Page 86 of Double Fault

Or not. I really don’t have any clue, but Ebba seems like the type of woman who’s down for anything. Especially if it’ll make Maddie happy.

My little sidekick brushes past me into my room and hops up onto my bed. She swings her feet back and forth, her white Vans already off.

Noah hovers in the doorway between the rooms and grips the frame. “Already making yourself at home, Mads?”

Her soft giggle bounces around us, but rather than reply, she flops back on the mattress.

With a sigh, he turns to me. This close, Noah Baker is lethal. He absolutely takes my breath away. Does he know how fucking hot he is?

A smirk slowly tugs at those full, pouty lips. Oh, yeah. He knows.

“Do you still have my card?”

A snort almost bubbles out of me. “You know I do.”

He slides his hands into his pockets and braces himself on one side of the doorframe. “Good. Take her out. Get stuff for your sleepover.”

“Did you hear that, Maddie?”

She jackknifes up from her prone position, brows lifted and smiling.

“Let’s go put a dent in your dad’s credit card balance.”

“Yay!” She hops off the bed and makes a mad dash back to their room, shoving Noah and me into each other.

As he grasps my waist to steady me, his eyes drop to my lips.

He wants to kiss me, just like I want to kiss him.

Instead, he sighs and steps back.

I give him a forlorn look as Maddie stuffs her feet back into her shoes, then collect my purse and key card.

When I look back at him, his eyes promise delicious and dangerous things to come.

CHAPTER 24

SABRINA

I’m exhaustedfrom keeping up with Maddie as we popped into one shop after another in London. Noah’s credit card has done a lot of work today too.

Maddie digs through the bags, pulling out the various stuffed animals. Shehadto have them, though we’ll have to ship them back to one of their houses because there’s no way we’ll have room to take all this stuff with us as the tournament continues.

“Isn’t it so cute?” She turns to me, holding out a croissant-shaped stuffie. “It even has a little face.”

It’s adorable. They all are. Even the little peanut keychain she picked out for me and the tennis ball she chose for her dad.

When a knock sounds on the door, I pad over and peer through the peephole.

Smiling, I throw it open. “Hey, Ebba.”

“Hello, darlings.” She pulls me into a hug, the affection so sudden and unexpected that I stiffen. “Oh, sorry. I forget not everyone likes to be touched.”

“It’s not that.” I laugh a little nervously. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’m a hugger.” She brushes past me, a designer bag hooked over one elbow. “I hear we’re having a sleepover.”

“Yes!” Maddie hops up on the bed and holds out the smiling sun keychain.

---