Page 18 (1/2)

Ouch She hit below the belt, too, but then, he’d juht into that one, hadn’t he

He never should have told her about the hookers None of his friends knew the truth Not even Dallas Hell, all of AIR probably thought he was gay But he’d told Noelle in an effort to elicit her disgust And lookie You got it Shocker

"You better answer this, genius, or I’ll kick your ass!" he heard Ava say before he could think up a reply He frowned, panned the area Ava was nowhere to be seen "You better answer this, genius, or I’ll kick your ass!"

With her left hand, Noelle held up her index finger in a bid for a second of privacy With her right, she pulled a very slim cell from between her breasts

Daer on for one person," she said at the saenius, or I’ll kick your ass!" Noelle added, "Ava stoletone I liked it so h he was strangely charmed by her admission She truly adored her friend Every aspect of her friend, at that, even the bizarrely cruel streak both woht tease the guys at work, but he wasn’t coain, not even Dallas

"This better be important," she said into the receiver Jealousy flickered in his chest as her previous words sank in She’d kept her ringer on for someone A special soaze skidded away fro him to study her face more intently Such a red, redthe phone away fro kiss

She s rich and heady, a perfule, as well as the stars in the heavens His cells heated, his skin pulled tight against his bones Nothing dangerous, not yet, allowing hier

He wanted her so badly, heall ell so that he could have her If he hurt Noelle, scarred her, marred her in any way, he truly would hate himself forever

You won’t hurt her You’ve kissed her twice She’ll be fine

He found hih her hair Thankfully he caught himself in time He scowled Teutter She needed support, not a pawing

He attempted to listen to her whispered conversation, but couldn’tabout becoh

Bit by bit, those silver eyes frosted over "Mother" She gave up trying to keep things quiet "This is Ava’s wedding I told you I’d talk to you tomorrow And for the record, I will tell you no about the set-up then, too" With that, she hung up, stored the phone, and glared at Hector as if everything were his fault

Her h the wo to set her up Noelle had said no, at least, and would say no tomorrow

"I can relate," he said "My mother was …" A horrendous bitch Trash Uttertly sadistic "Persistent when she wanted soer smoothed and just as she had the first day he’d met her, she suddenly appeared cool, aloof, and untouchable Noever, he knew she was none of those things

"She’s dead" And I’m the one who killed her

"Sorry"

"Don’t be I’ battle for doive his all He was too busy enjoying her She was a visual feast, and he couldn’t help but gorge Such lush fe

Careful

"Why do you care what I’ first

Score one for him Finally He always felt out of sorts with her, as if he had never--could never--come out ahead "I don’t care" He said the words, an automatic response, but for once, he didn’t htened and her shoulders squared, a predator uncoiling for attack "That was a very rude thing to say"

He was getting to her, cutting at her, and she needed that Needed to drain the poison inside of her, whatever kind of poison it was "I’ for it" Unlike Dallas, Hector couldn’t h At least, he didn’t think he could He’d never tried to cheer a feh humor But he could help her, and ht, she’d re ar sweetness "Your lips say no but your eyes say I’ve never been sorrier for anything in h "Did you really think you and Ava would grow old together?" he asked, tossing enough disgust in his voice to piss anyone off "That neither one of you would ever fall in love? Getsilence followed his words She remained still--more predator than before A wounded panther, ready to strike

Whatever she dished, he could take He wanted to take To do so besides walk away from her--or watch her walk away from him "McKell won her pretty quickly, didn’t he? I mean, it only took him a few months to rip her from your side That must mean she was ready to leave you, was probably tired of you"

Annnd here came the explosion "She wasn’t tired of me, you bastard! She will never be tired of me, just like I will never be tired of her I’m her best friend, and she loves ht, and oh, was it bittersweet He did not like seeing Noelle so torn up Did that stop hih to miss her already?"

"Yes Okay? Yes Is that what you want to hear? I miss her so damn badly" Tears pooled in her eyes, a bone-deep hurt reflected there "I love that she’s happy, but I hate that I’ her She’s et to … she should …" Her shoulders slumped

"She should appreciate you better? Because you built her up, right? Youthrough the hurt "Hell, no! She built me up" Noelle thumped her chest, just over her heart "She made ht I love her more than … more than …" She raised her chin "I love herI would bend over backward to help her bend someone else over backward! And I will always be there for her--if I’ve got nowhere better to be"

Maybe the hurt hadn’t burned away Maybe Hector had absorbed every last drop, because daain She was throwing out facts--her love--butshe had soforth anew and cascaded down her cheeks in a white-hot stream She wiped them aith a shaky hand, then stared doith shock at the wetness on her skin "I’ht of those tears nearly undid hi her close Can’t hold her "Why are you beating yourself up about your feelings?"

"Because," she sniffed, retreating into her stubborn shell

"Don’t make me rip the answer out of you Why?" he insisted

"Oh, all right" Another gruet away from you"

Hardly If that were the case, she would have already left Would have busted his lip with her fist and bolted

The knowledge that she wanted to be here, with hied so sweetly for hiht into te hold her

"I’ myself up because I should only be happy for her," she whispered, each word dripping with shame "I shouldn’t be sad forboth--happy for her and sad for you--doesn’t uess" How miserable she still sounded