Page 51 of His Greatest Muse
A flash of disbelief flickers across his face before it’s gone, replaced with something dark and dangerous. His stare drops to my mouth, his tongue darting out to wet his.
That’s it, Noah.Let me play with the monster inside of you.Just for a minute.
And just when I think he might do just that, a hesitant knock on the door has the beast slipping back into the shadows. The heat cools in his stare, a mask falling back in place.
It’s a shock to my system. All at once, I feel reality set in, the consequences of what could have just happened between us making my head spin. A cruel cold sweeps over me when Noah backs away and glances at the door. I want to demand he come back, and that terrifies me. With a shaky hand, I attempt to smooth the knotted hair at the back of my head.
“Did you need something?” Noah asks, sounding purely curious.
The lack of aggression in his tone has me following his stare. I go red from top to bottom. I’ve never been one to get shy easily, but there has to be nothing more embarrassing than getting caught pressed up against a wall by the mother of the man doing said pressing. Especially in his childhood bedroom.
Noah’s mother is pink-cheeked as she stares at the ceiling, seemingly not sure where to look. Her hands are clasped at her front, thumbs tapping.
“It had been a while since you left, so I just wanted to check on you and make sure everything was okay. It’s the mama bear in me. Can’t ever turn it off, you know? Even after having three children, I just can’t seem to let things be,” she rambles nervously, still staring at the ceiling.
I hit my head against the wall and wince at both the pain and the mortifying situation.
Noah scowls at me but speaks to his mom. “Is there something on the ceiling?”
She whips her head in his direction and laughs softly. “Well, aren’t you full of questions today.” Taking a quick glance at the frames on the walls, she frowns ever so slightly. “Come finish eating, my love. Your food is cold, but I can microwave it. I also stocked up on your favourite snacks this morning.”
Ava has always been the type of parent who has so much love to give that I don’t know how she manages to contain it all. She reminds me of my mother in that way.
I fight off a frown as a wave of homesickness rolls over me. Only a few more days and my parents will be at my first fight. I like Hunter, but it’ll be nice to have my dad there to train with me beforehand to help ease my nerves. Same with Mom.
“I’m not that hungry,” Noah tells Ava.
She scoffs, waving him off. “You aren’t leaving this house without food in your stomach. Now, come on. I don’t have much time left with you.”
Noah hesitates, his expression far too blank, so I move first. When I shoot him a begging glance as I walk past, he reluctantly trails behind me. The smile on Ava’s face when we join her is bright enough to light an eternal void.
If every member of his family were as loud with their love as Ava is, I think most of their problems would disappear.
20
NOAH
Tinsley isin my arms the moment I step offstage. Her laugh is airy and clean. It blankets my heightened emotions and dampens the thrill of adrenaline pumping through me.
Home. Is that what she is to me?
“You were amazing! You all were,” she says.
I tuck my face into her neck and huff, “Don’t compliment them.”
She smells so good. Like fruit and something deeper, sexier. Having her this close only reminds me of what occurred earlier in my childhood bedroom. Of how close I was to rutting her against a fucking wall like a beast at the sight of her attraction. She wanted me then, not quite to the extent I want her, but it was something. Haven’t been able to forget it since. Probably never will.
She wiggles in my grip, and I reluctantly let her go. When she slides down the front of my body and feels my hard cock, I almost smirk at the squeaky noise she makes.
“Are you ready for your first official after-party?” she asks, appearing slightly flushed.
Before I can tell her how I would rather walk into traffic, Sparks comes up behind me, knocking her shoulder against me. “He can’t wait. Isn’t that right, Noah?”
“I have never been so excited for anything,” I deadpan.
Tinsley grins knowingly. “How long do we have to stay?”
“Long enough for everyone to know you were there.” With a pointed look at me, she adds, “That means no hiding. Take a few pictures and smile at least once, for me.”