After packing all his stuff up onto the back of the truck, Noah walked around it. "Are we all gonna fit in your truck?" "Hector's not," Abel said, walking to the cab of the truck."Hey! Why me?" Hector stalked around the truck toward Abel. "I helped too. I wanna check out Noah's new place!""Then jump in the back if you wanna be nosey." Abel opened the driver's side door. "'Cause you don't fit in the front."Hector thought about it for a moment then grudgingly jumped in the back. Great. Noah was hoping he'd pass on the possible soaking he'd be getting if the clouds burst as they seemed to be threatening to any minute now. None of his friends were known for being reserved or shy around women, but Hector, being the youngest and especially immature, was known to be the loudest. The last thing he wanted was for him to say anything that would make Veronica any more uneasy about their arrangement than he suspected she already was.Fortunately for Hector, the clouds had mercy on him. Th
VeronicaNellie insisted Veronica was being silly. "So he's a little younger than you, Roni. He's just gonna be your roommate for a few weeks. You're not marrying the guy. What if he was sixty? Would you be feeling weird then?"Veronica peeked out her kitchen window at the group of boys chatting in her garage. At first glance, they'd all looked so damn young when she dropped him off today. Taking a better look at them now, with Noah's big muscular arm stretched out up against the wall, he hardly looked like a boy. His biggest friend was a man in every sense of the word. Even the youngest one was big. Maybe that's what was beginning to bother her. Why hadn't she thought this through further before making such a big decision? This man was moving in with her now. And he'd be sleeping in the bedroom just across from hers.The worst part was he wasn't just any man. He was her sexy trainer, the one she'd fantasized far too many times about already. Most importantly—body of a man or not—th
NoahJust a couple of weeks after moving in with Roni, Noah thought her place was really beginning to feel like home. This was a new feeling for Noah since he'd never really felt like he was home anywhere, even when he lived with the Fuentes. Though that had been his longest stay of all the foster homes he'd lived in, he always knew it was just a matter of time before he had to leave.Even now with Roni, he knew he shouldn't be feeling this way. This would eventually come to an end too. The agreement was he'd stay there until he was able to fix the roof on the Fuentes' garage. But the long cold season was just getting started. He still had months to look forward to living with her, so he wouldn't even worry about it until then.Noah walked in the back door. His hands were a grimy mess. He'd been working on Roni's car for most of the morning. Roni was on her phone in the front room."I know it's your family, Nellie, but it'll feel weird without you there. I'm telling you I'll be fin
RoniThanksgiving morning Veronica woke to a familiar aroma, one she hadn't smelled in the house in years. She wasn't completely sure, but as she walked through the hallway toward the kitchen, the smell was unmistakable: honey ham. It smelled delicious.She turned the corner to see Noah in the kitchen wearing an apron and peeling potatoes. The dining table was set for two, centerpiece and all, and there were pies on the center island. "What do you think you're doing?"Noah glanced up at her with a grin. "I'm making Thanksgiving dinner for us.""No, you're not. You're going to Gio's house. You said you were really looking forward to it."He raised an eyebrow with the grin turning into an all-out smile. "But what I decided I've been looking forward to even more—my entire life—was preparing a Thanksgiving meal."When she didn't return the smile, his smile turned into a pout. "Foster care system all my life, remember?"How dare he use that to guilt her into not being mad at him. She
Noah was seriously going to have to go out and get laid soon. He couldn't believe he'd gone this long, but wanting to be home spending his time with Roni had won out each time he'd had the opportunity these last few weeks.What he'd done in the shower today had been happening too often now that he was around her so much. It wasn't going to be enough soon even if he visualized Roni the entire time. It only made him crave the real thing more, especially if things like what happened in the kitchen earlier kept happening.It was odd to say the least. When he first met her, out of shape, in baggy sweats, the last thing he would've figured her for was a girlie girl. Then watching her work out week after week without a trace of makeup on and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, he assumed he was right. He'd worked out with girls before, but sweaty or not there was always a telltale sign of girlishness—the manicured nails, cute earrings, or perfectly matched workout outfits.Roni had n
Noah smiled, trying hard to conceal the fact that having pleased her with something as simple as picking the right creamer made him feel damn good. "I thought it fit the occasion.""I also saw the champagne in the fridge. How'd you manage that? Didn't they card you?"Taking an annoyed deep breath, he walked into the kitchen. The smell of her freshly shampooed hair, with a touch of something else—very subtle perfume maybe— overwhelmed his senses as he walked by her. He almost forgot about the irritating question. He'd had a fake I.D. for over a year now, not that he got carded too often. Like this morning, the clerk glanced up at him and just asked him for his birthday. He gave it to her with the fake year, and she just punched it in."I also got beer, and, no, they didn't card me." As smug as he had hoped to sound, his words sounded more defensive than anything. If she noticed, she didn't let on. Instead, she barely glanced at him before her eyes were on the oven behind him. "It's a
VeronicaAfter only one glass of champagne, Noah switched to beer. He said he wasn't much of a champagne drinker and only ever had a glass or two when he was in a celebratory mood. Veronica's insides had warmed when he said that today he was celebrating his new friendship. Given the little speech he'd just made about how he felt about his friends, it was even more heartwarming that he now considered her a friend. That of course only made her reasoning even more pertinent about why she shouldn't get caught up in anything like what happened that morning.They now sat on her porch. There'd been a break in the weather, and the sun had actually made an appearance, so they'd gone out to enjoy the beauty of the sunrays that sliced through the clouds. Though there was a chill in the air, the champagne helped warm Veronica.She sat on the swinging bench while Noah sat on the porch stairs, leaning back, his elbows supporting him on either side as he stared up at the clouds. "This break ain't
Noah's eyes widened, and he stopped chewing, but the smirk was still there. "Is that right?""Sure does." What was she doing? This wasn't playful, this was flirting, something she'd always done so naturally. She needed to stop."Even the salty stuff?""Especially the salty stuff." Too much! Too much!That wiped the smirk right off his face, and his dark eyes stared at her now. So she switched gears as fast as she could, standing up and heading toward the living room. "Aren't there a lot of good movies on tonight? We should watch one."Oh, right. Snuggle up on the sofa together just after she mentioned liking her whipped cream on the salty stuff. She set the champagne glass on the counter just before walking out of the kitchen. She'd had enough. It was bringing out the idiot in her.Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, she clicked the television on and made sure to take a seat on the recliner that sat one. She didn't want him thinking she was suggesting anything. She could k