Chapter 12
NOAH
Stunning red hair and wide, blue eyes take me off guard the minute she turns around. My breath catches far too quickly, almost knocking the wind out of me.
Freckles kiss her cheeks and scatter across her petite nose, and her lips are full and lush. I wonder what it might feel like to take my teeth and pull that bottom lip, what kind of noises she might make.
She bumps into me, and my jackass self knows it isn’t intentional. I stop her before she stumbles any further.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in,” she apologizes, her voice a sing-song of notes so delicate it’s like relaxing under the Tuscan sun after a cool swim.
And how do I keep my composure? By coming off like an asshole.
I give her a quick look up and down and say, “Clearly.” I push my sunglasses down my nose, my eyes watching her every move.
She shrugs off my touch, creating space between us. If looks could kill, I’d gladly fall into an early grave if she were the one to strike the final blow.
“As I said, I’m sorry.”
I’m never caught off guard, ever, and somehow she’s disarmed me in just a couple of minutes with our exchange. My approach is nonchalant, arrogant, and it takes her only a second to catch on that I’m the worst possible person who has ever graced her presence.
It heightens my need to toy with her, watching this little mouse run away from the big bad cat.
A camera hangs from her neck, and I tap the lens with a gloved finger. “Nikon Z 5?”
She lifts her eyebrows. “Uhh…yeah?”
“I hope you know how to use it.”
“I do,” I smirk, slowly pushing my sunglasses back on. If I stay any longer in her presence, I might do something stupid.
I’m with the guys now by the fireplace inside the main building at Snowy Peak, and she’s grilling me from across the room, arms crossed, camera hanging from her neck.
She’s on the shorter side, not as short as her friend with the wild, curly hair, but short enough that she can be tucked safely under someone’s arms.
And I can’t stop staring.
And I don’t want to try.
“Kids, or…?” Mark edges, drawing my attention back.
She pivots her body to where she’s in earshot, trying but failing at looking discreet. Oh, she’s something else. Let’s see how long I can play this game.
“In their early twenties, one gave me her number.” I hold up a folded piece of paper, waving it around. “Might call her later if I get bored.”
Taylor snorts. “You’re always bored. What number is this? Fifteen?”
I shrug. “Maybe ten, I lost count when that other girl gave me a blow job in my suite in Aspen last week.”
It doesn’t take long before she sneers in my direction, eyes narrow. Her lips slightly curl in disgust as she turns away from us, her red hair in some type of braid, where all I want is to unravel it with my fingers and run my hands through it. God, she is breathtaking.
Fuck, I need to get myself under control.
She grabs her friend and leaves, while I stare hungrily at her backside.
She’s a force to be reckoned with, and I’m not afraid to shift the tide to get what I want.
A staff member had already handed us each a cabin key, instructing us to leave our bags, and someone would carry them to our rooms shortly.
The resort is quite quaint, with plush maroon couches and Christmas lights strung along banisters, twined around railings. Cody and Taylor help themselves to an array of donuts, double fisting a few jelly-filled.
Coach Jones comes back around, clapping his hands at us. “All right, let’s get settled in, and tomorrow we can work out a practice schedule.”
Social media is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it keeps me updated on world news and what my family members are up to, especially Mom and my kid brother Cameron, who are home in Utah.
Phone calls are one thing, but it’s nice to see what they’re doing.
I try to call them here and there, but my schedule makes it difficult.
At least my brother is doing well in school and keeps up with my stats to keep Mom informed.
Maybe one day my brother and I can travel together when he makes the team.
A curse because I get hit with a photo of Olivia and Sean on vacation because I can’t seem to unfollow her.
No matter how hard I try, I’m addicted to wanting to know where she is and if she’s still with him, and sure as shit, they’re all cozied up near a fireplace.
Her hair is just as striking as her eyes, nothing out of place with her smile.
My heart is ripped bare-handed from my chest while hers is placed gently in Sean's hands.
I swiped out of the app and tossed my phone aside, trying my best not to spiral back down into my depressive state. It’s comfortable, but the guys had to pull their hardest to get me back to the surface.
Now I just sleep with who I want and when I want because it’s easier to mask rather than let anyone get close to my battered heart again.
And this time, I have my sights set on the color red.
“Are you okay?” Henry side-eyes me in the back seat.
It’s the millionth time he’s asked, making me want to jump out of our Uber at high speed to end my misery. “I’m fine.”
“He’s not,” comments Mark, looking over his shoulder. “He just loves masking because he enjoys suffering.”
I’m two seconds away from choking him out when Taylor chimes in, “In Noah’s defense, he wasn’t expecting them both to be there.”
I bang my head against the window. “Can we stop talking about this, please?” There’s nothing left to discuss, or analyze, or even give a shit about. What’s done is done.
“You’ve come a long way, I don’t want you to shut down again.” Mark's concern is warranted but it’s not what I need right now.
“Sounding a lot like Cody.” I close my eyes, picturing freckles like it’s the constellations in the sky. Eyes as blue as sapphire, and pale skin looking soft to touch. She has no idea she’s become my anchor in those mere seconds of seeing two people I thought meant everything to me.
“Sorry if I’m concerned for not only my teammate but my best friend.”
He’s pissed because I know he wants what's best for me but what’s best for me right now is to stop talking about my goddamn emotions like a therapist.
I play with my gold watch. “It doesn’t matter.”
“At least Cody was smart enough to take another vehicle,” huffs Mark, giving up.
“Noah, why don’t you ask Hannah out?” suggests Taylor, pushing the light above his seat on and fixing his hair through the camera app.
“Because Hannah is too good for him.” Mark is getting on my last goddamn nerve.
“Or she’s just right,” adds Taylor.
I don’t say anything because deep down, once you get past the barbed wire around my heart, you’ll find broken pieces that maybe not everyone wants to deal with.
My phone chimes, checking my messages to find a new thread with Henry.
Henry: It’s okay, you know.
Me: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Henry: It’s okay that the idea of someone new can scare you.
Instead of giving in to his attempt at trying to talk through my emotions, I play the dumb card.
Me: Scared? Scared of who?
Henry: I don’t know, you tell me.
Her sweet face comes to me like a leaf dancing in the wind, gliding towards me without the troubles of my past. Once again, anchoring me down, keeping me still so I don’t crash and burn.
Red.