Page 34 of My Heart to Keep
I internally rolled my eyes at my BFF as she went into flirtation mode.
The group of girls who had been whispering shuffled closer to us.
“Hi, ladies. I’m Noah.” He pinned his gray eyes on me.
Celia extended her hand. “I’m Celia, and this is my best friend, Quinn.”
While still looking at me, he shook Celia’s hand and said, “You must be Quinn Thompson.”
Celia angled her head. “How do you know Quinn?”
I sucked in a breath. “Have we met before?” It was a stupid question, but maybe we had.
Noah flicked beads of water, or maybe sweat, from his broad, tanned chest. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. “From who?”
“Yeah. From who?” Celia parroted.
Noah stabbed a thumb at Dustin and Tessa. “Dustin. He and I are cousins.”
I would’ve bet on brothers. Still, what could Dustin possibly tell Noah?
OMG! My party!
Heat pinched my cheeks as embarrassment set in.He must think I’m easy since I drank too much. Or maybe he just likes me. Or maybe Dustin has a crush on me.A laugh broke out in my head. No way Dustin had a crush on me.
“Well, she has a boyfriend,” Celia said firmly.
Noah stared at me, totally ignoring Celia. “Really?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes. I have a boyfriend.”
One side of Noah’s lips curled. “That’s not what I hear.”
We weren’t in school yet, and the word had already spread about Maiken and me.
I crossed my arms. “My boyfriend may not be here, but he’s still my boyfriend.”
He flicked his head ever so slightly as though he didn’t believe a word I’d said. “Well, Quinn Thompson, see you around.” He strutted off in the direction of his cousin. His long, muscular legs ate up the pool deck until he was seated at a stool behind the bar where Dustin was flipping burgers and Tessa was pouring a drink.
“OMG! What was that all about?” Celia asked.
“No clue.” I was flattered, but that was the gist of it.
Celia’s eyes darted to Noah. “If you ask me, he’s crushing on you for sure. Although I wouldn’t mind crawling up his tall body.”
My phone rang, and I fumbled to get it out of my bag.
Celia looked at my phone. “Go someplace quiet.”
With my phone pressed to my ear, I headed away from the party and toward a cluster of trees in the backyard. “M-maiken?” I stuttered, something I hadn’t done in ages.
“There’s my girl.” His Southern drawl sent delicious shivers down my arms. “Sorry I haven’t called before now. I’ve been practicing and working out and studying. Two days of classes and practice, and I’m already beat to a pulp. How’s the love of my life?”
I was a thousand times better now that I was listening to his raspy tone.
The bell chirped, announcing the end of my second class on the first day of my senior year.
