I tapped two fingers against the polished surface as I considered how drunk I needed to be when Noah arrived. "Beer. Tall glass."
Her grin broadened. "You're from Texas, right?"
"What gave me away?" I asked as if I didn't know the answer like any other Texan who visited another state. My accent wasn't even that bad, and yet it never failed to be recognized.
"The accent." Her lips twitched as she confirmed my thoughts. I held back the sigh, but she tilted her head as she considered me. "Bad day?"
With my elbows propped on the bar, I rubbed my temples. "Something like that."
"I'm sorry to hear that. No one should be bummed at a wedding. Let me get you that beer." She pushed back from the bar and grabbed a glass from beneath it.
While she filled the glass from the tap, I glanced out the window. A few guests were out in the snow having a heated snowball fight, and I watched as one guy got smacked in the side of the head, white powder exploding on impact. My lips gave the slightest twitch when the man glared before gathering enough snow to pack a massive snowball.
"Here you go." A napkin was thrown down and the glass set in front of me.
"Thanks." I snatched the glass and tipped my head back, taking several swallows at once.
Her laugh was light. "So how do you know the bride and groom?"
After I set the glass back on the napkin, I cleared my throat. "I grew up with Trevor's family. His brother is…" Is what? "My best friend."
That was the truth, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to say boyfriend. He wasn't, and the idea of faking that shit right now sent a sharp pain piercing my chest.
She nodded while chewing on her lip. "Listen, I won't apologize for being forward. That's not my style. I get off at ten, and you seem like you could use a distraction. If you want to…"
She peeked at me from beneath long eyelashes, a clear invitation sparkling in her brown eyes. I didn't mind that she hadn't so much as given her name or asked for mine. What she was offering? There wasn't a need for it.
Before I could decline, heavy hands landed on my shoulders. Caught off guard, I spun around on the stool.
Noah's gaze was hard, but bitter disappointment flashed in his frost blue eyes as his jaw ticced. "I'm headed up to the room. So, if you're going to hook up, please be discreet."
My shoulders squared as I glared. "Don't be an asshole."
His eyebrows arched. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. I'm also going to pretend for my family's sake that you weren't about to try to get your dick wet."
His words felt like a slap across my face. "The fuck, Noah? What's your problem?"
Noah didn't bother answering me. He spun around, and I scowled at his retreating back.
A delicate whistle came from behind me. "Sorry, I must have read the situation wrong. I didn't realize you had a…boyfriend?"
I sighed and scrubbed a hand down my face. "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Maybe not." She shrugged. "But sounds like you're in the doghouse. Sorry about that. If you'd told me…"
Yeah, I got the memo already. I was a dick and hadn't stuck to the script, which had led to her proposition. Fine. My fault. But I hadn't done anything to warrant Noah's reaction.
Doghouse, my ass. I stood and fished my wallet from my back pocket. Rifling through my cash, I tossed a generous tip on the counter before chasing after Noah.
The elevator doors were shutting as I hurried down the hall. Shoving my foot between the gap at the last minute, they slid back open, and I found Noah leaning back against the mirrored wall. His jaw clenched as he met my eyes and then jerked away. With a frustrated growl, I matched his stance next to him as he studiously ignored me.
"You're mad?" I asked even though I knew the answer.
Noah stared straight at the doors as they closed with his corded arms crossed over his chest. "Nope."
He was lying.
Unless… I studied him. He appeared mad. But he also looked…hurt. "Holy shit, you were jealous."
His head whipped around and he scowled. "I was not jealous. You broke a rule."
"That so?" I cocked a brow. "And which one did I break, since I didn't plan on doing anything with her."
He gave me a doubtful look. "She was pretty."
"So? Lots of girls are pretty." And I'm not currently interested in any of them.
"I know. And you hook up with them like it's an Olympic sport." The doors slid open on our floor, and Noah took off, marching down the hall.
I was quick on his heels. "I'm getting really tired of everyone thinking I sleep with anything that moves."
"And I'm getting really tired of you doing it." His voice rose, the sound echoing in the hall. The words seemed to take us both by surprise as we stopped in our tracks.
Shaking his head, he moved on and scanned his keycard, unlocking our room.
As soon as we stepped in, I kicked the door closed. Before I could stop myself, I had Noah pinned against the wall and stared into his hardened gaze. "You, of all people, know those rumors aren't true. So tell me what's really gotten under your skin."
Noah's lips flattened. Fine, he wanted to play that game then I'd answer for him. "You know what I think? I think you want me. That you're just scared. And I think you were jealous. You don't like the idea of me sleeping with anyone that's not you."
Noah shoved me back a step. "Maybe you're the one who's hard up for it, Rook. You hated Brad before you knew anything about him.”
My eyebrows shot up. "He was an asshole."
"No one I've even talked to has ever gotten your fucking stamp of approval," he powered on, backing me up another step. "They aren't ever good enough for me."
I shrugged. "Correct."
“Fuck, you're infuriating," Noah growled and flung his arms out at his sides. "Maybe you want me to yourself. You hate sharing me. It’s like I'm a possession that belongs to you."
"Not a possession." I considered the possibility of sharing Noah. "To myself though, yes."
He wasn't really listening, completely lost in his rant. "You get jealous when Knight flirts with me."
"Because he shouldn't." My brow furrowed. Knight was straight, and Noah was mine.
Noah squeezed his eyes closed. "You're terrible with denial, because you didn't deny you were jealous."
"Because I was." And I was just realizing it too, though all things considered, it didn’t come as much of a shock.
Noah stopped moving, chest rising and falling at a rapid pace as he slowly reopened his eyes.
"My turn." I forced him to step back, as I reached over and flipped on the lights.
He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. "Nope, you already said your piece, and I answered. Now you get to answer my questions. Why'd you stop me yesterday? Why’d you say it was a fucking mistake?" I growled out in frustration. “It wasn’t. I know it, and so do you.”
"No, I d—"
“Don’t even try to deny it. That shit downstairs wasn’t because of a damn rulebook. You didn’t want me to hook up with her. Why is that? If this whole thing is nothing but some bullshit pretend relationship, then why are you so mad?”