Chapter 14: Chapter 14

After packing all his stuff up onto the back of the truck, Noah walked around it. "Are we all gonna fit in your truck?"

"Hector's not," Abel said, walking to the cab of the truck.

"Hey! Why me?" Hector stalked around the truck toward Abel. "I helped too. I wanna check out Noah's new place!"

"Then jump in the back if you wanna be nosey." Abel opened the driver's side door. "'Cause you don't fit in the front."

Hector thought about it for a moment then grudgingly jumped in the back. Great. Noah was hoping he'd pass on the possible soaking he'd be getting if the clouds burst as they seemed to be threatening to any minute now. None of his friends were known for being reserved or shy around women, but Hector, being the youngest and especially immature, was known to be the loudest. The last thing he wanted was for him to say anything that would make Veronica any more uneasy about their arrangement than he suspected she already was.

Fortunately for Hector, the clouds had mercy on him. Though they looked like they were ready to burst, the guys made it to Roni's house without so much as a sprinkle.

Roni walked out onto the porch just as they all got out of the truck. "Do you need me to open the garage for you?"

Noah glanced up as the rest of the guys did too. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a soft pink sweatshirt, and she wore fuzzy matching pink boots. No way did she look even close to twenty-eight. She walked to the end of the porch, stopping at the railing, and leaned on it.

"Yeah, actually. I'll put most of my stuff in there for now. I can move it in later when it's not threatening to come down like it is now." Noah forced himself to look away from her and glance up at the dark clouds. Getting used to seeing her out of her workout clothes was one thing but that hair. The humidity had tightened the curls even more than they were this morning. Long tight ringlets of dark hair hung down the sides of her cheeks, clashing against her pale skin, making that smile of hers even sweeter now. That gave Noah even more reason to question whether moving in with her was such a great idea.

"I'll go open it for you then." She walked back in the house.

"Whoa." Abel said. "That can't be the same lady from the gym, Noah."

Noah's jaw tightened as he walked toward the back of the truck. "Yeah, it is."

When he looked up at Abel, he seemed to be still in shock. "Tell me you're tapping that. Because if you're not, I could—"

Noah threw the rope he'd untied at him. "Dude!" He glanced back to make sure Roni wasn't within listening distance anymore. "Will you shut up! And don't go saying anything stupid in front of her either. Roni's kind of reserved, and she's my roommate now, so can you be cool?"

Abel laughed. "Relax. I'm just having a little fun."

Gio was staring at Noah now. "Roni?"

"Veronica," Noah said quickly.

"But you called her 'Roni,'" Hector said.

"It's Veronica." Noah snapped, his patience thinning by the second. "Now stop worrying about her and grab something, will ya? It's about to start pouring."

They were able to get everything in the garage and a few totes that Noah would need immediately in the house before it really started coming down. They still stood in the garage talking.

Noah's original plan had been to buy these guys lunch as a thanks for having helped him move his things, but with it pouring the way it was now that would mean Hector would be assed out and get soaked riding around in the back of Abel's pick up. It didn't seem fair when Noah could just stay home and let him take his place in the cab.

The back door to the house opened and Roni stuck her head out. "You boys want something to drink? I could make coffee or hot chocolate."

Abel chuckled. Noah knew what he was thinking. Coffee or hot chocolate was probably the last choice of drink for any of them.. They could all go for a beer right about now—even Hector. So before any of them could say anything, Noah spoke up. "Nah, they were just leaving." They all turned and looked at him, so he pulled a twenty and a five out of his pocket and handed it to Abel. "Thanks for helping me out today. Here go pick up a pizza and a six-pack. Enjoy it—on me."

Gio's scrutinizing eyes didn't go unnoticed. The way Noah was acting, they'd all be onto him soon, but Gio was probably already thinking it. He knew him better than anyone else did.

"What? You're not coming with?" Abel asked, taking the money.

Noah shook his head. "I gotta lot of unpacking to do. Then I still gotta go into the gym tonight." He flexed his arm. "Rain or shine, baby, can't stop training. Pretty soon, I'll be back in the ring."

Abel smirked, ignoring his comments about training and being back in the ring soon. "So how old is she?" He lifted his chin toward the back door Veronica had just closed. "She can't be much older than us, right? She doesn't look nearly as old as I thought she was that first day at the gym, and she's sure as hell a lot cuter than I remember. That voice is sexier than shit too. What is she twenty-one? Twenty-two?"

The unease he felt was unexpected. Noah himself didn't quite get what he'd begun to feel when he was around Veronica. What was even harder to understand was how territorial he suddenly felt. These were his good friends, and she was just his roommate—his client. But he didn't like how eagerly their eyes had watched her on the front porch, and he certainly didn't like Abel getting any ideas about her. Older than us? This was exactly why he'd decided to send them packing rather than order the pizza to be delivered there.

He didn't even realize he was glaring until Abel laughed. "What's with you today? This whole moving thing must really be getting to you. Will you relax? Looks like you got yourself a good little set up here."

Noah's attempts to try not to be so obvious were weak at best and he shrugged. "It's not the smartest thing to be asking a chick her age, so I don't know." He glanced at Gio, who lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

With Hector declaring he was starving, Noah would be rid of them in a matter of minutes, and he could finally lighten up. He'd only just then realized how tense he'd become.