Internal Fixation - Tawdra Kandle Page 0,14
have a problem with it, except that Roxy said I’ll have to be careful afterwards, because I’ll have that higher profile we were talking about. People will recognize me more, and so I need to make sure I’m acting professional.”
“Ah.” I got it now. “So the upshot of this is that if you do the interview, we won’t be able to hang out for a little while.” That stung, but I could deal with it. Noah had been an incredible friend to me. This was the least I could do for him.
“We don’t have to stop seeing each other.” He hesitated. “As friends, I mean. We just have to make sure we’re not in public quite so much. But just for a little while, and then people will forget and be focused on someone else, and life can go back to normal for both of us.”
“Sure.” I managed a cheery nod. “That makes sense.” I took a deep breath. “Maybe we should re-think me coming over for the game on Monday. If the interview airs that night, you’re going to be the center of attention after the game. I don’t want to be a complication.”
“You could never be that.” Noah scowled. “Not at all. I’ve been looking forward to you coming to that game, and I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t. My parents are going to be there, too, and it’s not like we’ll be hanging out together—I’ll be busy, you know . . . playing football. You’ll be up in the box reserved for family.”
My gut reaction was to push the issue, to tell Noah this was a bad idea. His family being there wasn’t necessarily going to make my presence easier; it might actually make some gossips think we were in a serious relationship. Meeting the folks wasn’t something that happened between two people who were seeing each other casually. But maybe this was a point that a guy wasn’t likely to understand. The idea of trying to explain it to Noah twisted my stomach, because I was afraid it could sound as though I was pushing him to change what was between us, to make it more than it was.
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll be there. As long as you don’t think it’s going to make the situation uncomfortable for you.”
“Never. My parents are looking forward to seeing you again. The interview crap will be manageable after it’s over. But it’s another reason why I definitely can’t stay here tonight.” Noah stood up, picking up his beer bottle and carrying it into the nearby kitchen to chuck into the recycling container. “We don’t want to raise eyebrows before the interview. If there was talk about us, the reporter doing my story might feel compelled to bring it up on air. That’s something neither of us needs.”
“I agree with you.” I rose to my feet, too, curling my toes over the edge of the brightly colored braided rug Anna had made for me. “It’s for the best, anyway. Like you said, this sofa wouldn’t cut it for you to sleep on, and as much as I love you, I’m not giving up my brand-new bed for you on the first night in my new home.”
Noah chuckled. “I would never ask you to do that.” He stretched his back, his entire body turning into one huge, long, quivering muscle and making me want to whimper with need. He was just so damn . . . hot. I scolded all of my deprived lady parts and instructed them that they needed to simmer down.
“Thanks for the beer, Em. Guess I’ll see you . . .” He cocked an eyebrow. “This weekend? Since I have the bye, I’ll have extra time on my hands. We can work on whatever you haven’t finished here yet.”
I twisted my fingers. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow or the day after, okay? I might need to go into the hospital to catch up after being off this week. I’m planning to pop in when I can, but you know me. I get twitchy when I’m away from the place too long.”
“Yeah, I know you,” he echoed my words and then cleared his throat. “All right. We’ll talk later.” He bent down to brush a kiss on my cheek—our customary farewell—before he wrapped me into a tight hug.
Noah’s hugs were my happy place these days. I loved to feel his arms around me, to revel in that sense of complete protection and safety. It was