Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(29)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Shalan plopped down on the bed just as her phone began to ring on the nightstand. She reached over and looked at the number, rolling her eyes, before placing it back down. “Leave it to him to screw up my mood.”

“Who? Your ex?”

“Yeah.”

I grabbed the phone and answered the call before she could say anything. It was none of my business, but I knew from experience that the relationship was over. She was fragile, and would probably take him back as soon as she got home. Feeling somewhat protective of my new friend, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

While she struggled to take the phone from me, I started to talk.

“Hello?”

“Who the f**k is this?”

“The name’s Noah, not that it’s any of your business. You lost the right to ask when you f**ked Shalan’s friend.”

“Screw you. You don’t know shit. Put her on the phone, before this gets ugly.”

She was still trying to get the phone from me. I rolled my eyes and put him on speaker, thinking she’d say something, but she didn’t.

“Give me one reason why she would want to hear a single word out of your mouth.”

“You tell that bitch to get on the phone or I’ll make sure she goes to jail for what she’s done.”

Shalan started to cry. My patience was wearing thin before, but hearing his threats sent me over the edge. “Listen here. You’re goin’ to lose this number if you know what’s good for you. Shalan didn’t do nothin’ that you didn’t deserve. If you press charges against her, you best watch your back from now until eternity, because if I f**kin’ find you, you’ll wish you were never born.”

“Give me a break. Are you for real? I will –.”

I hung up before he could say anything else. Shalan fell down on the bed and began to cry harder. It made me regret doing it. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t let you listen to anything that dick had to say. You deserve better.” I sat down beside her and looked toward the other bed. “You’re too good for someone like him. Hell, you’re too good for me, even.”

I turned to look in her direction and saw that she was looking right at me. “Don’t say that. You’ve done nothing but be nice to me since we met. I wouldn’t even be in this hotel room if it wasn’t for you. No matter what you’ve done in the past doesn’t matter to me. You’re a good man, Noah. You’re so lucky. You come from a good family and you have so much to be thankful for. I’ve got nothing to show for. I’m all alone, and somehow this gig is the most important thing in my life. How pathetic is that? I’m not crying because of him. I’m crying because there’s nothing left for me to live for.”

I wiped her tears and refused to allow her to belittle herself. “Don’t even say that. Look at me, Shalan.” I waited for her to do as I told her. “Don’t ever say that again. If I hadn’t met you, I’d be well into Canada right now, refusing to speak to my family still. I didn’t just bring you along for company. I suppose I did it because I wanted to protect you, even when I knew nothin’ about you. Now I don’t know much about women, but I know myself. I wouldn’t do that, if I didn’t think you were special. Now, dry those eyes and stop feelin’ sorry for yourself. You and I are going to get out on that stage tonight and make sure everyone there sees what I see when I look into those eyes, and when I hear that voice of yours.”

Through her tears she smiled and reached her hand over to put it on top of mine. “Thank you.”

“I mean it about those tears. Don’t let me see them again. You’re too damn pretty to be upset.”

She put her head back down on the pillow, constantly sniffling while she calmed down. I started to pull my hand away and get up, but she grabbed it and pulled me back down on the bed. “Don’t go.”

I knew what I was doing. It had become apparent when I’d saved her, brought her with me, took her around town, and then protected her. I liked Shalan and I wanted to be close to her. I didn’t leave my life behind to start up some relationship. Sex was expected, but this was something else. I climbed under the covers with her and wrapped my arm around her body, pulling her onto my chest. As much as I wanted to lean forward and kiss her, I knew it wasn’t the right place or time. She needed a friend and so did I. Everything else was going to have to wait.

Noah

When I woke up and realized that we’d both fallen asleep, I turned and checked the window to make sure it was still light outside. If we’d slept through our gig, Shalan would have freaked out. Feeling like I had time to relax, I turned my attention to the beautiful woman asleep against my chest. A couple of days was all we’d known each other, but I knew more about her than I had my last two girlfriends.

I think getting away from the ranch had given me some space to live for myself instead of what everyone else expected out of me. I had time to take in new things, especially when it was a woman as gorgeous as Shalan.

Her life had been so filled with pain, and I’d never be able to understand how being kind to someone would spark what was happening between us. Maybe it was the fact that our mother’s had both suffered from cancer. Perhaps I felt sorry because mine lived while her mother didn’t. Maybe I felt connected to her because my birth mother had also died. It was even possible that I felt so sorry for her that treating her kind was the least I could do.

All I knew was that I wanted her to feel safe, even if it were a temporary thing. She didn’t need to worry about where she was going to rest her head, or if she’d had enough money to get something to eat. Her hardships could be ignored while she was with me and it was certainly my pleasure to do it. The more time I spent with Shalan, the less I thought about my problems at home, and how they were still going to be waiting for me when I got back.

Then of course there was that urge to have her. There was no denying how attracted I was to her, but it was more than that. While we’d been together I’d gotten so caught up in her that I’d forgotten about everything else. Sure, it was still on my mind, but not like it should have been. While my parents thought I was out learning a lesson, I was in the city, fooling around with a woman that I’d just met.

To make matters worse, I couldn’t remember feeling so free and alive. Sure, she was running from something, and maybe I was too, but together we were good.

Shalan stirred and looked over at me. “How long were we asleep?”