Home > G-RING : A Bad Boy College Romance(6)

G-RING : A Bad Boy College Romance(6)
Author: Diana Gardin

I sit in the Escalade, my eyes narrowing on the crop of warehouses sprawling before us.

“I thought you said we were going to play poker.”

My razor sharp words are aimed straight at Noah.

He glances at me, and then at the warehouses in front of us.

There’s a row of cars, expensive makes, parked on either side of the Escalade. So the place isn’t empty. But still.

Unease trickles down my back in the form of a bead of sweat.

“Yeah.” Noah rubs the back of his neck. “We do play poker here. There’s TVs and stuff, too, if you want to sit down and relax with your drink.”

I turn to stare at Bryn. “You been here before, B?”

She shakes her head where it’s nestled into Jaxon’s shoulder.

Okay, right now I need for her to stop being in love and pay attention.

“Bryn. Look at this place.”

She sits up and squints out the windshield. God, the girl needs glasses.

“What about it?”

A groan tumbles up from my chest and through my lips.

Jaxon reaches forward and lays a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Naima. I know it looks shady, but Noah and I have both played here before. It’s all good.”

My muscles relax a little, because I trust Jaxon, but I can’t shake the feeling that I don’t want to set foot inside that building. And as I glance at Noah, part of what’s causing that feeling occurs to me like a hard, fast blow to the stomach.

I need to tell him the truth about how I feel. I think I thought that Noah would get bored with me after a while, but he hasn’t. And me letting him believe that we’re a real couple when I know we can never be…well that right there will earn me a true B card.

Everyone opens the doors to exit the car, but I grab Noah’s arm to stop him.

“We’ll catch up in a few!” I call to Bryn and Jaxon.

Noah turns steely gray, quizzical eyes to me over the console. His short hair, cut in the trendiest style, barely moves from the amount of pomade plastered into it. But his handsome face is chiseled and could be cut from stone. It makes most women swoon.

I’m just not most women.

I take his hand in mine, squeezing it with gentle force.

“So, this thing we’ve had going on…” I indicate the space between us with a hand. “…Isn’t really the best idea for either of us.”

Noah quirks a brow. His expression stays completely calm, the placating look in his eyes becoming almost amused. “It isn’t?”

Shaking my head firmly, I reply. “No.”

Noah sighs, like he’s dealing with a toddler. “Look, Naima. I get that you’re gun-shy about relationships. If you want to take this thing between us slower, it’s cool. I’m good with that. In fact, I think it’s a good idea. Gives you some time to focus on what you need from me and what I need from you.”

Wait…what? Is that what I said?

“Noah, that’s not what I—”

“Ny,” he interrupts. “Let’s just have fun tonight, OK? Everything else will work itself out.”

Flabbergasted, I shrug. I smear on my bored expression and climb out of the Escalade. Smoothing the extra-short skirt on my dress, I stride toward the warehouse.

Noah, an arm slung over my shoulder, leads me to an unmarked door. We join Noah and Bryn, who were waiting for us.

He pounds lightly on it with his fist, and the door opens immediately.

“Game on.” Noah’s voice is commanding, and the big, burly guy at the door sizes him up. Seeming to recognize Noah and the words he just uttered, he nods. Handing the guy a wad of cash, Noah holds out his wrist, and the big guy places a black wristband on it. Noah walks past him, grabbing my hand to pull me along behind him, but the burly dude stops me.

“She needs a band,” he reminds Noah.

Noah pauses, glancing at me. “She’s not gambling, man.”

I lift a questioning brow. Gambling? Like, for real? I assumed this would just be a stupid poker game among friends.

The bouncer shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter.”

Noah lets out a giant sigh, and behind us, Jaxon speaks.

“Don’t be a dick, Noah. She’s your date.”

Noah reaches into his wallet and pulls out some more bills. Glancing at me with something in his eyes I can’t decipher, he hands the money over. The bouncer fits my slender wrist with a pink band, which makes Bryn squeal a little behind me. “Pretty.”

Rolling my eyes, I let Noah pull me into the warehouse, but stop him as soon as we step inside.

“Friends?” I whisper, looking him directly in the eye.

He shrugs. “Sure.”

It’s not a huge space, but it’s broken off into three distinct sections. There’s a bar area, where a man stands behind the counter, along with cups and beer in a glass-door refrigerator. My eyes move toward the other side of the room, where several poker tables are filling up with players.

I recognize some kids from campus here and I wonder why I’ve never heard of this place before.

Swinging my gaze over the other side of the room, I see an entire wall of flat screens, showing an array of games varying from college football to the NFL to the MLB.

Guys and girls alike sit on the comfortable-looking couches, facing the TVs. From time to time, a hoot or a holler will go up about something that’s happened on the field, but most of the girls are just talking quietly or hanging all over their boyfriends, working desperately to keep their attention.

Enormous dudes who I’m assuming work as bouncers or security mill around, their gazes sharp.

I turn to Noah, my eyes widening. For just a moment, I lose my suit of armor due to my shock. “This is a gambling place. An underground one.”

He doesn’t look at me, but shrugs nonchalantly. “So?”

I want to punch him. Anger runs hot in my veins, forcing me to shove him, hard, with one arm. “You brought me to an illegal gambling ring?”

My voice rises, and several sets of eyes rivet toward me.

Noah throws the room an apologetic, “she’s with me” smile, and then grabs my arm, yanking me to a dark corner.

“Shut up, Ny. Like you said, this is an underground ring. The owner won’t appreciate you announcing it, or acting like you don’t wanna be here”

His voice lowers, and he pulls me closer, whispering in my ear. “Don’t. Embarrass. Me.”

I reel back, staring him down. “You should have told me where we were going. I’m no shy flower, but I like to know when I’m doing something illegal.”

Shoving away from him, I fold my arms across my chest. Without realizing it, I’ve accentuated my cleavage, and Noah’s eyes flit straight to the spot. His expression softens at the same time his gaze goes hungry.

“Look…I’m sorry. Want a drink? I’m gonna play poker, maybe you can sit on my lap while I get dealt in.”

My lip curls. I’ll sit on your lap just as soon as you grow a second pair of balls.

“I’ll take a beer.” I put on the smile. “Thank you.”

He backs away from me two steps, shooting me what he feels is a winning grin, before turning to head to the bar area.

As soon as he turns, I relax my face into its normal state of boredom. And then Bryn prances up to me, linking her arm through mine.

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