Free Never Have I Ever by August Clearwing Page A

a statement more than a question.
    “Several as a matter of fact, and licensed for all of them. Including concealed carry,” he noted. It was then removed from his belt and placed on the island in the kitchen. “Does that make you nervous?”
    Only a lot.
    “From what I’ve seen, guns cause more problems than they solve is all.”
    “When placed in the hands of idiots you are absolutely right. Have you ever fired one?”
    “No,” and I left it at that. I harbored no desire to do so, either.
    He popped open the cork on the wine bottle. “I’ll have to take you to the range sometime.”
    I tried to focus on something else, lest I make an awkward conversation even more awkward. I chose the city. I took the step into the living room and walked along the edge of the window. Then I tried not to look down, but out. This must have been painfully awful during earthquakes.
    “What a spectacular view,” I said.
    “It really is. You should see it at sunset. The city actually shimmers.”
    I set my purse on the coffee table when I passed it by. The sound of moving wine glasses came from the kitchen, but my eyes were trained on the mantle and the pictures there. Friends and relatives and businessmen and women, none of whom I ever met or even recognized, filled the images.
    One stood out in particular.
    The woman in the picture was alone. It was a professional shot, though the photo itself was candid. She was in the process of moving her long brown hair out of her heart-shaped face during a gust of wind. And she was laughing, white teeth showing behind plump peach lips. Her dark eyes were half closed with the effort of the laugh. She looked like she could’ve been a model with her prominent cheek bones and a thin chin. I felt the urge to smile back at her.
    “Oh wow, who’s this?”
    Noah left the kitchen with two half-filled wine glasses in his hands. “That’s, ah… that’s Selene.”
    “She’s beautiful,” I said. And I meant it without a lick of jealousy.
    He was behind me now, my back touching his chest as he brought his arm around to present me a glass of wine while I looked at the picture.
    “She is the aforementioned four month stint.”
    “Oh. What happened, may I ask?”
    He pushed my hair over my left shoulder, exposing the back of my neck to him. “Of course you can ask.” His lips brushed against my skin and his voice became a little more sullen. “She left me. And then she died.”
    I turned around and placed my hand on his chest to push him back a little and look him in the eyes. My brow knitted together in a cocktail of interest, apology and concern.
    He added quickly, “The latter was not a result of the former, I assure you.”
    I shook my head, struggling to voice my thoughts. I hadn’t meant the action as an implication. “No, that—sorry, I didn’t mean for you to think that. I mean, you obviously cared for her. You still have her picture up even after she left you.”
    “In the end I cared for her, but she didn’t care for me. I don’t get along with everyone I meet, you know.”
    “I find that hard to believe, Noah. You’re all-around charming and sweet and, let’s face it, unbelievably handsome and—”
    “And rich,” he said point-blank.
    “I was going to say not at all a dick, unlike most guys I get to know through Declan.”
    “The fact that you haven’t commented on it all night has just been driving me crazy. Between my car, the piano bar and my apartment most women would have said something by now.”
    I chuckled. “Hey, I agreed to go for a drink with you before I knew this much about you, remember? Besides, I’m not going to be so crass as to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
    “That’s what I like about you.” Noah closed the short gap between us until our bodies were touching. The action made me pull my hand away from him just as I felt his free arm wrap around to the small of my back. His face was stoic, but his eyes reflected the exhilaration of a lion