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
NoahVisions of Roni and some of the wicked things Noah imagined her doing to him with a can of whipped cream, made for an extra-long shower the following morning. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to be around her and not let on what he was feeling. Though he wondered if he should even try. If she wasn't so damn hard to read, maybe he'd know whether or not to hide it. She sent out more mixed signals than a baseball coach: one minute flirting outrageously and staring blatantly at his lips, then in the same breath, backing down and making an exit out of the room just as fast.But it was just as well. Even though it'd be more than fun to have Roni underneath him, and admittedly in the beginning it's all he thought about, the more he spent time with her and got to know her, the more he was afraid that wouldn't be enough. If he ever did get that far with her, he'd want more, and she made it clear she wasn't ready for anything like that. Losing the only family she'd ever known h
Noah's injured shoulder had healed nicely, and he was training in the ring once again. With his client list growing, he was busier than ever. He spent entire days in the gym now, training others in the morning then working on his own training throughout the afternoon.Since Abel, who was as good a promoter as he was a fighter, had already lined up a fight for Noah before the end of the year, Noah's training was in high gear. After working out with the bags for a couple of hours, he sparred with either Abel, who was a monster compared to him, or Gio who was more at his weight level, and on occasion Hector, who was still a featherweight.At that point of the day, he'd become a bit distracted, looking out for Roni, who arrived for her workout in the evening. In the past weeks of living with her, his feelings for her, which he tried to play down even to himself, were beyond just physical attraction. He looked forward to talking to her now—telling her about his workouts and the new client
Relief didn't even begin to describe what Veronica was feeling. She'd finally broken down and admitted to Noah on their way to the gym that she was very nervous about seeing him fight. But she didn't tell him just how much of a wreck she really was. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn't have faith in him. She'd heard he was good from his friends and others at the gym, but she still couldn't help worrying.Veronica had only watched fights on television, but she'd never been a fan, so even when she had, she never really paid attention. Nellie's husband was a fan, and they often had big pay-per-view fight parties at their place, inviting her over. Those were the only times she'd ever sat through an entire fight. She never thought she'd be watching one in person and certainly never thought one of her now dear friends would be the one in the ring, possibly getting hurt.When she overheard the guy behind her talking about having seen Noah fight several times in the past