Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
noia
Back in the main room, the party is in full swing. I make a beeline for the bar, desperate for something to cool my rage.
“Whiskey,” I tell the bartender. “Make it a double.”
Ryder is on the other side of the room, leaning against the bar, looking far too pleased with himself as he talks with Jax and a couple of other guys I don’t recognize.
I take the shot glass set in front of me and throw it back. The liquor burns its way down my throat, a welcome distraction from the throbbing between my legs.
“There you are!” Sasha rushes up to stand beside me. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” I raise an eyebrow, taking in her disheveled appearance. “And where have you been? You disappeared earlier.”
Her cheeks flush almost as red as her hair. “Just... having fun. Hanging out with Jax.”
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” I snort, signaling for another shot.
“Oh, hell no.” Sasha grins and bumps her hip against mine. “What about you? Your neck is all flushed.”
Downing the other shot, I huff out a laugh. “Ryder took our slow-burn deal to a whole other level.”
My bestie leans in with a grin. “What did he do now?”
I signal the bartender for another drink, this time for a Whiskey Sunrise. Can’t get drunk too quick. Gotta keep myself in check.
“He took me into the bathroom and… edged me. Then told me he would ‘make it up to me eventually’,” I tell her with air quotes.
“Oh no, he didn’t.”
“He sure as fuckin’-A did.”
Sasha’s eyes narrow as she leans close. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Honestly?” I take my drink from the bartender with a thank you and take a sip. “I have no idea. This slow-burn shit is driving me absolutely insane. Every time I try to turn the tables on him, it backfires. He always gives way more than he gets.”
I scan the room, and my gaze lands on Claire and Lizzy sitting in a booth across from the bar, deep in conversation.
“Let’s go get to know his friends a little better, shall we?” I say, feeling a spark of inspiration as the alcohol starts singing in my veins.
Sasha’s eyes light up with mischief. “Oh, I see where you’re going with this. Get the dirt on him from the people who know him best.”
“Exactly.” I smooth down my dress and toss my hair back. “Time to level the playing field.”
Navigating through the sea of tattooed bodies, we make our way across the crowded room. I can feel Ryder’s eyes tracking me, but I keep my focus on my intended targets.
We make it across the room in record time and sidle up to the booth. “Mind if we join you?”
Claire’s face breaks into a wide grin. “Not at all. We were just talking about you, actually.”
“All good things, I hope.” I slide in next to Lizzy while Sasha takes a seat beside Claire.
“Of course.” Lizzy says, moving over to make room. “We were just saying how refreshing it is to see Ryder interested in someone for more than just a minute.”
“Oh?” I casually take another sip of my drink. “Is that unusual? Him being with me?”
“Unusual?” Claire snorts. “Try unprecedented. I’ve known that man for years, and I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.”
My heart flutters traitorously in my chest. “And how does he look at me?”
“Like you’re the light in his dark,” Lizzy quips.
“Or like he wants to devour you whole,” Claire adds with a wicked grin. “Which, based on the smudge of lipstick on your chin, he might have already done that.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as I swipe at my face.
“But it’s nice to see him happy,” Claire sighs. “After everything he’s been through, he deserves it.”
Genuinely curious now, I ask, “What exactly has he been through? He doesn’t talk much about his past.”
Claire and Lizzy exchange a look.
“It’s not really our story to tell,” Claire says carefully. “But let’s just say his time in the Marines left some deep scars—and not just the physical.”
Lizzy fiddles with her glass. “Has he told you anything about his time in the Marines?”
“He has, but not in too much detail.” I take a tentative sip of my drink. “I think he’s been having nightmares, but he hasn’t said anything.”
Resting her arms on the table, Claire leans in. “Just let him know you’re there for him and you’re okay to listen. That’s all that matters in my book. He’ll confide in you when he’s ready. Just the fact that he’s been with you this long tells me he trusts you. Give him some more time to open up.”
“Thanks, Claire.”
“Of course. I like you, Noia. You’re good for him. I can feel it.”
Lizzy leans in. “I might have had a crush on him when I first started working here, but he made it clear we were just colleagues. Now he’s like a big brother to me, so if you hurt him…” She narrows her eyes. “I’ll make you bleed.”
I hear Sasha suck in a breath and my eyes go wide.
“Fuck’s sake, Liz,” Claire mutters.
Lizzy throws back her head and laughs. “Just kidding. I wouldn’t make you bleed. Much.”
I’m still trying to decide if Lizzy is joking when I hear the sound of deep laughter coming our way. I look up to see Ryder and Jax approaching our table wearing Cheshire grins.
Ryder’s eyes lock with mine. “You ladies having fun?”
I notice Jax giving Sasha a slow once-over, his lips curving into an appreciative smile. My best friend returns his gaze and I grin inside.
Definitely going to get all those details later.
Turning my attention back on Ryder, I manage a casual smile, still pissed at him for edging me. “So much fun.”
He narrows his eyes, clearly catching the sarcastic edge to my voice before he nods and flashes a smile. “Party’s winding down. I gotta stay tonight to help clean up. You two gonna be okay getting home? You can stay and wait if you want.”
Before I can respond, Sasha pipes up. “I’ve only had a couple drinks, so I can drive us back.”
“You sure?” I ask, relieved that I won’t have to call us a rideshare.
“Absolutely.” She sets her glass aside. “I switched to water an hour ago.”
Jax looks disappointed. “Leaving so soon?”
“Some of us have to drive home tomorrow,” Sasha says with a wink.
I say my goodbyes and slide out of the booth, careful not to stumble on my heels.
“I’ll walk you out,” Ryder says, his hand finding the small of my back as we make our way through the thinning crowd.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” he murmurs as we reach the exit. “It meant a lot having you here, meeting my friends.”
Despite my frustration, I soften at the sincerity in his voice. “I had a good time. Your friends are great.”
“They are,” he agrees, looking pleased.
Outside, Sasha hangs back, giving us a moment of privacy as she digs through her purse for her keys.
Ryder tugs me closer, eyes dark with promise. “About earlier...”
I raise an eyebrow.
“I meant what I said.” His voice drops into that damn gravelly register, instantly making my knees go weak. “I will make it up to you.”
“When?” I challenge, unable to keep the frustration from my voice.
His thumb brushes across my bottom lip. “Soon. I promise. I have another date planned for next week. We’ll see how things go then.”
Before I can protest, his mouth captures mine in a hard, quick kiss, leaving me breathless for the millionth time tonight.
“See you in the morning. ‘Night, Sasha. Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for having me. You’ve got some talented friends.”
I bark out a laugh.
Ryder just shakes his head with a grin and heads back inside.
“Subtle much?”
“What? Jax is his best friend. No doubt he knows every detail about what went down.”
“Guess we should head home,” I sigh, watching Ryder’s fine ass disappear back into The Brew. “I’m exhausted.”
As soon as Sasha pulls onto the main road, she clears her throat.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you since I got here, but the timing never felt right.”
The seriousness in her tone makes me sit up straighter. “What is it?”
“Eric’s been asking around about where you are.”
My stomach drops. “Seriously?”
“He showed up at my studio last week wanting to know where you’d disappeared to. Said he’s been trying to reach you for a while.”
“Well, I blocked his number as soon as I found out he wasn’t going to show up for our wedding,” I snap. “What the hell does he want?”
“He said something about explaining himself. I told him to go fuck himself, obviously.”
I rest my head back against the seat and sigh. “After all this time, what could he possibly have to say that matters now?”
“That’s basically what I said.” I suck in a breath and grab the door handle when Sasha takes a curve a little too fast. “Sorry. Just... he seemed pretty desperate.”
“Did you tell him where I am?”
“Of course not!” she gasps, offended. “You know I would never do something like that. But I wouldn’t put it past him to come here looking for you.”
My heart races at the thought of my ex-fiancé showing up at my door. “Shit.”
“Yeah. I wanted to give you a heads-up. Just in case.”
I stare out the window into the dark. “I can’t believe he thinks he can just waltz back into my life after humiliating me!”
“Men are assholes,” Sasha offers helpfully.
“Not all of them,” I murmur, thinking of Ryder.
“No.” A small smile plays at her lips as she tips her chin. “Not all of them.”
We drive in silence for a few minutes, my mind racing with thoughts about what went down that day. Suddenly, I realize I’m not sad anymore—far from it, in fact.
Now I’m just pissed. “Screw him.”
“Exactly. And you know what?” Sasha says suddenly. “If that asshole does show up, you’ve got a six-foot-something tattooed former Marine living with you who looks like he could snap Eric in half without breaking a sweat.”
That makes me laugh. “True.”
“Plus, Eric’s soft, pasty ass has always been intimidated by anyone with actual muscle. He’d take one look at Ryder and hightail it right outta there.”
“God, you’re so right.” I laugh, tension easing from my shoulders. “What was I even thinking when I agreed to marry him?”
“You were thinking with your head instead of your heart,” Sasha says gently as she shuts off the car. “But now you know better.”
“You hungry?” I ask as we shuffle inside.
“Always.” Sasha kicks off her heels with a grateful sigh as I do the same. “These shoes are killing me.”
The moment I close the front door, Goonie struts into the room, winding around my legs, meowing loudly.
“Hey, baby,” I coo, scooping him up. “Did you miss me?”
He purrs against my neck, and I’m struck by how normal everything feels—coming home late after a night out, hanging with my best friend, snuggling my cat.
I pour us each a generous glass of wine and start grabbing stuff out of the fridge to make omelets, while Sasha collapses onto the couch.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m handing her a steaming plate.
Settling beside her, I tuck my legs under me and dig in. “So. You and Jax?”
Her cheeks flush. “He’s... fun.”
“Fun?” I snort. “Sasha, you disappeared for almost an hour. What happened?”
“We just talked,” she says, but the way she’s biting her lip tells me there’s a lot more to it.
“Bitch, spill it.”
She takes a bite of her omelet, then sighs. “Okay, fine. We may have made out a little in the alley behind the bar.”
“Just a little?”
“A lot,” she admits with a grin. “Like, a lot a lot. He’s a really good kisser.”
By the look on her face, I’m pretty sure I know what happened next, but I ask anyway. “What else?”
“Then... he fucked me up against the wall.”
“Sasha!”
“I know! Then he asked for my number, but I told him I live an hour away and I’m not looking for anything serious right now.”
I study her face. “But you wanted to give it to him.” I snicker. “Your number, I mean.”
She rolls her eyes. “Maybe.” She shrugs. “But you know me—I don’t do long-distance. And I really don’t do what we did more than once with the same guy. Too complicated.”
“Sometimes the best things in life are complicated,” I murmur, thinking about Ryder’s stormy gray eyes.
“Speaking of...” Sasha says. “What’s up with your Ryder sitch? I mean, long-term.”
Her question catches me off guard. “I... I don’t know. I guess I’m trying not to think too far ahead.”
“But you’re falling for him.”
There’s no point in denying it. “Yeah. I am.”
“Good. ‘Cause you deserve to be happy.”