Page 49 of Fearless
“I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life, haven’t I?” she suddenly said, more to herself than to either Garreth or Hadlee. But now it was out there, verbalized for everyone, including Jaxson and Emma who’d returned from the bar.
“I apologize for the way you were greeted at the door,” Jaxson said, but in a tone that seemed better reserved for scolding. “Considering what happened the last time you were here—”
“What Ethen did the last time she was here,” Hadlee interrupted, but stopped when Garreth touched her knee. It was the kind of touch Kitty recognized as both comforting and silencing.
“His club, his rules,” Garreth told her. “Let him talk.”
“I know what you went through,” Jaxson told her, but then his attention locked back on Kitty. “I didn’t know about any of it, however, until well after the fact. So, since I don’t know exactly what role you may or may not have played in the violations that occurred that night, I have decided I would rather break my own rules and err on the side of caution. I am going to allow for the possibility that you had nothing to do with your master’s violation of our digital recording policy.”
“Good, because she didn’t!” Hadlee blurted. “He’s not her master anymore either.”
Kitty’s heart and pussy both danced, fluttering spasms that were equal parts sexual delight and wistfulness when Garreth caught the back of Hadlee’s neck. He leaned over the arms of both their chairs, bringing his mouth very close to her ear. What he’d said was for his submissive alone, and it made Hadlee both frown and blush.
“I mean it,” Garreth re-enforced, once he sat back again. “Not one more interruption.”
Kitty envied the severity of the warning frown he shot Hadlee. Her friend pressed her lips together, but though she wilted under the sternness, it wasn’t anything like the way she used to look with Ethen. Because Ethen had never loved her, and for all that Garreth wasn’t happy with Hadlee’s interfering behavior, no one could doubt for a second that he did. He’d been hopelessly in love with her back when Kitty lived with them and she’d seen that love expressed in a hundred tiny ways every single day. She could see it right now, even in Garreth’s disapproval. Maybe even especially in it.
Noah had looked at her like that, Kitty suddenly realized, and a pang of startled wonder thumped hard inside her chest.
“Did you hear me?”
Wide-eyed, Kitty snapped her gaze back on the unsmiling club owner.
“You’re the second person I broke my rules for tonight. I sincerely hope you don’t give me a reason to regret that decision.”
“Second person?” Blinking twice, now it was Garreth’s turn to interrupt. “Who was the first?”
“Him,” Jaxson said dryly. The pit of Kitty’s belly twisted into an instant knot as he very pointedly turned and nodded toward the locker rooms. “Let’s just say, he was persuasive as hell.”
Hadlee turned all the way around in her chair to follow the direction of Jaxson’s nod. Kitty didn’t need to. All she had to do was turn her head and there Noah was, standing in front of the locker-room door, his face void of smiles, his blue eyes scouring the faces of everyone in the bar until he found her.
Her legs weakened and yet, Kitty stood up. Her chest was so tight, she couldn’t hardly feel the suddenly lurch of her own panicking heart, and yet a flood of welcome heat washed over her, swelling her breasts, tightening her nipples in the wake of the shivers that followed. Her belly ran both molten and frozen. More frozen than warm the moment his gaze locked on her, fixing, sharpening. Hardening.
He was so angry with her.
What was he doing here?
He’d come after her. He’d come all this way… after her.
And he was so angry.
And for the first time since she could remember, Kitty was on the verge of tears, but not because she was scared. Not of Noah. Never of Noah. No matter how angry he was, she already knew, he might hurt her but it wouldn’t be in the bad ways.
He wouldn’t treat her as if she were fragile, either.
In the very back of her mind it occurred to her, angry as he was right now, that might not be such a good thing.
Chapter 17
Be calm. That was Noah’s only thought and it began a repeating loop through his head from the moment he spotted Kitty sitting in a quiet corner of the crowded bar. Be calm, rational, and soft-spoken. He started toward her, weaving his way past waitstaff and Black Light members. Give her a chance to explain herself if she wants to try. Then he was going to tell her what a shitty thing it was to leave like that, without a word or giving him a chance to help. For Ethen, of all fucking people.
He was halfway across the room now and his steps were picking up steam.
Kitty stood up from her table. So did Garreth and his little submissive, Hadlee, who positively whitened when she saw him. He recognized Jaxson, one of Black Light’s owners, who he’d called from the parking lot because he couldn’t think of anyone else.
“You could send her out to me,” Noah had said, already knowing the answer.
“Not a chance,” Jaxson had replied. “But if you promise to behave yourself, I might be inclined to allow you in.”
