through clenched teeth, but before I could take even one step, Noah Becker was standing in the space in front of us.
“Ruby Grace,” he mused, holding one of the red cups in his hands toward me.
“Noah,” I nearly seethed. I didn’t take the cup he offered. “We were just leaving.”
“We were just leaving,” Annie corrected, gesturing to her and Travis, who was a few yards away with his buddies now. “But, Ruby Grace, you were thinking of staying, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Noah smirked, first at Annie, then at me. “I saw you were empty handed. Thought I’d be a gentleman and bring you another beer.”
“That was so nice of you,” Annie said, practically melting in a cartoonish swoon.
I glared at her.
“I don’t drink beer,” I told Noah, my glare still on Annie.
“Oh, I didn’t realize. Is it a man’s drink, too?”
I rolled my eyes. “Honestly, yes. And it’s carby. I have a wedding dress to fit into.”
Noah kept his gaze on me, but the corner of his mouth twitched a little at that comment. “Suit yourself,” he said on a shrug. Then, he lifted the cup he’d been offering me to his lips and drained it in three clean swallows before he stacked the other full one inside the now empty one.
“Classy,” I mumbled.
“Thanks. One of my many party tricks.”
I waited for him to walk away, but he didn’t. He just stood there, one hand wrapped around that cup as his free one dipped inside the pocket of his faded blue jeans. I hated that I noticed the way they fit him, the way they hung off his hips, the edge of his brown belt just barely visible under the navy blue t-shirt he wore. It had a logo on it that I wasn’t familiar with, but combined with the low orange light of the fire, that shirt set off the cobalt in his blue-gray eyes in a mesmerizing way. His thick biceps strained against the fabric of the sleeves, and when I glanced at his face again, I realized he was checking me out, too.
His gaze was fixed on my legs.
I cleared my throat, crossing my arms over my chest as I shifted my weight. “Aren’t you a little old to be here?”
“Aren’t you a little young?” he countered, taking a sip of his beer as his eyes scanned the scene behind me like he was suddenly bored.
I scowled. “Look, if you came over here to berate me, feel free to leave.”
At that, his eyes snapped back to me. He pinned me with that gaze, like I was a child or his next target — which one, I couldn’t be sure.
“I came over here to bring you a beer,” he reminded me. “I was trying to be a gentleman, and I was going to apologize for upsetting you earlier this week at the distillery. But now, I’m not sure why I bothered.”
Noah shook his head, his shoulder brushing mine a bit as he walked past me with my mouth hanging open like a fish. I blinked several times, digesting what he’d said before my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Annie cringed. “I don’t think he’s being a creep, Ruby Grace,” she said as Noah walked away. “It seemed like he was trying to apologize. Maybe you should let him.”
I closed my eyes, letting out a long exhale before I turned, jogging after him. “Wait!”
He paused where he was, turning as I caught up to him. I swallowed when our eyes met again.
“I’m sorry,” I said, running my hands back through my hair before I let them hit my exposed thighs with a slap. “I didn’t mean to be so rude. It’s just…” My voice faded, and I had a laundry list of excuses I wanted to spew — about the stress of the wedding, the fact that my best friend had toted me to a party I didn’t even want to go to and then wanted to leave an hour in — but, I knew Noah Becker didn’t want to hear my problems, so I stopped there. “It’s just been a hell of a week.”
Noah nodded, waiting.
“Anyway,” I continued. “Thank you for the beer, even though I didn’t take it. And for apologizing for the distillery.” I paused again. “I guess I should probably apologize for that day, too.”
Noah tilted his head a little, his eyes curious. “So, are you going to?”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t you just not be a brat?”
He chuckled at that, sipping from his cup. “I don’t