Page 48

I slowed to a stop, sighing heavily. "I don't know, Leighton. What you did… It was really messed up. But you also saved me by beating a man to death. It's… I don't know. It's complicated."

"I'd murder anyone who wanted to hurt you, Victoria." Leighton replied.

He spoke my name with a sort of reverence I'd never heard from him before as if it wasn't already strange for him to call me something other than the pet name he'd given me the first time we met.

"VICTORIA BRISTOL GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" Tiffany's voice echoed up the stairs, saving me from having to respond to Leighton.

He grinned at me, gesturing for me to go ahead without another word, and I bolted halfway down the stairs. My steps slowed as I neared the bottom and entered the foyer. Tiffany was standing beside Noah, her arm looped through the arm of a woman I recognized from my work with the center. The newcomer would have seemed out of place with Tiffany anywhere else in her jeans, t-shirt, and ponytail. Contrary to what she liked to portray, Tiff wasn't shallow when it came to the appearance of others.

"There you are, bitch! Meet my date–"

"I know who she is," I beamed, closing the distance and reaching out to shake the other woman's hand. "GeorgialynnAnderson. I'm Victoria Bristol. You do quite a bit of work with some of the women who have children at the center."

Georgialynn grimaced. "Please, call me G.G.," she replied, shaking my hand. "I've always hated that my parents went full trailer park when naming me."

"Of course," I smiled. "My apologies. I just recognized you from several articles about your work. I'm honestly, really thrilled to meet you in person. I've been wanting to connect with you for ages about some ideas to do with your outreach work and the kids at the center."

"Well, if it isn't Princess Barbie," Leighton spoke, causing me to glance over my shoulder and find him coming down the last of the stairs. "And it looks like you brought a narc."

I turned my attention to Noah just in time to see his lip curl in disgust.

"Why don't we move into the great room? We can chat while we wait for dinner." I said quickly, hoping to break the sudden tension filling the foyer.

Noah moved to my side and slipped my arm through his. "Sounds like a plan to me."

He led me to the great room, leaving Tiff and G.G. to follow behind us. Leighton just grinned at him as we passed, waiting to fall into step beside Tiffany.

"Who's your friend?" I heard him ask Tiff.

I tuned out the introductions, but Leighton's sudden laughter caused me to glance over to them as I settled into one of the sofas in the great room.

"I'm shocked, Malibu Barbie. I wouldn't have ever guessed the low-key nerd thing did it for you."

Tiffany laughed, pulling G.G. to sit on the couch with me. "Well, crazy pants, I'm full of mysteries."

"Do you still keep the to-go menus in the kitchen?" Noah asked, clearly still uncomfortable with Leighton's presence.

"Yeah, but actually, Craig is cooking for us."

Tiffany squealed in excitement. "Oh my God, yes! The breakfast he made after we went out that one time was fucking orgasmic. I've been dying to find an excuse to make him cook for me again. Honestly, if I didn't love you so much, I'd fuck him just to have him obsessed with me enough to cook for me all the time. I still might if you don't soon."

I cut a hard look at her from the corner of my eye. I knew she was only joking, but the acrid rise in possessiveness struck me before I could stop it. It took only a second before I could school my features, but it was enough for her to catch it.

"Oh. My.God… Alright, alright. So he's off limits. Either way, this means I have an excuse for him to cook for me, too." Her grin was wide, and she elbowed me. "I don't play with other people's toys without permission. I have standards."

"Who are you trying to convince, Fashion Barbie?" Az's voice sounded amused from somewhere behind us. "Mercer."

"Casadei," Noah replied tersely.

Tiff flipped him off, rolling her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that was Craig playing withmytoys, anyway." Leighton grinned, causing my face to flush furiously.

Noah tensed, his eyes roving over me and taking in my response. His lips turned down in a pinched frown as Tiff playfully slapped my arm.

"You bitch, tell me everything!" Her eyes shot to Az, who'd rounded the couch and settled into an empty recliner. "Was it good? Better than the Az-hole?"

"The Princess fucking wishes she could crawl into my bed as easily as those three." Az growled, his fingers digging into the leather arms of his chair. "Unlike my friends, I have–"