Page 43 of River
I sighed. “That’s illogical. If you date someone special, you can’t blame other men for showing an interest in her.”
“Ah, I see.”
“What do you see?” I asked and waited for Noah to chew and swallow the bite of pizza he’d just taken. He was eating his slice with his hands while I used a fork and knife to cut out mine in appropriate sizes.
“You think of dating as something logical, while I think of it as an emotional connection.”
“Of course, there has to be an emotional connection,” I agreed.
“Well apparently not if you’ve never felt jealous. Jealousy is an emotion, River.”
“I was deeply hurt when Storm cheated on me.”
“Because your pride was hurt or because you loved him?”
Putting down my fork and knife, I leaned back. “Both, I suppose. If I’m honest, I loved the status that came with being with Storm. I added over thirteen million followers on Instagram over the first month we were together. The media exposure was fun and so was all the envy from other women, but…” I filled my lungs with air and breathed out slowly before adding, “The higher you soar the more painful falling is. Storm’s betrayal felt like he’d kicked me out of an airplane without a parachute.”
“I’m sorry, River. I can’t even imagine what you went through.”
“It’s made me stronger,” I concluded and picked up my fork and knife again. “Let’s change the subject and talk about other things than jealousy.”
“All right. Do you want me to tell you about the time I skied with Nala on my back?”
“You skied with your dog on your back? Why?”
“When she was a puppy I trained her to trust me a hundred percent. We did everything together and since I love skiing, I brought her with me in one of those baby carriers you can strap onto your back.”
“But weren’t you afraid of falling on her?”
“I’m a very good skier, so no, I didn’t worry about it.”
“Did she like it?”
“She loved it. I had that carrier in my closet and long after she grew too big, she’d pull at it as if to say ‘Let’s do that again.’”
“I’ve only skied a few times.”
“Maybe I could teach you then.” He put down the slice of pizza he had in his hand and leaned closer. “If you come to Norway this winter, I’ll be your private instructor.” He wiggled his eyebrows with a charming smile.
“Would you now?” Boom, the energy was back, like he’d pressed the accelerator in his car and now the cables between us provided a buzz of sizzling energy that made my stomach tingle. The thought of visiting Noah in Norway made me both nervous and excited at the same time.
After dinner, Noah walked me back to my hotel. “I know you said no to sex, but can I at least hold your hand?” he asked.
A smile lingered between us as he intertwined his left hand with my right. The walk was only five minutes, but we extended it by strolling through town, talking and laughing.
When we reached the hotel, I was still grinning from Noah’s story of the time he got drunk the first time and took the bus in the wrong direction, only to have to walk for hours to get home.
“At least I was almost sober before I reached our apartment.”
“And you were only fourteen.”
“Yeah, but if you asked me then, I was as wise as any adults. I had it all figured out.”
“I bet you did. And now?” I asked and turned my face up to meet his eyes. “Do you still have all the answers?”
“No.” He moved closer. “All I know is that I like this gorgeous but very complicated English woman.” His right hand pushed my hair back while his left touched my waist.
Instantly, my pulse picked up. We were alone in a narrow, quiet street, with no one around.
