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.Maybe it was because Noah was no longer at the mercy of his rule or maybe it was thathe’d just jumped to the top of Noah’s list of all time assholes, but he was no longer as intimidating ashe’d once been.“Roni mentioned her roommate was a boxer but I would’ve never made the connection.Iremember you boxing even back when you were still in school.” The dean gave him a once over.“What are you a junior lightweight?”Noah caught the double ended jab and chuckled.The guy was big but not as big as he obviouslythought he was.He stepped out into the porch so the asshole could get a good look at his lightweightframe.“Light heavyweight actually.”Derek raised his eyebrows as Noah crossed his arms in front of him.A car pulled into thedriveway grabbing all their attention for the moment.The driver reached in the back seat and jumpedout of the car with pizza boxes.“Oh, let me get my purse,” Roni said, stepping away from the wall.“I got it,” Noah said, sticking his hand in his pocket.“You sure?” Roni asked.Noah nodded as Gio walked out the front door pulling money out of his pocket.He handedNoah two tens.“This is me and Abel’s share.”Noah took the money and walked past Derek.Turned out the man who once toweredmenacingly over him was exactly his height now.After paying the delivery guy he turned back to Roniwho held the door open for him.Gio had already gone back inside.“The paper plates are in thepantry.I’ll be right in,” Roni said as Noah walked toward her.“I’m just gonna walk Derek to hiscar.”Derek’s expression seemed even more off put by Roni’s sudden dismissal than Noah felt aboutthe idea of her wanting even another minute alone with the douche.He blatantly smirked at Derek thenturned to Roni.“I’ll wait for you to eat,” Noah said meeting Roni’s eyes and to his relief she nodded.The smug smirk he’d given Derek when Roni announced she was seeing him off whether he wasready or not was all the goodbye the guy would get from Noah.His hypocrisy only went so far.Asmuch as he hated leaving Roni out there with Derek, he wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing it,but pretending he’d been even slightly pleased to see him again had been as far as he was going.Noah slowed as he walked by Roni, giving her a knowing look.She may not have given him thego ahead to question her personal life like he’d given her but she had to know this was something thatwould be discussed as soon as he got a moment alone with her.It wasn’t just the fact that her hanging out with an ex-boyfriend was enough to make Noah’sinsides grind, but this guy was scum as far as he was concerned.Not only had Noah always thoughthim a total prick, he’d left Roni high and dry at a time in her life when she most needed him.Whywould she even consider staying friends with him? He didn’t deserve her friendship.Gio eyed him as Noah stalked through the front room toward the kitchen.The guys all followedhim stopping around the center island where he put the boxes of pizza down.“Let me grab paperplates,” Noah said as Hector reached for a slice.“So what’s Dean Dickhead doing here? Don’t tell me he and Roni are related.” Hector said ashe chewed.“He’s an old friend.” Noah said placing the paper plates down on the counter.He walked over to the front stopping at an angle where he could see Roni and Derek talking byhis car but they couldn’t see him.The dean’s body language was just as Noah remembered, uprightand full of authority.Noah hadn’t asked Roni much about her relationship when she’d mentionedDerek before but now Noah had plenty of questions, especially since she obviously held doublestandards.This guy was way older than her.~*~“Wow,” Derek said as they walked down her porch steps.“I haven’t seen that kid in years.I’msurprised he’s not in jail.”Roni turned to him, her arms crossed in front of her.“What makes you say that?”Derek chuckled.“That kid sat outside my office more than my damn receptionist when he wentto Garfield.”She wasn’t sure but it made sense that Derek might have reason to try to discredit Noah.She’dseen his expression when she told him Noah was her roommate.Just the fact that she’d previouslymentioned her new roommate was a guy she was sure had already gotten him speculating.Hisshowing up here unannounced today was not on impulse like he’d said it was.Derek did nothing onimpulse.But she decided to bite anyway.“Why was he at your office so often?”“Typical troublemaker.Did you run a background check on this guy before letting him movein?”The thought had never even occurred to Roni.“No, because he’s a friend.What do you meantroublemaker? What kind of trouble?”Derek shrugged leaning against his car, obviously in no hurry to leave.“Ditching, fighting, drugtrafficking, you name it.”“Drug trafficking?”“Yeah, I’m telling you the kid is trouble with a capital T.” He frowned glancing back at herhouse.“So what? This guy trains you and you just invite him to move on in?”“No.” She hesitated, fumbling to find the best wording.“He had issues.”Derek scoffed.“Yeah, I’ll bet.”“Issues with his place, ” Roni added, the annoyance building by the second.She knew Derekwould have something to say about this, and his emphasis on referring to Noah as a kid hadn’t goneunnoticed either.“The storms did a number on his roof.” She wouldn’t mention it was the roof over agarage.Derek would love that.“I had the extra bedrooms so I offered to rent him one.”“Convenient.I’d get the money upfront if I were you.”Roni rolled her eyes.“I gotta go, Derek.” She began to walk away.“Hey, listen, Veronica.” Derek’s condescending tone had suddenly softened.“I’m sorry.I knowyou said he’s your friend.It’s just that I’d like to think me and you can still be friends, too…at least.And I do still care about you, so I can’t help but feel a little concerned here.Who knows maybe he’schanged.It has been a few years.All I’m saying is what I do know about him is no good.So just becareful.Okay?”Roni turned back to him with a weak smile.“No need to worry.He’s a great guy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Maybe it was because Noah was no longer at the mercy of his rule or maybe it was thathe’d just jumped to the top of Noah’s list of all time assholes, but he was no longer as intimidating ashe’d once been.“Roni mentioned her roommate was a boxer but I would’ve never made the connection.Iremember you boxing even back when you were still in school.” The dean gave him a once over.“What are you a junior lightweight?”Noah caught the double ended jab and chuckled.The guy was big but not as big as he obviouslythought he was.He stepped out into the porch so the asshole could get a good look at his lightweightframe.“Light heavyweight actually.”Derek raised his eyebrows as Noah crossed his arms in front of him.A car pulled into thedriveway grabbing all their attention for the moment.The driver reached in the back seat and jumpedout of the car with pizza boxes.“Oh, let me get my purse,” Roni said, stepping away from the wall.“I got it,” Noah said, sticking his hand in his pocket.“You sure?” Roni asked.Noah nodded as Gio walked out the front door pulling money out of his pocket.He handedNoah two tens.“This is me and Abel’s share.”Noah took the money and walked past Derek.Turned out the man who once toweredmenacingly over him was exactly his height now.After paying the delivery guy he turned back to Roniwho held the door open for him.Gio had already gone back inside.“The paper plates are in thepantry.I’ll be right in,” Roni said as Noah walked toward her.“I’m just gonna walk Derek to hiscar.”Derek’s expression seemed even more off put by Roni’s sudden dismissal than Noah felt aboutthe idea of her wanting even another minute alone with the douche.He blatantly smirked at Derek thenturned to Roni.“I’ll wait for you to eat,” Noah said meeting Roni’s eyes and to his relief she nodded.The smug smirk he’d given Derek when Roni announced she was seeing him off whether he wasready or not was all the goodbye the guy would get from Noah.His hypocrisy only went so far.Asmuch as he hated leaving Roni out there with Derek, he wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing it,but pretending he’d been even slightly pleased to see him again had been as far as he was going.Noah slowed as he walked by Roni, giving her a knowing look.She may not have given him thego ahead to question her personal life like he’d given her but she had to know this was something thatwould be discussed as soon as he got a moment alone with her.It wasn’t just the fact that her hanging out with an ex-boyfriend was enough to make Noah’sinsides grind, but this guy was scum as far as he was concerned.Not only had Noah always thoughthim a total prick, he’d left Roni high and dry at a time in her life when she most needed him.Whywould she even consider staying friends with him? He didn’t deserve her friendship.Gio eyed him as Noah stalked through the front room toward the kitchen.The guys all followedhim stopping around the center island where he put the boxes of pizza down.“Let me grab paperplates,” Noah said as Hector reached for a slice.“So what’s Dean Dickhead doing here? Don’t tell me he and Roni are related.” Hector said ashe chewed.“He’s an old friend.” Noah said placing the paper plates down on the counter.He walked over to the front stopping at an angle where he could see Roni and Derek talking byhis car but they couldn’t see him.The dean’s body language was just as Noah remembered, uprightand full of authority.Noah hadn’t asked Roni much about her relationship when she’d mentionedDerek before but now Noah had plenty of questions, especially since she obviously held doublestandards.This guy was way older than her.~*~“Wow,” Derek said as they walked down her porch steps.“I haven’t seen that kid in years.I’msurprised he’s not in jail.”Roni turned to him, her arms crossed in front of her.“What makes you say that?”Derek chuckled.“That kid sat outside my office more than my damn receptionist when he wentto Garfield.”She wasn’t sure but it made sense that Derek might have reason to try to discredit Noah.She’dseen his expression when she told him Noah was her roommate.Just the fact that she’d previouslymentioned her new roommate was a guy she was sure had already gotten him speculating.Hisshowing up here unannounced today was not on impulse like he’d said it was.Derek did nothing onimpulse.But she decided to bite anyway.“Why was he at your office so often?”“Typical troublemaker.Did you run a background check on this guy before letting him movein?”The thought had never even occurred to Roni.“No, because he’s a friend.What do you meantroublemaker? What kind of trouble?”Derek shrugged leaning against his car, obviously in no hurry to leave.“Ditching, fighting, drugtrafficking, you name it.”“Drug trafficking?”“Yeah, I’m telling you the kid is trouble with a capital T.” He frowned glancing back at herhouse.“So what? This guy trains you and you just invite him to move on in?”“No.” She hesitated, fumbling to find the best wording.“He had issues.”Derek scoffed.“Yeah, I’ll bet.”“Issues with his place, ” Roni added, the annoyance building by the second.She knew Derekwould have something to say about this, and his emphasis on referring to Noah as a kid hadn’t goneunnoticed either.“The storms did a number on his roof.” She wouldn’t mention it was the roof over agarage.Derek would love that.“I had the extra bedrooms so I offered to rent him one.”“Convenient.I’d get the money upfront if I were you.”Roni rolled her eyes.“I gotta go, Derek.” She began to walk away.“Hey, listen, Veronica.” Derek’s condescending tone had suddenly softened.“I’m sorry.I knowyou said he’s your friend.It’s just that I’d like to think me and you can still be friends, too…at least.And I do still care about you, so I can’t help but feel a little concerned here.Who knows maybe he’schanged.It has been a few years.All I’m saying is what I do know about him is no good.So just becareful.Okay?”Roni turned back to him with a weak smile.“No need to worry.He’s a great guy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]