“Hell, no. She’s a great woman. We have fun together.” He tossed his cards back at the dealer along with a gratuity and she tipped an invisible hat to him in thanks.
Half a dozen hands later, Noah realized Brent wasn’t the pushover he’d assumed when it came to poker. The man was up almost as much as Noah, and even though the actual betting amounts were kept low, he found Brent’s skill annoying.
Gone was the man who exuded emotion, and before him now was one who actually seemed to know how to keep his cool. The transformation was unsettling.
The waitress dropped off the table’s latest rounds of drinks, and finally, Noah put his finger on the difference.
“Not drinking tonight, Brent?” he asked over the steady murmur of voices that grew louder with every round of drinks.
Brent eyed him over his hand. “I never drink while gambling. I like to keep a clear head.”
Noah murmured in approval but watched Brent carefully for the rest of the night. Alice’s shock at Brent’s behavior finally made sense. The man hid his snakeskin under a charming facade. Knowing what lurked just beneath the surface, Noah could still pinpoint the cruel glint in his eye. But if he’d met this man first—the man with the clear head—Brent might have even fooled him. For a short while, anyway.
Time seemed to tick by in slow motion as he watched the handsome man play hand after hand, winning far more often than he lost. If confronted by this man, would Alice believe the facade? Fall for Brent again? Surely not. She’d seen behind the mask and Alice was a smart woman.
But she’d been with him for years before seeing Brent with her best friend. Something about the man appealed to her. Got to her. Could he snake his way back into her life? With greater certainty than he should have felt, Noah was quite sure that was exactly what Brent planned to do.
Over his dead body.
He beat Alice back to the cabin after the party. And from the way she’d stumbled into the room giggling and smelling strongly of appletinis, he suspected the bachelorette party had been a lot more fun than the low-key gambling of the bachelor party. But when he’d asked, even as tipsy as she was, she’d solemnly told him that her lips were sealed.
She fell asleep quickly, while his mind still whirred with thoughts. He nodded off to the rhythm of her heartbeat and the sound of her steady breathing.
They slept late the next morning and spent a lazy day relaxing around the ship. Alice hit up the spa with her sister again while Noah met Jake for an early lunch. Shortly before dinner, he returned to the room and showered.
He exited the bathroom and the sight of her hit him like running into a brick wall. The spa had agreed with her. She was stunning, in a flowing skirt that hit a couple of inches above her knees, and short-heeled sandals that accentuated her pretty toes and perfectly-formed calves. Her hair flowed around her shoulders, and pretty curls bounced around her face.
And he did his best to ignore the scoop neck of her blouse. The light material made it look like it would be all too easy to feel her body through it. To touch her breasts, which the low neck displayed clearly.
He dragged his gaze away before his attraction revealed itself in a most embarrassing way. A set of curlers sat on the nightstand next to the bed.
“They didn’t do your hair at the spa?”
She glanced back at the curlers. “I just wanted a little bounce—they flat-ironed it at the salon. We stopped by the gift shop. You like the sandals?” She pointed at her wiggling toes.
“Nice. Ready to go?” he asked, voice gruff. He swallowed hard. Get a grip.
“I’m ready,” she said. “You look nice, by the way,” she added, voice soft.
He didn’t dare glance her way. “Thanks. You, too.”
Dinner was a larger affair than the night before. They’d chosen a different restaurant—this one specializing in Asian cuisine—but the ambiance was much the same. Despite the large number of people, the space resonated a hum of conversation, but he could still clearly hear their dinner companions. And even more impressive, his companions could hear him without vampire senses.
He casually noted Brent and Kristen were not in attendance and Cindy replied that they’d be joining later.
“So tell us about yourself, Noah,” Edna said, warm smile on her face. He found himself smiling back, and some of the tension he’d carried since being reminded of how good Alice could look faded away.
Something about Alice’s mother made him feel comfortable, even as she pressed him for information about himself. An odd sensation. He would have attributed it to be a simple mother thing, but she was nothing like his mother had been. They were very different women. Of course, how could they not be, with centuries between them?
“I’m not sure what there is to tell,” he said, finally. He had a prepared background, of course. One that would withstand a good deal of scrutiny if a person was curious—or suspicious—enough to check it out. But he hesitated to lie to Edna.
“Well, start at the beginning, why don’t you? Where are you from, dear?”
“I’m originally from New York,” he said, the lie leaving a heavy weight on his tongue. “But I’ve lived in California for the last decade.”
“What brought you out here?”
“Work,” he said, and that much was the truth.
“Oh?” Alice asked. “You don’t seem to keep a regular work schedule.”
Edna shot her a considering look, before returning her gaze to Noah.
He suppressed a grimace. Alice had just revealed—to anyone who was paying close enough attention—that she didn’t know him well enough to call him her boyfriend. And he got the feeling Edna always paid very close attention to her daughters.
But a pleasant feeling filled his chest. How closely had Alice been observing him? Had she secretly watched him over the years like he had her? “My work involves importing and exporting with several Asian countries. I tend to keep their business hours, which keeps me up most nights working. The in-person meetings I attend locally only happen occasionally.”
“How fascinating,” Edna said. “What kinds of things do you import?”
“High-end antiquities, for the most part. Although, I’ve brokered deals for less exciting products as well.”
Edna rattled off a few other questions, and hearing the topic of discussion, the rest of the table asked about his business as well. He was suddenly thankful his line of work was one that could be shared. He had a feeling that even he would have been thrown by some of the odd details they’d asked if he hadn’t actually worked in his field.
“Have you ever been married?” Edna asked, after a barrage of questions from Cindy that seemed to suggest she thought he might be bringing in antiquities that were stolen from long lost emperors.
He blinked at her. And the truth spilled out of him before he could think better of it. “Once.”
Alice went suddenly still next to him, and Edna’s eyes blazed with triumph. And he suddenly wondered if the barrage of seemingly ordinary questions had been designed to butter him up to reveal the truth of this one.
“You were married?” Alice asked, voice soft.
“Yes,” he said, simply. “It didn’t work out.” And that was all he was going to say about it.
To his surprise, no one pressed him for more information and the conversation turned to Cindy and Robert, with suggestions from Edna that news of a grandbaby would be a fabulous Christmas present.
Robert, with his obsession with sports, already had names picked out for any boys. All of them were for his favorite sports heroes. Cindy seemed determined to have girls only, because boys, she said, were far too much trouble. But she smiled softly at Robert when she said it, the love between them plain for the world to see.
Happy the pressure had moved from him, Noah finished his meal, silently watching the family around him. Their love for each other was obvious. Did they know how lucky they were?
“Share a dessert with me?” Alice asked after the meal had concluded.
“Sure,” he said.
The waitress brought them a giant piece of cheesecake that Alice eyed as though it were the first bit of food she’d seen after a week on a desert island. He managed a single bite before she finished the whole thing.
“So much for sharing,” he told her quietly.
She grinned at him. “It’s cheesecake. Not my fault if you can’t eat fast enough to get your share.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yup. It’s every man for himself when it comes to dessert.” Her eyes glittered with mischief in the ambient light as she smiled sideways at him like a little girl hiding something behind her back. As uncomfortable as he was with the feelings she stirred in him, he couldn’t tear his gaze from her. She licked her fork and he followed the movement with his eyes, mesmerized. God, that tongue. His jeans grew tighter, and he took a deep breath.
“I can tell you’re an only child,” she added.
“Can you?” If she kept licking that fork he’d have to kiss her. Drag her off to the room and taste her. Did she have any idea how sexy she was?
“You don’t know how to fight for your food.”
He didn’t reply, only half hearing her words as he watched her clean the fork. Finally, she set the utensil down, and he flip-flopped between being thankful and utterly disappointed. If he needed to fight for anything, it was for keeping his hands off Alice.
“Are you guys ready?” Cindy asked, and he yanked his attention away from Alice to focus on her sister. Half the table was already up from their chairs, and Cindy leaned over the table to address them, her expression laced with amusement.
“Ready for what?” he asked, smiling nervously and knowing he wasn’t going to like her response. She looked far too excited for his comfort level.
“Salsa dancing,” Cindy replied, her smile growing to envelop her face. Noah felt his face fall as his heart began to race.
Dancing. Of course. Just what he needed to keep his hands off of Alice.