jars of the stuff out for Christmas. But he wraps it in a pretty bag, so I can open that." Veronica smiled. "And Nellie dropped her present off early since she'll be on a cruise all week."

She looked up in time to see him frown. "So she'll be gone again. How are you spending Christmas?"

"Like I always do. In my jammies all day, watching holiday movie marathons." She stirred the pastrami in the pan. The instructions said microwave, but she liked it crisp.

"I don't own pajamas, but I can watch with you in my sweats."

Veronica didn't look up from the pan. She hated feeling thrilled that he wanted to spend the entire day with her watching movies, but she couldn't help it. Before she could respond, he spoke again.

"Speaking of Christmas, Jack's having the gym's annual employee Christmas dinner this weekend. You should come with me."

Veronica turned to him as she moved the pastrami around in the pan, the unease creeping in again. Was he asking her on a date? "A Christmas dinner?"

"Yeah, it's not formal or anything. Since he leaves the place up to us, we only ever choose two places: Rio's, the pizza place we were at the other night, or Chente's, a Mexican seafood hole-in-the-wall over on Evergreen."

"I've been to Chente's. They have good food."

Noah smiled. "Well, that's where it's at this year. It's completely informal, but it's fun."

"Won't it be just employees though?"

"Are you kidding me? Jack will just pay for us, but everyone shows up. Like after the fight the other night, Gio's sisters usually show up too."

Veronica lifted a shoulder. If she ever wanted this thing between her and Noah to feel normal, she had to stop making more out of everything they did and he said. "I haven't had Chente's in a while. I love their shrimp fajitas."

"Damn, that sounds good. We'll order that on Saturday."

And just like that, it was settled. Veronica was going to Noah's Christmas dinner with him. But not _with_ him, with him, she told herself. Just with him.

~*~

Saturday's workout was a short one again. Roni wanted to leave early to shower and get ready for the dinner. Most of the other guys were just rinsing off at the gym and going straight there. In the past, Noah would've done the same. He wasn't kidding when he said it was completely informal, but tonight felt different.

Ever since he'd held Roni so close a few nights earlier, he still hadn't gotten over the electric current that had pierced through his body. He'd never felt anything like it, but most memorable and what he hadn't stopped thinking about was she'd felt something too. It was undeniable. Though she fought it, Noah had seen it in her eyes—felt it in her trembling body. It gave him hope—hope that if she was feeling for him what he wouldn't even try denying he felt for her anymore, then maybe somehow he could convince her things _could_ work between them.

Noah understood her fear of ruining their friendship. He feared that also—more than feared it. He didn't even like to think of the two of them going their separate ways. But that would only happen if things didn't work out, and he didn't see how they couldn't. They got along so well. She was the perfect girl for him as far as he was concerned. Fuck the age difference. That didn't mean shit to him. Now that she put it out there that her biggest fear was ruining what they had, he was even more hopeful that the age thing was becoming less of an issue for her.

Tonight was the beginning of Operation Make-Her-See-That-We're-Meant-for-Each-Other.

After showering, he splashed a little extra aftershave on. She'd mentioned before that she liked it. There was a knock at his bedroom door just as he slipped his jeans on. He zipped them up and clasped the button. "Come on in."

The door opened halfway and immediately her eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay." He chuckled as he slipped into his shirt. Her reaction to seeing him shirtless was amusing as hell. "I'm almost ready. You ready to go?"

She pushed the door open a little further. "I know you said it's very informal, but you don't think this is too informal?"

He couldn't believe his luck. He had the go-ahead to size her up completely, something he did often but only when she wasn't looking. She even lifted her arms at her sides. _Thank you, Jesus_. He took her in slowly from top to bottom and then back up again. She wore jeans and her gray boots with the fur, the kind he loved seeing her in. Her V-necked sweater matched her boots, and those adorable dark curls hung loose around her face. He swallowed hard and realized he'd done far more than just size her up. His eyes had just about violated her.

"You're . . . You look great." He caught himself before saying what he really wanted to say, that she was beautiful, remembering how spooked their near-kiss made her. For a moment after she'd fallen into his arms, he'd thought she might bolt from the room like she had before. It had almost hurt to let go of her.

She crinkled her nose, making him smile. "I'm not too casual? I mean I know the place is totally casual, but this _is_ a Christmas dinner."

"Trust me. Most of the guys are going there straight from the gym. Jack probably is too, and you've seen how he dresses."

Her expression relaxed. "Okay, well, then I guess I'm ready whenever you are."

Noah finished getting his shoes on, and they were on their way. When he pulled up onto the restaurant's narrow street, he took in how many cars were already in the restaurant's parking lot. Every year this little Christmas shindig got bigger. They'd have to look for a new place next year or stick with Rio's. He didn't mention to Roni that one of the reasons it was either this place or Rio's was because they were the only two places they knew of that didn't card. She didn't need another reminder that he was too damn young for anything.

His stomach dropped when he noticed Rita's Honda. He'd forgotten that last year she'd come down a few days before Christmas also. He didn't have to worry about the guys saying anything more about his after-Thanksgiving _ride_ with her. Luckily, Rita wasn't the type to say or do anything stupid if she saw him walk in with another girl. Gio wouldn't even have to warn her. She just wasn't like that. But now Roni would be reminded of Hector's comments about Rita—a reminder that she thought him young, immature, and into "drive-bys." Not to mention it would remind her that he'd gone out and done this just after he'd spent such a wonderful day with her. Damn it all to hell!

They parked and got out of the car. Noah didn't even notice he was frowning until he glanced at Roni as they walked through the parking lot. She was looking at him oddly. "Something wrong?"

He tried to ease up the tension he felt building. "No, not at all." Then he forced a smile.

The restaurant was in a building that was clearly an old tenement once upon a time. The doorways were small. Noah held the door for her and let her walk in first, since it was impossible to walk through the door together. The bell on the door jingled and some Spanish Christmas music played on the jukebox. The guys were all already there. Just about every table was taken, but Abel and Gio had saved them seats.

Gio had obviously anticipated what Noah might be feeling about Rita being there, because the seats he'd saved for them were the farthest from where Rita sat with his sisters at the opposite end of the table. They walked through the crowded restaurant and waved at everyone as they passed them to get to their seats.

They sat between Jack and Gio. "Everyone's already ordered, but the waitress said she'd be over as soon as you two got here to take your order. Order whatever you want." Jack smiled at Roni. "You too, little lady."

Noah breathed in, feeling a little better that, not only did Rita sit at the other end of the table, but so did Hector. Since he'd waved, giving everyone a generic hello, he wouldn't have to be introducing Rita to Roni. Another thing that made him smile now was how perfect it felt walking in with her. Everyone here was under the assumption now that they were an item, and no one seemed to think it strange.

They ordered the shrimp fajitas, and Roni hadn't even flinched when the waitress had asked if they wanted the platter for two. They were sharing a plate just like a real couple would, and no way would he ever tell her how excited something so trivial made him. Not only did it make him feel totally immature, but he was sure it was something only a damn teenage _girl_ would get excited about!

Everything was going smoothly until the plates started coming out. One of the things Chente's was famous for was the portions were humongous. Every plate that was placed on the table was commented on.

The waitress placed Rita's plate in front of her. It was this huge red mountain. Gio's sisters giggled as Rita's eyes grew looking at it.

"Damn!" Abel said, laughing. "Rita, what is that thing?"

Noah froze. Roni's attention had already been on that end of the table, but Noah glanced at her after the mention of Rita's name, and her eyes went from the burrito to Rita's face.

"It's a wet burrito," Rita said, laughing. "No one told me it would be this big!"

Gio's sisters laughed even louder as if they'd pulled a good one on her. It _was_ a good one actually. That had to be the biggest burrito he'd ever seen in his life. If it hadn't been for his churning stomach, he would've been laughing like everyone else. Instead, he kept looking at Roni, whose eyes were glued to Rita's for a solid minute at least.

Thankfully, their sizzling fajita tray was brought out, and all attention was on them now.

"Damn, that looks good!" Gio said.

If everyone else's plates were oversized, theirs was ridiculous since it was made for two.

"We're never gonna finish this," Roni said, her eyes wide, and to Noah's relief, she smiled.

"Don't worry," Noah said, reaching for a tortilla. "I skipped lunch, so I'm starving."

Everyone dug in, and Rita's name wasn't mentioned again, at least not on his side of the table and not loud enough for him or Roni to hear. But he did notice Roni glancing in Rita's direction several times. She was subtle about it, but Noah was so damn paranoid about the whole thing he caught it each time.

Noah had begun to finally relax when people started finishing their dinners and moving around to talk to others at the table whom they hadn't been able to during dinner. He straightened up a little when he saw Gio's youngest sister Pria and Rita walking toward their end of the table.

"What did you guys order?" They walked past them and ended up at the head of the table, facing them. "Oh my God, Gio." Pria laughed. "Soup, really?"

"It was their _siete mares_ soup. You should've seen how much seafood was in it."

"Well, shit." Abel laughed. "The bowl is big enough to bathe a baby in!"

They all laughed. Noah laughed nervously, praying nothing stupid would be said about him and Rita. He trusted his friends, and even Hector knew not to blow this, but he couldn't help worrying.

"How were your fajitas, Noah?" Rita asked. "They smelled heavenly when she walked them past us. But, good Lord, that platter was huge."

"They were good," Noah said, hating that he'd now have to introduce her to Roni. "And yeah, it was for two. We shared," he said, gesturing to Roni. "This is Ron— uh, Veronica, my roommate."

"Just say Roni, dude," Hector said, coming up and standing behind Abel's chair. "It's what you call her."

Noah pressed his lips together and ignored Hector. "Veronica, this is Gio's cousin Rita."

Rita smiled very genuinely. "Nice to meet you, Veronica."

"Nice to meet you too," Roni responded.

Noah couldn't believe how incredibly uncomfortable he was. They talked mostly about the food, and then they moved on to talk about the games they would play on Christmas Eve at Gio's. Suddenly, they were all laughing, reminiscing about the previous year. "Remember your uncle and the tissue box with the ball," Abel said, laughing.

They all laughed at once. Even Noah couldn't help laughing.

"Box with the ball?" Roni asked.

To Noah's surprise, Rita was the one who jumped in to explain as she continued to laugh. "We played this game where they tie this empty tissue box to your behind with a ping pong ball in it." She paused to laugh, shaking her head, her hand over her mouth. "And you're supposed to shake your ass, jump, wiggle, whatever it takes until the ball comes out of the hole. It's timed so whoever does it fastest wins. Everyone did it until it was my dad's turn, and when the music started and all eyes were on him, he starts swaying his hips all sexy instead."

"It was hilarious!" Pria said. "We always play all kinds of silly games like that. It's so much fun. You should come with Noah this year."

"Yeah, bring her, Noah," Rita added. "You'll laugh your butt off," she said to Roni, "and"—she rolled her eyes—"usually at my dad's silly antics, but it's all in fun."

"I, uh . . ." Roni glanced back at Noah.

Knowing she had nowhere else to be on the twenty-fourth and most likely not on Christmas day either, he answered for her before she could think of an excuse. "I'll bring her."

Probably because everyone was watching, Roni just smiled and nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun."

Noah smiled, satisfied but could only hope she wasn't mad that he'd put her on the spot like that. With everyone staring at her, how could she possibly say no?

It's crazy how things work out sometimes. Noah had started the evening, dreading that Roni and Rita would be in the same room, and partially due to Rita, he'd now be spending his Christmas Eve with Roni. He expected Rita to be pleasant, and unlike most girls, he knew she wouldn't be catty about seeing him with another girl. That just wasn't her. What he _didn't_ expect was Roni's change in mood once she realized Rita was there. Sure, she'd agreed to Christmas Eve, but even now as they walked to her car, Noah got the strange feeling she might just take it back.

## Chapter 15

Don't say it. Don't go there. "So that's the Rita, huh?"

Ugh! She was so weak! The second Veronica heard Rita's name and realized this was the girl who Noah had been with so recently and would probably be with again real soon, her insides were on fire. She'd never been that type of girl, but as much as she tried, she could not stop looking at her. She'd nearly lost her appetite all at once and had to force herself to eat while trying not to stare at _Rita_.

"Um, yeah." Noah shifted in the passenger seat. Veronica had sensed his discomfort at the restaurant as well.

"She seems nice." She really had— _too_ nice.

"She is," Noah said, glancing out the window.

"She's pretty." If you liked the overly made-up type with massive tits.

Veronica could almost imagine those huge things bouncing above Noah as Rita _rode_ him hard. This time Veronica was the one who looked out her window, grinding her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. _Stop it._

"I guess."

Noah was obviously not going to willingly contribute to this conversation, but for some stupid reason, Veronica couldn't drop it. She should. She really should, especially after concluding that Noah's feelings for her were passing the friendship line, and she had to put a stop to it. She'd already made a conscious decision to start pulling away. But her insides were still boiling just thinking about him and Rita and where he might be spending his free time now that she was in town.

"So I guess you two will be hanging out now that she's here for the holidays, right?" And her stupidity continued.

Noah shifted again in his seat, and he cleared his throat. "I don't know. We didn't talk about it or anything. Probably not."

Veronica chuckled. It came out sounding a little more sarcastic and louder than she expected to.

"What?" Noah asked, turning to her.

Veronica backpedaled, feeling like an idiot. She shrugged. "Nothing."

"That didn't sound like _nothing_."

She stared ahead, not wanting to look at him. _Let it go. Say you were thinking of something else._ "It's just that, well, you know, after what Hector said the other day, I'm pretty sure you'll make the time." _Why_ did she never listen to that little voice of reason?

"Once you get to know Hector a little better, you'll know that half the stuff that comes out of his mouth is bullshit."

Finally, she forced herself to do the right thing and change the subject, but not before rolling her eyes. "Listen. About Christmas Eve—"

"Unless you have other plans, you're going, Roni. I don't want you home alone."

"But—"

"If you don't go, I'll stay home with you."

Veronica frowned as she pulled into her driveway. She'd agreed to go but had every intention of getting out of it. Noah and Rita hadn't gotten so much as a moment alone at the dinner much less done anything _cozy_ , but Veronica knew now, without a doubt, it wasn't something she'd want to be witness to. There would likely be drinking involved on Christmas Eve and an atmosphere that might allow for more interaction between them, but she couldn't have him stay home on her account.

They both got out of the car and headed for the front door. "Noah, you can't do that. It's just that I'd feel more comfortable if I stayed home. Those are _your_ friends. Just because I'm your roommate—"

"You're my friend too, remember? And as far as I'm concerned, we're more than friends now."

Veronica froze as she pushed the front door open and glanced back at him. Their eyes locked, and then he added, "We're like family now."

She let out a slow breath and stepped in the door with Noah behind her.

"I mean it makes sense, right? You don't have anyone, and I don't either, but we have each other. If you wanna stay home Christmas Eve, then we'll stay home, but I won't leave you alone."

She exhaled as she walked toward the dining room. He wasn't going to give her a choice. Staying home was not an option. She wouldn't keep him from yet another one of his holiday traditions. She'd have to bite the bullet sooner or later. If they were going to continue to be roommates—friends—then she may as well get it over with. Seeing him with other women was inevitable, and like it or not, something she was going to have to get used to.

Placing her purse on the table, she gave him a little smile. "I'll have to make something to take. I won't go empty-handed."

He grinned at her, satisfied. "I'll help you make it. You're not getting all the credit."

Her smile felt a little more genuine this time, even though the idea of being around Noah and Rita made her more anxious than she'd ever admit.

A couple of things had been confirmed tonight. First of all, Noah had this friends-with-benefits thing down to an art. Everyone there assumed Veronica and Noah had _something_ going on. Yet Rita hadn't seemed bothered by it at all, something Veronica knew she could never do. At first, she thought it was an age thing, but Veronica was certain, even at twenty, she would not have been able to handle seeing the guy she'd just slept with a few weeks prior walk in with another girl and be so amicable about it. It just took a certain personality and Veronica didn't have it. Period.

Second, most of the guys there didn't even make an effort to be discreet about the way they gawked at Rita's bust. They were so obvious it was almost funny. Veronica's delusional theory that Noah was just protective of his friends, especially girls, and that's why he acted the way he had with the Edward guy at the gym had been squashed. Veronica had watched as the guys openly flirted with Rita, and Noah hadn't so much as flinched. He didn't seem bothered by it in the least.

Leading her to her final confirmation—one she'd suspected for weeks. Young and impressionable Noah had begun to fall for her and in the process was becoming territorial, something she really needed to discourage. Yet every time she said she was going to, she took one step backwards, possibly encouraging him further.

First, his employee Christmas dinner. Now Christmas Eve again with his friends whom he considered closer than family. So much for pulling back.

~*~

Noah had succeeded in turning Veronica into a believer. Anytime they went somewhere together now, she made him drive so she could play with his phone.

"I told you I'd sell you on it," he said with that handsome grin of his.

Just then the only thing she hadn't quite gotten a grasp on about his phone happened. A text came through, and she pressed something that had it pop wide open for her to read. She hated for him to think she was being nosey, but it was impossible not to read the text before she could figure out what happened.

"Oh! You got a text," she said, shoving it in his direction so he'd know she wasn't trying to read it, though she already had. It was from Gio telling him he better not be flaking tonight.

Noah read it as he came to a stop at the red light and smiled. He pushed something then spoke into his phone. "I'm around the corner."

Veronica giggled about the insanity of it.

"Really? You don't even have to text anymore?"

"Nope," he said, handing it back to her.

She played with it again until another text popped up that she tried not to read, but she did catch something about the guys making bets about whether he'd show or not. Veronica frowned, knowing she was the reason they were betting he wouldn't show. She set the phone down as they pulled up in front of an overly decorated home—the kind where the decorations have no rhyme or reason and there's big, small, multi-colored, and white lighting going on, as if they just threw every decoration they'd collected in the past twenty years onto the front lawn. "Is this his house?

Noah laughed as he got out of the car. "Yep, this is the famous Bravo Christmas fiasco. It gets worse, uh, better every year."

They hadn't been kidding about Christmas Eve at Gio's. For starters, his family was huge. Noah told Veronica about Gio's dad passing a few years ago but that his side of the family, the Mexican half, was still very much in touch, and a lot of them were here tonight. But then there was his mom's side of the family—the Italian side who it seemed were _all_ here tonight, and the place was packed. Between Gio's dad's side of the family, bringing all the tamales and a bunch of other Mexican dishes and his mother's side—Noah had mentioned several times before that they were known for going overboard on food even when it wasn't a holiday—there was an endless amount of food.

The two loaves of zucchini bread Noah and Veronica had baked together were quickly lost on the buffet table where they were told to set them. Most of the _younger_ crowd—cousins and friends around Gio's age and younger—spent the majority of the evening in the back yard.

It seemed there were three main generations here: The older generation in their forties and up—uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc. Then there were the young adults like Gio and the older teens, some in their early twenties with their young girlfriends or boyfriends who hung out in the back, having drinks and listening to music. Finally, the crowd Veronica should've been in was the older cousin crowd: the young married couples dealing with young kids and babies that were inside, talking about more pregnancies, Santa Claus, and shopping for toys.

After a while of obsessing about things like that and casually watching Rita for any signs of jealousy or resentment and finding none, Veronica decided to just relax and have fun.

Unbelievably, she was coaxed into playing some of the silly games and even won a prize, though she was certain it was a pity gift. She never even came close to winning any of the games. Veronica was embarrassed when she met Gio's mom. The only thing she knew about the woman was that she was Italian and she cooked a lot. With that in mind, Veronica had kept to the stereotype and pictured Gio's mom as short and heavy. To Veronica's surprise, the woman had a body a twenty-year-old would envy, and she was very young-looking for her age. And Gio had obviously gotten his striking green eyes from her. Since Gio was twenty, Veronica assumed his mother was in her early forties at least, yet she could pass for early thirties.

By the end of the night, Veronica was completely stuffed and exhausted. The night had begun with her dreading it, and now she was so glad she'd gone. She really had a pleasant time, and she had to admit it did beat staying home alone.

When they got to the party, she'd warned Noah that she might leave early but that he should stay as long as he wanted. Of course his response had been, "We'll leave whenever you're ready."

As sweet as that was, it was also worrisome. Noah was becoming far too devoted to their friendship. As much as she appreciated his loyalty as a _friend,_ she now knew he didn't see it as _just_ that.

For now, she had nothing to worry about. There was no one else in her life. But just like she'd never dream of asking Noah to close that door in his life, she wasn't closing it in hers either. Judging from the way he'd acted with Edward, if she didn't get a handle on this now, things could get ugly later.

~*~

After running his five miles Christmas morning, Noah got back to the house to find Roni still asleep. _Perfect_. He made a pot of coffee before jumping in to take a quick shower. Her door was still closed when he got out of the shower. He changed into a pair of loose sweats and a T-shirt, grabbed the gift bag from the closet, and placed it under the tree.

He was nervous as hell. It was something he'd thought of getting her before but was afraid she'd think him corny.

The doorknob to her room jiggled. She was up. Noah's eyes shot back down to the bag under the tree. There was still time; he could make a dive for it and get it before she saw it. But he took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen instead.

"Merry Christmas."

The sound of her voice instantly made him smile. He turned from where he poured himself a cup of coffee and smiled at her. "Merry Christmas."

He grabbed another cup out of the cupboard and poured her some coffee.

"I don't know about you, but I could go for some blueberry pancakes."

"Sounds good," Noah said.

Of all the Christmas mornings he'd ever had even as a child, he couldn't remember one feeling more satisfying than how he felt that very moment. Coffee and pancakes with Roni and the promise that he'd have her all to himself for the entire day. He couldn't think of a better present. Well, he could think of _one_ thing that could make this even better, but he wouldn't push it.

Noah walked Roni's mug over to where she stood by the stove and set it down for her. "Need any help?"

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "But you could turn on the Christmas music."

He did just that and walked back to lean against the counter. He tried not to stare at her profile, but at this point, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, even right now in the morning, e _specially_ right now in the morning, because this look—her tousled hair, her pajamas, and big fuzzy slippers—was reserved for him. No one else could see her like this but him.

She looked up and caught him staring at her like a lovesick puppy. The more he was around her, the less effort he put into concealing how he felt about her. Though he did take a sip of his coffee before he freaked her out and pulled her right out of her cheery mood.

"This year is almost over, Noah. Any resolutions for the New Year?"

"Nah, I don't make resolutions. Or I guess I do, but I call them goals, and I don't wait for the New Year to start toward them."

She turned to him, her eyebrow arched. "You have a point. Why wait?"

"Do you?" Noah asked, genuinely curious.

"It's not really a goal, but I want my life back. I'm just hoping that, by going back to work and catching up with my old friends, I can get back to the way things used to be, you know, before I let myself fall into this black hole I was in for so long."

Feeling a little annoyed by that last statement, Noah asked, "But you haven't been in it lately, right?"

She now had a stack of pancakes ready, and she flipped the last one onto the top of the stack, adding a sliver of butter on top like she had with all the others. She picked up the tray with the stack and turned to him. "No, I haven't, and I have you and Nellie to thank for that."

They sat and ate as she told him more about her plans for the next year, irritatingly adding that she was also going to work on getting her social life back.

"What does that mean?" Noah asked, digging his fork into his pancakes.

He noticed that she stopped cutting into her pancakes for a second before she responded. "I used to do things with my girlfriends from work. You know, go out to dinner, the show. Believe it or not, I used to play tennis a couple of times a week. I haven't done any of that in so long. I just buried myself away from everyone and everything. I'm anxious to go back to the way I once was—feel normal again."

"You should've said something; we could've gone to the show or played tennis."

Once again, he had to bite his tongue not to say more. He knew she had every right to go back to feeling _normal_. She should, but the thought of her getting back to possibly going out with guys made the food he swallowed go down like jagged rocks.

She stared at him for moment then smiled. "That's true. We could. But I'm still anxious about getting back to work and getting my old life back."

Noah polished off his pancakes and saw that she was nearly done. What he was anxious about all of a sudden was getting off this subject. "Ready to open up your gifts?"

Her eyebrows pinched together. "Gifts?"

She licked syrup off her bottom lip, and it was all he could do to keep from leaning over and helping her lick it all off. He managed to stop staring at her lips long enough to stand up and take his plate over to the sink. Clearing his throat, he said, "Yeah, you said your neighbor brought something over, right? And Nellie?"

Her expression eased up and she nodded in agreement.

"And I got you a little something."

She stopped chewing and looked up at him. "You did?"

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind. I just thought that it's Christmas and we're roommates—friends now, so—"

"I don't mind." She stood up and smiled. "Hold on. Let me go get what I got you."

Noah's stomach dropped as he watched her hurry back to her room. She'd gotten him a gift? He brought his hand to his forehead in a panic. What if she bought him something expensive? _Holy shit_. He'd never even stopped to think she'd get him something.

She walked back out into the front room with a big smile as he walked toward the tree. Roni knelt down next to the tree and handed him the gift bag. "You have to open yours first."

He knelt down in front of her. "I do? Why?"

"You'll see." She smiled so brightly it made him smile. "Just open it."

Noah took the bag and pulled out the tissue slowly. To his relief, it was clothes. He pulled the clothes out one garment at a time: two pajama pants—one with the Raiders' logo, the other with the Dodgers'. Noah laughed.

"I tried so hard to find some that had boxing gloves or anything that had to do with boxing, but they had nothing." She pouted adorably. "And I remembered you and the guys at the gym going on about the Raiders and the Dodgers."

"This is cool." He smiled, pulling out two dark colored, soft, long-sleeved, crew neck shirts and two pairs of thermal socks with rubber on the soles. "Anti-slippage?"

She giggled. "Of course, we wouldn't want you to fall!"

Noah put it all down and leaned over to hug her. "Thank you," he said as he took in her scent and the soft feel of her hair brushing against his face. Feeling her arm on his back made him squeeze his eyes shut, and he took in a deep breath of pure, unfiltered, refreshing Roni. This was the first time since the day she'd fallen off the stool that he'd been able to hold her. It felt damn good, but he knew it had to end, so he pulled away slowly, meeting her apprehensive eyes.

"You have to go change into one of them. That's why you had to open them first. Remember Christmas is pajama day around here."

"I will. Just as soon as you open yours."

He pulled the bag from under the tree and handed it to her. She took it a little too slowly, almost as if she were afraid of what it might be. Relief washed across her face when she pulled out the bunny slippers and giggled.

"I figured yours were getting a little raggedy."

"What?" Her eyes shot down to her slippers; then she laughed and had to agree. One of the eyes of her current bunny slippers was missing. "I guess it's time to put these down."

She pulled her slippers off and started to put the new ones on. Noah gulped, waiting for the moment she'd notice it. She slipped her foot halfway in the first one, then he saw the confusion on her face, and she looked up at him. Noah shrugged. Slowly, she took the slipper off and with her hand pulled out something wrapped in red tissue paper.

Again, she looked at him full of questions. "Open it."

She did, and it took her a moment to unravel it and see that it was a medal: the kind of medal that athletes win in competition.

"Read what it says."

She glanced at him then read, "Champ."

"The other side too," Noah said.

She flipped it over. "Forty pounds. You did it, Roni. I knew you could. I'm so proud of you. Noah."

He felt a little panicked when it seemed maybe she was tearing up. "I wanted to tell you so many times how proud I was of you."

"You did."

"I know, but since you are my first ever trainee, I wanted to do more. Jack gave me my first chance when you and Nellie walked in." He paused for a second when she pulled the medal over her head. Then he watched as she pulled her curls from under the ribbon so that it hung around her neck. "I had no idea how this was gonna turn out, but you were such a fighter. After the first workout . . ." He stopped when he saw her get on her knees and come toward him. He was immediately on his knees too. "I wasn't sure you'd be back."

When she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her small waist, burying his face in her curls. They held each other for a long time.

"I'm so glad you came back," he whispered.

She pulled back and cradled his face in her hands then kissed him softly on the cheek but so close to his mouth she caught the corner of his lips, and she didn't pull back. He felt her breathing accelerate, and then he kissed her back in the very same spot. Finally, she took a very deep breath and pulled away just enough to lean her forehead against his and smiled. "I'm glad I came back too. Thank you for this. It means so much to me." Noah stared at her, barely able to breathe and not wanting this moment to end. "Merry Christmas, Noah," she whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Roni," he whispered back.

She stared at him for a moment longer then smiled. "Now go get your jammies on. We got a marathon to watch."

## Chapter 16

I'm sorry I didn't hear from you over the holidays. I hope they were good. I really hope you're better. I'm here for you. You know that. Have a happy New Year.

Veronica read the text from Derek again. She knew what he was thinking: that she was wallowing in self-pity through the holidays, alone and pathetic. He'd texted her so much in the past few weeks that, if she didn't know any better, she'd think his guilty conscience was getting to him.

She hadn't responded even once. Maybe she should, just to let him off the hook, let him know that, while he thought her buried in grief and eating herself to death, she'd had not only the best Thanksgiving but the best Christmas that she could remember in years—if ever.

After nearly giving into her desires on Christmas Day and possibly ruining everything, she'd managed to turn it around, and they'd had the most perfect day, watching movies. They talked and laughed the whole day. Other than the times she and her mother had done the same thing, this was the best Christmas Day ever. She'd worn her medal the entire day. Even when Noah had teased her and told her she didn't have to, she refused to take it off.

She stared at her phone for another moment then decided against replying, tossing it on her bed. The day awaited her. She'd already warned Noah that she might not make their workout tonight. The mall after Christmas would be worse than it was the weeks before it. Every store was having clearance sales, and Veronica needed an entirely new wardrobe for work.

It was going to be another wet one out, but this couldn't wait. If she was going to make a clean start, then she needed the clothes to go with it. She grabbed her commuter mug and headed out her back door.

Noah had replaced her windshield wipers the day before when she told him about her day of shopping. He knew the rest of the week was supposed to be miserable. She smiled remembering his words, "I don't wanna have to worry."

He was such a sweetheart. She sighed. If only he were a few years older, damn it. She hopped in her car, slipping the keys into the ignition. The car made a hacking noise followed by a wheezing sound but wouldn't turn on. Her shoulders dropped. "Nooo!"

She tried again, and again the noises were there but no power. Her head dropped against the steering wheel and she gave it a minute. Silently praying, she tried it again. Nothing.

"Damn it!" She slapped the steering wheel, and then it hit her: this was the worst time her car could break down. Her first day of work was less than a week away.

Sitting up straight, she thought fast. What to do? She leaned over quickly and grabbed her purse then pulled the keys out of the ignition. Within minutes, she was on the phone with the auto club.

It would be at least a half hour before the tow truck would even be there to pick it up. Her day of shopping was shot. She tried Nellie. Maybe by some miracle she was free for the day. She hadn't spoken to her since before she left on her cruise a few days before Christmas.

To her surprise, she answered. "Hey, stranger."

With nowhere to go, Veronica plopped herself on the sofa. "How are you? How was the cruise?"

"It was wonderful. How was your Christmas?"

Veronica almost said it was wonderful also, but she knew better. "Quiet. We watched a movie marathon most of the day."

"Oh, good. I was worried maybe you'd spent the day alone. Noah was with you?"

Veronica rolled her eyes, trying hard not to feel resentful. Nellie had been home for days from her cruise, and she hadn't bothered to call. Veronica had to remind herself of all the selfless effort Nellie had made to get her back to feeling human again. "Yes, he was here. It was nice."

"What are you up to now?"

"Sitting here waiting for the auto club. My stupid car won't start, and I start work next week. I need to make sure it's running by then."

"Well, that stinks. But at least you have a few days to get it going, right?"

Veronica frowned. She thought about it for a moment before mentioning it. She hoped with all her might Nellie would offer to pick her up. "Worst thing is I was supposed to go shopping today for work clothes. I was all set to go and the car wouldn't start." She waited, her fingers crossed.

"Oh, man. Maybe you'll get it back before then." She paused and Veronica heard her sigh. "Honey, I'd offer to take you, but since we were gone for the holidays we're making our rounds this week. Rick's packing the car now. We're headed up north today to his sister's for a few days. Otherwise, you know I'd be there for you."

For some stupid reason that brought hot tears to Veronica's eyes. Besides Nellie, all she had was Noah, and something deep inside her knew it was just a matter of time before he was gone too.

"I know you would," she said, willing her voice not to break.

"I won't be back until after the New Year, hon, but we'll make a date and go shopping then, okay?"

Veronica nodded and wished her a safe trip. She sat there, feeling as pitiful as ever. She stood up, reminding herself that soon she'd be back at work and in touch with everyone she'd lost track of in the last two years. She'd _had_ more friends. They just stopped calling when she never returned their calls.

Her phone was a slider, and she slid it up and down, again and again, staring at it as she stood at the kitchen counter. She slid it open again and scrolled down to her last text from Derek.

Happy New Year to you too.

Her thumb swirled over the send button a few times before she hit it. Almost in a huff, she set the phone down on the counter, walked over to the stove, and pulled out a saucepan from the cabinet. This was ridiculous; it was just a simple text. She pulled the _Abuelita_ hot chocolate from the pantry. She was working on breaking the pieces of chocolate apart when she heard the ping from her phone. Her fingers continued to break the pieces apart, but her mind was on her phone, so she set the chocolate down and walked over to the counter and picked it up.

Hey it's good to finally hear from you. How are you?

Weird things were going on in her stomach, but it wasn't for a good reason. She had a bad feeling about this from the moment she'd considered responding. Things of this nature were the very reason why she feared Noah would not be in her life for much longer. Just the thought of mentioning to him that she'd been in touch with Derek again put a huge knot in her stomach, but the reality was she owed him no explanation. In fact, if he was truly her friend, she should be able to talk to him about this, right? So why was she seriously considering not responding to Derek?

With a deep breath, she shook her head. Nonsense. She was a single woman.

I'm good. Thanks for asking. I've just been busy. I go back to work next week.

Her thumb tapped against the screen of her phone as she waited for a response. The phone suddenly rang, and she nearly dropped it. It was an eight hundred number, and she answered, knowing it would be the auto club. The service rep informed her that the tow truck was out front. Veronica hurried out the front door and saw the truck backing up into her driveway. She pointed to let the driver know the car was in the back.

She set her phone in her pocket as she dealt with explaining to the driver where he should take the car and signing papers releasing it. Finally, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw she had two texts from Derek. The first:

That's great. I'm happy to hear it. And I'm glad you're staying busy.

The second:

So what have you been up to?

She took a picture of her car being hauled onto the flatbed of the tow truck and laughed softly as she sent it to him with no caption. Whenever things that couldn't be helped happened, her mom always used to say, "You just gotta laugh. What else are you gonna do? Kick and scream?"

His response was immediate.

What happened? Are you okay?

She explained to him about her car and her shopping day being shot. They went back and forth for a while as the tow truck driver finished securing her car. Once inside the house, she was just thinking about the silliness of texting. All this time she could've been talking to him, but there was something about hiding behind the safety of a text that felt so much easier. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk to him. It'd been almost a year. And then her phone rang. It was Derek.

_Shit_. There was no way out of it. She'd just sent a text, so he knew she was near her phone. The knot in her stomach got tighter and she answered. "Hey."

"Veronica, it's good to hear your voice." His voice was exactly as she remembered. It brought back painful memories, but in a weird way, she was glad to hear him again.

"It's good to hear you too."

"So you're stranded for the day?"

"Yeah, looks like it."

"I was gonna say, since your plans are shot, how do you feel about getting together for some coffee?"

No way in hell was she inviting him over for coffee. "I, uh . . . I dunno."

"We don't have to be out the whole day, just an hour or so. We can grab a cup of coffee and check out the latest exhibition at that photo gallery you like downtown. When's the last time you did that?"

Veronica smiled, running her finger over the grout between the tiles on her counter. "It's been forever."

"That's what I figured. Let's go, Roni, for old time's sake. I can pick you up in ten minutes and have you back before noon."

Hearing him call her that made her stomach lurch. She knew it was irrational to think that she shouldn't go because Noah might . . . Hell, who was she kidding? He'd definitely be weird about it. She remembered how the mere mention of her working on her social life had struck a nerve with him. Maybe this is just what she needed to do: go have coffee with a friend and break the ice. She was bound to get a life eventually, and he was just going to have to get used to it, right?

"Just an hour?"

"I'll be there in ten." She could almost hear the smile in his voice.

The moment she hung up, she felt the urge to call him back and cancel. What was she thinking? She paced back and forth in the kitchen for a few minutes, chewing her thumbnail. Twice she picked up the phone to call him back then put it down again. God, she needed Nellie.

Derek was there in less than ten minutes. She practically ran out the door, not wanting to give him a chance to get out and expect to be invited in. She leaned in the window of his car and smiled before opening the door.

"Wow, you look good," he said. "You lost a lot of weight. What did you do?"

She shrugged. "I've been working out. I have Nellie to thank. She's the one that dragged me to the gym."

Derek looked the same: clean-shaven but with an edge. Being a dean at one of the toughest high schools in the Los Angeles area had done that to him. He'd told her some of the stories. He'd had to disarm students with knives and even a gun once. The kids had to think of him and see him as a bad ass with no compassion. If he didn't put up that act, he was toast. Veronica had to admit that the tough-guy act had turned her on a little. He had it down to a science. The obstinate death stare was the best. It reminded her of her own dean back in high school. He silenced an entire hallway as he walked through it. Now she wondered if he'd been just as soft as Derek but putting up an act too.

They made small talk until they reached the coffee place by the gallery. It was a miracle he didn't have to circle the block twenty times before finding a parking space, but then it was a holiday week and this was near the court's district. Most of the offices in this area were still closed down for the holidays.

They bought their coffee and walked half a block down to the gallery. "You really look good, Roni. I'm really glad to see it. I was worried about you."

Veronica smiled, for some reason unnerved at his use of her nickname. He only ever called her that before when he was being cute. Here it was the first time she'd seen him in almost a year, and he felt he could call her that? Deep inside, she knew the real reason it bothered her, but she shook it off.

"So are you still seeing the woman you met?" Not that she cared, but she was curious. She really didn't think he would've been texting her so much if he was.

His expression fell, and he cleared his throat as they entered the gallery. "No, I haven't. Things didn't work out."

"Oh," she said, glad she walked in ahead of him so he wouldn't see the smirk. "I'm sorry to hear that." Of course, she wasn't, but she really didn't care either way. She just had to admit it was a bit satisfying. "Has it been long?" She turned when he didn't respond.

"Veronica, I'm sorry. I made a mistake—a huge mistake, probably the biggest mistake of my life." They stepped aside out of the walkway so that people could pass through. "I didn't know how else to deal with it. It seemed everything I did or said was the wrong thing. It got to the point where I was afraid to talk to you. At the time, it felt like the best thing to do was step back and out of the picture."

Veronica stared at him for a moment, trying to make sense of how anyone could think that the best thing to do when someone you cared about was going through the hardest time in their life was to walk away— _step out of the picture?_ She could think of a million things to tell him right now: how much she had hated him then, how she would've never walked away had the tables been turned, but she didn't. That ship had sailed. Instead, she smiled. "It's okay. I made it."

His expression remained strained. "I never doubted you would. Listen." He jammed his hands into his pockets and glanced around nervously. "I know this probably doesn't matter anymore, but I want you to know that Angela, the woman I started seeing during that time . . . It didn't even last a month. I just couldn't stop thinking about you." He glanced at her but couldn't make eye contact for very long. Veronica had never seen him so nervous. "I can't tell you how many times I wanted to stop by and say hello, see how you were doing. And then I'd lose my nerve. I was so relieved when you texted me back today. I thought for sure you hated me."

"I don't hate you, Derek." Not that she didn't think she did for a long time. But she knew now that, in order for her to hate him, she would've had to love him first. She wasn't sure why or how, but she was certain now that she never had. "And you can stop beating yourself up about it. I'm fine now, more than fine."

No longer wanting to stand there and have this uncomfortable conversation, Veronica started walking. Derek walked alongside her.

The sign outside the gallery boasted the names of the new artists being featured this week. Veronica had never heard of any of them. She used to keep up with all the new talent in the photography world. It was high time she got back to the things she loved.

Derek seemed to pick up on the fact that she didn't really want to talk about anything heavy, so they kept the conversation light. They strolled along the gallery, commenting on the different photographs, and he asked her about her photography.

They walked around for almost an hour, and then the conversation took a turn. "How are things now that you're alone?"

Veronica stopped and stared at the black-and-white photograph of an old woman wearing stilettos, smoking on a park bench. "I have a roommate now."

"You do?"

She studied the picture, wondering what to make of it. Did the stilettos represent this woman's past?

"Roni?" Her thoughts interrupted, she turned back to Derek. "New roommate?"

"Oh, yeah. He's a kid from the neighborhood, my trainer actually." She smiled at him. "He's the one that helped me drop all the weight." She started walking again. "He had some issues with his place, so he's renting one of the rooms at my house temporarily."

"Temporarily."

It wasn't a question, more like a statement. Veronica could tell he was speculating, but she didn't care. Just the thought of Noah had her looking at her watch. "I better get going."

Without another word, he nodded and they headed to his car. The ride home was somewhat quiet until they got to her house. Just as she began to get out, she felt his hand on her arm. "Roni." She stopped and turned back to face him. "It was really good to see you again. You look amazing."

She smiled and nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Thank you. It was good seeing you too."

"Maybe I can call you again? We can do dinner or something?"

With a weak smile, she nodded, not sure how else to respond. Before he could say anything else, she rushed out, thanked him for the coffee, and waved goodbye, hurrying up her walkway. The pounding in her chest was testimony to how much she'd allowed Noah to get in her head, because all she could think of was how he'd react when she told him she'd spent the morning with Derek.

## Chapter 17

This was the first time since Roni had started working out here that she hadn't made it in. Her text simply said she wouldn't make it in and she'd see him tonight. Anxiety crept into him as he shoved his things into his locker.

Noah heard the guys walk noisily into the locker room.

"It's not his place, Hector," Abel said.

"Yeah, it is. He's paying rent, right?"

Noah looked up at them as he slipped his arm into his jacket. Hector and Abel walked side by side toward him. Gio was just behind them.

"Hey, Noah." Hector grinned. "What do you say we have a New Year's Eve party at your place?"

Noah chuckled. "It's not my place."

"I told you," Abel said, shaking his head.

"You pay rent, don't you?" Hector insisted.

"Yeah, for one bedroom."

The idea wasn't half bad. Noah had a feeling Roni would, once again, be flying solo on New Year's Eve, at least he hoped she was, and once again, he had every intention of being there to keep her company. Hell, he couldn't think of anywhere else he'd rather be. But having the guys over to celebrate sounded like fun. Roni _had_ enjoyed Christmas Eve with them. She might agree to something like this, but he wasn't about to volunteer her place before making sure with her.

"Well, can't you ask Roni?" Hector asked.

Noah refrained from frowning. Hearing Hector refer to her as that rubbed him the wrong way. "We'll see." He grabbed his helmet and his keys. "I'm out. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Let us know ASAP. We need to plan something. It's just days away."

Noah turned around and walked backwards. "I'll ask, but you better not be an idiot about it. If she does agree, it's not gonna be some big shit with all your stupid high school friends."

Hector's face screwed up. "I hardly even hang out with anyone from school."

Noah turned around. "I'll let you know."

All the way home, Noah pushed the speed limit, anxious to see Roni. He could only dream of the day he'd walk in and take her in his arms. His entire body ached with the desire to do it already, but he had to be patient. It was torture, but the more he was around her, the more he was certain it would be worth the wait.

Spending Christmas day with her had been more than he could ever dream of. At one point, she'd leaned her head against his shoulder as they watched _A Christmas Story_. Nothing had ever felt so perfect as being there with her all day.

He drove into the back, opening the garage door with the extra garage door opener Roni had given him. He felt an instant letdown as the door slid open and he saw her car wasn't there yet.

In no rush now, he slowly took off his motorcycle gear and hung it on hooks in the garage. The backdoor of the house opened and out came Roni.

"Hey." She smiled. "You hungry? I made dinner."

Just seeing her brightened his mood and he smiled goofily. "Yeah, I'm starved." He turned back to where her car should've been parked. "Where's your car?"

She frowned, hugging herself and rubbing her arms as she walked toward him. He pointed to the house. "Let's get inside. It's freezing out here."

"I had to get it towed," she said as they walked back to the house together. "It wouldn't start."

"What? You should've called me."

They walked in the house, and the smell of something delicious hit him instantly.

"No, you were working."

"Babe—" He caught himself quickly as he followed her into the kitchen. "Roni, next time call me. They're gonna charge you an arm and a leg, and I'm sure it's nothing I can't fix. Even if I can't, Abel can."

If she caught the _babe_ thing, she didn't say anything. Noah could hardly believe how that had just slipped. He had her explain to him exactly what the car did or hadn't done. He couldn't help laughing at her attempt to mimic the sound the car had made. She laughed with him. "That's what it sounded like!"

Damn, he wanted to kiss her. "So you were stuck home all day?"

If his eyes hadn't been glued to her smiling face, he might've missed the way her expression slowly turned uneasy. She turned her back to him and stirred the saucepan on the stove.

"What's wrong?"

He walked up behind her. She wore her hair up in a clip. A few soft ringlets of hair fell around her neck, but for the most part, it was exposed. It took everything in him to not slide his arms around her waist and kiss her neck. Instead, he forced himself to take the few steps away and lean against the counter to face her.

She stared into the small saucepan as she slowly stirred. Noah leaned in to peek at what looked and smelled like clam chowder. Then he brought his attention back to her again. "What's the matter?"

Their eyes met for a moment, and she appeared troubled. "I, uh . . .

He searched her eyes, waiting. He'd never seen her like this, and he didn't like it.

"I was just bummed that I didn't get to go shopping." The side of her lips lifted in a weak attempt to smile. "There's only a few more days until I go back to work, and I don't know when I'll get my car back."

Noah hadn't even realized he'd tensed up until he felt his muscles ease. He smiled, feeling strangely relieved. "Is that what you're worried about? They probably haven't done anything to it yet."

"No, they wouldn't unless I okay it, and no one called me today."

"Perfect," he said, grabbing one of the rolls of bread on the counter. "I'll call first thing in the morning. Me and Abel will go pick it up and work on it ourselves. I'll have it running for you in no time."

Just like that, her troubles seemed to fade—women and their shopping. She grabbed a pair of oven mitts and opened the oven, pulling out two round bread rolls way too big to be dinner rolls. She glanced at him and laughed. His expression must've been as blank as it felt. Noah was trying to figure out what they were for.

"I'm gonna hollow them out and pour the soup in them."

"Ah," he said, feeling a little stupid.

He helped out by pouring the drinks. Everything they did together now felt so perfect. Noah couldn't even imagine ever leaving.

She must've been as hungry as he was because they both sat, devouring the soup silently for a few minutes. Then he remembered. "So you have any plans for New Year's?"

She shook her head, taking another spoonful of soup, and raised an eyebrow when she saw him smirk.

"So here's the thing. You don't have to say yes if you don't want to, okay?" She nodded. "How would you feel about a small gathering here at your place New Year's Eve?" She eyed him as she sipped her soup again. "Just the guys and a few other friends from the neighborhood, probably Gio's sisters." She froze at the mention of Gio's sisters and Noah had a feeling why. "Rita's gone, so she wouldn't make it, but there may be a few other girls you know, friends of the guys."

_The guys_. He wanted that perfectly clear. If there were any girls there, they would be friends of the guys, not his. There was only one girl he was interested in spending time with, and he'd get her to understand that loud and clear one way or another.

"So what happens at one of these _gatherings_?"

The playfulness in that husky voice of hers relieved him, but it also drove him insane.

"We hang out, listen to music. You won't have to cook or anything. We'll order pizzas. And, of course, there will be drinking, but I'll make sure things stay under control." He turned and glanced at the back door. "We don't even have to have everyone in here. We can keep everyone outside. If it rains, we can hang out in the garage." He saw her thinking about it then added, "We usually have a good-sized crowd when we have it over at Gio's, but I'll make sure to tell them this year is different. Don't worry. We'll tone it down."

Roni smiled then laughed softly. "God, Noah, you don't have to make it a grandma party on account of me."

Noah sat up straight, her comment hitting him like a shot out of nowhere. "No, I didn't mean—"

She laughed even more now. "I'm kidding. I just meant I don't mind a little music. Sure, why not? A party, uh, gathering sounds like fun actually."

Noah smiled, pushing her grandma comment aside. "Good, I'll let the guys know." He remembered something else. For some reason when Jack laid the news on all of them today, the first thing he thought of was he couldn't wait to tell Roni. "Oh and guess what? In January, 5th Street is gonna start hosting Friday Night Fights. It's a pretty big thing. The local radio station plugs it all week; then they broadcast from the gym all day that Friday. Abel's up first next week, and then I'm up the following week."

"Oh! I've heard those plugs before," Roni said, sounding just as excited as Noah knew she would be. "Don't you also get to go on the radio? I've heard them interview the fighters before on the morning radio show."

Noah got up to pour more soup in his bread bowl. "That's usually if it's a big fight, which mine might be considered, since it's a rematch. I fought this guy last year, and it was a draw. Bullshit if you ask me or anyone that saw it. How are you gonna call it a draw when I knocked him on his ass in the second round?" He shook his head in disgust.

"Wouldn't that be a knockout?" Roni turned to face him as he walked back to the table.

"No, 'cause he got up and hung in there until the end. Only reason I couldn't end it was because that's the fight I injured my shoulder." He smiled, loving the way Roni hung on his every word. "He fell into me one of the times I was getting ready to swing, and it jammed my shoulder. I fought the rest of the fight in excruciating pain. Jack and Abel wanted to stop it, but I refused, and they called it a draw."

"So this time you think you'll take him down?"

Noah smirked, winking at her as he sat down. He had no doubt about it, especially if she was there. But he'd keep that last bit of info to himself. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I got this."

The rest of the dinner, they talked about the Friday Night Fights. They'd be going on all of January, and depending on how well things went, they might even extend it into the following months. Felix was even supposed to show up for one of the fights. Most likely he'd be there to see Gio's fight since he'd always been closest to Gio. It was all good as long as the word got out. Jack could certainly use the extra money the fights were sure to bring in. The gym was in dire need of some renovations.

Noah helped Roni clean up the kitchen, and then they watched television together for a while before Roni announced she was ready for bed.

That night Noah lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. He didn't know how much longer he could be around Roni without telling her how he felt. She _had_ to know already. He could barely keep his eyes off her now, and his reaction to the asshole at the gym a few days ago had been purposely obvious. He might be able to hold back from revealing his true feelings for her a while longer, but there were certain things he wouldn't even try to fake. What he felt about other guys making a move on her was one of them. The message hadn't just been for the guy but for Roni as well. Noah wasn't having it. Friends or not, there wasn't much he could do about it now. It's how he'd be reacting from here on every time.

~*~

Coward—no other word could describe what she was. There was no reason, none whatsoever, why Veronica couldn't have simply told Noah about her afternoon with Derek the other day, and she'd had several opportunities since then to tell him about it. But what had she done? Each time she came up with some other stupid lie or way of changing the subject.

She watched the guys set up in the backyard from the kitchen window. One of their friends had a sound system they'd be using, and they were putting up speakers in her garage. As much as she tried not to feel out of place, she couldn't help thinking about the last time she'd been to a backyard party. She'd been about Noah's age.

Veronica had tried calling Nellie earlier. Her hope was that either Nellie would convince her to just go with it and enjoy her evening with these young guys or confirm that she wasn't being silly for feeling like a chaperone rather than the host of this New Year's bash.

Still in her robe and at a complete loss about what to wear, Veronica walked out of the kitchen and back into her bedroom. After rummaging through her closet and some of the new things she'd bought once Noah fixed her car, she finally decided on a pair of black skinny jeans and a shimmery silver cardigan that fell off her shoulder. She'd actually eavesdropped on a couple of girls shopping the day she'd bought the outfit. If it hadn't been for them, she would've very likely worn her black Uggs with the outfit, but both girls had agreed that long high-heeled boots would be the best way to dress up the jeans.

She now stared at the boots she'd purchased that day. A part of her was still in denial. The only reason she'd bought them was because, after trying them on, she had to agree that they really did dress up the jeans quite nicely, and while they were high, they weren't too high to wear to work. Derek had continued to text her in the past few days and even suggested again that, once she was back at work, they might meet after for dinner or something. These would be nice to wear on a dinner date.

Slowly, she lifted the long sleek boots out of the box. Oh, who was she kidding? The very thought of all the young girls, possibly groupies since they were "friends of the guys," that would be at the party tonight had been all the inspiration she needed to buy the sexy boots in the first place. But she had to remind herself that she didn't need much help in that area. From the way Noah had been looking at her lately, she was pretty sure that attracting him was a done deal. So why the hell was she still looking forward to seeing the expression on his face when he saw her all dressed up? It was just wrong.

She finished getting dressed and stood in front of the full-length mirror on her closet door. She looked good, more than good—so good she almost felt guilty. What was she doing? Her backyard would be full of kids soon, and she'd be out there, mingling as if she belonged in this crowd. She stared at herself a moment longer in the mirror. On the outside, she could easily pass for one of the girls that hung out in Noah's crowd.

On the one hand, she told herself it was okay and perfectly normal to want to feel young and sexy again. She'd been down and out for too long, and she needed this. But on the other, she knew she was playing with fire, and if anyone was ever privy to her true intentions, they could very well be construed as her being a complete tease.

One thing was for sure. Noah made no secret of his hands-off policy when it came to any of the other guys at the gym making advances toward her. At first, she thought she'd imagined it, but it was pretty clear now. So that only made it all the more obvious who she was looking to impress tonight.

Oddly, as wrong as she knew it was for Noah to assume his behavior was acceptable, a very small part of her was thrilled by it. She hated to admit it, but it gave her hope that maybe it meant that, in all fairness, it went both ways. If she was off limits, then maybe he was too.

She shook her head, suddenly feeling the heat rise inside her. Looking back, she'd noticed his odd behavior dated back to before Thanksgiving, and yet he'd still happily ended up with Rita the very day after. This was exactly why she couldn't allow herself to get caught up in something like this. No matter how much she tried, she knew she'd never be able to deal with casual sex the way Noah did. Just the thought of him and Rita had her feeling ready to throw something.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she decided at that moment that she would just enjoy her evening and whatever attention she got tonight from Noah or anyone else. But any thoughts of her and Noah would be snuffed from here on out before they even started. She seriously needed to get a grip and face the facts. Anything between her and Noah would simply not end well. She'd finally pulled herself out of one major depression. Getting involved with a young guy as wonderful and sexy as Noah would just be asking for the inevitable—more heartache than she could ever handle.

## Chapter 18

As hard as Noah tried to push away the anxiety about tonight, he couldn't help but tense up the moment he saw Roni walk into the front room. Seeing her had nearly sucked the air out of him.

Her makeup was a little heavier than the norm, her curls seemed even curlier, and what she wore was enough to have every guy there staring at her now, threat or no threat. Noah glanced at Hector, who was the most blatant and nudged him. "Take this outside," Noah said roughly and shoved the two six-packs of beer he'd been holding at him.

Gio and Abel were more discreet, but Noah hadn't missed the way they took Roni in from top to bottom. Noah stifled a growl.

"Is anyone else here yet?" Roni asked, stretching her neck out to look through the kitchen window as she passed by Noah, shocking his senses. Unbelievably, she smelled better than she looked. It was completely intoxicating, and Noah had to close his eyes for a moment in reaction.

"The sound guy and his crew are here," Abel said, "and I saw a few cars drive slowly past. I think they were looking for parking."

Gio suddenly smiled and opened the back door. "Girls are here." He stepped out before Noah or Abel could even respond to that. Abel went after him and walked out, leaving Noah alone with Roni.

He was done holding in his feelings for her. She turned to him and he smiled. "You look amazing."

She smiled, lifting her delectably exposed shoulder. "Thanks to you, I was able to go shopping."

He took a few steps toward her, inhaling the smell of her citrusy perfume with a touch of her fruity breath—watermelon maybe? "It's not just the clothes, Roni. It's you. You're beautiful."

She stared at him for a moment as the smile she worn just a second earlier withered down to a somewhat staggered expression. Then her eyes were on his lips. "Thank you, Noah. You look good too."

Even though the smile was gone, Noah noticed her breathing picked up a notch. She wanted his lips on her as much as he wanted hers on him. He leaned into her, and she didn't move. Instead, she stared at him. Her eyes spoke a thousand words. He wasn't alone in this struggle. She was struggling just as much as he was to hold back.

The kitchen door swung open, and Hector walked in with a guy Noah didn't recognize. Holding in the primal growl that nearly escaped him this time, Noah turned and glared at them. Just then, Abel walked in behind them. "Hector, who the fuck are all these people coming in? Didn't I tell you not to say anything about this at your school?"

"High school kids?" Roni asked.

Knowing what she was probably thinking, that this was turning out to be a backyard party full of _kids_ , Noah hated to but walked away from Roni and toward the kitchen window. The backyard was half-full but filling up fast.

"They're not from my school. Someone at the gym heard about the party, and since you and Noah are going to be fighting in the coming weeks, there's a dance crew that was hoping maybe they can get some time in the ring to show off their moves before or even after the fights. So, they decided to come here tonight, sort of audition for you guys. I guess they spread the word, but I didn't say shit." He tapped the guy next to him. "This is Little Robo. His older brother is head of the dance crew. He wanted to come in here and ask for permission to do a three-minute show a little later."

Noah turned back to look at the guy in all black except for his red beanie and matching shoes. "Little Robo?"

The guy's arms fell flat against his side then came up slowly and stopped sharply as his entire body went into a robotic motion, and then he froze pointing at Noah. "My brother is Robo." His hand snaked back toward him again in a vibrating motion. "He taught me everything I know."

Before Noah could respond, Roni's voice practically chirped. "That is so cool. And you guys are gonna do a show here tonight?"

The guy smiled big and satisfied. "Yeah, if that's okay with you. Are you Roni?"

"Who wants to know?" Noah barked.

The guy looked at Hector then back at Noah cautiously. "Well, he said the owner of the house was Roni and we'd have to double check with her."

"Yeah, I'm fine with it." Her eyes met Noah's. "That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Noah frowned and exchanged glances with Abel. "How many people are out there?"

"A lot," was Abel's only response, but he seemed as unsure about this as Noah did.

"I don't want things getting out of hand." Noah walked to the back door and opened it. "A crowd this big can get rowdy, Roni."

"We've danced for bigger crowds, and we've never had issues," Little Robo said. "And once we're done, we have a couple other places to dance at, so anyone that came with us will leave with us."

"What about the guys that look like thugs?" Abel asked. "With the bandanas and shit?"

Little Robo shook his head, lifting his hands in front of him. "I don't know about them. They're not part of our crew."

"What guys?" Noah began to ask then stopped. "Never mind. I see them." He counted quickly—five. He turned back to Hector. "You know them?"

"I've seen one of them around school, but I think the rest are older."

"They can stay for the show, but once it's over, they better leave, or they'll be asked to leave."

"Sounds good to me," Abel said, walking past Noah and out the door.

Noah told the dancer to get his crew together and get the performance going as soon as he could. They all walked out, and, as expected, Roni turned heads immediately. Noah slipped his hand in hers as they walked by the five thugs. She glanced at him but didn't protest or pull her hand away.

Noah had seen the likes of these types of guys many times. They thought nothing of crashing parties where they knew no one and drinking up whatever free booze they could get their hands on. He made a point to stare them down, one by one, calling them out if they dared. But as expected, just like the cowards most of these thugs usually turned out to be, none of them took the bait.

The dance crew took forever to get their shit together, but when they finally did and put on their show, Noah had to admit they were bad ass. The crowd went wild. Even Roni cheered loudly. They even did a short encore dance for the chanting crowd. The entertainment added a cool element to the party, but Noah was still relieved when he saw the crowd begin to thin out as the dance crew made their exit.

As fun as that had been, Noah had been to too many backyard parties in East LA to know that all it took was one dumb drunk for things to go sour real fast. The fewer number of strangers at this party, the better. This wasn't what he'd had in mind when he decided to ask Roni about having a New Year's party here.

Abel, who stood at the driveway, looking a little concerned, motioned for Noah to come over. Gio was already with him. Noah hesitated for just a second then turned to Roni. "I'll be back." He glanced at Gio's sisters and their friends. "Just stick with them until we can get everyone we don't know out of here, okay?"

He hurried toward Abel, but not before glancing back at the thugs who still stood in the same corner they'd been standing in the whole night. The biggest guy was about Noah's size and he smirked. Noah was certain the liquor was making him brave now, because earlier when Noah had stared him down, he'd looked away. This time, not only did he smirk, but he very obviously turned to look at Roni and said something to the guy next to him, who laughed. Noah stopped in his tracks, his insides lighting up immediately.

"Noah!"

Still busy glaring at the idiot who was laughing obnoxiously now, Noah ignored Abel.

"C'mon, dude." Gio tugged at his arm. "Those fuckers are next. But we gotta clear out the front before someone calls the cops." Noah forced himself to stop looking at the guy whose face he'd soon be in. "These kids are stopping in all your neighbor's yards, just hanging out. We gotta make them leave unless we want our party shut down early."

Noah started down the driveway with Gio and Abel at either side. Hector caught up to them and offered to help. They made their way around the neighboring houses, telling all the small groups of partygoers they had to leave. When they finally cleared it up, they walked back up the driveway toward the backyard again.

The group of thugs was still there minus the asshole who'd been ogling Roni. Roni wasn't with Gio's sisters either. Noah scanned the backyard quickly and stopped cold when he saw Roni by the back door. The asshole thug was there with his hand on the door. Roni's defensive stance made Noah nearly jump as he rushed toward them.

"So what am I supposed to do, piss in your bushes?" the guy said to Roni with a stupid laugh. "Come on, sweetheart. I'll just be in and out, unless you'd like me to hang around in there with you."

Roni's eyes met Noah's. His hands were already fisted and ready to beat the shit out of the guy when Roni's eyes opened wide, and she began to yell something. Something hit him on the side of the face with so much force that, before he even had a chance to lift his arm in defense, everything went black.

~*~

Seeing Noah blindsided and knocked unconscious was probably one of the most horrific images Veronica had ever witnessed. Everything that followed was a blur. All she could think of, even as Abel beat the guy who did it to a pulp and the rest of the guys brawled it out with his friends, was getting Noah in the house and out of harm's way.

She knew enough from taking first aid and CPR classes at the college to turn him on his side so that he wouldn't choke on his own tongue. He'd come to fairly quickly, but he was totally out of it. She managed to get some of the guys that were there with the sound crew to help her lift him and walk him to his bed.

Veronica didn't even realize how unnerved she was, until she tried running her fingers through his hair and her hand shook uncontrollably. The minutes that passed as Noah slipped in and out of consciousness were the worst. She kept wondering if she should call 911. But each time she was about to, he'd come to.

The guys came in after they'd cleared all the troublemakers out of her yard.

"How you feeling?" Gio asked Noah, handing him a couple of aspirins.

Veronica frowned; she hadn't even thought of bringing him any painkillers. She lifted the bag of ice away from his face. Noah raised himself up on his elbow, grimacing as he brought a hand to the lump on the side of his face. "What happened?"

"That asshole's friend sucker-punched you," Abel muttered. "I was right behind you, and _I_ didn't even see it coming."

"I saw it," Veronica added. Her throat ached as she felt a warm tear run down her cheek. "But not soon enough."

Abel touched her shoulder gently. "The guy knew what he was doing, Roni. He wasn't about to give anyone a chance to warn Noah. Fucking coward."

Noah reached his hand out for Veronica, and she held it. "Do you wanna go to the hospital?"

He shook his head and squinted. "Nah, I'm good. I just hope these aspirins kick in soon." He tried to sit up, but he immediately looked woozy.

"Don't get up, dude," Gio said. "You need to just rest." He turned to Veronica. "We can wrap it up if you want, Roni. The night's pretty much shot anyway."

"No." Roni shook her head. She tried to pull her hand away, but Noah held on to it. "You guys can stay." She turned to Noah, who was staring at her. "But I think Noah's had it."

"Yeah, you're done for the night. I wouldn't even try to get up unless you have to," Abel said. "Don't worry, man. That asshole is in a lot more pain than you are right now. I made sure of that."

Abel wasn't kidding; the last look Veronica got of the guy, she couldn't even make out his facial features, he was so bloody. And his coward friends had left him to fend for himself when they saw what they were up against.

Noah thanked them, and one by one his friends left the room. Veronica began to rise from where she sat on the edge of the bed, but Noah tugged at her hand. "Stay with me, please?"

She smiled, touching his face gently. The lump on his head was still very warm, but she'd checked his temperature already and knew he wasn't running a fever. "I was just gonna close the door. I'm not going anywhere."

Noah let go of her hand, and she stood up to close the door.

"Will you turn the light off too? It hurts my eyes. The lamp would be better."

Veronica turned on the small lamp first before turning the light switch off. She came back and sat next to him. He scooted over and patted the mattress next to him. Her heart had sped up from the moment he'd asked her to stay. This made it beat a little wilder. She was only comforting him. The blow he took was horrendous, and she could only imagine the pain he must be in, so she lay down next to him, resting her head on his pillow, facing him. "I was so worried," she whispered.

He reached over and touched her hair, twirling a ringlet around his finger, and smiled but said nothing.

"Are you still going to be able to fight in two weeks?"

He nodded, staring at her but not like he'd done in the past. There was no lust in his eyes, no yearning like she'd seen earlier in the kitchen. What she saw in his eyes now was pure honesty. Whatever he'd hidden in those eyes all this time was no longer hiding. It was as if he'd suddenly made up his mind and he was putting it out there: putting out what she'd suspected for weeks. He'd fallen for her. "I know I said it earlier, but I have to say it again. You're beautiful, Roni."

Just like earlier, something deep inside her warned that she should stop this. Stop him before he said something that would forever put them in a different place than they were now and there'd be no turning back. But just like earlier, she was helpless to do so. She felt lost in his eyes, but it felt so good she didn't want to stop him.

Instead of stopping him, she leaned over and kissed the lump on the side of his face. She felt him inhale deeply as her hair brushed against his face, then his hand was on her face, and she turned her face just enough so that their lips were less than an inch apart.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered as his eyes dropped down to her lips, and he kissed them softly.

Her head screamed that this was a mistake as he kissed her again, only longer and deeper, but her heart argued otherwise.

She rested her hand on his hard shoulder and squeezed a little as she allowed herself to do what she'd been dreaming of doing since day one and sucked his bottom lip. He let out a soft groan, reminding her that she should slow this down. She laid her head back on the pillow as he lifted himself onto his elbow and stopped to gaze in her eyes. "I'm fucking crazy about you, Roni."

Stop him!

Based simply on the way he kissed her with such unabashed emotion, she knew where this might be going, and if it did, it would ruin everything. Deciding selfishly that the best way to get him to stop talking was to kiss him again, she brought her hand around the back of his neck, and he dove in. His tongue was magical. It was almost funny now how she actually thought his age would make him less experienced than some of the older men she'd been with. But no man's kisses had ever made her feel quite like this.

He didn't try for anything else, and she was glad about this, because one touch in the right place would let Noah know just how badly her body wanted him. She was hot and damp in places she'd only been lately when she thought of him.

His mouth moved from hers, and his lips traced her chin, kissing it all the way down to the soft spot just under her chin and down to her neck. He sucked softly at first and then a little harder as his breathing accelerated. She knew it was probably hard enough to leave a mark, but she didn't care. It felt so damn good—too good.

"Noah." Her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears, and she knew there was no way he could miss the longing in her words.

This only made him suck harder, making her tingly in the most private of places. Her back arched instinctively as his hands finally made their way down under her cardigan.

His touch was so gentle and slow it drove her insane. She wanted to tell him to stop. She knew she should, but the feel of his hand against the burning flesh of her abdomen made it impossible.

"My," he whispered in between sucking her neck, and she shushed him before he'd begin talking again. "My Roni." The words were gasped, and he went at her neck even harder now.

She gulped hard, trying not to put too much thought into what he'd just said. Her entire body was on fire now, feeling his lips and tongue sucking her neck. He brought his mouth back to her lips and kissed her so deep she was drowning in his taste, and she loved it.

His body slid over hers. There was no hiding how badly he wanted her too. This only made her heart beat even harder. The only shred of hope that Veronica clung to now that this wouldn't go any further was the fact that they were still fully dressed and the door wasn't locked. Surely, he wouldn't take the chance of someone walking in on them.

Those were the only things she could count on at this point, because the feel of his hard body against hers, the taste of his mouth, and the smell of his masculinity mixed with the cologne nearly did her in. They made it impossible for her to put two words together. There was no way she could come up with any reason why she shouldn't beg him to do to her what she'd been dreaming about for months now. Her hands roamed his big strong back wildly. She was drunk with the anticipation of feeling him inside her.

He slowed his kisses and pulled away to look at her as the DJ outside began the countdown to the New Year over the mic. When they got down to one and heard the cheers, Noah smiled and Veronica smiled back, still barely able to catch her breath. She couldn't think of a more perfect way to ring in the New Year.

"Happy New Year," he whispered, and without giving her time to respond, he kissed Veronica very slowly, prolonging it as it got deeper and deeper, driving her absolutely crazy. Then he stopped to gaze at her for a moment. "I love you."

Those three words paralyzed her instantly, and she prayed he didn't feel the erratic change of pace her heart suddenly took. Okay, maybe she could think of a reason why they shouldn't do this—the same reason she'd had all along. Nothing but heartache could come of this. But for the longest time she'd been worried about her own heartache, not his. Unbelievably, she was even surer now that this would be a huge mistake.

## Chapter 19

Noah actually heard Roni gulp and felt his own gut tighten. _Fuck! Too soon!_ Maybe it was too soon, but there was no way he could hold it in anymore. He _had_ to tell her.

"Noah." She placed her open palm against his chest, and for the first time since they'd begun kissing, he felt her pull away. "I think maybe you're confusing things."

Now it was Noah who pulled away. "What?"

"I'm feeling things too," she said, sitting up slightly. "But we have to be realistic, and I don't want you confusing the feelings you have for me as your good friend for anything more. I'm sorry," she said, adding insult to injury as she began to move off the bed.

"Hold on." He reached out and held her arm, feeling the pounding in his head start up again. "First of all, don't be sorry about anything, and whatever you do, _do not_ take back what just happened here between us."

"I'm not taking it back. I'm just saying maybe you're confusing this—"

"I'm not confusing a damn thing." Noah straightened out too quickly, immediately regretting it as the dizzy spell hit him.

"Are you okay?" Roni moved closer to him again, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Don't do this, Roni. Don't make this less than what it is. You're feeling it too. Don't try to deny it."

Her wide eyes blinked a few times, but she didn't pull away. "I won't deny I'm feeling something. I'd have to be a corpse not to. What I'm saying is, if we do this, it changes everything."

"I want it to." Unable to hold back any longer, he kissed her lips softly again. "Don't you?"

"No! Don't you see? You're already saying things that will ultimately ruin our friendship. You're not in love with me, Noah. You may think you are right now—"

"Look," he said, trying desperately not to sound as angry as her last statement made him. "Maybe you're not there yet. Maybe you never will be, but do me a favor, and don't tell me what I'm feeling, okay? Because I fucking know what I'm feeling and that's that I'm in love with you."

She tried pulling away, but he held her tight. "I don't wanna lose you, Noah."

"You won't," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"How can we continue to be friends if you're in love with me?"

"Why couldn't we?" His head wasn't the only thing that pounded now, so did his heart. Her words were sucking the life out of him, and he didn't understand what she was so damn afraid of. "Couples should be friends first."

She shook her head, adding to the growing fear in the pit of his stomach. "We're in two completely different stages of our lives and always will be. I wouldn't dream of asking you to skip past anything just because I've done it already." She pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm all for staying friends, but if we continue to do this, there are some things I'm sure we wouldn't be able to handle."

"What things?" He'd be willing to try and handle anything if it meant he'd be able to continue to hold her and kiss her the way he had tonight. Hell, he didn't think he could go very long without it now.

"What happens if either of us starts seeing someone else?"

Instinctively, his body went taut. The very thought made the pounding in his head brutal. "We'll work it out," he said through his teeth.

Noah knew he was full of shit. She was right. There was no way he'd handle seeing her with someone else, but at the moment, he'd say anything to keep her from walking out of his room.

He brought his hand to his head, and concern was immediately in her eyes. "Are you dizzy?"

"A little."

"Lie back down." She fluffed the pillow for him.

He did, but he wouldn't let go of her hand. "Lie with me, please?"

She did and he wrapped his arms around her as soon as her body was next to his. Spooning her felt perfect. This was exactly where she should be every night. "Roni," he whispered against her ear.

"Hmm?"

"Will you stay here with me tonight? I promise we won't do anything but sleep."

He felt her go stiff, and then slowly, as he intertwined his fingers with hers and buried his face in her neck, inhaling the beautiful smell that was all Roni, she loosened up. "Okay."

Telling her he loved her again was on the tip of his tongue. He didn't care what she said. There was no doubt about it: he was completely in love with her, and after feeling the sincere reaction that she was powerless to conceal to his touch, his kisses, he was convinced now she felt for him what he was feeling for her.

One thing he picked up on loud and clear tonight was her fear: fear of giving in to her heart. He'd have to figure out how he could persuade her that it would be okay to give in no matter what fucking stage in life each one of them were in. What they both were feeling was bigger than any of that. He may not know a whole lot about love, but Jack was right about one thing. The heart was forever inexperienced. Roni proved that tonight. Despite their age difference and whatever stage Roni thought she was in, no matter how hard she tried to fight it, their hearts were in the exact same place now and that's all that mattered.

~*~

" _Hickeys_?" Veronica turned from the mirror to Noah who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling at her smugly. "You gave me hickeys?"

"I got a little carried away." He chuckled. "What can I say? You drive me nuts."

She turned back to the mirror. Not one or two, but three nearly purple hickeys adorned the front of her neck. Not even in high school when the kids thought they were cool and other girls actually showed them off, did she think there was anything cool about them, and she certainly didn't now at her age, especially when she was getting ready to go back to work the very next day.

She lifted her hair to find a smaller fourth one just under her ear. "How am I supposed to show up to work tomorrow like this?"

He stood up, coming up from behind and smiled into the mirror. "Oh, wow. Those _are_ pretty big." She shivered at the touch of his fingers against the back of her neck. He brushed her hair away gently and kissed her nape. "Looks like I missed a spot."

Her body was immediately awakened by the feel of his tongue against her neck, and she pulled away. "Stop, Noah. I'm serious." She stifled a gasp, trying not to put too much thought into the fact that he was obviously planning to continue what they'd started last night.

"I was too," he said, bringing his arms around her waist.

She placed her hands over his on her belly and watched him in the mirror as he kissed the side of her face. "Noah, I thought we said we weren't going to do this."

"Nope." He kissed her cheek and hugged her tighter. "You said we couldn't handle it. I said we'd work something out."

She turned to face him, all ready to lay her argument down, then winced when she saw the side of his face was still swollen. Placing her fingers gently over the lumpy area, she began to ask if it still hurt when his lips were on hers again and she was swept away into another one of his amazing kisses.

When it was finally over after several long minutes of deep kissing, her legs were like two wet noodles. She literally had to cling to his big arms for support. He leaned his forehead against hers, catching his breath, his smoldering eyes looking into hers. "If you don't wanna do this, just tell me, and I'll respect your wishes. But unless you say the word, this isn't gonna stop."

She had to think of something—some kind of compromise. As much as her brain insisted, she couldn't bring herself to say the words she knew she should be saying. _This needs to stop before it's too late._ But she couldn't, so she said the next best thing she could come up with. "I think we should at least slow it down. We're friends, remember? I don't want things to change."

With the words out there like that now, she realized that's what it really was. She now had this huge fear that things would change and she'd lose him. She couldn't even bear the thought.

He took a deep breath, the lust in his eyes replaced by frustration. "What do you think is going to change, Roni?"

"Everything." She pulled away gently, a little surprised by her disappointment that he let her. "I'm going back to work. I need to concentrate on that, on getting myself back to the way I used to be. This . . ." she said, running her finger up his hard forearm. "This will complicate everything. I have so much going on right now, and I hate to sound selfish, but I need your friendship now more than ever. If we continue to do this and things change"—she took a deep breath, hoping he didn't notice how emotional this was making her—"I'm afraid we'll lose what we have."

He pulled her to him again, hugging her tight. "Nothing is gonna change. I promise you that. But if slowing things down will make you feel better, then I'll try to control myself around you." He pulled back to face her again. "I'm not saying I won't slip, okay? Because I probably will—a lot. But I promise I _will_ make an effort." He tilted her chin up slightly with his fingers, examined her neck, and smiled. "I don't know what you're complaining about. I think they look good."

Veronica peered at him unbelievably. She'd suspected it earlier, but now she was sure of it. The hickeys were no mistake. His words from last night came to mind. _My Roni_. This was so like him. She should've known the moment she saw them.

"Yeah, well, they're coming off."

He smiled even bigger and kissed her nose. "Okay. Whatever you say."

An hour later and after infuriatingly having to Google, _How to remove a hickey_ , Veronica knew why Noah had been so smug and agreeable about her removing them. They were basically impossible to remove in a day or even a few days as dark as hers were. While there were many suggestions on how to lighten them, she learned a few things that morning. A hickey was a bruise—popped blood vessels under the skin. Albeit a far more enjoyable way of getting a bruise, it was still just a bruise. And the only realistic way to get rid of it was to conceal it.

Thankfully, it was winter, and she'd actually purchased a turtleneck when she'd shopped for work clothes. She'd just have to get creative the first week of work. She stood in front of her mirror, examining the darks spots on her neck. The thought of Noah's mouth on her, and how good his hot tongue and lips felt sucking it, made her close her eyes and take a deep breath.

It was crazy how fast just thinking of his lips on hers, his hard body pressing against her, had her panties working overtime again to soak up her puddles like they had last night. She exhaled slowly, her body trembling with the visual of her and Noah.

Deciding a long shower was what she needed, she got her things together and headed to the bathroom. It might help her get her thoughts together. Before last night, she was already anticipating this week to be an emotional roller coaster. The turn things had taken with Noah would only intensify everything now.

It almost made her mad. She'd been looking forward to her new beginning. This was supposed to be exciting, refreshing. Instead, that was overshadowed now with thoughts of her and Noah. She meant it when she said she was afraid to lose him, and she'd known from the very beginning this could be the cause of that.

How in the world did she really plan to get her social life back now without it causing friction? The life she knew—brunches with friends her age, Friday night cocktails with the girls from work at a nice restaurant, not backyard parties with dance crews and brawling teenagers. Although she had to admit that, until that idiot started hitting on her the moment Noah was out of sight, she'd been enjoying herself.

Veronica could only hope her shower would help her relax because she knew the next few weeks were going to be a challenge.

~*~

Because it was New Year's Day, one of the few holidays Jack ever closed down the gym, Noah hadn't made any plans to leave the house today—that was until Gio called to ask how he was feeling and mentioned he was going over to his uncle's house to help him pile up more sandbags. He said his uncle's yard always flooded and was already a mess from the recent storms.

Since Gio was always ready to jump when it came to helping Noah with _anything,_ Noah volunteered immediately to help. At first, Gio balked at the idea, saying Noah should stay home and rest since he was injured, but Noah reminded him he was a boxer and knew how to take a punch. The guy hadn't even hit him _that_ hard; he just hit the perfect spot. The fucking pussy obviously knew how to land a sucker punch.

Noah ran into Roni in the hallway as she made her way back to her room from the bathroom in her robe. He knew he'd promised to control himself, but Roni had to know that was going to be damn near impossible now.

Pretending to move out of the way for her, he took advantage as soon as she tried to pass him and leaned into her against the wall. "You smell good," he whispered against her cheek, inhaling the soap on her still wet skin. Then he kissed her chin. "Let's see?" He lifted her chin and smiled. "What happened? I thought they were coming off?"

She pushed him playfully and glared at him. "You knew damn well they weren't coming off so easily."

He opened his eyes wide, feigning bewilderment as she slipped away from him. "Really? You tried?"

"Oh, stop," she said, opening her bedroom door.

He laughed. "Listen. I gotta go help Gio with something. Did you need me here today?" He took a step forward and smirked. "For _anything_? Because if you do, I can always call him back in a second and tell him I can't make it."

She rolled her eyes then smiled wickedly. "Oh, you'd do that for me, Noah Quintanilla?"

He took a menacing step forward, knowing he'd have that bathrobe off her in seconds if she so much as hinted she wanted him too. "Absolutely."

The wicked smile faded as she squeezed the front of her robe shut with her hands. "Thanks, but I'll be okay. I have a million things to do to get ready for my first day tomorrow. " She started backing into her room with a wave.

The disappointment settled, but the excitement of knowing he was that much closer to what his tightening crotch was anticipating was enough to keep him smiling. He waited until she disappeared behind her door to adjust himself in his pants and walked away. Damn, this was going to be harder than he thought.

There was an unexpected surprise when he arrived at Gio's uncle's house—his daughter Rita. Since she lived up north, the possibility of her being at her dad's house hadn't even crossed his mind. He'd almost kept driving when he realized it was her car parked out front, but Abel and Hector had just pulled up and saw him as they started out of Abel's truck.

She came out to greet them and thanked them for coming over to help. She also explained she was staying until she had to go back when school started in a week. Noah managed not to get caught alone with her the whole time, even after she invited them in for a lunch she prepared.

It wasn't until he excused himself, thanking her for the lunch and started walking out, that she followed him.

"Hey, Noah," she called out behind him as he neared his bike.

He turned and smiled. The whole time he'd been there he'd kept any conversation with her very generic. They spoke of the weather and how her dad needed to get this flooding thing fixed permanently. She expressed her worry about her dad living alone earlier, but now she smiled that evil little smile she reserved for just him. She was sexy as hell, he'd give her that. And she always made sure she wore tops that accentuated her two biggest assets like she did now.

Noah had never even bothered to hide the fact that he was checking her out. He knew it's what she wanted, so he did so openly—until now. He didn't want her getting any ideas.

"So is that it? Are you off the market now?"

Noah smiled. Good. She was making this easy for him. Gio had already teased him about walking in on him last night while he slept soundly with Roni in his arms. There was no hiding the fact that, while they might not formally be a couple yet, Noah had no intentions of hiding the fact there was definitely something going on between him and Roni.

"Yeah, something like that."

She smiled, coming closer as he hopped on his bike. "Well, which is it? Either you are or you're not. You know me." She ran her fingers over the bump on the side of his face. They'd already talked about last night's incident during lunch. She kissed the lump then cozied up, her breasts rubbing against his chest as she leaned close enough to kiss him. "I don't mind sharing."

Even though he didn't know this for a fact, he was quite certain from Roni's previous comments about the type of guys she _wasn't_ into, that she also wouldn't be into sharing. Though he'd made it perfectly clear they'd "work out" something, he would give her a little time to get used to the change before they got down to exact rules of how this arrangement would work exactly. One thing was for damn sure: _he_ wasn't sharing.

He wouldn't beat around the bush. There was no way Rita would know the details about him and Roni anyway, so he was about to tell her he was definitely off the market when Abel, Gio, and Hector walked out the back door.

Gio's eyebrows lifted, but he said nothing. Hector, of course, was the first to comment with a smirk. "You two look cozy."

"Don't we?" Rita turned and smiled their way. "Oh, that reminds me. I take pictures of us every year." She then gave Noah a sly look. "Only this year, I didn't get a chance." She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Hector as they all reached Noah's bike.

Just as fast as she'd moved the day after Thanksgiving in her car, she straddled the back of Noah's bike with her arms and legs around his waist in an instant. "Take a picture of us," she said as her arms roamed his chest seductively, causing Noah's breath to catch.

Hector, the idiot, took more than one picture. Noah had never met a girl that moved so fast. Before he knew it, she'd brought her legs down the side of his bike again, but her hands were now down, palms open, between his thighs as if she were holding on for dear life. Of course, Hector snapped another picture.

Just as quickly as she climbed onto his bike, she jumped off and took the phone from Hector. "So will you be around again this week?"

It was crazy how just a year ago he gladly would've been back to see Rita every night until she left, but today he shook his head. "Probably not. I got a lot going on. I'm fighting in two weeks. I need to train."

"Oh, that's right. I'm coming down for Gio's fight. Maybe I can make yours too."

Yeah, that would be _great_. After a little more small talk, Noah was finally out of there. Any thoughts of Rita were quickly squashed as the memory of kissing, holding, and sucking Roni's delicious skin came back to him. Funny how having Rita's tits up against him and her legs firmly wrapped around his waist had done nothing but irritate him, and here just the thought of kissing Roni again was making it uncomfortable to sit.

## Chapter 20

The night Noah returned from helping out Gio and his uncle, they came to one compromise. Their friendship would remain just that, a friendship, except Noah negotiated a kiss goodnight— _every_ night.

Veronica hadn't argued much, and though she stipulated it would be strictly a friendly kiss, she knew it would be anything but. What started as a quick peck goodnight had escalated into a kiss that nearly had her panting and in need of a change of panties. The following nights it got even longer.

Her first few days back at work she'd barely managed to stay awake. Between her sleepless nights after Noah's amazing use of his tongue and the two years' worth of painfully boring work compliance trainings and videos she had to sit through, it was hard to keep her eyes open.

Her boss, Leslie, had yet to tell her where she'd end up once she was done training but seemed pretty optimistic that she still had plenty of time to figure it out since it would probably be weeks before Veronica was all caught up with her trainings. _Really? This is what she'd looked forward to and spent hundreds of dollars on a new wardrobe for?_

Derek had texted her twice that week and called her once, leaving a voicemail saying he was looking forward to getting together with her again soon. The way things were going with Noah, who now, despite the fact that he agreed they'd remain friends, acted every bit the possessive boyfriend around other guys, she didn't see how that would ever happen.

And the fact was, after a week of being completely incapable of fighting her desires for Noah, Veronica had now started to consider the possibilities. She was going to dinner tonight with Nellie and was hoping her best friend could help her figure this out. Nellie had called a few days ago, admitting she'd been feeling incredibly guilty about how much she'd neglected their friendship in the last couple of months.

Veronica told her she didn't have to but was secretly happy to hear Nellie say she was going to make it a point to get together with Veronica more often from here on. Deep inside, she didn't like the fact that she'd become so dependent on Noah to keep her company—be her only friend. She needed to feel there was more going on in her life than just him.

A couple of her friends from work had also made mention of having to get together and catch up. But for now, it was just mentioned. No one had actually planned anything.

Just a little over a week after New Year's, Veronica had easily convinced herself that maybe Noah was mature enough for her to get involved with. He took his boxing and training career very seriously. Even though his career choice was a bit unconventional, he had many goals and aspirations, but most admirable was his discipline. He could easily slack off and take a day off from training or veer off the special diet he'd put himself on when training for a fight, but he never did.

She had to admit she knew men much older than him that hadn't the faintest idea what they wanted out of life. Even though she still had her doubts about Noah being willing and able to commit to a serious relationship at such a young age, he was the one who seemed most adamant that something like that could work.

Veronica sent Noah a text reminding him that she'd be skipping her workout tonight and that she'd be home a little later because she was having dinner with Nellie. It didn't seem weird that she'd be checking in with him. He'd started to do the same with her as well. Ever since the morning after their little argument that ended with her in tears and she left that note for him to let him know where she was, he thanked her for that and she knew he genuinely worried about her. She didn't see it as having to check in, more as extending courtesy so her friend wouldn't worry.

Nellie had agreed to meet her at a local Cuban restaurant—one of their favorites. She seemed excited about catching up, and Veronica quickly brought her up to speed about everything. She purposely gave her more details of her holidays with Noah, leaving nothing out until she got to New Year's Eve.

Nellie's jaw dropped when Veronica told her about making out with him. "I don't know. It was just something that had been building for weeks, and I let myself go with it." She smiled, feeling like she was back in high school again. "Nellie, he's incredible, and it wasn't just kissing. It got pretty heavy. I mean"—she brought her hands to her neck—"the hickeys just finally faded completely a few days ago."

She'd barely gotten the sentence out when Nellie spit up her drink and grabbed for her napkin. Veronica laughed. She knew how ridiculous it sounded, but she was so relieved to be telling someone about it she didn't care.

"Hickeys? What are you thirteen?"

Veronica laughed even more now. God, she'd missed Nellie. When they were both done with their giggle fest, Veronica bit her bottom lip and said the words she hadn't allowed herself to even think about seriously. "He said he's in love with me. Told me so New Year's Eve."

Veronica didn't think Nellie could look any more stunned than she had just a few minutes earlier. "I know, right?" Veronica asked, not sure if she should laugh again or puke. "We've only known each other a few months, and at his age, he probably doesn't even know what love is."

"He's not a little boy, Roni." Nellie had that tone she always had when she was being very serious. "Okay, so he's younger than you, but a twenty-year-old _man_ is capable of knowing the difference between lust and love. If he says he's in love, I believe him."

"Really?" Veronica leaned in closer, whispering as if the people at the next table might hear and think her as ridiculous as she felt.

"What is so crazy about his being in love with you? You're a wonderful person, and he's obviously picked up on that, not to mention you're stunning. Look at you."

As usual, Nellie did what she always did best—chased all the self-doubt away that Roni so easily harbored, but there was more to it than just that. "So am I crazy for even considering this?"

Nellie stirred her drink and looked at Veronica very seriously. "What is it you're considering exactly?"

Veronica shrugged, suddenly feeling completely unsure of what she'd so successfully convinced herself earlier. "At first, I was completely against the idea of anything between me and him ever happening, but now, I don't know. It doesn't seem so out of the question."

"What do you have in mind? I mean, if he's saying he's in love with you, you really have to be careful what you decide to do here. Are you looking for a relationship with him, or are we talking just giving in to your carnal desires?"

Veronica laughed nervously. Saying this aloud made it sound as unrealistic as she originally thought. "He's a lot more mature than I gave him credit for in the beginning." She took a sip of her soda, contemplating whether she should bring up her real fears. "He's really sweet, and his loyalty is so admirable. His friends mean everything to him." She really did admire his loyalty. She'd never met anyone quite like him and his friends. Abel looked ready to kill the guy that blindsided Noah. He might've too if they hadn't pulled him off. "Loyal equals trustworthy, right?"

"Is that what you're worried about? If you can trust him?"

Veronica nodded but quickly added, "It's not like he's given me any reason to think that he _couldn't_ be trusted. And this whole time he's been living with me, all he does is go to work and come straight home, except for the times he's gone over to his friends." She stopped short of telling her about his _ride_ with Rita, but of course, Nellie was a step ahead of her as usual.

"And what does he do when he goes there?"

"Nothing, he just hangs out." She met Nellie's eyes for a second then decided she may as well tell her. She'd already gushed about how wonderful Thanksgiving had been. "Okay, the day after Thanksgiving, he went over to his friend Gio's. He said he was just going to hang out. Even now, I don't expect explanations from him about anything. And things have progressed significantly since, so back then he owed me even less." She frowned, the emotion she'd felt the night she found out about Rita coming back to her, but she held it back. "I found out later he'd slept with Gio's cousin that day."

Nellie stared at her but said nothing. She could feel Nellie waiting for her to go on, but her voice had caught. She didn't want Nellie to see how something Noah did over a month ago when they were no more than roommates still hurt.

Finally, Nellie sat up a bit straighter. Veronica expected her to go into some kind of lecture about how that's what was to be expected from a guy Noah's age. She was almost hoping for it. If anyone could talk some sense into her, it would be Nellie, but instead, she reached across the table and touched her hand.

"Honey, I am so sorry that I haven't been here for you. Obviously, so much has been going on with you, and you've had no one to share this with."

Veronica shook her head quickly. "No, I had my chance. The morning we went out for waffles I meant to tell you. I found out about it the night before, but I decided not to because I felt stupid. He was just my roommate and—"

"You spent a wonderful holiday with him, just the two of you. You said you had _moments_. It obviously meant a lot to you, and I can totally understand why that would be heartbreaking. If I were you, I would've been hurt too. You weren't being stupid; you were being human." She squeezed her hand. "Look. The one thing Rick and I have been hearing about for weeks in all these retreats and counseling sessions is that trust is the absolute foundation of a relationship. Without it, you have nothing. What did Noah have to say about sleeping with the girl?"

Veronica shook her head. "I never asked him about it, and, of course, he never offered an explanation. But the girl came back for Christmas, and from what his friend said, she's basically his go-to whore during the holidays. I asked him if he would be spending time with her, and he said no. Instead, he spent the holidays with me. He was by my side both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then New Year's Eve happened."

"But you still have your doubts?"

"It's not just her, Nellie. She doesn't even live nearby. It's that he's so much younger. You've seen him. The guy can take his pick of any hot girl he chooses. And there's plenty, like the groupies at his fight. How long will it be before this old lady starts to bore him?"

"Oh, get out of here." Nellie pushed her hand away, looking genuinely pissed. "Don't even start with that crap. You look amazing, and Noah certainly seems to agree. Besides, this has nothing to do with age or looks anymore. The guy is _in love_ with you. You'll be beautiful to him now no matter what."

"Yeah, but . . ." She hated to bring up such a sore subject, but Nellie had already done so in a way, and Veronica suddenly had to know. "Did Rick ever explain why he almost cheated?"

Instead of looking taken aback like Veronica had expected, Nellie's expression went from pissed off to satisfied. "I'm glad you brought that up. I was planning on sharing this with you anyway."

Nellie told her about the many therapy sessions she and Rick had attended. And while she in no way blamed herself for Rick's indiscretions, she did partially fault the fact that she'd given into what the therapist referred to as "marriage's fine art of denial," leading to what she now called "Rick's near miss."

"To put it simply, it's a form of regression. And it starts very early on in relationships. Most people don't even notice it, since it starts off so subtly. It actually feels right when it first starts, but it builds. In my case, I _knew_ something was going on with Rick from the very beginning, and I chose to ignore it. It was uncomfortable to talk of or even think about it. I decided our marriage and love were strong enough, and whatever it was, I could trust Rick to do the right thing. Turns out he was doing things because he secretly wanted to get caught. And what did I do? I kept turning a blind eye, refusing to acknowledge that there was something seriously wrong."

Nellie told her about how, for months before the intern even began working with Rick, their sex life wasn't what it once was. She was tired and stressed out from work all the time, and she was just never in the mood. They started going days then weeks without it, and, of course, neither of them talked about it.

"I seriously don't think this will be an issue for you two from what you've told me so far." Nellie giggled, making Veronica blush. "My point is I know you, Roni. If you're actually considering doing this with this guy, your doubts won't go away overnight. In fact, the harder you fall for him, the more doubt will creep up. Whatever you do, don't let your pride dictate your actions. If there is something you need to know, something that will settle your nerves or any qualms you may have, ask him. Bring it up no matter how uncomfortable."

Veronica frowned. The first thing that came to mind was Rita. She hated that she was still hung up on that.

"Trust me on this, Roni. If I've learned anything from what happened between me and Rick, it's that I will never again hold back. Any suspicion I have, no matter how miniscule, any uncertainties I have about our marriage, it's all coming up. Of course, you don't want to harp on everything and drive him up the wall, but Noah will have to understand one thing. I know you better than anyone. If you do this, you are seriously sacrificing your comfort zone."

Veronica nodded. She sure as hell would be. This was so not like her. She still could hardly believe she was actually giving it serious consideration.

"He'll just have to be understanding of that."

Out of nowhere, a small laugh escaped Veronica, and she covered her mouth with her napkin. "That's one thing I don't think Noah will have too much of an issue with. I told you what he's like already."

Nellie smiled. "Normally, I'd say having such a hard-ass for a boyfriend might be a problem, but in your case, it just might work to your advantage. He can't complain about you ever having your misgivings if he's barely stopped short of pissing on your leg to mark his territory."

Veronica laughed wholeheartedly now. She felt so much better. She knew she would. Nellie had always been able to talk her down or up, whatever the situation was.

Excitement flitted throughout her the entire drive home. Noah walked out to meet her as she got out of her car in the garage.

"How'd it go?"

As he usually did lately, he stood close enough she could smell his breath, and he stared at her with the burning eyes that drove her crazy. He'd obviously brushed his teeth very recently because she could still smell the toothpaste on his breath.

"It went well." She smiled. "I didn't realize how much I missed Nellie until I saw her today."

"I see you dressed up for the occasion." His hand took hers, and he lifted her arm up, stepping back to take in her outfit. "Very nice."

She actually had dressed up, but she was still flattered Noah had noticed. She'd been a little nervous about wearing something she might have considered a bit young for her. But the long sweater tunic, black tights, and her new boots had earned her nothing but compliments today at work, including a very excited one from Nellie. This was part of her big plan for the new Veronica. She still couldn't believe how far she'd sunk in the two years leading up to her mother's death.

"Thank you. It's one of my new outfits."

Her thoughts were back on Noah and the one uncomfortable thing she wanted to ask him. She'd do it once and then never bring it up again. But she needed to know.

Noah took a step forward as usual testing her limits. At this point, she typically would have a hand up between them, reminding him of their friendship status and their agreement that any kissing would be only in the form of a friendly and _innocent_ goodnight kiss. Tonight, however, she let him close in on her. Of course, he wasted no time. Within seconds, she was melting in his strong arms as he drove his tongue into her mouth the way only he could do.

After his delectable greeting that she could very well get used to and would definitely consider working into their agreement, they came up for air. "I missed you tonight," he whispered against her lips before pecking her again.

"I missed you too."

It seemed like it was just the obvious response, but she really had. It had been nice to spend time with Nellie, and the clarity that had come with their conversation had been priceless. However, she had to admit the thought that she could be home with Noah instead had ruefully crossed her mind a few times during dinner.

Which brought her to her next thought. Taking Nellie's advice, she wouldn't put this off any longer. Judging by Noah's greeting, who knew what tonight would end up like, and this was something she needed to know before she made any decisions.

She leaned back against the car, and Noah pressed up against her. "Can I ask you something? It's kind of personal."

He backed up a little, his forehead creasing a bit. "Yeah, you can ask me anything."

"What exactly is your relationship with Rita?"

Even though Noah made great effort to appear indifferent to her question, it clearly hit a nerve. His already hard body tensed up immediately at the very mention of Rita's name, sending out a very bad vibe that made Veronica almost regret asking.

## Chapter 21

A test is what this felt like, and Noah always sucked at tests. She'd let him kiss her, and then she dropped this on him. His mind raced to try to figure this out. He searched for the perfect answer, but there were no two ways around it. Rita was exactly as Roni had once put it—his drive-by one-night stand. But in Rita's case, it'd been far more than one time.

He stood his ground, trying to stay cool as Roni's eyes sought something in his. "She's just someone I hang with—well, _hung_ with," he amended quickly, "not anymore, in the past." He shrugged, trying to make as little of it as possible. "We were both single, and neither of us was looking for anything deep."

"Why not anymore?"

The fact that she'd even ask that pissed him off a little. "Because it doesn't feel right anymore."

"But it did the day after Thanksgiving?"

God, he could kill Hector. "That wasn't planned, Roni. Actually, nothing with her ever was. For the last few years, me and her—"

"Years?"

_Shit!_ She nudged away from him. but he refused to let her out of his hold. "Yeah, but she only comes down a few times a year."

She lifted her purse over her shoulder in a move to put some distance between them. "So you just sleep with her, no strings attached? That's the extent of your relationship?"

"It used to be, not anymore. And yes, that was the extent of it."

Roni's eyes bounced around, obviously not wanting to make contact with his any longer. She shivered now that his body wasn't keeping her warm. "But she's Gio's cousin; you never talk to her or stay in touch when she's gone?"

"Let's get you inside, Roni," he said, reaching for her hand. "It's freezing out here."

They started toward the back door of her house. "You know what? Never mind," she said as they reached her back door. "It's none of my business anyway."

"Yes, it is," Noah said, feeling a little panicked about the sudden shift in mood.

"No, it's not. What you do in your personal life—"

"You _are_ my personal life now." Noah stepped in front of her. "I told you I'm in love with you, and I meant it. I'll go along with whatever you say—follow your rules. I'll go as slow as you need me to, and if you wanna know about my personal life, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know." He wanted to make this perfectly clear because he sure as hell wanted to know about hers. He couldn't demand anything yet, but he'd set the example right now. "Rita was convenient, okay? That's all she's ever been. We never made any plans. She never even calls to tell me she's in town. Like the day after Thanksgiving, I didn't know she was going to be there."

"Why wouldn't you know? She's here every holiday, right?"

"But she usually leaves right away, so I was caught off guard, and what happened that day . . ." He was saying too much, and he knew it, but her accusatory tone made him panic. "That's not why I went to Gio's if that's what you're implying, but I will say, in all fairness, back then I had no reason to even hope for anything between you and me. You made it seem so impossible. Things are different now. Everything changed after New Year's. Shit, my feelings had changed weeks before that. That's why I spent the entire holidays with you. But even the day after Thanksgiving, Roni, after I saw her there, I wasn't shooting for anything to happen, I swear. But it just did."

She shook her head and walked around the kitchen island, setting her bag and keys down on the counter. "Boggles the mind," she muttered.

"What does?" he asked, following her like a puppy dog.

"How something like that _just happens_. What did she do, just suddenly hop on your lap?"

Noah nearly choked at how closely her explanation came to the truth. She turned to face him when he didn't respond then rolled her eyes in disgust. "Ugh!"

"The point is even _she_ gets it now. That was the last time for me and her. That's one of the best things about her. I've never had to worry about her being clingy or wanting more."

There was a sharp change in the way she stared at him, and he knew that last statement might cost him. "Is that what you worry about, Noah? Clingy girls wanting more?"

"Only the ones I don't have feelings for." He took a step closer to her. "I'm not looking to hurt anyone, and I didn't have to worry about that with her. That's all I meant."

To his relief, her expression softened a bit. "And you only ever got together with her on the holidays?"

A smile nearly escaped, but he kept it stifled and nodded instead. This was exactly what he wanted. For her to ask questions—set the playing field.

Her expression was now curious, and she crossed her arms in front of her. "So you mean to tell me, that in all the _years_ you two have been doing this, outside of the times she showed up for your holiday trysts, you two never stayed in touch any other way? No phone calls, emailing, _ever_?"

"Nope." The haughty tone was still there especially when referring to the holiday trysts, but he nodded again, feeling slightly better knowing this conversation could've gone a lot worse. "None at all."

Her curious stare was now tinged with suspicion, but the slight smugness of her curved lips gave him hope there would be a lift to the tension that so quickly engulfed the room and had begun to suffocate him. "Really? So since Thanksgiving, aside from the times you saw her at your work Christmas dinner and Christmas Eve, you haven't heard from her _at all_?"

He wished to hell she hadn't been watching him so closely because she obviously picked up on the fact that he was suddenly scrambling for the perfect response. The curve of her lips was gone, and there was a trace of fear in her eyes for just an instant before she looked away. "Just once and again it wasn't planned."

Roni's face literally jerked back in his direction. Her expression was hard now. " _What_ wasn't planned?"

"Seeing her."

"When?" As strange as it felt to hear Roni's venomous demand, he welcomed it. He wanted her to demand things—know that she had every right to know and leave the door wide open for him to do the same to her.

"New Year's Day." The second he said it, he realized what she was thinking. He'd been so fucking caught up in and loving the fact that she was behaving like a jealous girlfriend—something that seemed so farfetched until now—he didn't even think about how bad this sounded, but her eyes said it all. She was more than disgusted; she was hurt. "Gio's uncle is her dad," he said, rushing to her, but she held her arms out, visibly upset now.

"You saw her the day after—"

"She was there at his house the day I went to help Gio out. I had no idea she would be, but nothing happened, Roni, I swear to you." Roni backed away, refusing to make eye contact with him, something he'd noticed now she only did when she wasn't in complete control of her emotions. "She was in the house the whole time cooking. We all went in and had lunch after working on the yard for hours, and then I left."

She shook her head, and Noah wasn't sure what to make of it. Was she saying she didn't believe him? Then she spoke as she began to walk out of the kitchen.

"You don't owe me any explanations."

Like hell he didn't. He rushed to her, taking her by the arm, and backed her into the counter before she could protest. "Yes, I do," he said, cradling her face in his hands as he stared into those solemn eyes of hers. "I do," he whispered again before kissing her softly. "She was there, but nothing happened, and that's the last I've seen or heard of her, okay? I'll even tell you the next time I hear or see her again."

She started to shake her head in protest. "You don't have to."

"Stop saying that. I want to." Rita was the only fucking thing at this point that could cast any doubt in Roni's head about them. He felt it. She'd finally started giving in to everything else, and he'd be damned if he was going to let someone as insignificant as Rita ruin it all. "I want to and I'm going to."

He finally saw a trace of that beautiful smile he loved so much. "Okay," she whispered then took a deep breath. "I need a shower."

What he saw in her face at that moment was the very thing he was feeling. Relief. This conversation—Rita—had been a looming subject that he knew would eventually have to be discussed, and as uncomfortable as it had been, he was glad it was over.

Proof of what he had suspected way back on the day he'd taken that ride with Rita when it felt wrong had been confirmed tonight. He and Roni _had_ made a connection on Thanksgiving. He wasn't the only one who felt it, because even though she hadn't said it, the fact was it hurt her. It all made sense now. Gio and Abel hadn't imagined it when they said she appeared upset the night Hector brought it up.

Noah hugged her, remembering that night again and the fact that she'd cried. They weren't even officially together yet, and he'd already caused her pain. He hugged her even tighter, hoping she could feel how sorry he felt. As much as he wanted to apologize, he hated to even go there anymore.

She pulled away gently and smiled. "I'll meet you in the hallway after I'm showered and ready to go to bed?"

That excitement he felt over that one sentence made him feel like a little kid in a toy store, and he didn't even care that he was so blatant it made her laugh. "I wouldn't be able to sleep if you didn't."

His attempt to sneak in one more kiss failed when she snuck under his arm and she rushed away with a giggle. He watched as she walked away, taking in those high-heeled boots that had driven him crazy New Year's Eve. For an instant, he had a vision of seeing her in them—and nothing else. Patience was a virtue, but damn if it wasn't also a torment to even wait for their hallway meeting in a few long minutes.

~*~

A week after their Rita conversation, Veronica was feeling as indecisive as ever about moving things forward with Noah. His admission about how and why things had happened the day after Thanksgiving and the fact that he gave her the go-ahead to question him—that she was entitled to explanations about his personal life—should've been a deciding factor. But ironically, something else about that conversation had made her more aware of how frightening it was to put herself out there like that.

The only times in her life that she could remember her heart feeling this incredibly vulnerable and ready to fall apart over a guy had unbelievably both been because of him: first, the night after his fight when she was forced to see him with a groupie and then later that same night when she found out about Rita. But hearing that he'd seen Rita the day after she'd finally given into her desire for him—the very day after he'd admitted to being in love with her—had such an instant crushing effect. It was something she'd never experienced before, and even though it turned out to be nothing, she was now terrified of having to feel that way ever again.

She'd been so thankful that she'd insisted on getting to the bottom of his relationship with Rita because she now had even more reason to keep moving slowly, but things _had_ moved forward a bit. Nothing huge had happened, but there were small significant changes. Like after dinner now when they sat and watched television, she allowed for more snuggling.

And when he'd sneak in more nuzzling of her neck and ears as she cooked or even when they were in her darkroom when he claimed he wanted to learn how to develop photos, she wasn't so quick to put a stop to it. But it was always sweet and gentle. The only times things got heavy were their goodnight kisses, but she'd manage to fight the urge to just pull him in her room and do what she really wanted to do to him.

As much as her hunger to give in completely was getting harder to fight with every day that passed, there was something else that was quick to stop her in her tracks. She'd already seen it even before New Year's. She was becoming excessively dependent on him. While he had his boxing, his training, and his friends, she had little going on aside from him. If it hadn't been for Noah, she would've had the most pathetic and lonely holidays of her life.

Before her mother got sick, she'd never been like this. She had plenty of friends and colleagues. Her photography was a huge part of her life. She even had a blog specifically for her photos, which had even started to make some money. It'd been literally years since she last updated her blog and even longer since she'd uploaded any new photographs.

The fact that Derek had walked away when she'd become too engrossed in the care of her mother to focus on anyone or anything was a huge reminder of a bad habit she'd always had. When there was something big going on in her life, she tended to obsess about it to the point of neglecting everything and everyone else in her life in the process. Sure, her mother's illness should've been an understandable exception; it was still a perfect reminder of how she let one occurrence utterly control every other aspect of her life. She needed to learn how to balance everything now, before she made the same mistake again.

Of course, now everything was happening all at once. She'd gone back to work, she was reviving old friendships, old hobbies, and now Noah was a colossal distraction in the midst of all of it. She needed to get this right, so moving slow was her only option.

Even Nellie, who had disappeared on her for a few months, was back, and they _had_ made a pact to get together at least once a week. She was determined to be able to not only handle but also enjoy even that small change in her life. Tonight was that night. They were getting together again for dinner.

Instead of going out, Nellie had made dinner for them. Rick was out of town on business, and they'd have the place to themselves. Since Veronica had hogged the conversation last week with her worries about Noah, she had every intention of letting Nellie do all the talking and spilling of her guts tonight.

It occurred to her halfway through dinner that maybe biting her tongue and holding back what she really wanted to say to her best friend was not such a good idea. Nellie always told her exactly what she thought. She never sugarcoated anything for fear of hurting Veronica's feelings, and that's how it should be. But this was different. Nellie was obviously hell-bent on making her marriage work. How could Veronica tell her she hated Rick for doing what he'd done to her? That she'd never thought Rick deserved her even back when they first started dating? He'd always seemed a little too full of himself, as if deep inside, he knew quiet, unassuming Nellie should just understand that she was dating out of her league because he was a handsome, successful, and outgoing radio sportscaster, who obviously was never at a loss for words.

Nellie seemed to think it was funny and acted as if he was just being his witty self when Rick would openly flirt with Veronica and even Nellie's sister Courtney. To Veronica, it just felt creepy, but she didn't protest since Nellie seemed to be so okay with it.

By the time they'd finished dinner, Veronica had heard enough about how Rick was really making an effort to make the relationship work. He should be. He's the one that nearly screwed someone else, and Veronica couldn't understand how Nellie could just take his word that the one night he got caught was the only time he'd ever considered doing something like that. What an incredible coincidence, and Nellie had this everything-happens-for-a-reason mentality about it. The night at the hospital when Nellie told her about how the whole thing had unfolded, Veronica had been so guilt ridden she hadn't given it much thought.

Since then, she'd had more time to think about it, and the more she did, the more she thought Nellie had just accepted Rick's excuses much too easily. She knew Nellie had always been in love with him to the point of obsession and that Veronica saying anything against Rick might not go over too well, but she couldn't help it. It was just a few months ago that this had all happened, and already he was away on a business trip that sounded a little too suspicious to Veronica.

Tonight's dinner had been more frustrating than enlightening, unlike their last dinner. Nellie walked Veronica out, and they stood at the top of the stairway just outside the door of Nellie's townhome. "Don't walk me down, Nellie. I'm fine." She turned to hug her friend. "I'll see you again next week?"

"For sure." Nellie squeezed her before pulling away. "Only we'll go out somewhere again. Rick will be home next week."

"Why is he in Tahoe again?"

"Celebrity golf championship."

Veronica nodded. "Is he broadcasting?"

"No," she said with that same smile she'd worn all through dinner when she spoke of all the progress he'd made these last few months. "It's just for pleasure. He goes every year."

"So, how come you didn't go with him?"

The smile lost some of its shine. "I have work."

"So you take a few days off. I mean, Nellie, aren't you the tiniest bit concerned about this?"

"Roni?" Just as Veronica suspected she would be, Nellie was put off by her questioning. "It's an annual trip he's been taking for years. And I _have_ to trust him."

"Why?" Veronica didn't mean for it to come out so exasperated, but it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard. The man had cheated on her just a few months ago.

"Because he's my husband, and at some point, I have to—"

"At some point, but it's only been a few months." Veronica knew she was pushing it now, but even when Nellie had told her about how Courtney caught Rick with that woman at the hotel, Nellie's version had been completely toned down compared to Courtney's. She hated to think her best friend was putting up with Rick's lies for the sake of losing this bastard who didn't even deserve her. "He has to understand that, this year, things should be different. This year, maybe he should've taken you." Suddenly, all of the solo trips Rick had taken in the past where Nellie so happily stayed behind became suspect. "Nellie, how do you know this was the first and only time Rick has done this?"

Nellie stood up straight, and her puckered lips nearly twitched. Veronica knew she had done it now. "Because he said it was, and I believe him."

"But—"

"Veronica, I've made my decision to try and work this out with Rick. If you had any idea what I've been through these last few months, maybe then you'd understand why I have to at least try to incorporate some of the tools given to me in the counseling sessions and retreats we've taken. This is all part of regaining trust. I couldn't live with myself if I thought I had to be there next to him every breathing moment." She crossed her arms in front of her. "And for your information, he did ask me to come, even said I should look into catching a flight out there and meeting him."

Like a sudden flash, it hit Veronica. This wasn't the first time she'd heard this. Every time in the past when Veronica had asked Nellie about Rick's business trips, she'd unwittingly hit a nerve, and Nellie would somehow work it into the conversation that Rick had asked her to meet him on his trip, yet Nellie never had.

"Why don't you?" Nellie started back to her front door, and Veronica went after her. "Why, Nellie? Why haven't you ever gone and met him?"

Nellie stopped at the front door and glared at her, but there was more pain in her eyes than anger. "I told you. I have work."

"Always?" Veronica pushed, knowing she'd already pushed too far and hating Rick even more by the minute. How dare he do this to sweet Nellie? "Is it because you're afraid of who you'll find him with?"

Nellie walked in the door. The pained look in her flooded eyes killed Veronica. "You should leave."

"I'm sorry!" Veronica cried out. "Please don't be mad at me."

"Just go." Nellie closed the door just as the tears slid down her face.

Veronica leaned against the door and knocked softly. "Nellie, I'm sorry. Please talk to me." After minutes of no response, she knocked again as her own tears slid down her face. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I love you."

She wiped the tears away as she made her way slowly down the steps. Even this made her think of Noah. All this time she'd pegged him as undependable and not serious boyfriend material because of his age. Rick was almost thirty, had seemingly committed to marriage, yet he was turning out to be the biggest lying asshole she'd ever known. The guilt weighed even heavier now—this time for so unfairly lumping Noah in the same category as Rick based solely on his age.

## Chapter 22

The guys came over on Sunday and were there all day. It'd been a while since they'd had a virtual boxing fest like the old days. Noah checked with Roni first before okaying Hector to bring over his PlayStation 3. They worked on changing the oil on Roni's car all morning and then moved indoors for the boxing.

Noah told her she didn't have to, but Roni insisted on making them snacks and then lunch. She made sandwiches, which she cut in half and piled high on a tray. Though the guys all said they weren't hungry, the pile of sandwiches were inhaled within minutes.

Her fussing over them had actually helped to distract her and get her mind off what she'd been moping about for days. She and Nellie were still on the outs, and Roni was beside herself with guilt over having hurt Nellie's feelings.

Noah tried to tell her she'd been right to speak up and tell Nellie how she felt, especially given the fact that Roni said Nellie would have done the same thing had the tables been turned. Still, as much as she tried to pretend nothing was wrong, there was no masking it. She was sad, and he hated to see her that way.

That afternoon Roni kept herself busy in the kitchen and later in her darkroom. She'd just walked out of the darkroom, and Noah turned, glad to see her smiling for a change.

Someone knocked at the front door, and Roni walked through the front room to get it. They'd ordered pizza, but it was way too soon for that to arrive. Since Noah had been living with her, the only people that ever came to the door were solicitors. Not once had she had any visitors. Even Nellie had yet to drop in since he'd been there.

They'd moved on from boxing to _Call Of Duty_ , a military-type game where they paired up in teams. "Noah, what are you doing?" Abel nudged him with his knee. "You're supposed to back me up; he almost got me."

Hector laughed, going heavy on the bombs, taking advantage of Noah's slipup. Noah made a few maneuvers to get his man out of harm's way, but his eyes were back on the door where Roni smiled as she greeted whoever it was. She glanced back at Noah with an expression he couldn't quite make out before she walked out onto the porch, closing the screen door behind her.

"Dude, can you fucking pay attention?" Noah looked back at the screen in time to see his man blown up. "You see?" Abel nudged him again.

The screen changed and Noah was down one life. He only had two left, but he couldn't care less. He paid more attention now but still glanced back at the front door repeatedly. From the window that was partially covered with thin drapes, he could see a man leaning against the railing of the porch, but he couldn't see Roni. She was probably leaning against the wall.

It could be anyone—a solicitor, a neighbor—but his already tightening gut told him otherwise. Since Roni had gone back to work, she'd mentioned reacquainting with old friends. That look she'd given him as she walked out put him completely on edge.

Noah managed to stay in the game for another fifteen minutes until he and a very annoyed Abel were wiped out. Fifteen minutes was a relatively short time, considering they could've gone on much longer had Noah actually been trying.

Noah stood up, tossing his controller on the sofa. "Leave it off, Hector. The game is gonna start soon if it hasn't already."

"Oh, yeah, the playoffs are on today," Hector said, flipping it from the PS3 to television mode.

Gio, who was always the first to catch on to what was going on in Noah's head, didn't miss a beat asking in a curious but cautious tone, "Who's that out there with Roni?"

Noah shrugged on his way to the door, but he was about to find out. He opened the door, leaning his upper body out. As he suspected, Roni was leaning against the wall just outside the door. Noah recognized the guy immediately and smiled, feeling an immediate relief wash over him. No way could Roni be into this asshole; though he did wonder what Kratz was doing visiting her. "Small fucking world." Noah reached out his hand to shake the dean's.

Roni shifted nervously. "You know Derek?"

Like a flame doused with ice water, the relief Noah felt just moments earlier was snuffed in an instant. "Derek?"

Derek shook his hand heartily with a smile. "Well, he probably remembers me only as Dean Kratz, but yeah, I remember Noah. How the hell are you?"

Noah nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. The dean was Roni's ex?

"You two related?" the dean asked with a curious smile.

"No, uh"—Roni glanced at Noah then back at Derek— "Noah is my roommate."

That fizzled the dean's smile a little. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Noah said, looking him square in the eyes.

Noah took in the dean from top to bottom. He hadn't changed a whole lot since he last saw him: still tall, well-built for his age, and he still carried that pompous air about him, but something was gone now. Maybe it was because Noah was no longer at the mercy of his rule, or maybe it was that he'd just jumped to the top of Noah's list of all-time assholes, but he was no longer as intimidating as he'd once been.

"Roni mentioned her roommate was a boxer, but I would've never made the connection. I remember you boxing even back when you were still in school." The dean gave him a once-over. "What are you a junior lightweight?"

Noah caught the double-ended jab and chuckled. The guy was big but not as big as he obviously thought he was. He stepped out onto the porch so the asshole could get a good look at his _lightweight_ frame. "Light heavyweight actually."

Derek raised his eyebrows as Noah crossed his arms in front of him. A car pulled into the driveway, grabbing all their attention for the moment. The driver reached in the back seat and jumped out of the car with pizza boxes. "Oh, let me get my purse," Roni said, stepping away from the wall.

"I got it," Noah said, sticking his hand in his pocket.

"You sure?" Roni asked.

Noah nodded as Gio walked out the front door, pulling money out of his pocket. He handed Noah two tens. "This is me and Abel's share."

Noah took the money and walked past Derek. Turned out the man who once towered menacingly over him was exactly his height now. After paying the delivery guy, he turned back to Roni, who held the door open for him. Gio had already gone back inside. "The paper plates are in the pantry. I'll be right in," Roni said as Noah walked toward her. "I'm just gonna walk Derek to his car."

Derek's expression seemed even more put off by Roni's sudden dismissal than Noah felt about the idea of her wanting even another minute alone with the douche. He blatantly smirked at Derek then turned to Roni. "I'll wait for you to eat," Noah said, meeting Roni's eyes, and to his relief, she nodded.

The smug smirk he'd given Derek, when Roni announced she was seeing him off whether he was ready or not, was all the goodbye the guy would get from Noah. His hypocrisy only went so far. As much as he hated leaving Roni out there with Derek, he wouldn't give him the pleasure of knowing it, but pretending he'd been even slightly pleased to see him again had been as far as he was going.

Noah slowed as he walked by Roni, giving her a knowing look. She may not have given him the go-ahead to question her personal life like he'd given her, but she _had_ to know this was something that would be discussed as soon as he got a moment alone with her.

It wasn't just the fact that her hanging out with an ex-boyfriend was enough to make Noah's insides grind, but this guy was scum as far as he was concerned. Not only had Noah always thought him a total prick, he'd left Roni high and dry at a time in her life when she most needed him. Why would she even consider staying friends with him? He didn't deserve her friendship.

Gio eyed him as Noah stalked through the front room toward the kitchen. The guys all followed him, stopping around the center island where he put the boxes of pizza down. "Let me grab paper plates," Noah said as Hector reached for a slice.

"So what's Dean Dickhead doing here? Don't tell me he and Roni are related," Hector said as he chewed.

"He's an old friend," Noah said, placing the paper plates down on the counter.

He walked over to the front, stopping at an angle where he could see Roni and Derek talking by his car but they couldn't see him. The dean's body language was just as Noah remembered, upright and full of authority. Noah hadn't asked Roni much about her relationship when she'd mentioned Derek before, but now Noah had plenty of questions, especially since she obviously held double standards. This guy was way older than her.

~*~

"Wow," Derek said as they walked down her porch steps. "I haven't seen that kid in years. I'm surprised he's not in jail."

Veronica turned to him, her arms crossed in front of her. "What makes you say that?"

Derek chuckled. "That kid sat outside my office more than my damn receptionist when he went to Garfield."

She wasn't sure, but it made sense that Derek might have reason to try to discredit Noah. She'd seen his expression when she told him Noah was her roommate. Just the fact that she'd previously mentioned her new roommate was a guy she was sure had already gotten him speculating. His showing up here unannounced today was not on impulse as he'd said it was. Derek did nothing on impulse.

But she decided to bite anyway. "Why was he at your office so often?"

"Typical troublemaker. Did you run a background check on this guy before letting him move in?"

The thought had never even occurred to Veronica. "No, because he's a friend. What do you mean troublemaker? What kind of trouble?"

Derek shrugged, leaning against his car, obviously in no hurry to leave. "Ditching, fighting, drug trafficking, you name it."

"Drug trafficking?"

"Yeah, I'm telling you the kid is trouble with a capital T." He frowned, glancing back at her house. "So what? This guy trains you, and you just invite him to move on in?"

"No." She hesitated, fumbling to find the best wording. "He had issues."

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Issues with his _place,_ " Veronica added, the annoyance building by the second. She knew Derek would have something to say about this, and his insistence on referring to Noah as a _kid_ hadn't gone unnoticed either. "The storms did a number on his roof." She wouldn't mention it was the roof over a garage. Derek would love that. "I had the extra bedrooms, so I offered to rent him one."

"Convenient. I'd get the money upfront if I were you."

Roni rolled her eyes. "I gotta go, Derek." She began to walk away.

"Hey listen, Veronica." Derek's condescending tone had suddenly softened. "I'm sorry. I know you said he's your _friend._ It's just that I'd like to think me and you can still be friends too . . . at least. And I do still care about you, so I can't help but feel a little concerned here. Who knows? Maybe he's changed. It _has_ been a few years. All I'm saying is what I _do_ know about him is no good. So just be careful. Okay?"

Roni turned back to him with a weak smile. "No need to worry. He's a great guy."

As expected, her last comment raised questions. She saw it in his eyes, but he didn't ask. Instead, he went on to a topic she'd hoped to avoid at least for now.

"So once you get settled in at work, you think we can get together some time?"

She'd used the excuse of being too busy trying to get back on track with her work schedule to answer or return his calls and texts. It was a lame excuse, and she'd hoped he'd take the hint. She didn't see how getting together with him would work now. Noah would no doubt have issues with it.

Every moment she spent with Noah now, every one of their _friendly_ good night kisses, and her need to move things forward with him began to outweigh the feeling that she'd be taking a huge risk. All this time she'd been telling herself that he was too young and would want to be out there playing the field. Yet he was free to do that now, and he spent all his free time with her. That had to count for _something_.

A smile and a nod was the only response she offered Derek then added, "text me," before walking away.

She'd at least pretend to consider it. She told herself that, once she felt completely comfortable being back at work and her life went back to what she considered the norm, she'd take that plunge and next step with Noah. But considering the speed at which their relationship was progressing, that plunge might come a lot sooner than she planned.

One thing was for sure. If she did do this with Noah, she was doing it all the way: no keeping their relationship discreet and keeping it a secret from people like Derek. She'd already seen the disapproval from him, and he only thought Noah was her roommate. She was sure he wouldn't be the only one who would be close-minded about their relationship. Hell, up until very recently, she'd been just as close-minded about the possibility as well. But she didn't care. This was yet another reason why she had to be absolutely sure about it, because once she did this, there'd be no turning back. Their relationship would be out in the open for everybody to know about. Besides, she was certain Noah wouldn't have it any other way.

Until then, she'd hold off giving Derek a solid reason why she couldn't get together with him anymore. Saying her roommate, "the trouble making _kid,_ " wouldn't like it sounded a little silly. But saying her live-in _boyfriend_ wouldn't like it held a lot more weight.

As promised, even though the guys had apparently gone through two of the pizzas already, Noah waited for her to eat. It didn't surprise her that he wanted to talk before he ate. The guys were now in the front room, still munching on pizza as they watched a football game. Noah leaned against the counter as Roni placed a slice of pizza on a paper plate.

"So Dean Kratz is Derek, huh?"

"Yeah." She glanced up at him as she stuck a pepperoni in her mouth. "Like you said—small world. I'm surprised he remembered you out of all the kids he's dealt with over the years."

She smiled, hoping that would stir up some talk of his troublemaking days. She had to admit she was curious about the drug-trafficking comment. Noah was an occasional drinker, if that, and she knew drug use wasn't allowed even in amateur boxing. Noah was verging on the my-body-is-my-temple type. Though obviously he didn't take it quite that seriously, she just couldn't see him doing or much less trafficking drugs.

Noah ignored her observation completely and got straight to it. "So what'd he want?"

"To say hello." She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. "You want one?" she asked, holding out the can.

"No, I'm good. Did you know he was coming?"

"No." She popped open the soda and took a swig before setting it down on the counter. "He said he'd been meaning to stop by for a while."

She wouldn't encourage an interrogation by offering too much up front, but she could understand his concern. Given the fact that he'd allowed her to unleash her questions about Rita when she hadn't the slightest will to hold them back, she'd allow him to ask away, but she'd keep her answers short and to the point.

"So are you two friends again, or is there something else I should know?"

She hadn't even realized her eyes had been glued to her slice of pizza until the change in his tone made her look up at him. "Should know?"

"Yeah, like you planning on picking up where you left off with him?"

"No, of course not." A simple no would've sufficed.

Adding the _of course not_ was uncalled for. It confused things, and she immediately saw it in his curved lip and suddenly bright eyes. It validated a decision she had yet to make, not that it wasn't one she wasn't close to making, but this was too fast—too soon. This was a huge life-changing decision that could ultimately break one of the best friendships she'd made since Nellie. She needed more time to think it through.

"So you told him it's outta the question?"

"He didn't ask," she said. "I just don't have any interest in picking up where we left off."

And that was the truth, right? _That_ was the reason she'd so swiftly and adamantly nixed any idea that she would even consider reconciling with Derek. There may be a bigger reason soon, but for now she wanted to make this absolutely clear.

Noah finally pulled himself away from the counter he'd been leaning on. "So if he shows up again," he said, picking up a slice of pizza, "I can kick his geriatric ass to the curb?"

She had to laugh. "Geriatric?"

"Yeah, he's gotta be pushing fifty, right?"

There was an age difference between her and Derek, but he wasn't that much older. She knew where he was going with this. "He's thirty-six, and no, you will not be kicking anyone's ass anywhere."

"Interesting." He chewed his pizza as he stared at her for a moment. Though humor laced his eyes, there was still that bit of raw intensity she saw earlier when she first walked in from outside. "So he's eight years older than you?"

She nodded. "Yes." And Noah was eight years younger than her, not a big difference to him she was sure, but there really was. "But it's different."

His eyes opened wide. "Really? Wow, this should be good." He took another bite of pizza then wiped his mouth. There was a slight kick in his tone now. "Tell me how _you_ dating a guy eight years older is different from _me_ dating a woman eight years older?"

"It's not the amount of years in between; it's where the two people are in their lives when they meet." She didn't even know why she was arguing anymore. She was so close to giving this a go anyway. Any argument she made now would be negated soon enough. "When Derek and I met, we were at a place where we both knew what we wanted."

"So that made him a sure thing?"

"No, nothing's a sure thing."

"Exactly." He smiled, but there was still some fire behind that smile. He'd won the argument, but he was still peeved. "And for the record"—he leaned in close enough to kiss her—"it's not written anywhere that everyone reaches _that place_ at the same age. Seems to me Derek and your friend Nellie's husband are prime examples of this." He leaned in closer and kissed her softly on the lips. "So you're done with this guy and want nothing to do with him anymore, right?" His words were self-assured, but she could still see the uncertainty in his eyes as he waited for her response.

She nodded, amazed at how readily she'd given into him. He smiled, satisfied, and pecked her one more time before pulling away. "Then you'll have to be a little more specific about what I can and can't do the next time his ass shows up. Because I tend to have selective hearing, and I'll tell you right now the only part I'm gonna remember is you not wanting to have anything to do with him." He smirked before picking up another slice. "I've already blocked out the no-kicking-anyone's-ass part."

As she was about to reassert her no-kicking-ass rules, Hector interrupted her thoughts.

"Yo, Noah!" he called from the front room, holding out a controller. "C'mon, it's halftime. Let's go again. Abel says we got lucky. Lemme just beat your ass one last time."

Noah smirked at her, shrugging as he began to walk away. "This conversation isn't over, Noah," she warned.

He put his hand to his ear as if he hadn't heard a thing, mocking her with that sexy smile of his before turning his back to her on his way to the front room.

"For fuck's sake, can you pay attention?" she heard Abel mutter as Noah took the controller and sat down on the floor.

Gio and Hector laughed, and the television was suddenly booming with machine-gun fire and bombs. Hector yelled out something about that not being fair while the others laughed. Abel threw a pillow at him. It hit Gio instead who protested loudly. In the midst of the chaos, Noah suddenly turned and glanced at her. He smiled so tenderly her heart turned over, and she swore she felt it swell.

Who would've thought, just a few months ago when she was moping all alone in this silent house, feeling fat and completely uninspired, that she'd be here with all these new friends?

This day might've gone entirely differently had it not been for Noah and the guys. She still hadn't heard from Nellie since the day she left her place in tears, and her anxiety about that was beginning to really get to her. Noah and the guys, but mostly Noah, had really gotten her through today. For an instant, the fear was back in her heart—fear that one wrong move, one hasty decision could make this all go away.

Then they all laughed loudly again, and she decided to let the fears go for now, already anxious about tonight's _friendly_ kiss.

## Chapter 23

Last night's kiss had gone on extra-long. Noah could see he was making progress in breaking through Roni's defenses. He understood why she was still hesitant to go any further. He wasn't without worry either. The possibility that something could go wrong was too real. But there was no way he couldn't try. It was a huge risk but one he felt was absolutely worth the reward should it all work out, and he was certain it would.

For now, he'd take what she would give him, knowing they had somewhat of an unspoken agreement. Getting her life back to what it used to be was important to her, and he'd respect that. She did say she wanted to deal with that first before making any major changes in her life. So he'd be content knowing she wasn't considering anyone else either. Most importantly, although she set down the law that she would handle Kratz and there would be no ass-kicking should he ever show up again, she did once again mention she had no interest in reconciling with the guy, not even in friendship terms.

The fight Friday night was only four days away. He'd focus on that instead. Last week, Abel's fight had been a huge hit. They had a full house at the gym, and Abel said he'd actually held off a little before knocking his opponent out to give the spectators who'd lined up hours before the fight a longer show. But he warned Noah not to even think of doing the same, since not only was his a rematch but he also needed to send out a message to his much tougher opponent in the following fight.

Noah waited in the ring for Abel, who'd jumped out for second to take a call. He turned to check on Roni. He'd done such a good job impressing her with his phone it might've backfired. All that time she spent snuggling with him on the sofa every night while she played with his phone might be out the door. She was now saying that, as soon as she was up for an upgrade on her phone plan, she was getting herself one. In the meantime, she used his during her workouts. This week it had come in handy. With his fight this week, he was training even longer, which meant he had less time to train with her, not that she needed him anymore. Most of her workouts consisted of her doing an hour on the treadmill then some weights for toning. But she said listening to music made that hour on the treadmill go by so much faster.

Most of the day he'd train methodically without ever falling off track. But when Roni got there in the evenings, it was a different story. She'd been a little down still because of the whole Nellie thing.

He watched her now, trying to make out her mood. Abel jabbed him hard in the ribs, making Noah flinch. Noah hadn't even noticed him get back in the ring.

"Can I say something without you getting all stupid on me?" Abel glanced at Roni then back at Noah.

If this was about her, he wasn't promising shit. "What?"

"I hope to hell you don't do what you did at your fight a few weeks ago."

Noah punched his gloves together and frowned. He knew exactly what Abel was getting at, but he rolled his neck as he walked around the ring and asked anyway. "What's that?"

"Get all caught up watching her and lose focus on the fight."

"I won't."

"Dude, the second she walks in here every night, we may as well hang it up. You check out just like that. Yesterday, you could barely concentrate whenever she walked through the room. You can't do that on fight night, Noah. You remember what happened last time?" Abel glanced away and looked out into the gym at nothing in particular. "Maybe it's better if . . ."

Noah peered at him. "If what?"

"If she's not there Friday."

"No!" Noah held back what he really wanted to say. That he _needed_ her there. As crazy as that sounded and even though he'd been pissed and distracted with the guy carrying on with her during the fight, there'd been something so comforting about her being there. Even the ride there, he'd felt so much more at peace than he ever had before any fight. And now, after everything that had happened between them, he knew that feeling would be even stronger. "Don't worry about it." He jabbed Abel playfully, his words a little calmer now. "I'll focus. I promise."

He could see Abel wasn't impressed or convinced by his promises. "Yeah? Prove it. She's got, what, twenty minutes left? Let's see how long you can go without looking her way. Show me now." He jabbed Noah hard on the shoulder. "C'mon, lover boy. Let's do this."

Noah resented having to force himself to keep his attention away from Roni, but he knew Abel had a point. Still, he decided to use the aggravation to his advantage and jabbed hard at Abel, missing his chin by an inch. Abel laughed, jumping in place now. "There you go. Focus. Maybe next time you'll land that."

"Asshole," Noah muttered as he swung again, harder this time, but Abel blocked it. He swung again this time, landing one on Abel's side.

Abel laughed again, completely unfazed by the solid jab Noah landed. "Call me crazy, Noah, but I think this focusing shit really works for you."

They went at it for a while before Abel called their sparring session done. First thing Noah did was glance over in Roni's direction. She was standing by the treadmill, drinking from her water bottle. When she finished, she wiped her forehead with a towel. She glanced at him then smiled when she saw him looking.

"Geez, she's as bad as you are." Abel nudged Noah before stepping out of the ring.

Noah laughed but didn't say what he was thinking. _He sure as hell hoped so_.

~*~

Even though their routine had changed a little this week because of Noah's extra training, once home in the evenings, everything was blissfully the same. Noah flipped through the channels as Veronica lay on the sofa, resting her head on his lap, playing with his phone. She still couldn't believe the amount of things she could do with it. Noah had even showed her an app that she could use to start her car. It was unreal.

She resized the picture she'd taken that weekend of the guys while they were completely engrossed in their game. It was so cute; they all looked like their actual lives depended on whatever it was they were concentrating so hard on. The app she was playing with would let her add thoughts over their heads. She was in the middle of adding thoughts above Noah's head when she hit something and the screen switched over to an incoming text—from Rita.

Veronica's stomach did that weird thing it'd done just about anytime there'd been mention of Rita—the same thing it did when she'd seen Noah hug the groupies after his fight. The text was bad enough:

Sorry I won't make it to your fight this Friday. My week is going to be crazy. But before I forget, I wanted to wish you luck, even though I know you won't need it. Kill 'em baby MUUAH!

That alone was enough to light a fire inside Veronica. Had Noah asked her to come see him fight? He'd said they didn't stay in contact after she left.

But it was the follow-up picture message that made her sit up slowly. It was a picture of Rita and Noah on his motorcycle. Her arms were wrapped around him, and her hands strategically were placed in his inner thighs, right at his crotch area. Even though Noah's smile was barely there, her entire body pushed up against him, and the seductive smile she wore was that of a woman who'd either just gotten laid or was about to. The text under the picture read simply:

Aren't we cute?

And the date—New Year's Day. The day after he'd told Veronica he loved her. The very day he'd sworn Rita had spent the entire time inside and nothing happened between them.

"Very cute," she muttered, tossing the phone at Noah.

Noah flinched in surprise but managed to catch it as she stood up. "What?"

She didn't respond. She couldn't. The boulder wedged at her throat made any ability to speak impossible. She had nothing to say to him anyway. This was her own damn fault. How many times did things like this have to happen before she learned to just stick with her initial gut feeling. Already this could cause a rift between them—the very thing she'd been so afraid of from the beginning.

Noah was obviously slow to catch the connection his phone had with her sudden change in mood that now had her bolting from the room. "What's wrong?"

She'd made it all the way into the bathroom, locking the door safely behind her. But instead of crying, which was the original plan, she took a deep breath and rinsed her face. She hadn't slept with him yet—something her gut had managed to win out on all this time. For that she was eternally grateful. There was still time for her to pull out and do some damage control to their _friendship_.

As unpleasant as any thoughts of being around Noah with other girls or to even have to hear him talk about other girls was, it was something she'd have to consider. _This_ was not going to work.

Veronica had just managed to ward off the tears when Noah knocked on the door. "You okay?"

His voice alone was enough to have her choked up again. "I'm fine."

"What happened? Did you suddenly feel sick?"

"Yeah, I did." That was one way to put it. "But I'm okay now."

She turned the shower on in hopes that he'd walk away. She wouldn't be able to talk to him much longer without him noticing the strain in her voice. Thankfully, he left and she could shower in peace.

The long shower she took did the opposite of what she thought it would. Instead of calming her, it gave her more time to evaluate the facts. First of all, Noah had lied. She couldn't be certain that he'd actually slept with Rita New Year's Day, but Rita's body language in the picture made one thing clear. His visit with her that day hadn't been as innocent as he'd made it out to be.

Second, Rita was obviously under the impression that Noah was with Veronica now. They lived together for Christ's sake! The two-faced bitch had the gall to be all over him like that and be texting him with that fucking picture? She _had_ to know the possibility of Veronica seeing it was a good one.

Veronica thought she'd been a little too nice—a little too accepting of the fact that the guy she'd just done a few weeks prior was now giving his undivided attention to another female. Maybe this was her way of sticking it to her.

Unless, of course, since Noah seemed so impressed that Rita wasn't the _clingy type,_ she probably was the type that didn't mind being his whore on the side. Veronica was so worked up by the time she got out of the shower she had to fight the urge to confront him about it.

If she did, the way she was feeling now, she knew without a doubt the conversation would probably end with her screaming at him to get the hell out of her house. That's exactly what she didn't want to happen _ever_. As much as she hated to admit it, the very thought of Noah no longer living with her was one she wasn't ready to accept. She wasn't even ready to think about it, not yet anyway.

Maybe in time. Maybe once she slipped back into her life— _got_ a life of her own—without him. Maybe then it wouldn't feel so unbearable. For now, she'd just have to start slow, take a few steps backwards, and—this thought made her literally gasp—stop the goodnight kisses.

~*~

Noah heard the bathroom door open and Roni walk into her room, closing the door behind her. It took him a while, but he'd finally found some tea bags in the pantry. Chamomile—perfect. No matter what the reason, nothing fixed an upset stomach better than chamomile. Jack swore by it, and it always helped Noah whenever he wasn't feeling so hot. It even worked for hangovers. The sour stomach part anyway.

He fixed Roni a cup and waited for her to emerge from her room, but she never did. After a half hour of flipping through channels, hoping to hear from her, he knocked on her door. "Are you feeling better?" he asked softly in case she was already asleep.

"Not really," she said, her voice sounding so strange it made him nervous.

"Anything I can do? Take you to the doctor's or something?"

"No, nothing. I took a sleeping pill and it's really kicking in."

Though the thought of going to bed without the taste of her on his lips was disappointing, his worry outweighed anything else he felt at that moment. "Maybe you shouldn't go to work tomorrow."

"No, I have to. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

After saying goodnight, he walked the mug of tea to the kitchen and dumped its contents in the sink. He cleared anything they'd left out in the kitchen from dinner, something they usually did together, and called it an early night. Even watching TV without Roni wasn't the same anymore.

He was still lying in bed awake when his phone rang. He rarely got calls in the evening, but it was even stranger that it was from Hector, so he sat up a little worried.

"What's up, Hector?"

"Did Roni and that asshole Kratz actually go out?"

The call alone was out of left field, but his question was even odder. "Why?"

The phone got a little muffled, and Noah heard a door squeak closed. Hector lowered his voice. "Well, you gotta promise first of all that you won't say anything to Abel."

"About what?"

"About me being in the dean's office again."

Noah chuckled. He knew firsthand all about being in the dean's office on a regular basis. Kratz was such a hard-ass it made total sense that wiseass Hector would be on his shit list. "I won't."

"All right, so I've been in there a few times lately, but today I noticed a picture of him and some chick. You know, like a couple in the snow. I _had_ to get a closer look to see who the fuck would be with asshole Kratz." He laughed, but Noah was already feeling too annoyed to laugh. He had a feeling where this was going. "I didn't recognize her at first because she's wearing a beanie and shit, but she looked familiar. Then just behind it, there was another picture and there they were, Roni and Kratz, holding hands in front of that Medieval Times place."

"Yeah, they went out years ago, I guess." The annoyance he'd felt had manifested. He was now officially pissed. "He has the pictures on his desk?"

What a fucking joke. They hadn't gone out in over a year, and his pathetic ass still had the pictures of them up?

"Nah, they were on a bookshelf behind his desk. Only reason I got up to get a closer look was because he left the room for a sec. So, no shit, she really went out with his ass? You know the more I'm around her the younger she seems, so seeing her in that picture with him was creepy as shit."

"That's 'cause it is." Noah wished he could add, _And that's why she fucking dumped his ass,_ but he couldn't.

That was the worst thing about her having dated such an asshole. Not only had she actually been attracted to him and dated him for several _years,_ but splitting with him hadn't been her choice. It'd been his. And now he was sniffing around again, and he was still displaying pictures of the two of them?

This didn't sit well with Noah. He may've agreed to the no-violence rule with Roni, but he'd made it clear he wasn't promising anything. All the shit this bastard had put him through in high school was water under the bridge now. In hindsight, Noah probably deserved some of it, but this changed everything. He'd gotten Roni to admit one thing. She wanted nothing to do with Kratz now.

If the fucker even thought about weaseling his way back into her life now, he'd have to go through Noah. And Noah could think of no better way to unleash all the tension he'd been building these last few weeks around Roni than beating the shit out of someone who would try to come between them.

## Chapter 24

The next morning, Veronica made it a point to be up earlier than the norm. Noah was usually up before her even now that she'd gone back to work, because of his early morning runs. But today, Veronica wanted to spend as little time with him as possible before she left.

She was just filling her commuter mug with coffee when he walked in the back door. He wore the usual dark gray hooded sweatshirt he wore every morning. He stopped quickly at the sight of her, taking his earpiece out of his ear and pulling his hood back. "Hey." His smile was so sincere her insides warmed. "You're up. How you feeling?"

She returned the smile, attempting to do what she'd decided after a long night of soul-searching and arguing with that little voice of reason, which so often won, but hadn't been winning lately. Noah was one of the best things that had happened to her. Her mother often spoke of people being brought into your life for a reason. He'd been there when she needed him most, but she'd confused things. The feelings she finally admitted to having for Noah had allowed her to ignore the impracticality of it all. Just because Noah said he loved her, didn't mean things would automatically work, even though she got the distinct feeling that Noah thought it did.

Veronica now knew better than ever that relationships were a struggle. Noah hadn't the faintest idea, and she shouldn't expect him to. As far as she knew, he'd never even been in a serious relationship, and for his age that was normal. Like her, he had other things he was obviously working on first.

She wasn't even mad anymore that he'd had Rita's body wrapped around him the day after he'd professed to love _her_. How long did she really think he'd wait around for her to make her _grown-up_ decision? This young guy had the sex drive of a stallion—she'd been witness to it every single time she'd tortured him with her goodnight kisses— _it_ was a living thing. She almost felt guilty now for having put him through what she had and then feeling upset because he was unable to repress it when someone else offered herself up to him so easily.

She was madder at herself for yet again not doing what she said she was going to work on. She kept talking about needing to get a life—feel independent—and yet she'd made little to no effort to do something about it. Instead, once again, there she lay last night, feeling completely lost and alone because, even after going back to work, all she'd done so far was look forward to her workouts with Noah and spent every free moment she had with him.

So the decision she'd come to? Slow things the hell down with Noah, beginning with the goodnight kisses—and get her life back, damn it, starting today.

As quickly as she could, she filled Noah in on how she was feeling much better and how, but not why, she had to be at work earlier for the next few days, but that she'd be at the gym at the same time as always. Just as she walked by him to get to the back door, he took her hand in his. "I missed you last night. I know you weren't feeling well, and I understand why you went to bed early, but I wanted you to know anyway."

Even though he'd just gotten back from his run and his sweatshirt and hair were wet with perspiration, he smelled fresh, like the early morning residue of last night's rain showers. But he also smelled like Noah, that masculine scent that she could only describe as the enchanting scent of his hot skin with a hint of the deodorant that he kept in the bathroom, the deodorant she'd actually inhaled a few times, loving how it reminded her so much of him.

Unable to do what she knew she should and say something completely safe and neutral, she simply told him the truth. "I missed you too."

But she broke free from his hand and continued walking out the door. If she stood there for even another second, she knew what would happen next. He'd try to kiss her and she'd let him. Even with all her careful strategizing, her plan already felt doomed and day one hadn't even started. "I'll see you tonight," she said quickly as she walked out the door.

To her surprise, Nellie answered her phone. Since she was running early anyway, she pulled over and parked the moment she got a chance so she could concentrate on their conversation.

Nellie sounded a bit groggy, and Veronica felt a little bad about waking her, but she was so relieved to hear Nellie say she wasn't upset with her.

"I promise I'll keep my nose out of your and Rick's business from here on. It's just—"

"No, I need to hear the truth even if it hurts, Roni." She paused, but Veronica could tell she had more to say about that. "He's gone again on a _business trip—_ said it was a last-minute change in his schedule, but I checked the bank statements. His room and his plane ticket were paid weeks ago." Veronica held her breath, silently cursing Rick, and waited for Nellie to continue. "As usual, he said I should try and make it out for at least a day. The trip is during the week, and he thought I wouldn't take the time off work, but I did. I'm flying out to Denver tomorrow."

They spoke a few minutes longer with Nellie admitting that Veronica had hit it right on the nose. Nellie _was_ afraid of what she might find if she ever surprised Rick, but she was done fooling herself. She had a very bad feeling about this, and Veronica couldn't blame her. Why else would the bastard lie about it being last minute?

After assuring her she was doing the right thing and making her promise to keep her updated, Veronica hung up and continued on to work. An enormous weight had been lifted, and she was suddenly feeling so much better and even more determined to get on with her plan.

By that afternoon, she had to force herself to stop obsessing about that picture of Noah and Rita. She wondered how long it would be before he put the text and her suddenly feeling _sick_ together. Obviously, he hadn't yet, because she was sure he would've mentioned it. She didn't even want to hear the explanation at this point. It didn't matter anymore. Noah was free to do what he wanted just like she was. If Rita was what he wanted, then so be it. The girl had temptation written all over her anyway.

As usual, Derek texted her near the end of her workday to ask if she wanted to get together for an early dinner after work, and as usual, she almost didn't reply. All this talk of getting her life back and needing more friends and she was doing it again. Although she knew for a fact now that she'd never survive doing the just-friends thing with Noah, she was fairly certain she could with Derek. Of course, she'd have to make that very clear to him from the beginning.

What she wanted more than anything was to start rebuilding her circle of friends. She had Nellie back now, and Derek would make a good addition. He'd always been great at listening to her and helping her sort out any issues that were troubling her. She had no intentions of talking to him about Noah, her biggest issue at the moment. But she _needed_ to start feeling less dependent on Noah. If what she anticipated would eventually happen, then she'd have no choice but to distance herself from Noah. It would be so much less devastating if she didn't feel so alone. At least, that's what she reasoned with herself.

She texted Derek back, agreeing to meet him at a fast-food burger joint. Normally, she headed straight home after work to grab something to eat, change, and get some things done around the house before heading out to the gym. But today she could skip that. She'd eat with Derek then head home and get ready for the gym.

Changes—she was already making them, and she felt empowered by it: first Nellie, now this. Today was turning out even better than she'd hoped.

As tempted as she was to ask Derek to elaborate more on Noah's "drug trafficking," she didn't want to make this about Noah. She was, after all, doing this in part to break free of what was beginning to feel like a hold Noah had on her.

All in all the dinner went quite well with Derek insisting they should do this more often. Veronica agreed, and Derek said he'd text her again soon. They never did get to the topic of their relationship remaining a friendly one, but she intended to bring it up the second there was any mention of anything romantic. It felt too awkward to bring it up their first dinner out.

She went home, changed, and took off to 5th Street. As was the case lately, she parked on the street because the parking lot was full. She walked through the parking lot, feeling herself tense up with every step. Maybe it was the fact that their evening was cut short and she'd ducked out early that morning, but by the time she reached the gym door, the nerves in her stomach were out of control. It almost felt silly.

Like yesterday, Noah was in the ring with Abel when she walked in. Her heart literally sped up at the mere sight of him. This was insanity, what she'd considered a good day in her quest to make changes and get a life of her own—a life that didn't revolve around Noah—had just flown out the door. Her body was telling her what her mind had blocked out all day—that through the whole day, this was the part she most looked forward to. Her skipping up the stairs of her porch when she'd gotten home from her dinner and rushing to get ready for the gym should've been her first damn clue.

Noah smiled as she walked by the ring on her way to stretch, then pointed at the office. Veronica knew what that meant. He'd left his phone in there for her to use while she worked out. She waved it away, mouthing the words "not today" and kept walking. No way would she have the willpower not to sneak a peek at his texts and see what he'd responded to Rita. She'd already had one emotional night; she couldn't take another one like it.

After her workout, Noah surprised her by coming over and hugging her. It felt so good she gave into it completely, hugging him back just as hard. He even let out a small moan as he released her. "Why does it feel like I haven't seen you in so long?"

She smiled and lifted a shoulder, pretending not to know, but she did know because, incredibly, she felt the same way. A small part of her gave into the hope that maybe she wasn't so bad off if he was feeling the same way. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she couldn't stop thinking of him lately, that the entire time she had dinner with Derek she kept having to get her head back into the conversation because it kept wandering off to thoughts of Noah. Then she remembered the picture and was back to square one. It was bad, and she needed to snap out of it.

Their evening went as usual: they ate and watched television together, only tonight Veronica didn't ask to use his phone. Then she showered, and when she emerged from the restroom, wearing only her bathrobe and the towel on her head, Noah was right there, waiting in the hall.

His smile reeked of wicked mischief. He usually waited for her to get dressed then come out and say goodnight. Tonight she'd barely made it to her door when his big body was already up against hers, spiking her heart rate in an instant. Before she could protest, as if she'd have the will to, his lips were on hers.

After the night she'd had last night and the entire day of convincing herself she had to slow this down, she should've tried to push him off or at least bring her hand between them so he wouldn't be so close. Instead, she kissed him back ravenously, sucking away at his tongue until he groaned in response.

His thigh was pressed against an area that was now on fire. She was sure he'd feel the heat even through her bathrobe. She finally dragged a shred of willpower out from inside her, and she pulled her lips away from his, breathing heavily.

"Noah," she strained to whisper.

"Mmm," he said, continuing to kiss her chin then her neck.

"We have to slow down," she said, squirming at the delicious sensation of his tongue on her neck.

"Okay," he said just before she felt him suck her neck.

How was it possible that she felt that between her legs? Her body arched in reaction. It was magical. Then she remembered and pulled away. "Noah, no hickeys!"

He smirked, licking his lips. "Okay," he murmured as he buried his tongue in her mouth again. By the time she was able to put a stop to the kiss, it was probably one of the longest goodnight ones to date. They'd been standing outside her bedroom door for what was at least a solid twenty minutes, and their kiss goodnight had escalated to his feeling her up completely over her robe, resulting in barely-suppressed moans from her. So much for slowing things down.

She stood inside her room now, her back against her door, still trying to catch her breath. Shaking her head, she walked over to her dresser and stared at the horny disheveled broad she saw in the mirror. She'd even lost the towel on her head in the midst of it all. Then she saw it and frowned. Damn it, he was fast: another hickey. This one was smack in the middle of her neck and just dark enough to be very noticeable if she didn't apply enough make up. No wonder he'd smiled so sinfully when he finally walked away.

This day had turned out just _wonderful_. She was supposed to have broken some ground on adding a little distance between her and Noah—on gaining her independence. Instead, she stood there, her body still trembling all over and twitching in places that ached desperately for more of him. Even while her inner voice admonished her for doing this tonight, her body was already looking forward to tomorrow night.

~*~

The rest of the week continued with Veronica determined to stick with her plan. One way or another she would overcome what was beginning to feel like an obsession. As soon as she got a chance to, she'd talk to Nellie about this. Nellie was always so wonderful about helping her to see things in a clearer light.

Deciding that her time after work and before she went to the gym would be _her_ time now, she scheduled something for that timeslot every day that week. Tuesday, she went for sushi with her coworker Sylvia, who had raved more than once about the new place that had recently opened up. So Veronica hit her up, and Sylvia agreed to go with her after work. That evening, she managed to cut the goodnight kiss down to half the time they'd spent on it the night before, but it was still just as sizzling.

Wednesday and Thursday, she spent with Derek, but she hadn't planned it that way. Wednesday she agreed to meet him for pizza after work. It was going fine until he asked about the hickey she'd completely forgotten about. Only he didn't refer to it as a hickey; he asked if it was a love bite. Mortified, she'd denied it; though she was certain he didn't buy it. The only explanation she'd offered was, "I don't know what it is, maybe from my seatbelt rubbing against my neck."

Even after she'd changed the subject, she noticed his eyes travel to the very spot several times. One of the times she'd caught him, their eyes met, and even though she'd been in the middle of telling him about not having talked to Nellie in a couple of days, he asked, "So how are things with you and Noah?"

She'd been so stumped she went silent. _Her and Noah?_ His wording alone was a giveaway—he knew. It was just like him to figure something like that out with the smallest of clues.

Feeling a bit defensive, she said things were fine, changed the subject, and said she had to get going.

Then Thursday, she wasn't able to get a hold of Nellie again and had no other prospects in mind. But knowing she didn't want to spend two days in a row with Derek, especially now that she suspected he knew more than he should, she told him she was going to be busy with her camera at the park.

Derek knew exactly what park she loved going to for her photographs. They'd spent many good times there long ago. He showed up with burritos for two and a couple of sodas. They sat at a picnic table, eating and chatting until she noticed he became distracted by a group of teens over at the next table behind her.

"Damn troublemakers. I know they're up to no good."

Veronica turned, attempting to be discreet. She didn't even recognize him at first, and it wasn't until their eyes locked, that she realized Hector was among the _troublemakers_. She smiled at him, even though she felt the air sucked out of her. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, but she saw the way he eyed Derek curiously.

Realizing their school dean was sitting just a table over must've deterred them from hanging out much longer, and they slowly started walking away and out of the park.

"Something wrong?"

Veronica knew her face was probably white. She'd felt the blood drain the moment she saw Hector. It made no sense for her to feel like she'd been doing something behind Noah's back all week. But in a way, she knew she had.

Not once had she mentioned anything to him about the new "her time," not even when she'd gone for sushi with Sylvia. She didn't want it to elicit any questions about what else she'd done and with whom, because even though she told herself she had every right to do whatever and hangout with whomever she wanted to, she didn't _want_ him to know about Derek.

It was just one of those subjects she knew would be incredibly uncomfortable, especially now that their goodnight kisses had begun to feel so much more intimate. She didn't plan on keeping it from him forever, but she figured it would somehow get worked into the conversation eventually. She'd also used his fight as an excuse. It might throw his concentration or something. He _had_ mentioned earlier in the week that Abel and Gio both thought he needed to stay completely focused and not get distracted with anything else that week. She knew this would be a definite distraction. Though initially, her plan hadn't been to hang out with Derek three days out of the week!

"No, nothing's wrong," she said, taking another bite of her burrito.

Derek gave her that famous I-know-when-you're-lying-so-why-do-you-even-bother stare of his. Being a dean, interrogation and knowing exactly when something was amiss in someone's story were his things. He picked up on the smallest telltale signs. She hated that. Not that lying to him had ever been common practice, but even small white lies, like telling him she hadn't bought his birthday gift yet, he could see right through.

"Some of those kids are boxers too. Noah know them by chance?"

His perceptiveness could get annoying, like now for instance. She knew what he was getting at. "Actually one of them was."

Derek smiled. "I thought that might be the case. So what spooked you?"

"Nothing."

He was right. Why did she even try? Then it hit her. Because it was none of his business—that's why. She sat up a little straighter.

"Roni?"

"What?" Her snippy tone came across loud and clear.

"Is there something going on with you and Noah?"

"No!"

She was too damn quick to answer. He had her, and he knew it, but she'd be damned if she'd admit anything to him.

"Good, because like I said before, he's trouble. If he's still hanging with the likes of those punks, then I'd say he hasn't changed at all: once a loser, always a loser."

That did it. "Can you please stop saying that about him? Not only is he my roommate, but he's my good friend now, and I happen to know for a fact that he's not a loser. And like _I_ said before, he's a great guy." She wrapped up what was left of her burrito and put it in the bag Derek had brought it in. "Thanks for the food," she said as she stood. "I gotta go."

Derek stood immediately. "I apologize. You're right. You probably know him better than I do now. It's just that, if you knew what I know about Noah, it might change your mind about him."

Veronica rolled her eyes as she flung the camera strap over her shoulder and gathered her purse and jacket from the bench.

"He got a girl pregnant then dropped out of school and disappeared on her."

Veronica froze for a second before bringing her eyes up to stare at Derek.

"I take it he's never mentioned this to you."

Veronica shook her head, slowly trying to make sense of it. Why would Noah, who knew firsthand what it was like to be parentless, turn his back on his own child? It made no sense. "Did she have it?"

"I don't know. I wasn't directly involved, but it was called to my attention when the girl's mother came in, requesting information on Noah's whereabouts. She was told she'd need a court order for the school to provide her with the information, and she never came back. Soon after that, the girl transferred out, and Noah never came back either."

Veronica searched Derek's face for any signs that he was lying, but there was nothing more than concern, and she'd never known him to be a liar.

"The point is, Roni, you seem so convinced that he's a great guy, but I know better. I'm not trying to put your friends down, okay? I'm just trying to give you a little insight about who you've opened up your home to, and asking you to please be careful." He gestured out into the direction where Hector and his friends had headed. "Those guys are nothing but trouble. I deal with their shit almost daily. And you know what they say: 'Birds of a feather . . .'"

She must've looked as stunned as she felt because he asked her if she was okay. She assured him she was, thanked him for the information, and again told him she had to leave.

Noah was one of the most loyal, responsible persons she knew. It was one of the things she loved most about him. The disappointment was so overwhelming she had to fight back the tears.

## Chapter 25

Noah went through his usual fight-day rituals Friday. He skipped his morning run, had a hearty breakfast, drank tons of water throughout the day. Since the gym would be a mess with the all-day radio broadcasting as it had been last week, he stayed home for the day.

He never really got nervous before a fight, and he wasn't at all worried about tonight's fight. Jack and Abel never liked overconfidence, but Gio seemed to be with Noah on this. He was just as confident that Noah had this. With all the radio broadcasting going on at the gym, his friends wouldn't be spending all day there either. They were both stopping by Noah's around lunch time, which meant Noah would have to triple the pasta he was planning on having for lunch. He'd just finished preparing it when they arrived.

"Smells good," Gio said as he made himself comfortable at the table.

Noah did the host thing and served his friends while they went over strategy. Abel reminded him for the hundredth time of the things he'd really need to focus on. Not surprisingly, talk of focusing brought up the subject of Roni.

"What time is Roni getting there?" Abel asked.

Noah knew Abel still wasn't convinced that Roni wouldn't be a distraction, so he knew Abel wouldn't be happy about his answer, but he didn't care.

"Same time I get there."

Both Abel and Gio stopped eating and stared at him. "You gotta warm up," Abel reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. I'll get there early."

"She's gonna be there while you warm up?" This time Gio was the one asking.

Noah frowned. "Yeah, so what?" He shrugged, not caring that both his friends were staring at him like he was crazy. "I want her there."

Last night during their very long goodnight kiss, he made her promise she'd be there with him the whole time. She'd started telling him she might, in fact, be a little late, but after a few persuasive kisses, she actually agreed to leave work early.

"So, you never told us. What was Kratz doing here last week?" Gio asked, surprising Noah with the sudden change in subject.

Noah glanced up in time to see Abel shoot Gio a look. Noah glanced at Gio then back at Abel. "Why?"

Abel shrugged as if he'd asked the question to begin with. "Curious, is all."

Abel had never been _curious_ about anyone's private life, and he was as discreet as he was nosey. Noah caught him trying to give Gio a look again. He didn't know what to make of it, but he seemed annoyed or _something_.

"They used to go out," was all Noah offered.

"Is she gonna start going out with him again?" Gio asked.

Abel threw his napkin on the table and sat back in his chair, very obviously irritated now.

Just as irritated but confused by Abel's reaction, Noah turned to Gio. "Hell no, she's not." Then he turned back to Abel. "And what's with you?"

"Nothing," Abel said, shaking his head, then glared at Gio. "I just think talking about this right before your fight is a bad idea. You have a hard enough time focusing now that she's around, and thinking about her and the fucking dean is not gonna help."

Noah couldn't help feeling a little pissed that his friends would think she was still interested in anything with her ex when things between Noah and her had obviously progressed. But neither of them had any way of knowing just how much his relationship had progressed, and he knew they meant well. "Yeah, well, there's nothing going on with her and the _fucking_ dean, so there's nothing for me to think about, all right?" He stood up from the table and carried his plate to the sink. "Will you two just relax? This is gonna be fine. I got this. Trust me."

He saw them exchange glances, and then Gio nodded. "Okay, no more talk about this before the fight."

"Thank you," Abel added. His attitude about the whole thing seemed a little strange, but Noah decided to just let it go.

"Or after," Noah said, feeling even more annoyed now. "Roni wants nothing to do with that douche, so there's nothing to talk about."

Gio said nothing, just glanced at Noah and nodded then looked back at Abel, who was staring at him hard. It was all very weird, but Noah chalked it up to the fight. Abel was worried about Noah's concentration, and it was true that Roni _was_ a distraction. But he'd show them all tonight he could do this, even with her there the whole time. He had to. He didn't want them ever trying to talk him out of having her there at all next time. _That_ wasn't happening.

They finished eating and Abel and Gio left. Noah got his stuff together and sat down on the sofa to wait for Roni. For the first time that week, he finally had a moment to catch up on emails and texts. The whole week he'd pretty much ignored everything outside of the gym, except Roni. It's what he always did fight week. He clicked through the many unopened emails and texts he'd gotten that week, surprised to see Rita's name near the top of his latest messages, since she hadn't sent him anything in months. But he didn't have anything new from her.

Not wanting her name up there, he clicked on it to delete whatever he did have from her. What he saw had him sitting up straight. "What the fuck?"

He scrolled down then saw the date. It took him a minute to figure out what day the text had been sent, but more worrisome was the fact that it had been opened. The only other person that ever used his phone was Roni. Had she seen this shit?

This whole week had been a bit strange, but he thought it was just because of the fight and Roni's change in schedule. He picked up on her acting a little differently in the beginning of the week, but he hadn't thought much of it since she wasn't feeling well. Then there was the fact that she and Nellie were talking again and he thought she'd snapped out of her weird mood, but looking back now, that strange vibe had been there the whole week. Could this be it?

He was still sitting there, trying to figure it out when, as promised, Roni got home early.

"Just let me grab my lighter jacket." She rushed to the front closet. "Are you nervous?" She turned to Noah, smiling big, but he saw the worry she tried to hide in her eyes.

"Not at all." Not about the fight anyway, but something else was bothering him now.

Noah wasn't about to get in the ring with this on his mind, so he decided to just ask her. He stood and took a few steps toward her as she hung her heavy jacket on a hanger then placed it in the closet. She pulled out her lighter cardigan.

"Roni." He hesitated, not sure if he'd be opening a can of worms. In the last few days, he'd decided even if it hadn't been said, he and Roni _were_ in a relationship. No matter what she said or how much she put off making it official, what was happening between them now was very real. He felt it every night when they said goodnight, and he knew she did too. There was no denying it, and like he'd told her before, if she had seen the picture of Rita wrapped around him, she deserved an explanation.

She was looking at him now a bit confused, but the nervous smile was still there. "What is it?"

"Did you, uh . . .? Did you by chance see the picture Rita texted me this week?" The smile was gone instantly, and he knew then that she had. He hurried to her. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've explained."

She shook her head, avoiding his eyes, but he saw the pained look on her face, and he took her hand.

"Look. She jumped on my bike just as I was leaving Gio's uncle's house. She told Hector to take the picture, but that was it. Then she got off and I left."

He pulled her closer, and she finally looked at him. "You said you two don't have a relationship outside of the holidays."

"We don't," he said then added firmly, "and we don't _during_ the holidays anymore either."

"Did you ask her to come see your fight?" She was angry. He could hear it in her questions, see it in her glare, but he was glad. This meant she felt she had the right to be.

"No, I didn't. Is this why you've been so weird all week?" He caressed her face, and she closed her eyes at his touch, but she didn't answer. "You should've said something, Roni. When did you see it?"

"Sunday," she whispered, "when we were watching TV that night. I didn't mean to. It just popped up and—"

"Is that why you went to bed early? When you said you were suddenly feeling sick?"

She nodded, and he wrapped his arms around her, feeling like scum. "I'm sorry. But I swear nothing happened." He pulled away to look at her, suddenly worried. "You believe me, right?"

Thoughts of seeing the picture in her darkroom way back came to him. Just seeing her name in connection with another guy had turned his stomach and nothing had even happened between him and Roni at that point. Not only was this picture of him and Rita so much worse, but the circumstances were totally different now.

He held his breath as he waited for her response.

"I know she's Gio's cousin and your friend, but I don't like her anymore."

Not exactly the answer he was expecting, but he understood completely. He'd keep Rita's comment about not having a problem with sharing to himself, but he knew that's where Roni's thinking was.

"I know we're not—"

"We are," Noah corrected her. "Maybe not officially, not until you're ready and you can take all the time you want, but right here"—he tapped his heart—"I'm already in."

Roni smiled, and then her expression went serious again. "And _she_ thinks we are, right? So why is she still doing stuff like that?"

"I don't know, but I'll take care of it." His phone went off in his hand, and he glanced at it. It was Abel. "It won't happen again, not with her, not with anyone else. I promise." Before he'd check out Abel's text, which was probably just him wondering where he was at since Noah knew it was getting late, there was something he needed to get clear with Roni first. "You _do_ believe me, right?"

This was probably the biggest hurdle he had to get over with her. Everything else aside, he knew this was her biggest holdup, that he wasn't ready to be serious—wasn't ready to give up all other female attention because of his age—but he'd never felt so ready for anything in his life. The only attention, the only company he wanted now was hers. And he needed her to believe this.

She stared at him for a moment and then nodded, a faint smile lifting the corner of her lips. The relief was so overwhelming that, before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. Noah kissed her long and deep like he had all week. He'd felt it all week, and he felt it now. This kissing only at night wasn't going to stand much longer. He wanted to be able to do this with her whenever and wherever he felt like it. Every time he kissed her now, he could feel her giving in more and more to the idea.

As excited as this made him, he finally had to stop kissing her when his phone buzzed in his hand again. "Gotta go," he whispered against her lips.

She licked her lips and crinkled her nose. "Is it okay to admit I'm even more nervous this time than the last?"

He smiled, hoping that was because she cared more about him now than before. Things definitely had changed a lot since then. "Yeah, it's okay. But don't worry. I'll be fine."

He kissed her one last time before reluctantly having to let go and get his things in the car.

~*~

QUINTANILLA VS MACHADO

The banner alone was enough to unnerve her as they reached 5th Street. Roni felt it the moment she walked into the gym with Noah. He took her hand as they walked through the already gathering crowd. A herd of would-be groupies eyeballed her as they walked by them, and they all happily wished Noah luck. Roni looked right back at all of them and smiled sweetly. Noah was making a statement, and now so was she. The decision about moving forward and giving a relationship with Noah a fair try was becoming clearer.

Nothing made her happier than being with him, and who cared if she didn't have a million friends or other things going on? Who said she had to have that all set up before she moved things along with Noah? She could do both at the same time. There were just a few things she wanted to get straight with him.

She'd been tempted to return Derek's texts all day but hadn't. He apologized again for having dropped such a load on her about Noah. Since she hadn't responded to any of his texts, he seemed convinced that she was upset with him and had even called and left a long voicemail about how he still cared about her and he was only looking out for her.

His sincere concern was what made her nervous. As much as she knew about Noah, there was still a lot she didn't, like that he'd dropped out of school. Had he ever gone back to get his diploma? But most importantly, did he really have a child out there, and why wouldn't he want to be a part of his or her life? And what about the drug trafficking? It was so unlike him, but it was also unlike Derek to make something like that up. What else did she not know about him?

Abel, Gio, and Jack prepped Noah in the locker room. It felt weird to be in the men's locker room, but since it was fight night, it was closed off to anyone else but the two fighters. There were two separate areas for the fighters, so no one but Noah's group was in his area.

Veronica tried to stay out of the way. She got the distinct feeling no one else was comfortable with her there but Noah. But he made it clear he wanted her close by. She sat on a stool near the table where Noah sat while Abel wrapped his hands. The moment Hector walked in an undeniable tension filled the room—a tension only Noah and maybe Jack were oblivious to.

Hector gave Veronica a nod, but it was so unlike the usual playful way he greeted her lately. The warning look Abel gave him wasn't missed either. Right then, she knew it. They all knew about Hector seeing her with Derek at the park. Just like her, they were most likely waiting until after the fight to tell Noah, because he obviously didn't know yet.

She'd thought about telling him the night she got home from the park. She wanted so badly to ask him about the things Derek had told her, but telling him about the park would mean having to come clean about seeing him the two other times that week as well. She knew Noah well enough to know that information wouldn't go over well, and she'd really hoped she could hold off until after the fight to tell him. Now she was thankful the guys had the same thought, but after their Rita conversation earlier, she was even more worried.

Admitting she'd made a week-long decision to distance herself from Noah only to come home every night to get even closer to him than she'd ever been before was going to make no sense at all. It _did_ sound ridiculous even to her. She'd explain it the only way she could: that no matter how hard her head tried to dictate what she should do—get a life that didn't revolve around Noah—her heart and her body's reaction when she was around him always won out.

Rationale didn't stand a chance anymore. Her body just gave into what she really wanted every time now. He'd worn her down, and at this point, even he had to know it. She only hoped he could understand why she'd tried to fight it in the first place.

Noah finished warming up, and the radio broadcaster outside announced it was almost fight time. The crowd started cheering as he riled them up. Veronica stood up, ready to go find her seat ringside where Noah had made sure they'd reserved one for her.

"Wait, Roni."

Noah was back on the table where Abel had been prepping his face with Vaseline. He held out a glove to her and motioned for her to come to him. She did, and when she was close enough, she saw that the Vaseline accentuated the small lump still left from the hit he took New Year's Eve. She touched the lump with her fingers, the one Noah stubbornly refused to have checked out by a doctor, saying it was normal for the swelling to take time to go away completely in the face.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be fighting with this thing still here?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He smiled, bringing his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Her heart sped up because, except for the other day when he openly hugged her in the gym, he'd never done this in front of the guys. "Wish me luck?"

"Of course." She smiled back and then did what she said she was going to do from here on—stop holding back—she leaned in and kissed him deep.

She pulled away slowly, and Noah finally let her go as the crowd outside got louder. Noah got off the table, and they all walked out together.

The fight started well enough. Noah appeared to be far more focused and in control than the last fight. The crowd was so much bigger and louder this time, and that seemed to feed Noah's adrenaline.

Veronica sat at the edge of her seat, her hands going to her face every time Noah's opponent landed a punch, which to her relief wasn't often. Noah seemed to be doing most of the landing. Then his opponent slipped in one good one that landed right on the spot Veronica had been worried about: the lump on the side of his face.

Seeing Noah rocked made the crowd go wild. Everyone was on their feet, including Veronica, whose heart was at her throat as she watched Noah try to shake it off.

"Get back in this, Noah! Now!" Abel yelled.

Noah did just that, landing two good ones back to back. The crowd roared, and Noah had his opponent on the ropes. He landed another solid jab to the guy's gut just before the bell rang and the ref stepped in to separate them.

This was definitely a part of Noah's life that was going to take some time getting used to, because, God, if she wasn't close to tears already . . . Seeing him being knocked out so unexpectedly on New Year's had been horrifying enough, but watching and waiting, knowing it could possibly happen again, was the worst.

The next round went much better, and even after Noah landed a couple that almost took his opponent down, it was beginning to look like the fight might come down to a decision. Then Noah landed a solid one to the guy's jaw, and he finally went down seconds before the bell.

Noah was once again declared the winner by way of knockout. The whole thing was bittersweet, and Veronica had a feeling this was how it would always be. She watched, and while everyone around him smiled and cheered, she focused on his expression. Even though he smiled at her and smiled again when they held his arm up announcing he was the winner, she could see he was in pain.

Once in the locker room, he admitted to having a bitch of a headache but told her not to worry it was normal. Jack gave him some pain killers with codeine, and their proposed night out to celebrate was officially postponed. Gio immediately announced he was having a barbeque the next day at his place instead.

By the time they got home, Noah was already feeling drowsy. Veronica thought they might actually skip out on their goodnight kiss, but when they got to their bedroom doors Noah pulled her into his. "Stay with me tonight, please? I promise I'll be good." He smiled even through a pained grimace. "Hell, with these pills kicking in now, I'll be lucky to stay awake for even a few more minutes."

There was no way Veronica was saying no now. If it weren't for the pills, she probably wouldn't have said no to anything else either. After changing into her pajama pants and a T-shirt, she climbed in bed with him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, spooning her closely. It felt so perfect she wondered if she'd ever go back to sleeping alone again.

## Chapter 26

Noah skipped his run the next morning. He was feeling better. The headache was gone, but the decision of whether to get out of bed early or stay in bed cuddling with Roni was a no-brainer. He turned his internal alarm off and fell back asleep with Roni in his arms.

They slept so soundly that it was already close to ten by the time he noticed Roni wasn't in bed anymore. The bathroom door opened as he walked into the hallway to investigate where she'd gone. She walked out and smiled. Just the sight of her made him breathe in happily.

He pulled her to him after meeting her halfway in the hallway.

"How you feeling?" she asked, touching the side of his face softly with her fingers.

"Much better. No more headache." He pecked her, tasting the toothpaste on her lips. "You getting up now?"

"Actually, I was thinking of getting back in bed." Her sly smile with the twinkle in her eyes made his heart speed up.

"I'll meet you there in two minutes." He practically ran to the bathroom, hearing her giggle behind him. After taking care of business, he brushed his teeth and was back in the room in under the two minutes he promised.

She was already in his bed, scrolling through her phone when he walked in.

"I can't wait to upgrade this thing," she said, setting it on the nightstand next to the bed.

He crawled in next to her, slipping his hand over her belly. "When's your contract up?"

"Next week." She smiled big.

"Next week?" he asked, nuzzling up against her ear, making her squirm. "Then you can do it already." He kissed below her ear, bringing his leg over hers. "They usually let you upgrade a few months before your contract's up."

His hand roamed freely around her belly area and made its way up her cotton T-shirt, slowing only as he reached the swell of her breast. Feeling his heart pick up a notch and his own breathing accelerate, he stopped and looked into her eyes for any objection. One thing was clear, any talk of upgrading phones was the furthest thing from her mind now. She brought her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

He kissed her deeply, his hand caressing her breast, and she moaned softly against his lips. It was a sound he'd heard several times this past week, and he loved it. He was so ready to make love to her it was crazy, but there was one thing he'd been going nuts thinking about in case she wasn't ready for that just yet.

"I wanna taste you," he said in her mouth, stopping when he felt her body freeze. Her wide eyes got even wider when he added, "everywhere."

Her audible gulp made him smile. "Have you ever had an orgasm from oral sex?"

She shook her head slowly, making him smile even bigger. "Good, I'll be your first."

Her answer sort of surprised him, especially at her age, but then she _had_ said Kratz had been her only serious relationship. It made total sense that selfish dickhead would be more into self-satisfaction than this. For Noah, ever since Tessa, this had become his fetish, one he'd perfected over the years.

He worked his way down her neck, sucking slightly after kissing her soft skin. "No hickeys," she said, squirming.

Oh, there'd be plenty more hickeys coming her way. Putting his mark on her had now become another one of his fetishes. Nothing had been more pleasing than to see his unmistakable marks on her neck after their workouts when the makeup she'd used earlier to cover them up had all come off.

He lifted her T-shirt off her, bringing his lips over her breast. Hearing her moan as he sucked her nipple made him hotter than shit, and he sucked even harder. He'd finally started to work his way downward when he noticed the mark he left on her breast. Why the hell that turned him on so much he didn't know, but he felt ready to burst. He kissed the mark one last time before starting his kiss trail down her belly.

Her body trembled when his finger went under the waistband of her soft pajama pants. As he pulled them down at her hips, she lifted her behind to get them off, and he had to slow to catch his breath when he saw how clean shaven she was. His breath hitched for a moment when he thought of all the other places he could leave his mark.

Starting with her soft inner thigh, he kissed and sucked, loving how her body reacted to his tongue, his lips. Slowly, he worked his way to her most private of places, stopping again to catch his breath, try to calm his heart, and keep himself from exploding right there.

Staying as calm as possible, he dove in for that first taste. It was just as good as he thought it would be, and he struggled to hold back from devouring her like the wild animal that tasting her made him feel like. He wanted her first time to last as long as possible, but she was already moaning, and every quiver her body made with each one of his licks got even stronger.

He worked her gradually, meticulously, enjoying every jolting response her body made to his stroking tongue. There was no other way to describe it but heaven. Doing this to Roni, he knew would be a different experience than any other he'd ever had, but this was incredible. He could go on for days and not get enough.

Unable to hold back the need for more, his lips and tongue went in for the kill. Her back arched, and she lifted her hips slightly, shuddering again and again until she cried out in delight.

His tongue continued even as she began to beg for him to stop, that she couldn't take anymore. Satisfied and nearly there himself, he kissed her one last time before coming to lie next to her still-shuddering body.

In the distance somewhere, even earlier when it felt as if nothing else around him existed, he thought he heard the phone ring. Now that all his senses were coming back, he knew it was. Roni's phone rang on the nightstand, but she didn't answer. She was still lying there with her hand over her chest, trying to catch her breath.

"I think I enjoyed that more than you did." He lay next to her, pulling her now naked body to him.

"That can't be possible."

He could feel her heartbeat now, fast and hard against her chest. "Oh, believe me. It's _very_ possible." He kissed her cheek. "I already can't wait to do it again."

She turned to him, her eyes as wide as when he first told her he wanted to taste her. "I don't think my heart could take anymore."

He chuckled just as her phone rang again. This time she reached for it, looking at the screen. She sat up so quickly she startled him and answered, "Margaret, what is it?"

Her legs were off to the side of the bed in an instant, and she reached for her shirt, holding it up in front of her in an attempt to cover up again, but she looked upset.

"No, I've been calling her all week, but she hasn't answered or returned my calls." Noah waited, concerned with the panic in Roni's voice. "I'll be right over."

As soon as she hung up, she was up and threw the shirt over her head.

"What's wrong?" Noah came to the edge of the bed and stood up.

Roni rattled something off about Nellie finally confronting her cheating bastard husband and finding him with another woman. Margaret was Nellie's mom, and just seeing her name on her caller ID had set off Roni's panic button since she never called her. She'd asked her to come to Nellie's house and help talk sense into her, because apparently Nellie was going overboard on the sleeping pills the last few days, not answering any of their calls, and none of them knew what was going on until they stopped by her place unannounced.

"You want me to go with you?" he asked, following her into her room.

"No, I may be there all day." She stopped, a regretful grimace replacing the wild concern on her face. "I'll probably miss your barbeque."

Noah waved that away. "Don't even worry about that. Just calm down before you drive," he said, taking the few steps toward her and hugging her. "Relax, okay?" He kissed her forehead. "She'll be all right now that you'll be there."

She smiled, and he hoped she knew he really meant that. Having Roni around made everything so much better. He wasn't sure how to explain it. Everything just seemed brighter—tasted better.

He made her promise to check in and let him know how things were going and promised her it would all work out.

Feeling a little guilty about how hot his goodbye kiss to her was, he had to sheepishly apologize. He knew she was worried about her friend and he was being insensitive, but it couldn't be helped. Tasting her mouth and sucking her lips gave him vivid memories of what he'd done to her earlier, bringing out the wild animal in him again.

After she left, he showered and took off to Gio's. Since this barbeque was for him, and since being home without Roni was just boring, he decided to get there early and give him a hand setting things up—make a run to the market with him and chip in for any food he bought.

Not surprising, Abel and Hector had the same thought. They were already there when he arrived. They had Hector hosing down the cement, and between Noah, Abel, and Gio, they brought out the folding tables from the garage. "Damn. How many people did you invite, Gio?"

"Not too many, but since it's Pria's birthday in a few days, my mom thought she'd make her a cake and invite some family over."

All of Gio's sisters were younger, but Pria was the youngest and the spunkiest. Noah didn't mind sharing his barbeque with any of them, but he was especially glad it was her. Although, he wished he'd known sooner; he might've gotten her something.

They finished setting things up, and people started arriving. It turned out Gio's mom had gone to the market that morning to buy all the stuff and wouldn't take a dime from Noah when he offered to chip in.

One thing he did insist on was giving Gio money for the booze. There was plenty of it, and he knew they'd be doing some drinking.

It wasn't until later that afternoon that Noah got the text from Roni, confirming what he already had a feeling about. She wasn't going to make the barbeque at all. Things were pretty bad, and she said she'd explain later, but she wanted to stay with Nellie longer.

Feeling a little disappointed, especially because he missed her already, Noah told her not to worry and that he'd see her at home later.

Noah hung out for a few more hours, getting a little buzzed, then remembered he was getting home on his bike so he better slow it down. It was already dark out, and he was especially vulnerable then. As it was he'd be invisible to most drivers in the dark, so his not having the quickest reflexes added to the danger.

He stopped drinking and grabbed a water instead. Roni texted him to tell him she was home now like he'd asked her to earlier, but said she was too pooped to leave. Even though she assured him she'd be fine with him staying as long as he wanted, Noah's wild animal was already coming alive, and he could think of nothing better than getting home, so he told her he'd be home soon. He left out the part about having to have a couple more waters before getting on his bike. Gio was eyeing him when he finished sending off the text.

"Is that Roni?"

Noah nodded. "Yeah, she just got home from her friend's and said she's too tired to come down."

"What friend?" Gio asked as Abel handed him a beer and then tried handing Noah one.

Noah shook his head, showing Abel his water. He wondered why it made a difference to Gio what friend Roni was with but answered anyway. "Her friend Nellie."

Gio and Abel exchanged glances, the same damn glances they did the day of the fight at his place. So he had to ask, "What?"

"You said she wants nothing to do with Kratz, right?" Gio asked, taking a swig of his beer.

"Yep, that's what she told me," Noah answered confidently but annoyed that they'd be bringing up this shit again.

"Like they're not even friends or anything?" Abel asked.

Noah answered with a nod but said nothing else. Instead, he took a drink of his water.

"But he showed up at her house?" Gio raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little contradictory?"

_Contradictory?_ The word alone annoyed him even more. Was he implying Roni was lying? "She didn't invite him, and she hadn't seen him in years. His ass just showed up out of nowhere."

Abel and Gio exchanging another glance did it. "What the fuck? What are you guys getting at?"

Abel shrugged and called Hector over. Noah turned even more confused now and watched as Hector stopped at the snack table. This irritated him further. He wished they'd just spit it out.

"It could be nothing," Abel said as Hector took his damn time at the snack table. "It's just that she went out with him before, and her saying she wants nothing to do with him anymore just makes what Hector saw seem even weirder."

"Seems like it's getting serious . . . at least you are," Gio added. "We just wanna make sure you know what you're getting into, Noah. That's all. Like Abel said, it could be nothing."

" _What_ could be nothing?" His irritation had veered a little toward nervous. What the hell had Hector seen?

Hector's ass finally made it over to them. "Tell him what you told me Thursday night." Abel nodded in Noah's direction.

Hector turned to Noah, looking a bit unsure, but then it seemed to hit him. "Oh yeah, I saw your chick at the park, hanging out with her ex, Kratz."

Only moments ago Noah had wished they'd just spit it out, but hearing Hector just blurt this out nearly dazed him. "What?"

"Roni," Hector said so simply, as if he hadn't just dropped a fucking bomb on Noah. "Her and Kratz were at the park Thursday afternoon, having a picnic or something. Did she tell you about that?"

Noah stared at him then glanced back at Abel's and Gio's faces. He'd never seen them looking so serious. Noah turned back to Hector, who was munching without a care in the world on a plate of nachos. "A picnic?"

"Yeah, I'd seen the couple at a table nearby where we were hanging out. They were there for a while, but I hadn't noticed who it was until one of the guys pointed out Kratz and his old lady were there."

Noah's mind raced. _Thursday?_ He remembered that night had been one of their heavier goodnights. She hadn't mentioned a thing about Kratz since the day he showed up. "And you're sure it was her?"

"Yep, she even smiled at me."

Somehow that made it better. If she knew Hector saw her and she hadn't been worried about it, then there had to be a reasonable explanation. Still, it was confusing as hell. "And they were having a picnic?"

The word picnic had a romantic connotation to it, and that bugged the shit out of Noah. Why would she meet up with Kratz at a park when she said she wanted nothing to do with him? He could see why Abel and Gio would be thinking the worst.

Hector laughed. "They didn't have a picnic basket or anything, but they were eating."

"She's been with her friend all day?" Gio asked casually enough, but Noah caught the suggestion loud and clear.

Roni's troubled departure that morning was no act. He had no doubt she'd spent the day with Nellie. He nodded and reached for his phone. There had to be a simple explanation, and before he started jumping the gun, he'd get it and put his concerns and his friends' suspicions to rest.

## Chapter 27

That morning's call from Nellie's mom, Margaret, had been alarming enough. Nellie had caught Rick red-handed and was now in such a state of depression her mother refused to leave her alone, fearing Nellie might overdose on the sleeping pills she'd been taking. That alone was enough to send Veronica running to her side, but nothing prepared her for the shocking news that awaited her when she got there.

Her mother had only said Nellie had confirmed her suspicions about Rick being on vacation with his mistress, but when she arrived at Nellie's, the details of what she'd found blew her away. Nellie's father sat just outside of Nellie's townhouse as Veronica hurried up the stairs.

He was smoking, a habit Nellie had told her he stopped long ago. Veronica hadn't seen him in over a year, and in that time, he seemed to have aged too much. At the moment, he appeared tired, and there was a sense of defeat in the way he sat, his back against the chair, shoulders drawn and limp. Before Veronica could ask him anything, he began talking, but he wasn't really speaking to Veronica, because he was staring out into nothing.

"You do your best to raise your kids to be honest, loyal, and God-fearing. No parent should ever feel disgust or loathing for any of their children."

Margaret came to the door just then. Veronica turned to her, feeling even more upset now. Why would Nellie's dad be talking about loathing her or being disgusted? Whatever she'd done in reaction to finding Rick with another woman had to be justified. She wasn't in jail, so she hadn't actually killed the bastard.

Margaret motioned for her to step inside. Veronica did, overcome by a sudden feeling of dread.

"She's in her bedroom, but before you go in to see her, there's something you should know."

Margaret's eyes were full of pain and concern, but Veronica saw more in them. "This is a very hard time for all of us. The whole family is torn right now, and it will probably never be the same again, but right now our main concern is Nellie."

Whole family?

"You have to understand that, as a mother, this completely breaks my heart to have to admit this to anyone, but soon everyone will know anyway."

Veronica stared at Margaret's worn eyes. She'd obviously been crying too. What in the world had Nellie done?

"What is it? What happened?"

"Nellie found Rick in Denver with Courtney."

Veronica's heart had practically come to a standstill—Nellie's own sister? Then Margaret continued—one jab after another, making her feel like one of Noah's opponents in the ring.

"They've apparently been having an affair off and on for years. Courtney said they tried many times to end it but were in love and just couldn't. Then, just when they decided it was just not something they could continue, Courtney was made aware of Rick's other woman. That was the one she confronted him about that sent Nellie to the hospital." Margaret paused to take a deep breath and wipe away a single tear before delivering the knock-out punch. "Courtney found out a few weeks later that she was pregnant with Rick's child. This was during the time that Rick and Nellie were really giving it a go to work things out."

Veronica was furious and heartbroken all at the same time. How could Courtney do this to Nellie? Then she remembered this was how Courtney had always been, ever since they were kids. No matter how much more Courtney had than Nellie, she was never satisfied until she took what little Nellie had too.

Margaret shook her head and sat down on Nellie's sofa, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "After all the pain she's caused her sister and the shame she's brought to the family, Courtney says she and Rick are getting married just as soon as his divorce to Nellie is final."

It was all too much to bear. Veronica could only imagine what poor Nellie was feeling. She didn't even want to hear anymore. She'd heard enough. "I need to be with Nellie."

She hurried into Nellie's room. Nellie sat on her bed, staring at the television, but the volume wasn't on. Her face crumbled when she saw her best friend, and Veronica rushed to her, crawling in bed next to her, and held her as she wept. The tears went on for several minutes, until she finally gathered herself together enough to talk.

"I've decided I'm not going to waste my energy being angry with Rick. He isn't even worth my breath much less any tears. I'm incredibly hurt over Courtney's betrayal." She took a shuddering breath. "The stupid thing is I've always had my suspicions. It bothered me when Rick flirted with her. He flirted with you too, but I knew I had nothing to worry about. I've never trusted my sister completely or how they seemed to be around each other."

Nellie said she wasn't sure now what she'd been more afraid of—facing the fact that Rick was cheating on her or the prospect of being alone. Veronica knew firsthand what it felt like to be alone and understood that fear all too well; though she'd never have stayed with a cheating man. This wasn't something she'd say to her fragile friend, however. It would do no good now.

After hours of rehashing everything, Veronica got her to eat a little and even laugh a few times. She hadn't planned on talking to her about Noah—this was supposed to be about Nellie, not her—but Nellie insisted. The change in subject turned out to be a good thing. Nellie was pleased at how well things were going for Veronica and assured her that everything would work out.

She agreed with Veronica that she should ask Noah about the baby he might have but reminded her not to judge him for the things he'd done in the past. Everybody had skeletons in their closet, but she did urge her to make sure he was no longer involved in anything dangerous.

By that evening, Nellie was ready to take a long shower and then try to get some sleep—sleep not induced by any medication. She promised Veronica she'd stop taking the pills, and Veronica warned her she'd be back to check on her often before she left.

Veronica had only been home a few minutes. She'd just messaged Noah to tell him she wasn't going to make it to Gio's when she heard the knock at the door. She peeked through the window cautiously and saw Derek. She had to wonder if maybe he'd been parked up the street, waiting for her to get home.

He'd left two messages on her phone that day she hadn't had a chance to listen to. A little annoyed that he apparently thought it okay to just drop by like this for the second time, she opened the door.

"Hey," she said but made it a point not to smile too big. She didn't want him thinking she took this as a pleasant surprise.

"Hey." He ran a hand through his hair. The usually intimidating-looking dean appeared a little emotionally exposed. "I, uh, was hoping we could talk. I tried calling, but you're not answering. I hope you're not upset with me about the other day."

She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should step outside or invite him in. Against her better judgment, she opened the screen door and let him in. The thought of Noah arriving with him still there and things possibly getting ugly was a very real one. But if she had to make a choice between things getting loud or ugly inside the privacy of her own home or outside on her porch for all her neighbors to hear and see, she'd do this inside. Besides, her plan was to send him on his way quickly.

She saw him glance around as he walked in, trying to get a feel for how much things had changed since he'd last been there, perhaps pick up more clues on her relationship with Noah.

As rude as it was, Veronica didn't offer him something to drink. She wanted him out as soon as possible. He started apologizing again about the other day, but she stopped him.

"I'm not upset at you, Derek, so don't worry about it. I was a little surprised that's all."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No, I haven't had the chance." They stood just inside the doorway, and it was awkward, but she refused to ask him to take a seat. She was keeping this conversation short and to the point.

"I won't say anything else negative about him, but I will say this, Roni. As your friend, I'm worried about you. I don't think you realize this, but you're still in a very vulnerable state. It hasn't even been a year since your mother died, and this guy showed up at the perfect time when you needed someone— _anyone,_ even this kid in your life. You didn't even do a background check on him."

"I told you. He's my friend."

"But for how long?"

"Over a month." Saying that made his point sound even more valid. "Almost two," she added, the doubt suddenly creeping in. Had she really just allowed herself to get involved with someone she wouldn't have under normal circumstances, because she was afraid to be alone again? What Nellie said earlier came back to her. You do things out of your nature when you're afraid. Because of that same fear, Nellie had continued to look the other way, ignoring valid suspicions that her own sister might be doing the unthinkable with her husband.

Derek tilted his head and their eyes met. "Can I ask you something?"

He didn't even have to ask her. She already knew exactly what he was thinking. As usual, he'd figured the whole thing out: that Noah had moved in at a time when she needed him most, and, of course, she'd easily fallen for him. But there was so much more to their relationship than her just _needing_ him.

Her phone rang before she could respond, and she took advantage of it to give her a moment to think—breathe. She pulled her phone out of her purse and saw it was Noah. Perfect. Exactly what she needed. To hear his voice—a reminder of why he was much more than just a need. "I have to take this," she said and answered.

Derek motioned that he was going to use her bathroom, and Veronica nodded, glad for the privacy. She walked into her kitchen where she'd have even more.

~*~

Sipping their beers, the guys watched him. Hector still munched on his nachos as Noah waited for Roni to answer her phone. Noah was certain that he'd soon have the simple explanation. As confident as he was, a very small part of him worried that Roni might still have feelings for Kratz, especially considering the pictures she not only hung onto but had kept up front row center in her darkroom.

He shook off his insecurities. She said she wanted nothing to do with him, and after the week they'd had, not to mention their morning, Roni would know he'd have an issue with her hanging out with her asshole ex. This had to be some kind of fluke.

She answered on the second ring. "Hey."

"Hey, Roni."

"You don't have to leave, Noah. That's not why I texted you. You just asked me to let you know when I was home."

"Yeah, I know. But I'll still be out of here soon. I just wanted to ask you something real quick." He glanced up at his friends. They were all staring at him. He almost laughed. "Did you run into Kratz this week?" His laughing mood took a dive when she didn't respond. "Roni?"

"Yeah, I did. A few times actually."

That literally jolted him. He actually sat up straight in reaction. "A few times?"

"I was gonna tell you, but I was waiting for after your fight, and then this morning I got the call about Nellie."

His stomach recoiled. "Tell me _what_?"

"About the few times I got together with him after work."

Noah didn't even care anymore that his friends would see him go bat-shit crazy if she said she'd done anything else with the guy. He felt like the biggest fucking idiot. He was about to ask her why the hell she'd gotten together with the dick when he heard Kratz's voice loud and clear in the background.

Noah heard her tell him she'd be with him in a sec. He squeezed the phone, feeling the adrenaline rush he usually felt only in the ring when he was about to take someone down. "Are you with him now?"

"He stopped by again," she said, her voice hushed now. "But—"

"He's at the house with you now?" Noah was on his feet in an instant, his heart racing as he stalked to his bike, each stride longer than the last.

"Yes, but he won't be here long."

"What the fuck does he want?" He jumped on his bike, but before she could respond, he asked what he really wanted to know. "Do you still have feelings for this guy, Roni?"

"No!"

"You still want him coming over like this?"

She exhaled loudly. "No."

"Good, I'm on my way." He hung up on her and put his helmet on.

Abel and the guys were already in his truck as he raced his bike past it and down the street. For years in high school, he'd had visions of beating the shit out of Kratz. Who knew he'd ever actually get the chance to follow through?

~*~

More concerned about the fact that Noah could have no way of knowing that Derek carried a gun, Veronica was not about to wait and see if he'd be provoked into using it.

"You gotta go," she said as she rushed into the front room where Derek now sat.

"Why? What happened?"

"I'll explain later, Derek, but right now you have to go." She opened the screen door and held it open for him.

Derek stood up but didn't leave. He stared at Veronica, concerned. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing!" Her heart beat faster with every second that passed and Derek was still in her house.

He finally took a few steps toward her but obviously didn't share her urgency to leave. "Veronica, look at you. You're a mess. Let me guess. That was Noah and he's on his way home. What? Are you not allowed to have anyone here, or is it just me he doesn't want here?"

Veronica didn't know why he was pretending he hadn't already figured it all out. She was surprised he hadn't pointed out the glow she'd worn all day from her morning with Noah. He was _that_ good at picking up on the tiniest things.

"Derek, if you know already, why do you want trouble?"

"You can't be serious about this. You and that kid?"

"He's not a kid."

"You called him that yourself when you first told me about your new roommate. You wanna tell me what's changed since then?" His eyebrow lifted slowly; he already knew the answer to that one too. "He's still the same age, isn't he?"

Veronica took a deep breath and held her ground. "I think you already know that, and you know what? It's none of your business. You need to leave now, Derek. I'm serious. I don't want any problems."

He didn't move, and her heart nearly gave out when she saw Noah's bike pull into the driveway and Abel's truck pull up behind it. Noah pulled off his helmet and jumped off his bike. Veronica closed the screen door behind her and rushed to meet him at the stairs.

"He still here?" Noah asked.

"Yes, but he's leaving."

The guys got out of the truck but stayed near it, keeping an eye out.

"Where is he?" Noah demanded.

"I'm right here, Noah." Derek opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. "You got something to say to me?"

Veronica held Noah's big arm, and she looked him pleadingly in the eyes. "Just let him leave, Noah, please."

"Don't worry about it, Roni. I'll leave peacefully. But I'd seriously think about what we talked about the other day."

"What was that?" Noah asked to Veronica's disappointment, giving in to Derek's obvious baiting.

"Oh, I just filled her in on a few things I thought she should know," Derek said, walking past them down the stairs.

Noah scoffed, turning around to face Derek now that he'd walked past him. "About me? Like she'd believe your bullshit."

"I don't need to make anything up, Noah. We both know you have a colorful enough past—maybe even present." Derek glanced back at Veronica. "And I'd say she's understandably concerned."

Noah turned back to Veronica. Infuriatingly, it appeared Derek's attempts to rattle Noah had worked. She could see it in his questioning eyes.

"Not concerned," she explained. "Curious."

"About what?"

Now that the guys saw Derek on his way to his car, they remained unmoved near Abel's truck, giving them their privacy. "Let's go inside." She reached out for him.

Noah flinched back. "No, first answer the question. What bullshit lies has he been feeding you? And while you're at it, you wanna explain why you got together several times with your fucking ex this week and didn't mention this to me?"

Abel turned on his truck and waved as he pulled out of the driveway. Veronica barely lifted her hand to wave back. Noah didn't even bother. His eyes were back on Veronica, and they were on fire now.

"I was confused."

"About what?"

"I saw the text from Rita on Sunday, and I didn't know what to think."

His expression softened the tiniest bit. "You should've asked."

"Yeah, well, I didn't, okay? I thought maybe it was time I gave my social life a boost and decided to take him up on his offer."

His eyes shot open. "Really, and what offer would that be?"

"That we have dinner after work."

"And what else?"

"That's it. We had dinner twice, and then Thursday, I wasn't going to meet with him, but he showed up at the park where I told him I'd be taking pictures."

"So what did this guy you claimed you wanted nothing more to do with tell you about me that has you so concerned?"

She could see he was getting worked up again. "I said curious, not concerned."

He crossed his arms in front of him. "All right, so what is it?"

"He said you dropped out of school and went MIA when you got a girl pregnant." She prayed Derek was wrong about this. She really hoped Noah wouldn't have it in him to do something like that. Holding her breath, she waited for his response, trying desperately to pick up a hint of what he was thinking, but his expression had gone blank.

## Chapter 28

The fact that Roni would believe such a thing about him spoke volumes. It was so like Kratz to make his past sound worse than it really was, but the kicker was that Roni was so ready to believe him.

"So, let me see if I got this straight. This asshole comes back out of nowhere after walking out on you when your mother was dying, knowing he'd be leaving you all alone. Supposedly you're not interested in his ass anymore, even though months after you and him were through, you still had those fucking pictures up?"

The more he thought about it, the heavier his chest felt. He wasn't sure what hurt more—the fact that she'd lied or that she'd bought this crock from a guy who obviously hadn't given a shit about her.

"You tell me you want nothing to do with him, but the moment you decide you need to _broaden_ your social life, he's the first one you fucking call?" He knew his words were harsher than he'd ever spoken to her, but he couldn't help it. It hurt like hell to find out she obviously did care enough about this guy to buy into this guy's horseshit version of the truth—the truth about _him_ —even after what the asshole had done to her. "What other bullshit did he tell you about me?"

She shrugged, looking ready to cry, but she wasn't denying any of it.

"Tell me!"

"That you did drugs or drug trafficking." Noah laughed but stopped when she asked, "did you?"

She couldn't possibly be serious. His eyes narrowed in on her. "What do _you_ think?"

The answer to that was in her uncertain eyes. She believed that _too_. "Wow," he said, taking a few steps back. "I had no idea I'd made such an insignificant impression on you that you would think so little of me."

"I don't—"

"I'm a fucking orphan, Roni! Or did you forget?" He'd never felt so ready to explode in his life, not even on his way there when he could think of nothing other than getting there and ripping Kratz apart. He was just pissed then, and he'd been incensed with jealousy. What he was feeling now was much worse. He hurt like he'd never hurt before. "I know firsthand what it's like to be discarded by family. That's why I don't turn my back on friends or people I care about. That's _him_." He jabbed a finger in the air in the direction the fucker had driven away in. " _He_ does that shit, not me. But apparently that doesn't count for anything where you're concerned, right? Because you're so ready to believe something like that about _me_ just because _he_ told you so."

Her hands were at her mouth now, and she took the steps down the stairs to approach him as he backed up even more. "I never said I believed him. I said I was curious. I didn't know what to think. He said it was a long time ago. People do things they regret. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even if it were true, it wouldn't matter. None of it matters."

That confirmed it. She did believe all those things about him even after what he'd just told her. "I just said . . ." he started to articulate then spun around; he couldn't stay there even another minute. "You know what? Believe whatever the fuck you want. How 'bout that? I don't give a shit anymore." He was done trying to convince her that he was worthy of being part of her life.

"Noah, I'm sorry. If you say you didn't, then I believe you."

Wonderful, now she was going to humor him. He jumped on his bike and pulled his helmet on, glad it muffled her words because he couldn't bear to hear another word. If he was anything like the type of young immature punk she clearly thought him to be, he might've had thoughts of flipping her off; instead, all he could think of as he pulled out of her driveway was how the hell he was supposed to get over her. This felt a million times worse than his breakup with Tessa.

He drove stupidly fast around the area for a while before deciding on a destination. He didn't want to be near anyone. It was crazy the effect Roni had on him. Emotionally he was a wreck. She'd only been in his life a few months, and the thought of not having her in it anymore was unbearable.

Twenty minutes later, he sat at the edge of the boxing ring at the gym. He hadn't bothered turning on the lights when he got there. The only light was the bright moonlight that came in through the windows and the streetlight just outside the front door that flooded in through the glass doors.

He realized that he wouldn't have blown up the way he did if he hadn't already been so worked up. Hearing about Roni spending time with the ex she probably still had feelings for had really done a number on him. He'd never felt so pissed and hurt at the same time in his life.

The whole damn week had been building intensely until he'd just come apart. Maybe if he'd explained to Roni about what really happened in high school with the girl he got pregnant instead of going off on her, she would've understood. He might have even convinced her of what he'd been trying to all this time: that he was mature enough to handle things like an adult and had been even back then.

The front door opening jerked him out of his thoughts. He'd been so damn heated when he burst through it tonight he hadn't thought to lock it, and this wasn't the best of neighborhoods. He jumped to his feet, fully expecting to have to take on a homeless person or two when he heard Roni.

"Noah, is that you?"

She came around the corner into view, and she may as well have been an angel because that's how blissful the sight of her was. She stopped when she saw him.

"I believe you, Noah. I believe you."

He took a deep breath, unbelievably ready to forgive and forget everything that had happened earlier and just run to her, but he had to say something to her first. "I dropped out to get a full-time job when I found out she was pregnant."

The shadow over her face prevented him from seeing her expression clearly. But she stood motionless for a moment as he held his breath in preparation for her response.

~*~

Afraid to say the wrong thing, Veronica chose her words carefully. She'd hated seeing him so hurt, and she was not about to say something that would hurt him again. She started walking to him. "So you're a dad?"

He shook his head. "Nope. When she first told me, it scared the hell out of me. But then the more I thought about it, the more it hit me. I was going to have a child, my own flesh and blood. She said she didn't wanna have it. She was too young. That's when I dropped out of school. I told her I was getting a job and I'd raise the kid myself. _She's_ the one that disappeared, not me. Her parents set out looking for me, sure that it was me she'd run away with, but I had no idea where she was either. The next time I saw her, she'd already had the abortion, and then she and her family moved away."

Veronica didn't think her heart could break for him anymore than it already had. "Were you in love with her?" she asked as she reached him, touching his face.

He shook his head again, bringing his hand over hers the brought it to his mouth and kissed it. "The only person I've ever been in love with is you."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Veronica hugged him hard, furious with herself for ever questioning what or why she felt for him. "I love you too." She pulled away to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you—us."

His eyes were wide and almost wild but not in that horrible way they'd been earlier when he'd been so angry. Now he was smiling. "You love me?"

"Yes!" She hugged him again. "And I'm so sorry about doubting you."

"Don't be. Kratz didn't know what happened. Nobody in school did, and after she aborted, I was so pissed and let down I didn't bother going back to school. I took my GED and kept working. I was done with all the fucking high school drama. But he knew the truth about the drug-trafficking bullshit." Noah's eyes were hard again. "He could've explained that to you."

He explained to her about the girl who'd broken his heart and how he spiraled out of control for a while there. How it was the only time he'd done weed in his life and that was only to numb the pain.

"I shared a locker with Abel and Gio because mine was in a suck ass temp building. I let the guy that sold me the weed use the locker I wasn't using. I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to stash his shit in it. Every few months, they did a raid—brought in the dogs and everything and found his stash. Since the locker was in my name, my ass got hauled in, but everyone knew I never used that locker." He shook his head. "I'd been in so much trouble leading up to that, Kratz wasn't buying anything I said anymore. But in the end, they had enough people vouching for who actually used the damn locker, and they never got enough evidence to make the charges stick. So my name was cleared. He knew this."

His expression changed suddenly, and his eyes were now full of concern. "Roni, I don't think I could deal with you being friends with this guy. I hated him so much back then, and now I have even more reason to hate him."

Veronica touched his lips with her finger. "I don't wanna be his friend anymore. You're right. I need loyalty and friends I can count on, but most importantly, I don't want anyone in my life that doesn't believe in us. And obviously he doesn't."

"Us?"

She smiled, nodding. "I'm ready for _us_. I love you, Noah, and I want the whole world to know it."

The glimmer in his eye at that moment was something she hadn't seen before. He'd been so emotional earlier, but this . . . This took her breath away. He kissed her so softly and so tenderly she sighed against his lips. Noah was exactly what she _needed_ in her life. She wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. Who wouldn't need what she was feeling right that moment? And it had nothing to do with being afraid to be alone. She could easily have Derek's company if she wanted to, and Nellie was definitely going to be around more now.

Veronica realized one thing earlier, the terrifying moment it hit her that maybe Noah wouldn't be coming back tonight: She was in love with him, and she wasn't afraid of being alone. She was afraid of being without _him_.

Noah's kiss grew heavier and deeper, and just when she thought she couldn't feel any more content than how she was feeling at that moment, he nearly growled then whispered in that same strained voice she'd heard that morning, "I wanna taste you."

When he said it that morning, she hadn't been entirely sure what he meant, but she'd had a feeling, and it'd been enough to get her heart pumping. It was something she'd only read about and could only imagine what it must feel like. Now that not only did she know exactly what he meant but what she'd be in for, her legs nearly gave out on her.

"I want to _now_ ," he added as he sucked her bottom lip.

"Here?" she gasped, pulling away.

The blaze in his lit eyes was all the answer she needed. "Wait here."

He hurried away to the front door, leaving her standing shakily as he locked the doors. She watched him walk to where the stretching mats were stacked up by the wall and take one. He grabbed some towels, and his eyes locked on hers, a slim smile on his face.

Her body had already begun to shudder in anticipation. The tingling that had started that morning when he'd kissed her breast began going insane the moment she heard his scandalous request.

Trying hard to calm her breathing as he neared her, she watched him throw the mat into the boxing ring behind her along with the towel. Then he reached for her, and in one swoop, she was in his arms again as he kissed her madly.

In the next second, his hands were on her behind, and he squeezed as he picked her up. Never had she known she could even feel this level of arousal, but she felt as wild as an untamed animal, cradling his face in her hands as she kissed and sucked those beautiful lips of his.

The moment he set her on the edge of the boxing ring, she climbed under the ropes and was in the ring. They toppled over as he jumped in behind her and came over to her, continuing their frantic kissing as he pressed her to the mat. She thought maybe he'd work his way down like he had that morning, but instead his hands went right to her pants and pulled them down the side of her hips. Her panties went down with them, and before she knew it, she was naked from the waist down.

Unlike that morning, Noah wasn't taking his time. His fingers were already in her, making her moan loudly. That only aroused him further, and he groaned in her mouth then pulled away. "I can't wait any longer."

He moved down, spreading her legs. Veronica brought her trembling hand to her mouth and fisted it, right before she felt his hot mouth on her, sucking, his tongue teasing. The sensation was so amazing she could hardly stand it.

Like that morning, he went slow now, driving her insane as the pleasure built quicker this time. She squirmed as his tongue went deeper, moving faster in such a perfect motion her entire body quivered in response. Her hips lifted of their own accord, and incredibly she felt his tongue go even deeper.

What he did with his tongue so perfectly, driving her slowly then faster into a complete frenzy, was like nothing she could ever imagine. It was beyond pleasure. Her eyes rolled back as she swallowed hard, arching her back in response to his swirling tongue.

His fingers spread her, and his mouth latched on to that perfect spot, making her moan loudly, shamelessly. She'd lost all sense of control, and she didn't even care. She panted riotously now as an explosive orgasm began. It became stronger as the tip of his tongue licked so fast it practically vibrated, and she cried out from the incredible pleasure of it.

She was drowning in an abyss of spasms. "No more, please," she begged. She couldn't take even one more flick of his tongue. He kissed her one last time before coming to lie next to her like he had that morning, staring into her very satisfied eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

"I wish," she said then stopped to catch her breath. "I wish I could put into words how incredible that was."

Her hand reached out for his face, and he took it in his then kissed it again. "Don't. I'd rather _feel_ how incredible it is for you. There's nothing I'm gonna enjoy more than hearing you go crazy."

Crazy didn't even begin to describe it. Then she had a thought. It was one thing for him to do what he just had right there in the ring, but how much further was he willing to go?

"Make love to me," she whispered, her heart speeding up again.

His eyes widened. "Right here? I thought maybe we could go home for that and I could have my way with you all night."

Veronica laughed and leaned over to kiss him. The thought of their doing it right there was so naughty and so perfect. "Oh, we'll do that too, but I want our first time to be right here." She kissed him even deeper; the very thought got her hot all over again. "Just think: it'll be our little secret every time we walk by this ring."

Noah was already moving onto his knees. "You don't have to convince me, Roni." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and took out a condom, staring at her hard. "Take everything off. I want you naked."

She gazed at him for a moment, blinking, as she thought about what she'd just started. The irony was almost funny. When they'd first met in what felt like another lifetime, she would've never even considered doing this, much less suggested it. Not only because of the age difference or because they were in the middle of a gym, in a boxing ring no less, but because back then she wouldn't have stripped naked for any guy the way she looked, especially not her chiseled young trainer. Without another word or thought, she sat up, unbuttoning her blouse slowly then unhooking the clasp of her bra.

Her breath caught as she watched Noah unzip and shove his pants down, his boxer briefs going with them.

Veronica wondered if he'd heard her thunderous gulp as she gazed at his flawless body. The burning in his eyes that she'd become so conditioned to lately with their goodnight kisses was back. He smiled at her, his big hands skimming her arms, pulling her back to the mat. He poised over her and stared into her eyes. "Ready?"

She nodded, feeling hypnotized by his heavy gaze. Since he'd already pleasured her, she thought for sure he'd get right to it; instead, he kissed her long and deep then sucked her neck, and she didn't even protest about hickeys this time. Obviously, it was something that turned him on. They'd work out some kind of compromise later. For now, she let herself enjoy the toe-curling feeling of his mouth on her skin.

Feeling his hard naked body over hers drove her crazy. She wanted him in her _now_. "Fuck me, Noah." The strained words escaping her made her gasp. She'd never said that to _anyone,_ not even Derek, who'd she'd been with for almost two years. But she wanted Noah so badly now. She'd dreamed of this too many times. She couldn't wait another minute, and he didn't make her.

Noah groaned in response, obviously not having any objection to her choice of words. Gently he spread her legs, positioned himself, and entered her slowly. Veronica had almost forgotten how long it'd been, but feeling the stretch as he pushed in further reminded her it'd been _too_ long.

She held on to his big shoulders as he pulled her leg up to drive in deeper. There was slight discomfort at first, but as he drove in all the way with a grunt, it felt so good she cried out.

She'd never admit to comparing, but with Derek, once they got to this part, it was over quickly. So it surprised her how long Noah kept on. He'd speed up then slow down, making it last longer, making her absolutely crazy.

He stared in her eyes, increasing the intimacy between them as he slid in and out, and the pleasure amazingly began to build again. Veronica could hardly believe she was going to come a second time even more intensely than the first, but it was happening, and she welcomed it, crying out again as he drove in one last time, lifting her leg even more for maximum penetration.

Holding the position for what seemed like a very long time, she watched Noah. His eyes squeezed shut tightly, the deep pinch in his brows a testimony to what he was feeling, and she loved it—loved that he was feeling this because of her. She held him tight, enjoying the thud of his heartbeat against her own. "I love you, Roni."

"I love you, Noah."

He kissed her temple. His breathing hadn't steadied yet, so his words astonished her. "I can hardly wait to get you home and do this to you all night."

Veronica had to giggle. He couldn't possibly be serious. But he was—and he did— _all night._

## Epilogue

Even though last year they'd spent the holidays together and it had been wonderful, technically this was their first Christmas _together_. Noah told Veronica that made it extra special, but she had an even bigger reason why it was.

Picking out the tree this year had been so much easier than all the other years. Somehow she knew no matter what tree she picked, it'd be wonderful because it was _their_ tree.

They spent the day decorating the house, singing along to Christmas carols like they had last year. They were finishing up with the last touches of the tree, and Veronica brought out the box with the special tree topper.

"Ah, the very final touch," Noah said with a smile. "I'll get the stool for you."

"Nope, no need," Veronica said, pulling out the crystal star.

"Why?" Noah slipped his arm around her waist. "Should I just lift you?"

"No, because _you_ get to do the honors this year." Noah's panicked expression made her laugh. "What?"

"Me?"

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Remember the tradition is the newest family member takes on the duty until another one comes along?"

"But I'm not family." Noah lifted an eyebrow.

"You're more to me now, Noah. And since you are officially living here—permanently now . . ." She kissed him and added, "You aren't going anywhere now, mister!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." He kissed her back.

"Good," she said with a big satisfied smile. "Then it's settled. You place the star on the tree from now on."

As nervous as he looked, he still took the topper from the box and with no need for a stool proceeded to lift it, but Veronica stopped him. "Wait!" Noah's exasperated expression made her laugh again. "I'm sorry. I wanna take a picture of this." She grabbed her iPhone and focused it on Noah. "Okay, go for it."

She snapped several pictures, giggling at how extra careful Noah was about making sure he got it up there securely.

"Good?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Perfect," she said, taking one last picture.

Glancing at the small gift bag under the tree, Veronica had to fight the urge to give it to Noah already, but she'd wait until later tonight when the guys left. They'd be there any minute now. They were coming over to discuss Gio's next fight. It was in January, but the guy he was fighting was a pretty big deal and the first undefeated fighter Gio had ever taken on.

Veronica busied herself in her darkroom, developing her latest batch—photos of her and Noah's trip to the snow last week. She almost gave him his gift then but decided to wait just a little longer. She'd said she would wait until Christmas, but there was no way she was waiting that long, so she decided tonight would be the night.

When the guys finally left, the excitement crept in. She snuck over to the tree on the way to sit with Noah on the sofa and grabbed the small bag.

Noah smirked when he noticed her hiding something behind her back. "What are you up to?"

"An early Christmas gift."

After deciding to go into this relationship with Noah and taking it one hundred percent seriously earlier that year, Veronica made sure to cut things off completely with Derek. She wanted to avoid any arguments with Noah at all costs, but that summer she found out avoiding arguments in a relationship was impossible. There was still another sore subject she was now careful not to stir.

Noah had playfully mentioned that he couldn't wait for Veronica to have his baby. She'd just as playfully responded they weren't even married then made the mistake of pointing out that he was too young to be a father anyway.

Noah had responded furiously, as he had months before when she'd told him he wasn't in love. He argued that he was readier than some of the supposed "grown ass men" who didn't know the first thing about being a responsible father—Nellie's now ex-husband serving as a perfect example because when Courtney was only five months pregnant he told her he wasn't ready for a family and broke things off.

The argument escalated into his leaving after accusing _her_ of being the one not ready, and that, once again, proved his argument that age was but an illusion.

He was back a few hours later, calmer, apologizing for flying off the handle. Veronica apologized right back and agreed that obviously she hadn't known what she was talking about this time either. It _was_ she who wasn't ready. Noah said he respected that and let her know that whenever she felt ready to just say the word, because now that they were together, he felt more ready than ever.

Veronica handed Noah the small bag, feeling a flutter in the pit of her stomach.

"Roni, babe. I didn't know we were doing early Christmas gifts."

"Of course you didn't—it's a surprise." She sat down next to him, nervous about what he'd say—think.

He tried to look angry, but the smile gave him away. Then he began pulling out the _gift._ Veronica had wrapped it in tissue paper, and she laughed nervously at his puzzled expression when he saw the small flat octagon-shaped plastic case.

"Open it," she said when he looked up at her, completely lost.

So he did, and he took out the only thing in it: a small folded paper. He unfolded it and read the two words on it: _I'm ready_. He still looked confused. "You're ready?"

She nodded and smiled, waiting for him to understand, but his expression was still blank, so she gave him another hint. "That's last month's birth control pill case. I didn't get it refilled when I finished it."

His eyes shot wide open. "Are you . . .?"

"No, not yet, but I'm ready, so if it happens—"

He tackled her before she could finish, and she laughed out loud. She knew he'd be pleased, but she was thrilled that he was this excited about it.

"It's not just gonna happen, Roni," he said, devouring her mouth, instantly arousing her. "Haven't you picked up on the irony of life by now? Things only just happen when you're not ready. When you're ready, you start trying, and, god damn, I feel like trying _right now_."

She felt silly even asking, but she didn't want the excitement of this clouding his thinking, so she had to. She palmed her hand against his shirt. "And you're sure, right?"

He pulled away, but he took her hand, standing up. She stood up cautiously, hoping he hadn't taken her asking the wrong way. She yelped, startled when he suddenly lifted her and in the next second had her cradled in his arms. "Let me go show you how _sure_ I am."

Veronica wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She wouldn't tell him she may very well already be pregnant since she'd stopped taking her pills the last week of November—let him think he had to try _extra_ hard.

Next in the 5th Street series

Click on the cover for links!

When tragedy strikes in the ring, Giovanni Bravo falls into a deep depression, walking away from his dream of boxing to train instead. He agrees to a two month get-away, helping train Felix Sanchez, his high school buddy and now welterweight champ of the world. Once at Felix's lavish boxing complex, he's reunited with Bianca Rubio, someone he remembers only as the girl with the innocent doe eyes back in high school. Her refreshing, cheerful demeanor not only takes Gio's mind off his troubled conscience, he finds himself falling for her fast and hard. The problem—Bianca is Felix's girlfriend.

Having a sexy, famous boyfriend has its perks, but they come with a price. Bianca not only has to deal with the ongoing tabloid rumors about her boyfriend's questionable relationships with other women, but also his constant absence when he is on the road. So now that Felix will be in town for two whole months to train for his next big bout, Bianca is thrilled. He's even asked her to move into his cabin while he's there. But when he leaves for days at a time to promote his fight, Bianca spends time getting to know Felix's gorgeous new trainer and good friend, Gio. Increasingly drawn to his sweet smile and smoldering green eyes, she finds herself saying and doing things she normally wouldn't.

As it becomes more and more difficult to resist the mutual attraction, Gio crosses the line between them. He hopes that one kiss will alleviate the overwhelming temptation and clear both their systems, but it does just the opposite. Their temptation suddenly becomes an overwhelming longing–a longing that quickly forces Gio to realize this is more than just lust. He's fallen hard and to his delight so has she. Now he's forced to make the hardest decision of his life. Risk losing a longtime friend or walk away from the only girl he's ever loved.

New to Elizabeth Reyes? Can't get enough of her writing?

Well, you're in luck!

You can get a delicious taste of her other bestselling series, The Moreno Brothers, by reading Forever Mine, the first in that series for FREE!

Click on the cover below for links:

Seventeen-year old Sarah's life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She's forced to move, leaving behind everything she's ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno. Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be "just friends". The problem? Sarah's best friend Sydney is not a girl. With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?

### Also by Elizabeth Reyes

Click photos for links!

"I'm not jealous, but what's mine is mine. End of story."

There's a difference between whom we love, whom we settle for, and whom we're meant for.

Things sizzle when these fighters meet their romantic matches outside the ring.

The mean streets of LA have never been so sexy.

When mystery meets romantic thriller, things get wild.

## Acknowledgments

As usual I'd like to thank my family for their patience in understanding that when I'm sitting in my pajamas all day in front of my computer I _am_ at work. I think they finally get it! Love you guys!

My critique partner Tammara Webber. I honestly don't know how I ever did it without you. I'm so glad you've been part of this incredible ride and I hope you'll be around for good. Purple Power! <3

To my editors, Stephanie Lott aka Bibliofile Services, and Theresa Wegand thanks again for you fast and efficient work. I'm so glad Tammara found you!

To my beta readers Judy Devries and Dawn Winter! Your opinions and keen eyes for any inconsistencies in story line or even just personality traits that don't seem to mesh are invaluable to me! The fact that you two are lightning-speed readers is a huge plus too! Thanks for plowing through my stories as fast as you do! And Judy thanks so much for all the fun we have on your blog with my poor guys! LOL

To my new cover artist Stephanie Mooney. OMG I'm so happy I found you and here's where I give a shout out to fellow writer and friend, Abbi Glines, for finding you first and then gushing about your work. Your talent speaks for itself! Your covers make me all the more excited for my upcoming books!

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Elizabeth Reyes was born and raised in southern California where she lives with her husband, Mark and their two adult children, Mark & Megan, two Great Danes named Dexter and Zorro, and one big fat cat named Tyson.

She spends most her time in front of her computer, writing and keeping up with all the social media, and loves it. She says that there is nothing better than doing what you absolutely love for a living, and she eats, sleeps, and breathes these stories, which are constantly begging to be written.

**Representation:** Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich now handles all questions regarding subsidiary rights for any of Ms. Reyes' work.

For more information on her upcoming projects and to connect with her--she loves hearing from you all—here are a few places you can find her:

Website: www.ElizabethReyes.com

Facebook fan page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Reyes/278724885527554

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Twitter: @AuthorElizabeth

Email EliReyesbooks@yahoo.com

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Join her FB Street Team for exclusive giveaways, excerpts, read-alongs, book chats, and much, much more!

She enjoys hearing your feedback and looks forward to reading your reviews and comments on her website and fan page!

