Page 26 of North

“You fucking stay put,” I snap, and she sucks in a breath of shock. “You do not get involved because Rafferty has a lot at stake right now. Tansy Carmichael is Brienne Norcross’s cousin, so there are family ties that complicate things.”

“So Rafferty’s fucked either way,” she snarls.

“No.” I blow out a huff of frustration. “I’m sure the team will do the right thing, but for now, you have to let this play out. Rafferty just wanted me to call you so you weren’t blindsided by this. But you need to stay calm, for your brother’s sake, okay?”

A long silence, but then she murmurs, “Okay. I hear you.”

“Good girl,” I reply, and it transports me back to our snow day together. We went inside to get warmed up, which to Farren’s way of thinking meant dropping to her knees right inside the front door and giving me a blow job that forever changed the way I will view orgasms. It was mind blowing and I held her head as she bobbed before me, whispering “good girl” to her. She tipped her head back, mouth full, and smiled at me when I said that to her.

My groin tightens with the memory but I push it aside. It would be so easy to have some phone sex right now, but I’m enjoying this part of Farren where she gives me her emotion and heart. I’m enjoying her needing me for something other than physical pleasure.

“What have you been up to today?” I ask, wanting to strike conversation with her.

And to my surprise, she engages. “I had a job interview. Downtown bar, but I don’t know if I’ll take it. The crowd didn’t look like they tipped well.”

I can’t help but laugh. I sit down on the bed and rest against the headboard. “What exactly does a bartender need to be considered good tips?”

Farren starts talking and I’m not sure what it is about the woman, but it’s music to my ears.

CHAPTER 10

Farren

From the topstep of North’s front porch, I sit huddled against the freezing cold. I’m bundled in my heaviest coat, hat, scarf and gloves, patiently waiting for this enigma of a man to arrive home.

The cold isn’t a deterrent though. I’m Canadian after all, and the winter here in Pittsburgh has nothing on Calgary. Sure, it bites, but it’s not the kind of cold that sinks deep into your bones and makes you question all your life choices. Back home, winters mean braving arctic blasts that feel like the universe is actively trying to kill you. Here, it’s tolerable, and my shiver is more out of impatience than from the weather. If this were Calgary, I’d be tucked inside already, watching the snow through a frost-covered window, waiting for thechinookto come and save me. But here I am, sitting in this mild little chill, because the thought of seeing North is warming me more than any windbreak ever could.

The bottle of champagne I brought to celebrate the new year sits off to the side in a mound of fresh snow. Iglance at it before checking my phone for what must be the tenth time and I see it’s just past one in the morning now.

I rang in the new year in the back of an Uber, watching the city lights blur past as I tried to ignore the pang of loneliness that had been eating at me all night. I didn’t plan to come here, not really. I was comfortable in my decision not to go to the party at Foster and Mazzy’s house, even though Tempe and Rafferty worked at me hard. Rafferty was slightly suspicious I was passing up a good time so I fell back on a slight lie… I wasn’t feeling good.

They left and I ambled around Raff’s apartment unsettled. I ate a sandwich for dinner, drank a beer and finally decided to turn in early in an attempt to sleep through all of this discontent.

But as the clock ticked closer to midnight, sleep became impossible. I tossed and turned, flopped from side to back to stomach, and couldn’t get my eyes to stay shut. After staring at the ceiling for what felt like forever, I gave up and made a command decision.

There was only one thing that would settle me, so I got dressed, grabbed a bottle of champagne from the fridge and was out the door.

Now, sitting here in the icy stillness of North’s neighborhood, I wonder what the hell I’m even doing. I know he went to Foster and Mazzy’s New Year’s Eveparty and for all I know, he’s still there. It’s a night built for partying after all. It’s silly of me to assume he’d leave shortly after the clock struck midnight. There would be no reason for him to rush home, as I certainly didn’t tell him I was coming over.

My toes are numb, my nose is red, and I’m practically vibrating with nerves as I consider that maybe I shouldn’t be here. What if North got wild and crazy tonight? What if North isn’t alone when he comes home? The thought of a woman in his truck when he pulls in that driveway churns my stomach.

Worse yet… what if he doesn’t come home at all? That most likely means he met someone and hooked up.

And here I am, sitting like a loser in the cold, hoping to make some sort of connection with him tonight.

I’m not supposed to care about things like this. Casual is the rule we agreed upon. No strings, no commitments, no expectations. But the idea of him with another woman twists something ugly and possessive inside me.

I’d kill him.

Okay, not kill him. But I’d definitely… what? Storm off in a dramatic huff? Throw the champagne at his truck?

“Damn it,” I grumble in frustration at myself. Why am I even giving brain power to this notion?

North isn’t that type of guy. If he’s sleeping with me,he’s only sleeping with me. While I might keep my walls up and don’t necessarily trust him as a man, I do trust in his loyalty. I’ve seen it over and over again.

The way he defended Penn when what he did was indefensible.

The way he’s standing so staunchly by Rafferty throughout this mess with Tansy.

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