Noah (5th Street series)

Chapter 18 - Part 1

As hard as Noah tried to push away the anxiety about tonight, he couldn't help but tense up the moment he saw Roni walk into the front room. Seeing her had nearly sucked the air out of him.

Her makeup was a little heavier than the norm, her curls seemed even curlier, and what she wore was enough to have every guy there staring at her now, threat or no threat. Noah glanced at Hector who was the most blatant and nudged him. "Take this outside," Noah said roughly and shoved the two six-packs of beer he'd been holding at him.

Gio and Abel were more discreet, but Noah hadn't missed the way they took Roni in from top to bottom. Noah stifled a growl.

"Is anyone else here yet?" Roni asked, stretching her neck out to look through the kitchen window as she passed by Noah, shocking his senses. Unbelievably, she smelled better than she looked. It was completely intoxicating, and Noah had to close his eyes for a moment in reaction.

"The sound guy and his crew are here," Abel said, "and I saw a few cars drive slowly past. I think they were looking for parking."

Gio suddenly smiled and opened the back door. "Girls are here." He stepped out before Noah or Abel could even respond to that. Abel went after him and walked out, leaving Noah alone with Roni.

He was done holding in his feelings for her. She turned to him and he smiled. "You look amazing."

She smiled, lifting her delectably exposed shoulder. "Thanks to you, I was able to go shopping."

He took a few steps toward her, inhaling the smell of her citrusy perfume with a touch of her fruity breath—watermelon maybe? "It's not just the clothes, Roni. It's you. You're beautiful."

She stared at him for a moment as the smile she worn just a second earlier withered down to a somewhat staggered expression. Then her eyes were on his lips. "Thank you, Noah. You look good too."

Even though the smile was gone, Noah noticed her breathing picked up a notch. She wanted his lips on her as much as he wanted hers on him. He leaned into her, and she didn't move. Instead, she stared at him. Her eyes spoke a thousand words. He wasn't alone in this struggle. She was struggling just as much as he was to hold back.

The kitchen door swung open, and Hector walked in with a guy Noah didn't recognize. Holding in the primal growl that nearly escaped him this time, Noah turned and glared at them. Just then, Abel walked in behind them. "Hector, who the fuck are all these people coming in? Didn't I tell you not to say anything about this at your school?"

"High school kids?" Roni asked.

Knowing what she was probably thinking, that this was turning out to be a backyard party full of kids, Noah hated to but walked away from Roni and toward the kitchen window. The backyard was half-full but filling up fast.

"They're not from my school. Someone at the gym heard about the party, and since you and Noah are going to be fighting in the coming weeks, there's a dance crew that was hoping maybe they can get some time in the ring to show off their moves before or even after the fights. So, they decided to come here tonight, sort of audition for you guys. I guess they spread the word, but I didn't say shit." He tapped the guy next to him. "This is Little Robo. His older brother is head of the dance crew. He wanted to come in here and ask for permission to do a three-minute show a little later."

Noah turned back to look at the guy in all black except for his red beanie and matching shoes. "Little Robo?"

The guy's arms fell flat against his side then came up slowly and stopped sharply as his entire body went into a robotic motion, and then he froze pointing at Noah. "My brother is Robo." His hand snaked back toward him again in a vibrating motion. "He taught me everything I know."