Page 16 of When The Noise Stops

"Grizz!" She was up and moving before I could blink. She grabbed my hand. That sugar smell invaded my nose. She started pulling me through the crowd.

"There you are. I was wondering when you'd get home."

She didn't even pause to let me respond; she started introducing me.

"Everybody, this is Grizz. My neighbor. He looks mean, but he's nice," she tugged me toward a chair.

"Sit."

She gave me a little shove that didn't move me at all. I sat myself.

She climbed into my lap. My lungs seized and heat crept up my spine. Who gave her permission to be this audacious?

She just climbed right on me. Her ass pressed against me, warm enough to feel through the fabric of my jeans. She leaned back against my chest like I was her personal recliner. I could feel every inch of her. The curve of her spine. The softness of her thighs.

"What are you doing?" My voice came out low. Rough.

"Teaching everybody how to play spades," she reached for a deck of cards on the table.

I stared at the side of her face. That wasn't the question I was asking her. I had a feeling she knew that.

She looked back at me, innocent as anything.

"Grizz? You know how to play spades?"

"No," I lied, scared she might get up.

"It's okay. You can still be on my team," she started dealing.

"I'm gonna teach you."

"Lila—"

"Shh. I'm trying to concentrate."

Tiny was across the table, grinning like an idiot. Hawk was avoiding my eyes.

Lila reached back, without looking, and patted my chest.

"Relax," she said.

"You're all tense."

I didn't say anything. I just sat there. Let her deal the cards. Watched her explain the rules to Tiny, who was pretending not to understand. He had fucking stars in his eyes.

And I realized, somewhere between the second hand and the third, that I was smiling.

I stopped.

Chapter 6

Knox

The party wound down around midnight. I was still in the same chair she'd climbed into.

Everybody except my boys was gone. Lila said she was going to bed. That was after she kissed me on the cheek. My neck was still burning.

Hawk was quiet. That wasn't unusual. He kept looking at me.