Fractured Trust by L. M. Dalgleish

Chapter 25

Summer laughed at a funny story Lexie was telling her and Eden. The alcohol buzzing in her veins left her mellow and relaxed as she sat at the high round table with the two women. She glanced over at Noah, where he was sitting on a couch with Connor and Tex. He was mid-laugh at whatever Connor was telling him, and something warm spread like molasses through her chest. A smile curved her lips and when she turned her eyes back to the women sitting next to her, she caught their shared grin.

She groaned to herself; she was doing a terrible job at keeping control of her feelings. Did she look as lovesick as she felt? Almost as if she could feel his gaze on her, Summer’s eyes were pulled back in his direction. This time, however, two gorgeous, barely dressed women were standing in front of him, blocking her view. One of them held a phone out, and Summer guessed they were asking for a photo. She tried not to tense as the two of them dropped onto the seat on either side of him. He put his arms around their shoulders, and they both leaned in, breasts practically popping out of their tops. Anxiety scratched persistently at her chest, but she did her best to tamp it down. When the girl not holding the phone placed her hand on Noah’s chest and her head on his shoulder, making it look like they could be lovers, rather than complete strangers, the prickle behind her eyes told her she was losing the fight.

There’s only so much temptation a man can take…The words clawed at her.

Summer looked down at her glass and played with her straw as she concentrated on breathing in and out. She was being ridiculous; she knew she was. Noah had done absolutely nothing to make her doubt him. And yet… She swallowed hard. This was why she couldn’t be with Noah long term. She could barely handle seeing him taking a photo with a couple of fans at a club, she’d never be able to deal with what she knew things would be like when he was on tour.

The warmth of the alcohol fading, Summer raised her eyes back up and met Eden’s gaze. The crease between her friend’s brows let her know she’d seen her reaction, and her cheeks burned. Tex was over there with Noah, getting the same treatment from interested women, and yet Eden didn’t seem worried. How did she do it? How did Lexie? And why, why couldn’t she?

Eden took a delicate sip from her glass, then put it back down on the table. “So, you can tell me to mind my own business if you like, but can I just say something?”

Summer nodded, and Eden continued.

“Noah is my brother, but I’m not being biased when I say he’s one of the best men out there. He’s loyal to a fault and when he loves, he loves with his whole heart. He would never do anything to hurt someone he loves.”

Summer expelled a breath. Everything Eden said was true, Noah was all those things, and taking photos with fans was part of his job. She was being irrational, as always. If only knowing it and stopping it was the same thing. She’d already wasted so much of the time she could have had with Noah because of her fear, she couldn’t bear the thought of wasting this time too. Particularly when there might not be much of it left.

Summer gave her two new friends a genuine, if small, smile, counting herself lucky to have them in her life. She hoped she’d get to keep them whenever this thing between her and Noah ended.

Noah.

Her eyes turned back to him, only to find the girls gone and his gaze focused on her, his eyes shadowed, jaw tense. She hoped he hadn’t seen her moment of insecurity; it would hurt him, and she didn’t want to hurt him anymore than she already had. She just wanted him. She wanted all she could get of him until she couldn’t have him anymore. So, she let everything she felt for him—let eleven years of wanting him even though she knew she shouldn’t—show in her smile and watched as the tension left his face and his eyes heated.

She was pretty sure Tex was in the middle of talking to him when he stood abruptly and stalked forward. Summer’s heart rate accelerated as he came for her, and for once she let herself revel in it, shoved down the voice in her head telling her she’d never be enough. He’s mine. Tonight, I’m the only one he wants.

When he reached her, he didn’t look at Lexie or his sister. Just her. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and leaned toward her. “Dance with me, Sunshine.” His low voice sent shivers through her, and she nodded, sliding off her chair and giving the two other women a single wide-eyed look before he pulled her after him. When they got to the small VIP section dance floor, he pulled her against him, his large hands on her hips holding her close, her arms wrapping around his waist.

For a while, they just swayed there together. Their hearts beating in time, their breaths synchronizing. Summer lost herself in the warmth of his body against hers, the hardness of his muscles under her hands, the security that filled her right then, and wished they could stay in that moment forever.

One of his hands left her hip and trailed up along her waist, skimmed the side of her breast, skated over her collarbone and up her neck until his palm was cupping her face, his thumb under her chin tipping her head back. She stared up at him, at his eyes bright with an emotion she couldn’t quite read.

His jaw firmed, resolution tightening his features. “Summer…” he murmured, and she was suddenly frightened. Frightened that he was going to say something she couldn’t bear to hear. That he loved her. That he wanted this to be something permanent. Or the opposite. That this was never going to work. That they needed to end it.

So instead of letting him say any more, she rose to her tiptoes and slanted her mouth across his, unlocked her arms from around his waist, and buried her fingers in his hair, tugging as if she could somehow bring him closer than he already was. Noah groaned, his tongue flicking out to skim her lips, and she opened for him. Wanted his invasion, wanted him to claim every part of her, so that one day she could look back without the pain and anger that had clouded her memories for the last eleven years and say that she had been his. Right now, she was his, and he was hers and no one, not even her, could take that away.

When she finally broke the kiss and sank back down on her heels, Noah’s eyes were blazing, the hard length of him pushing against her stomach. She spoke before he could remember what he might have been about to say. “Take me home, Noah. I need you, please take me home.”

A shadow flashed across his eyes, and she wondered if he suspected that she’d tried to distract him. But it wasn’t a lie. She did need him. She hurt with how badly she needed him. And he must have seen it because he said nothing, just pressed his lips hard against hers one more time, then clasped her hand and led her off the dance floor.