Free True Loves (A Collection of Firsts) by Michelle A. Valentine Page B

Noel grabs the beer out of my hands and chucks it in a nearby trash can. “I told you not to take drinks from anyone but me.”
    “You’re infuriating. You know that?” I jump off the stool and head toward the exit, but he grabs my arm. “Let me go.”
    He shakes his head. “You want to leave? Then we’ll go together.”
    I yank away. “Fine. Let’s go then.”
    Mike holds the crowd off so we can hop into the SUV. Noel slams the door shut, and the vehicle quivers a little. His mouth pulls into a tight line, and he runs his fingers through his hair. He seems frustrated.
    I know the feeling.
    Neither of us speaks the entire ride back to Big Bertha. The minute we step onto the bus, Noel flops down in the sitting area near the door and picks up his guitar. He strums out random chords and does his best not to make eye contact with me.
    After about twenty seconds, I finally get that he’s not going to talk about what happened and why he feels as though he has the right to dictate who I talk to. A harsh breath escapes me, and I storm into the bedroom. I take off my top then grab an oversized T-shirt and yank it over my head. Where does he get off being such an asshole? If he doesn’t want me here, he shouldn’t have made it mandatory for me to come.
    I go into the bathroom without a glance in Noel’s direction to scrub the makeup from my face and get ready for bed. I tug a brush through my unruly, dark waves and pull it up into a high bun. When I return to the bedroom, I freeze in the doorway. Noel lies on the bed with his arms tucked behind his head. From the waist down, he’s under the covers, but the rest of him is on full display. The tattoos on his naked chest and arms are beautiful. They make him look so anti-authority and bad-boyish. I wish it wasn’t so ridiculously sexy.
    I throw up my hands. “Hello? What are you doing back here?”
    He furrows his eyebrows as if I’m not speaking English. “What do you mean, why am I back here? It’s my room.”
    I fold my arms over my chest. “Yes, but when you told me earlier that I’d be sleeping in your bed, I didn’t think you meant with you in it.”
    Noel shrugs. “I told you there wasn’t any room in the foxholes. I thought I made the sleeping arrangements very clear.”
    “I’m not sleeping back here with you!”
    He raises an eyebrow. “If you want to sleep on one of the seats out front, be my guest. But I warn you, the guys never come home alone, and most of the action takes place right up front.”
    I turn and peer down the hall at the two swivel seats and tiny love seat. No way do I want to witness the guys’ sexual escapades. I sigh and drop my arms. “Fine. But so help me, if you touch me, I’ll punch you square in the balls.”
    He laughs and pats the spot beside him. “I’ll be a gentleman. I promise.”
    I walk over and slide under the covers next to Noel. The full-size bed doesn’t leave much space between us, so I scoot as close to the edge as I can get and roll on my side away from him. The light flicks off, and the bed shakes as Noel settles down on his pillow. It’s quiet. Too quiet actually. With nothing to distract me, all I can think about is how close his body is to mine. If I wanted, I could roll over and have amazing sex with him.
    I tuck the cover around me and close my eyes. Right before I drift into sleep, Noel says, “I’m sorry about tonight. I shouldn’t allow myself to get so jealous. You’re a hard one to let go.”
    My heart pounds and I’m fully awake. I could say a million things to him. But if I’m not careful, one sentence will either piss him off or turn him on. Neither of those would be a good thing. We lay there in silence because I can’t bring myself to say anything. Noel eventually takes the hint and lets out a heavy sigh. He turns over and doesn’t speak a single word.

11
    M y cell rings on the small nightstand, and my eyes pop open. Relief engulfs me when I roll over and see the other half of the