Deeper (The Deeper Chronicles #1) (16 page)

Noah didn’t know how to provide any of that. What he knew was how to come out on top. How to take charge, take command, take over. But he didn’t want to be an asshole. This was Harry. Despite their constant head butting, Harry had called because he needed a friend.

“You don’t even know what she looks like? Let’s hope your kid looks more like her mother, then.”

There was a too-long pause.

“You there?”

Harry cleared his throat. “I-I’m here. I know she was born in ’89. Her mother left, because I was an idiot.”

“Excuse me. I’d like a word,” a voice said, interfering with Noah’s phone call.

The source of the interruption shifted on Noah’s left and radiated nervousness. His gaze immediately dropped to the grass.

The other man’s act of submission increased Noah’s dislike another notch. A man should look you in the eye; that was something Harry had drilled into him before he had enlisted.

“You have to go, so go,” Harry said.

Noah sucked his teeth and assessed the man who was looking everywhere but at the person he had the balls to interrupt. He regretted giving his bodyguard the weekend off. “Seems that way.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow about that other thing.”

“Sure, sure,” Noah replied, and then ended the call.

The bench creaked beside him. Noah closed his eyes and released a slow breath.

No man who’s not a friend sits this fucking close to another man.
Noah opened his eyes and turned in the intruder’s direction.
How long would it take for Poindexter to lose his nerve?
Noah wondered as he studied the other man’s profile.

After a few quick bobs of his Adam’s apple and rapid clenching of his jaw, he appeared to internally say something like ‘fuck it’ and faced Noah.

Their eyes connected.

The unexpected steely determination in the other man’s eyes awakened Noah’s anger, darkening his own eyes.

“I’ll just cut to the chase.”

Noah’s face gave nothing away.

“I’m Jayson Wheeler, Avi’s boyfriend.” He thrust a hand in Noah’s direction, but pulled it back at the scowl on Noah’s face. He glanced around and then lowered his voice. “I work with Gavin.” When Noah didn’t say anything, he clarified, “Gavin Holder. You must know him.”

Noah knew of Poindexter. He made it his business to know all the approved drug dealers in his clubs. The stooge didn’t know who Noah was, and that suited him just fine. What Noah didn’t like was that he was quick to name drop to a virtual stranger. Outside of their brief exchange in Club Envy a month prior, Noah had never spoken to or acknowledged the man.

“I came here to tell you to back off.”

Laughter erupted from Noah’s belly. It was loud. It was long. And it was much needed. But the more the laughter flowed from Noah, the more the other man’s words began to truly settle in Noah’s ears. His face scrunched in disgust.
Back off? No way in hell.

“You don’t say.” Noah’s tone crackled with defiance and his face held no expression once his laughter fell away.

“Yes.” Jayson’s reply was hasty and held as much grit as he could muster.

“No.”

Jayson sputtered, but tried again, slower this time. “Avi is taken.”

“No. I categorically reject your bullshit claim.” The other man’s mouth fell open, and Noah’s lips twisted in derision. “Let me be clearer: you and Avi are over. Done,” he said with finality.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jayson’s anger rose, and so did his body.

Noah didn’t hesitate to stand as well. With a few inches and about twenty-five additional pounds on the other man, Noah’s first instinct was to dominate by delivering a punch to his throat and knocking the younger man to his knees.

He could see it clearly in his mind’s eye: raring his foot back to kick the other man in the mouth or maybe the ribs. Then he’d use his fists to beat some sense into his face.

He counted to ten, a tactic Cass urged him to practice, because his anger had been out of control lately. It didn’t work.

“What the hell?” a feminine voice cried, rushing toward the men. “Jayson. Are you okay?”

Avi stooped to help a huddled over Jayson. His hand covered part of his face. Crimson was all she saw. Blood and embarrassment flowed freely over his face.

She whipped around to confront the source of her ire. The culprit stood there with an air of nonchalance and a smirk on his mouth. The mouth she wanted to...

Avi squared her shoulders. She marched over to him, her eyes involuntarily scanning the man for cuts and scrapes. He wasn’t even holding his hand in distress. Her stomach fluttered.

When she made her way to him, Avi tipped her head back to get a good look at the bull of a man.

An unremorseful, assholeish grin stretched across Noah’s face.

She itched to wipe it off. The sound of the stinging slap rose above the outdoor noises. His grin fell.

A grunt that sounded like a snicker came from Jayson. Avi raised her hand again and swung, but this time, her hand was caught in a vice-like hold.

Noah’s manacle-like grip strangled her wrist. He invaded her personal space, ready to settle their dispute, uncaring if she felt threatened. He dragged her closer. With their bodies flush against each other, Noah could feel the searing heat from her barely contained anger.

Good.

She should be pissed, because he was livid. He lowered his head to her left ear. The mole just behind her lobe tempted him to run his tongue over it.

Noah pressed his lips to the shell of her ear, speaking only so she could hear. “You get a pass. One.” He couldn’t help himself; she was so close and smelled so good. Noah kissed the spot that had become his Achilles’ heel.

He gently nudged her head farther to the side. “Next time you put your hand on me, Avi, it’d better be in the privacy of a bedroom, or...” His un-verbalized thoughts lagged, remaining tucked away for another time. “You should get your friend some medical attention.” He spun away, leaving the two to figure out their next move.

“H
e’s despicable.”

After the scene outside, Avi helped Jayson indoors, where Cass appeared at the front door as if he was alerted of the scuffle. A cigar hung from his lips, and amusement was just one of the emotions shining from his eyes that puzzled Avi.

As she helped Jayson hobble into the foyer, Beth rounded a corner, expressing her dismay over an injured guest. While her husband lit up his cigar and leaned on the banister, Beth was more hospitable. She apologized and directed Jayson to where he could receive care for his bruised eye and bloodied nose.

Cass’s unusual laughter hastened Avi’s trip up the stairs.

Now she was in her loaned bedroom, damning Noah Adams to the hottest part of hell, and even that place was too good for the evil bastard. Avi was enraged...beyond enraged.

“If I wasn’t a good Christian, I’d—”

“I just heard what happened. I’m so sorry.”

Avi turned with a start, a hand to her chest. “Jesus. You scared me.”

“Aunt Beth told me that Noah hit Jayson.” Incredulity seeped into Sofie’s words and face. “And now Jayson’s gone.”

“What?”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into Noah. First, he grills me with questions about you and Jayson. Now, he’s punched him.” Sofie threw her hands up. “I just found out he even told Gavin to stay away from me.”

“He questioned...?” She was so flabbergasted she couldn’t finish. The man had no verbal filter and apparently was constrained by no bounds.

How dare he question Sofie about me and Jayson?

Freaking infuriating, good-looking…

No, she wouldn’t think about his looks; she’d concentrate on how big an asshole he was. How he made her ride leave her behind, stranded.

“Where’s his room?”

“Avi...”

“I said where is his damn room?” She crossed the bedroom with a hand on the doorknob.

Someone needed to tell him about his high-handed self. She yanked the door open, unsure which direction to take.

“Avi,” Sofie shouted behind her.

She faced her friend. Eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring just a bit, Avi’s determination was even more evident in her raised eyebrow and rigid pose.

“Fine. Make a right. It’s the only door down the hall.”

“I heard our little friend left.”

With his back turned to Ro, Noah glanced up from his phone then shrugged.