Noah (22 page)

Sucking up my pride I respond, "You're absolutely
right, ma'am. I'll remember that for the next party we throw."
Hopefully it'll be her funeral. "If you'll excuse me, the stuffy
air is getting to me, too. I'm going to step outside for a
moment."

Squeezing past Caleb and his parents
,
I put my head down and walk
briskly towards the side exit of the restaurant, wanting to avoid
being stopped by any of the party's attendees. I also don't want to
see Noah again.

Reaching the side door that leads out to the patio, I
push down on the metal bar and the solid black door opens for me.
The cool night air hits my face and I immediately take in a deep
breath, before exhaling out in relief. I am so glad to be away from
everyone and out of that room.

I walk over to the railing and look out at the miles
and miles of open green. When I booked this golf club it was
because the Italian restaurant inside served the best Eggplant
Parmesan I've ever tasted, and I wanted to impress Caleb's mother.
She only tolerates the best and I thought this place was the best.
I should have known nothing I booked would ever impress her.

My back is to the door so when I hear it open,
hitting the outside of the building, I turn to see if I'll be
forced to make small talk with someone. Noah walks out in black
dress slacks and a black button down dress shirt. I can't even
remember the last time I'd seen him so dressed up. He looks...good.
I hate that he looks good.

His date to my engagement party is hanging all over
him as he walks towards me across the dimly lit patio. I want to
yell at his date to pull her dress down because it's too short, but
that would only create a new problem and I'd have to find a way for
her to cover the two water balloons trying to topple out of the top
of her dress.

One of her hands is hidden somewhere inside the
collar of his shirt, while her other hand plays with the buttons on
the outside. This can't be a comfortable way to walk, which is
obvious by the way she's stumbling in her heels trying to match
every step he takes.

I bring my focus back on the man who really should
not be here. "Noah," I say
,
glaring at him. Hopefully he's smart enough to
realize I'm about to blow up at him if one wrong word slips by his
tongue and out
between
those perfect lips.

"Skye," he greets me. His arm wrapped around his date
tightens to bring her in closer to his firm body. "I didn't realize
you were out here."

He so knew I was out here. His eyes have been on me
all night, ignoring the bimbo next to him unless I
was
watching.

His arm-candy smiles at me, as if she's just noticed
for the first time someone is out here with them. "Hi.
Congratulations on your engagement. You look so pretty tonight and
I love what you did with all the hanging lights in there," she
says
,
releasing Noah's
shirt to point back at the building. "It really adds to the
ambiance. Hopefully one day I'll be able to have an engagement
party as beautiful as this." She giggles and looks up at Noah,
sending him a flirtatious wink.

This chick thinks she's going to be engaged to Noah
one day?

I think I'm going to be sick.

Trying to look indifferent I chime in. "Last I
checked Club Desire doesn't do engagement parties."

I'm just stating the obvious.

Noah's demeanor instantly changes. He stands taller,
loosening his grip around his date as his eyes narrow on me. "What
is your problem?"

"I don’
t
have a problem. I just want to make sure your date knows that your
club isn
’
t the type to
hold fancy celebrations...but I'm sure she assumed that already
since she probably works for you." It would explain her
inappropriate outfit.

Noah's eyes narrow further and his cheeks flush in
anger, something that I've always found irresistible. His brown
eyes never leave mine as he directs his next words to his date.
"Xaria, why don't you go inside and get something to drink, while I
finish talking to Skye. I'll meet you in a few minutes."

The way he viciously spits out my name makes me cower
a little in fear. Maybe I went too far with that last dig.

Xaria watches us both with a puzzled look on her
face, but she doesn
’
t
question Noah. Instead she turns around and walks back inside the
same way she came out.

Once we're alone, Noah takes a step towards me. I
quickly thrust my hands in front of me with my palms out. "Can we
not do this tonight. It's my engagement party for God's sake."

He ignores my request and takes another step, and
another step, until there are no more steps to take and he's
standing right in front of me. I inhale his scent and I'm
immediately dizzy with all the memories I have associated with that
smell. I shouldn
’
t be
out here with him. It's not right...it isn't fair. But as his hand
comes up to cup my cheek in a familiar act of tenderness, and his
fingers grip my chin to bring my eyes up to meet his, I'm
immediately reminded of why we work...and why it's so hard for me
to see him here tonight.

"No, Skye. Today is your unbirthday party. You just
want to tarnish the day with the celebration of your
engagement."

He leans in and his lips brush against mine, and God
help me, I kiss him back. I kiss him back because I want him. I
kiss him back because I need him. I kiss him back because I love
him.

Anyone at this party could come out here on the
patio and they would see me cheating on my fiancé, but in the
moment I don't care. I've spent a long, dreary day without Noah and
I miss him terribly. My body and soul are finally at peace now that
I'm in his arms and lost in his embrace.

He slides an arm down my back until he reaches my
ass and then he squeezes softly, the satin of my dress rubbing
deliciously against my flesh. His touch burns into my skin
underneath, but it also send
s
off alarms.

I shouldn
’
t be doing this. Not here. Not now.

I reluctantly pull away from his mouth and push him
off me. Inhaling a long deep breath, I attempt to control my
breathing.

"Why do you keep fighting us, Skye?"

"Because it's wrong, Noah. What we're doing is
wrong."

"It's not wrong, Skye. Everything in my life finally
feels right when we're together. I know you feel it, too."

I do feel it, too. That's why this is so hard.

"You should go find your date," I spit back at him
angrily. I need a moment to collect myself before going back inside
to stand near Caleb and celebrate. Noah should be making out with
the chick he brought with him.

"You're jealous," he says knowingly.

"What? No." I let out a humorless laugh, revealing
just how jealous I actually am, and then Noah laughs a loud,
genuine laugh. He finds this funny.

"Yes, you are. You're jealous. Doesn't that tell you
something, Skye? Don't you realize that your feelings for me aren't
just going to go away because you made a bad choice? Your brain
picked Caleb, but the rest of you picks me."

"Caleb's a good man, Noah. He's done nothing to
deserve my lack of loyalty to him. He deserves better than what
he's getting from me right now. I should be with him inside that
party right now. Not out here with you and jeopardizing my
future."

I don't give him a chance to fight me on this as I
storm past him with my head down. I can't believe I just kissed
him.

"Is that all you care about...jeopardizing your
future with him? What about the future we could have together if
you just gave us a chance?"

I stumble on my heels as I absorb everything he just
asked me, but with my head held high I walk back inside to find
Caleb, ignoring Noah's questions.

My eyes are blurry from the tears I'm desperately
trying to hold back and my head is foggy from the emotional
disaster I've put myself in, when I run into someone as soon as I'm
back inside the golf club.

When I look up there's a stunning woman in front of
me. Her hair is a pile of wild long tresses of unending curls, yet
it seems perfectly tame. She looks like she just walked out of a
shampoo commercial. Her lips are perfectly plump, and her face and
body are flawless. She smiles a perfect, toothy grin with her
pearly white teeth and I'm trying to place her, but I've never seen
her before. Why is that since this is my engagement party? I should
recognize my guests.

"Skye! You look beautiful tonight," she greets me,
clearly knowing exactly who I am. When I eye her, clearly confused,
she introduces herself. "I'm Paula. I work with Caleb."

It takes a split second to put the name and face
together.

This is Paula? This is Caleb's work
-
wife? She's...gorgeous. She's
physically flawless from head to toe. In my head I pictured her
twenty years older, several inches shorter, and with a little more
weight on her. Caleb said he invited a few work friends but I never
expected him to invite Paula.

"Hi, Paula," I say smiling, holding back from
grinding my teeth at the small amount of jealousy I feel right now.
Caleb could have told me she was a knock
-
out. "It's so nice to meet you." I extend
my hand to her but she wraps her arms around me instead and hugs me
in a friendly embrace.

“This party is beautiful. You did such a great job
organizing it."

As I mumble out my thanks and pull out of her
embrace, my nostrils are assaulted with the strong scent of
coconut. It must be a lotion or perfume she's wearing, or maybe
part of a body spray, but that's not why my body stiffens and I
feel like I've been punched in the gut. They say your memory is
your strongest tool and I believe that because my memory brings me
back to the last time I smelled that scent–two months ago when
Caleb came home from work. He was covered in the scent of
c
oconut and I dumbly
assumed it had to do with the smoothie he drank.

Were Kendall and Noah right? Was I that blinded by
the lies Caleb told me that I missed all the signs that were right
in front of me? Suddenly
,
I begin to doubt every word Caleb's ever said to
me. The only way for him to have smelt this much like her is if
they were close enough to be rubbing against each other–being
intimate. It's so clear now. The only thing I don't understand is
why she lied for him.

We're standing about a foot apart and I lift my chin
confidently, arching my shoulders back and looking her straight in
the eyes. I state my next words as a fact, not a question. "So it
is true. You're sleeping with Caleb."

Her cheery disposition vanishes as her perfect smile
is replaced with an indifferent grin. "It doesn't mean anything,
Skye. It's just sex."

She's not even trying to deny it. Here she is,
standing in front of me at my engagement party, and she doesn't
seem to have a remorseful bone in her body for sleeping with my
fiancé.

Oh God...why didn't I put it together before? She
said it in her texts that night I found out about her. She never
wanted a relationship with Caleb. She just wanted sex. Of course
she'd lie for him. He probably called her ahead of time to warn her
she might have to lie for him.

How could I have been so stupid to miss all of
this?

"Skye, Caleb loves you. What he and I have is purely
sexual. We're...scratching an itch because we're physically
attracted to each other, but he goes home to you because he loves
you–"

"Get. Out." My voice is harsh as the two words
venomously pass my lips.

"Skye," she pleas.

"Now!" This time my voice is raised as my shout
echoes out across the room. Several heads turn our way but
thankfully Paula has enough sense to leave before making an even
bigger scene.

She turns in her high stiletto heels and marches her
perfect figure away from me and towards the front of the golf club.
Several people are still watching me and I smile at them, hoping it
will be enough for them to go back to whatever they were doing
before.

As I take in a few deep breaths to compose
myself
,
my eyes meet Caleb
’
s from across the room and
immediately my smile fades...and he looks terrified. He begins to
walk towards me so I quickly turn around and head back outside,
forgetting Noah is still out here from before. He's leaning against
the railing and looking out across the golf course when he hears my
heels on the patio and turns around.

The tears I've been trying to hold back all night,
tears for Noah and what could have been, and now tears for Caleb,
finally fall. I can no longer hold back my sadness.

"Skye? Are you okay?" Noah begins to walk towards me
when the door opens again and Caleb enters the patio.

"Skye, let me explain," Caleb begs. When he spots
Noah he suddenly stops.

Noah's eyes flicker from me to Caleb, and then back
to me as I sob uncontrollably. Then he's no longer in front of me
as he rushes towards Caleb. "You stupid motherfucker!"

His fist collides with Caleb's pale cheek and Caleb
stumbles backward, unsteady on his feet. "What the fuck, man?"

"What did you do to her?" Noah's voice comes out low
and rough. It's scary enough to have me a little worried for
Caleb.

"I didn't do anything, Noah. Mind your own fucking
business." Caleb's voice comes out muffled as he holds on to his
cheek.

Noah ignores Caleb's request and gets back in his
face. He grips Caleb's dress shirt in his fist and shoves him back
against the brick wall of the building. "She's fucking crying at
her own engagement party and then you come out after her, begging
her to hear you out. You did something and I want to know
what."