Page 60 of Falling for Fury
“Oh my God, that’s amazing! I didn’t realize you wanted to expand?”
“Neither did I. Grace mentioned it, she wants it to grow, she wants to start a family with Evan, and she wants to have the business in a position where she earns a comfortable living without needing to work in it, so we are going to try to grow it as much as possible. We have enough saved between the two of us, and the studio does well, so we are going to see how it goes.” She levels me with a heart-stopping smile, the excitement emanating off her adding to my already warmed soul.
“Oh Case, I’m so happy and excited for you! Well, let me know how it goes. Is Rosie around?”
“No, she had an early start. She headed out an hour ago.”
We say our goodbyes, and I have our beautiful apartment to myself. Lucas had increased my pay over the last few weeks of working, and I have managed to make up the difference in the rental payment, which is a relief. The thought of leaving this beautiful view made me sad.
After refreshing in the shower, my phone buzzes, lighting up with my mom’s name, a call I choose to ignore, when it buzzes again with a message.
Flutters head south at his words, completely undoing my good work in the shower. If Addy from two months ago could see me now—smiling at my phone, my heart beating out of my chest, and the happiness I feel at the prospect of seeing Noah again after he finishes work—she wouldn’t believe any of it. In fact, she would warn me to be vigilant because nothing is this good. Anything this good doesn’t last, and I should protect myself. But Addy right now can’t be bothered to listen or care. She just wants to see Noah’s gorgeous smile and feel the warmth of his skin as he wraps me up, embracing all that I am and protecting me from myself.
I’m really not helping myself at this point. My toes curl, and I have to shake myself of the horny state Noah always gets me tied up in. I put the phone down and pull out my laptop, ready to make my future plans.
Noah
“Alright, I promised you one beer, but I’m off.” I slap some bills on the table and salute the guys to leave Pucks and head straight for Addy’s. I hadn’t even wanted to come here tonight. I wanted to head straight to Addison and soak up every second with her, but the guys strong-armed me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Caleb questions, standing straighter.
“Addison’s place.”
Matt all but rolls his eyes.
“You’re bailing because of a chick? What kind of friend are you?” Again, still unsure how Caleb manages to pull with an attitude like that. I shake my head at Caleb, but not hiding my smile.
“A friend with a girlfriend. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The other guys wave their goodbyes, and Caleb grunts his disapproval, but quickly moves on. No one notices my shock at how the word just rolled off my tongue. I hadn’t even meant to say it.
Girlfriend.
I haven’t actually called her that out loud before. Maybe it’s presumptuous. We had one real date, and a night and morning of the best sex of my life. It’s not that I’m worried about exclusivity, I know I’m not seeing anyone else, but I don’t want to spring a label on her and scare the fuck out of her. It was hard enough to convince her to go on a date. Hard enough to convince myself to want something that wasn’t just sex.
I shake off my descending thoughts as I make my way out of the elevator to her apartment when I hear that smooth voice I love. Except… it’s not the same, it’s… tense?
“I said leave me alone.” That all but springs me into gear as I quicken my pace around the corner towards Addy’s apartment. The pit of rage I’ve seen only a handful of times grips my chest at what I find.
“Problem here?”
She shoves Jake at the chest, who moves back from her at the sight of me. The prick had her caged in the corner.
“This is between us and doesn’t concern you. You can leave, meathead.” Oh, someone has a death wish.
“I think it’s you who needs to leave.” I fail to hide the growl in my throat. I give a quick glance to Addy and see the tears staining her pretty pink cheeks and my animal side rears his head. I step between them, Addison at my back, as I look down at this pathetic human being. “Time to go, buddy,” I say low enough for him to understand the threat. His upper lip curls, and I find myself praying for him to throw the first punch. Go on, Jake, give me a reason. Fuck around and find out.
“I’m disappointed in you, Addy. You know better than to be hanging around with this wop.” A booming laugh escapes my chest. Wop, really? That is the best this guy can come up with. If he wanted to insult me, he surely has something more creative than the most cliché racial slur on the planet. His words roll off my back, and I take a quick step forward as he falters and almost trips as he retreats.
“Catch you later, James.”
“Its. Ja—”
“I don’t care,” I cut him off. He seethes, his face an adorable peach color. I take a step, making sure the wordless threat is communicated properly, my hands tightening into fists. He searches my eyes, and whatever he finds is enough for him to back down. He gives Addy one last look, or tries, but I step in his visual path before he leaves. I wait for the elevator door to chime closed before I turn around to Addison, wasting no time in closing the distance and pulling her into my arms. She wraps her hands firmly around my center and buries her head in my chest. Sniffing and obviously hiding her sobs. I pull back and place her cheeks in my hands and kiss her soft lips. “Hey, baby,” I whisper against her, which somehow makes her cry more. “Hey Addy, my girl. Please don’t cry. Let’s go inside and you can talk to me.” She nods and bends to pick up the takeaway food bag that I hadn’t noticed before. “Hope you’ve got plenty. I’m starving.” I try to lighten the mood, but it’s a miss.
“You can have it all. I’ve lost my appetite,” she responds emotionlessly as we enter her apartment. Oh Jake, you’re lucky you left. My fist suddenly feels like it needs a surface to hit.
Addison
Noah takes the bag of food from my hands as we enter the apartment, wrapping his fingers in mine and dragging me to the couch. He sets the bag on the coffee table before he sits and pulls me into his lap, sitting sideways so he can hold me, my head finding the comfortable location of his chest as he holds me close to him. The sound of his heart beating rapidly, the warmth of his skin, would be a dead giveaway to the wrath Jake elicited from him if it wasn’t the typical display of testosterone the two of them displayed in the hallway. I hadn’t had enough energy to tell him to stop. I’m disappointed in my feminism that I was glad for it. Glad to have Noah as my guard dog while I spiraled into all the dark places Jake sends me.