Page 47 of All Tied Up
He nodded again. “Make sure her brother knows that too.”
The territorial gleam in his eyes as he said it would have made me laugh if I wasn’t feeling like an asshole for running off and not thinking to tell her.
“Um, see, I went to the restroom, and I ran into an old friend,” I started.
Ransom began shaking his head, so I stopped and frowned. What was it he wanted me to say?
He held out his hand for the phone. When I didn’t hand it to him, he cocked an eyebrow.
“Noa!” Jellie said, still sounding panicked. “I know you went to the restroom. Birch was there. But where did you go? He even went into the women’s restroom and searched it!”
I saw Ransom’s jaw tic, and I knew he could hear her. He didn’t seem happy about Birch’s concern. Since I had no clue what I should say, I reluctantly handed him my phone.
“Jellie.” His thick drawl said her name in a way that made me smile despite the situation. “This is Ransom Carver. I believe youknow me as an old friend of Noa’s from Madison. I met a friend of yours while wearing a bath towel at Noa’s apartment.”
She was going to die. I bit my bottom lip while trying to hear what she said, but I couldn’t make it out.
“Yes,” he replied. “I wanted Noa to myself tonight. I hope that’s okay. She’s safely at the hotel in a suite I booked for the two of us, overlooking Times Square. You can enjoy your evening. I’ll take care of her.”
He paused, and I could hear her talking, but still, I could only make out a few words.
“With my life,” he replied. “And, Jellie, no more setups. Noa isn’t available. She’s mine.”
He held out the phone to me then without waiting on her response to that.
Oh good Lord, she was going to flip out about this. How would I ever get off the phone with her?
“Hey,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“Noa Raines, what in the actual hell?! That is tattoo guy! Muscled, badass tattoo guy! You have been lying to me! He came to get you. He called you his!” She was shouting, but there was an excitement to her tone.
“It’s been complicated.” That wasn’t going to calm her down, but I didn’t have the time to waste talking about this right now.
“How did he even get into the party? Did he call you and you went out to meet him? And he got a room here? That’s not possible.”
She was prattling on with one question after another. If I didn’t stop her, this would go on all night.
“Jellie, I will talk to you about this tomorrow. It’s New Year’s Eve. I want to … enjoy the rest of it with Ransom.”
“You’re happy then? Is he why you’ve been upset?”
I should have known that she hadn’t bought my fake attempt at appearing normal.
“Yes. But we’ve worked things out.”
There was a pause.
“Okay. But tomorrow, you have to give me every detail. All of it.”
I knew I couldn’t do that, but I smiled. “I will.”
“Whew. I have so many questions right now. Just know that the fact that I am holding them all in is due to my love for you,” she told me, sounding exasperated.
“Thank you.”
“Happy New Year, Noa.”
“Happy New Year,” I replied before ending the call.
