Chapter 14
NOAH
Ace wasn’t kidding around about fucking off the camp challenges to keep the team safe.
When one of the junior producers came by a few minutes later to remind us of the kayaking schedule, he told the poor guy to go eat a dick because Team Olympus wouldn’t be participating until authorities arrived, the situation was resolved, and the phones were back up.
The producer clearly wasn’t paid enough to argue with Ace Hart in a bad mood so just nodded and walked away to deal with the next team.
“Okay, so…what are we doing for the next four plus hours until the authorities get here to investigate?” Torin asked when the cabin door swung shut once more.
“We have no phones, no internet, no TV or consoles, and can’t go wandering the woods in case someone slits our throats or shoots us through the eye with an arrow. So…drinking games?”
“At eight in the morning?” Skye scoffed.
“Noah doesn’t drink,” Ace reminded him, as though Torin was actually making a serious suggestion. “But surely a little boredom won’t kill us.”
“Interesting choice of words,” I muttered, crossing over to Skye to check on how his nose was looking. Not good. It was looking not good. “Should we maybe think about sending Skye into town as well?”
“For what?” Skye countered with a shrug. “All they’ll do is tell me it’s broken or not broken, but regardless, the treatment remains the same. I’d rather stay here with all of you and see an ENT specialist when we get home.”
“I agree,” Ace added, nodding firmly. “The last thing we need right now is to be separated. Actually, we should gather up the rest of the team. It’s making me nervous not knowing where everyone is. Noah, come with me?”
I shook my head. “Hard pass.”
Ace let out a frustrated sound, and I thought for sure he’d leave it at that and take Tor or Skye, but instead he grabbed my elbow and damn near dragged me, sputtering, out of the cabin.
“Ace, let him go!” Skye yelled, following us in a panic, with Torin right on his heels.
“Yeah, not cool, dude. Noah said no. How about we use our listening ears and respect our teammate’s choices and autonomy, huh?” Torin delivered his diplomatic suggestion with so much sarcasm it made me snort.
But also, I got the feeling Ace had something he needed to get off his chest, and I really didn’t need it to be a group discussion, so I waved them off. “It’s fine, chill. Wait here.”
Not that Ace gave me much option. He was already stalking away from my support network without loosening his grip for even a moment.
“Ace, what the hell?” I demanded with an angry growl as we stepped out into the sunshine, yanking my arm free of his grip. Or trying to, at any rate, because he was holding on firmer than I’d anticipated and his hand went nowhere as he stormed across the clearing between other bunk cabins.
He didn’t let go until we reached that now--familiar thick--trunked tree, and he yanked me into the blind spot on the far side, spinning as to slam my back against the bark.
“Ace—-” I started to say, but the fierce look on his face stopped the words right there in my throat.
“Were you kissing Torin?” he demanded, the question slamming into me harder than a fucking freight train and stunning me speechless. “Before, when Skye and I came into the cabin…it took me a minute but I recognized that look on your face, Eight.”
I wet my lips, searching for enough firing brain cells to deny the accusation while his cool blue eyes pinned me as effectively as a butterfly to a board. “What? N--no. That’s ridiculous,” I forced myself to say, my voice sounding hollow and weak.
Ace’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I don’t believe you.”
Irritation cut through my panic, and I drew myself up a little stronger.
“Well, that sounds a lot like a you problem, Ace. Besides, you’re hardly one to go throwing stones from inside your glass house, are you?
I seem to remember you doing a whole hell of a lot more than kissing me when you broke into my apartment. ”
He inhaled sharply, his eyes widening briefly as his gaze tracked down to my mouth, then lower as he reached out to gently stroke my throat where his fingerprint bruises were still fading.
The touch was everything, sending warm shivers through my whole damn body so hard it was difficult to breathe, but along with the memory of how good he’d made me come was the memory of how badly he’d hurt me. Emotionally, not physically—-I’d actually enjoyed the throat grab.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed, smacking his hand away before I could lose all touch with reality and my own dignity. “Your subscription doesn’t grant physical access.”
He reeled back like I’d slapped his face, his brow creasing with guilt and regret. “Noah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know—-”
“You didn’t ask,” I spat, cutting off his weak attempt at an apology.
“You let your hurt feelings twist the story in your head to think the absolute worst about me, then acted on that delusion. Well, how’s that working out for you now, hmm?
Just like you intended? You could have let me walk away, Ace.
You could have ripped up our contract and let me go, but you didn’t.
Unfortunately for you, absolutely nothing in that contract states I have to play nice, so don’t hold your breath for a reconciliation. Or do. I honestly don’t care.”
I tried to shove him away so I could leave, but he stopped me with quick instincts, pinning me back against the tree trunk once more, this time with one hand against my hip.
The other hand was on my neck again, but it was a gentle touch, like he was scared to hurt me again, despite the threat looming as his thumb stroked over the bruises.
“Noah, I fucked up,” he said in a quiet voice, his brow furrowed as he searched my gaze. “But I need to understand why you haven’t told Z who you are. Out of anyone on the team…why -haven’t you told him?”
Bewilderment saw my nose wrinkle. “Why would I? You legally gagged me, remember?”
His lips parted like he was going to say something, but then he huffed a short sigh and shook his head. “Forget it. Just…promise me you aren’t doing this because of what happened at the gala?”
“What happened? At what gala? Ace, I quite literally have no idea what you’re talking about.
” I gave him a shove, freeing myself from his grip once more.
“And I’d like to point out that for the guy who insisted I maintain my disguise, you sure as fuck aren’t treating me like one of the boys right now. ”
Ace took a step back, running a hand over his platinum hair. “No? How am I supposed to treat you, Noah? You’re not one of the boys, and I can’t get that fact out of my head. Every time I look at you, I remember the way you kissed me back and the sounds you make when you—-”
My hand slapped over his mouth, silencing the words that I desperately didn’t need to hear.
As if I needed the reminders, when it basically played in a 4K loop whenever Ace was around.
But that went hand in hand with the utter betrayal of his insult and forcing me to stay with the contract in spite of constant danger.
“We are not doing this,” I growled. “It was a mistake. A lapse of judgment on both our parts due to significant head injuries. It is never to be repeated.”
He peeled my hand off his mouth and kept hold of my hand to pull me closer. “What if I want to repeat it?”
Disbelief had me blinking at him like an owl while waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then a startled laugh bubbled out of me. “Tough shit, Hart. Maybe Ace of three weeks ago might have stood a chance, but you’ve already proven you’re not that guy. I’m not interested.”
He clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t believe you.”
Another bitter laugh escaped me as I tugged my hand free and took a step away to create some desperately needed breathing space between us.
“You must really think I lack self-respect, huh? You seriously think I’d be into the kind of degradation you’ve been dishing out?
Let me make it real clear for you, Ace. I’ve dealt with enough betrayal and heartbreak to last a whole damn lifetime and will never willingly sign up to be hurt like that again.
I really hope those memories stay vivid because it’s never happening again. ”
I strode away, back out onto the path where I knew we would be back within camera view once more, then paused.
“Are you coming?” I asked in a clipped voice. “I personally don’t want to end up the next victim in this murder mystery because I, quote, went off on my own.”
Ace’s expression was frosty and frustrated when he stepped back onto the path, but I must have made my point because he didn’t try speaking to me again as we headed toward the dining hall and spotted the rest of our team in the distance.
“Whoa, what happened?” Minho asked in a suspicious drawl as he approached, eyeing the both of us. “You guys look…unhappy.”
“A girl was murdered this morning, Minho,” Ace snapped. “Keep up.” Then he stormed past us and headed for the dining hall that Xavier had just exited, leaving Minho looking at me with questions all over his gorgeous face.
I shrugged slightly. “We had words,” I murmured, forcing a small smile. “But they were words that needed to be said.”
His whole expression darkened, and he glanced in the direction Ace had just disappeared. “Need me to follow up with him again? If he hurt you—-”
“No, I handled it,” I quickly assured him before he could go punching Ace again. Not that I was against seeing that play out, but certainly the words we’d just exchanged didn’t warrant another physical altercation. “Anyway, what are you guys doing out here?”
“Ah, when we passed Ace earlier, he mentioned that we all need to stay in the cabin until this shit gets investigated, so we’re making pancakes and gathering up some games before the other teams have the same idea.
” Minnie draped his arm over my shoulders as we headed for the dining hall, and I leaned into his warmth.
There was something so incredibly comforting about touching him, even with the most innocent of touches.
“Games? What kind of games?” I asked as we headed inside. A couple of other teams were sitting around at the tables eating breakfast, laughing and joking as though it were any ordinary morning. Did they not know there was a murderer in the camp? Or did they assume it was just a tragic accident?
“Um, we found a deck of Uno cards, a Snakes and Ladders board game, some bouncy balls, and Augie found a dart board with a couple of unbroken darts.” He guided me into the huge commercial kitchen as he spoke, and I found August and Z wearing aprons alongside the half--dozen camp kitchen staff.
My team were at the flat top grill, flipping pancakes, and Z shot me a wide grin as I approached.
“Hey, Rocky, you hungry?”
Come to think of it, yes. I nodded enthusiastically, giving Augie a little wave of greeting. “Min said you found a dart board,” I said with a teasing smile. “Seems unfair given that you built your career off of supernatural level marksmanship. Can I be on your team?”
August grinned back, chuckling as he nodded. “You got it, Fearly. Just promise me your darts skills are better than your tennis skills?”
I shrugged. “I make no promises at all.”
Z and Minho seemed to think that was very amusing, while Augie groaned with desperation, and I stole a fresh pancake off the stack they’d been building.
“Hey! Thief,” Z accused, trying to snatch the pancake back, but I quickly stuffed it into my mouth before he could.
It was hotter than anticipated, and it took me a moment of fanning my mouth while open--chewing to get the last of it in.
Z just waited, watching me with a look of total amusement as I choked the damn thing down in the least sexy way I think I’d ever eaten anything in my life.
Fuck, I was glad these three still thought I was a boy. I could get away with being gross, and that was wildly freeing. Still, when I was done, Z just snorted a laugh and shook his head.
“Cute,” he murmured, smirking. “But they’re better with cream.” Then he swiped a finger through the bowl of whipped cream and licked it off.
My face warmed because my mind definitely conjured up the dirtiest of scenes with how he’d just said that. It wasn’t what he meant, but what could I say? Ace had started something that he couldn’t finish, and I was paying for it with my overactive imagination and revved--up libido.
What an asshole.