23. Sabrina
CHAPTER 23
SAbrINA
Ahead of Wimbledon, we land in London for the cinch Championship. The awe that hit me in Monaco has yet to dwindle.
On the other side of the car, Noah stares at his phone, not taking in a single sight. He’s probably seen them all before, but still, I can’t imagine ever tiring of the view of such historic and significant structures everywhere I look. Even Maddie seems unfazed, playing a game on her Nintendo Switch, with her teddy bear clasped under one arm.
I frown at the two Bakers.
“You guys.”
Maddie looks up from her game but quickly looks back down. Noah is too busy typing, his brow furrowed like he’s pissed off, to even acknowledge me.
“Look out the window.” I tap on the glass. “It’s London!”
“I’ve seen it before,” Maddie says, attention glued firmly to the screen. “It’s nothing new.”
Noah taps his phone screen a couple more times, then tucks the device away. “Sabrina’s right, Mads. Take a look around.”
With a dramatic sigh more befitting a teenager than an eight-year-old, she turns the Switch off.
“Happy now?” she says, peering up at her dad.
“Immensely, but watch the tone.” He tugs on her braid.
She giggles, lightness entering her eyes once more. Sometimes I forget that this little girl lost her mother and is still struggling to navigate the complexities of grief. Adults often don’t handle the pain of loss all that well, so why should a child be expected to always be bright and happy?
“I was reading about how much the British love tea,” I tell Maddie. “I thought maybe the two of us could have a tea service while we’re here. What do you think?”
The way her eyes instantly light up makes me glad that I offered. “That could be fun.”
“Good.” I smile. “I might have trouble making a reservation, so don’t get your hopes up too high. From what I’ve been reading, I should have called a couple of weeks ago to get into one of the really great places, but I’ll try.”
With a flick of his wrist, Noah mutters, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He pulls his phone out again, shoots off a message, then taps the button to darken the screen.
A thrill shoots through me. “Look at you, Mr. Fancy Pants.”
Chuckling, he rubs a hand over his stubbled jaw. I like when he lets it grow out like this. Not that I’d tell him that. We might’ve had sex, but I have no say over what he does. Even if I do love to rib him now and then.
I learned in the past not to assume that sex equates to anything more than a purely physical encounter. It’s only ever led to disappointment. It took time, but over the last year or so, I’ve come to terms with the idea of having casual sex. The act itself feels good, and there’s nothing wrong with allowing myself to enjoy it every now and then.
“Being rich does have its perks.”
Head cocked, I glare at him. “Rub it in.”
Once we’re checked in, Maddie, with her pink glittery backpack on her shoulders and her teddy bear tucked under her arm—I love that she keeps that thing so close—leads the way to the elevator.
Noah holds a key card out to me, then a second one. I survey them both as we stop at the elevator bank.
“My own room?”
He hides a smile by rubbing his jaw. “It’s not what you think. There weren’t any adequate suites available, so my assistant put us in adjoining rooms.”
“You have an assistant?” I frown. Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?
“Yeah?” The statement sounds more like a question. “She handles my schedule.”
“How come I’ve never met her?” I ask.
Maddie is several feet away, watching the people come and go, hopefully oblivious to our conversation and any jealousy that might be making its way into my tone.
“She works remotely. Fisher interacts with her more than I do.”
A flicker of relief hits me. “Is it not strange that your best friend-slash-coach knows more about your schedule than you do?”
He cocks his head, his lips turned down in thought. “No.”
One set of doors slide open, and we follow Maddie inside the elevator. She pokes the button for our floor, then tilts her head in a way that makes her look just like her dad.
“Why did you give Sabrina two room keys?”
I didn’t realize she’d even noticed, but at least she wasn’t listening to our conversation.
“Because the suites are all booked up. Our rooms are side by side, though. So she’s got a key for her own room, and one for ours, in case you need it.”
“Oh. That’s not as fun.” She frowns, rubbing at her nose.
It’s the lightest shade of red, making me worry that she’s coming down with something. I make a mental note to grab cold medicine while we’re out. I’d rather have it on hand and not need it than have to venture out for it in the middle of the night.
Chuckling, Noah ruffles her hair. “If you ask her nicely, maybe she’ll leave the adjoining door open.”
Maddie’s eyes brighten. “Will you?”
I shrug. “I don’t see why not.”
On our floor, we let ourselves into our separate rooms. I set my bags down on the bed, then head for the adjoining door, unsurprised to find the other side already open.
Maddie’s beaming at me, still wearing her backpack. “Hi, Sabrina.”
“Hi, Maddie.”
This little girl already has a special place in my heart. A little room she carved out just for herself. The more time I spend with her, the more I dread the day I have to walk away.
“Remember when you said we could have a sleepover?”
With a hum, I tap my finger against my bottom lip, ignoring the way Noah is watching us with an amused smirk.
“I might recall that.”
“So,” she hedges, threading her fingers together. “Can we have one?”
There’s no hiding the smile that takes over my face. “Sure. We’ll need to get some supplies, though.”
She scrunches up her nose. “Supplies? Like what?”
“Popcorn,” I say, ticking it off on my finger. “Ice cream.” I hold up another finger. “Chocolate, face masks, more nail polish.” Head tilted, I scan the room, mentally running through other options. “Maybe a new stuffed animal?”
She glances at one of the queen-size beds, where her teddy bear already rests against the pillows.
“Not a replacement. Just something new,” I say before she can overthink it.
“Okay,” she says, her tone still light. “Maybe we could ask Ebba if she wants to have a sleepover too?”
“I bet she’d like that.”
Or not. I really don’t have any clue, but Ebba seems like the type of woman who’s down for anything. Especially if it’ll make Maddie happy.
My little sidekick brushes past me into my room and hops up onto my bed. She swings her feet back and forth, her white Vans already off.
Noah hovers in the doorway between the rooms and grips the frame. “Already making yourself at home, Mads?”
Her soft giggle bounces around us, but rather than reply, she flops back on the mattress.
With a sigh, he turns to me. This close, Noah Baker is lethal. He absolutely takes my breath away. Does he know how fucking hot he is?
A smirk slowly tugs at those full, pouty lips. Oh, yeah. He knows.
“Do you still have my card?”
A snort almost bubbles out of me. “You know I do.”
He slides his hands into his pockets and braces himself on one side of the doorframe. “Good. Take her out. Get stuff for your sleepover.”
“Did you hear that, Maddie?”
She jackknifes up from her prone position, brows lifted and smiling.
“Let’s go put a dent in your dad’s credit card balance.”
“Yay!” She hops off the bed and makes a mad dash back to their room, shoving Noah and me into each other.
As he grasps my waist to steady me, his eyes drop to my lips.
He wants to kiss me, just like I want to kiss him.
Instead, he sighs and steps back.
I give him a forlorn look as Maddie stuffs her feet back into her shoes, then collect my purse and key card.
When I look back at him, his eyes promise delicious and dangerous things to come.