She’d been digging in her purse and her face jerked up at his question. He stood in front of her making her stop. Her eyes said it all. She was still upset and she was stunned that he hadn’t let it go. To his surprise, she didn’t immediately deny it. Just stared at him—for too long. Finally she lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just say it, Roni.” He wasn’t even sure why he wanted her to. Did he really want to hear her say she had feelings for Gio? Hell no! But he needed to know—needed to know if he should run now. Run the hell out of her life and never look back before it was too late.

“Tell you what? What is it you think I’m upset about, Noah?”

Now he stared at her completely startled by her sudden change in demeanor. She wasn’t just upset, she was pissed. “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

She pulled her keys out of her purse and walked around him toward her car. Noah followed. “I told you. I’m tired.”

Noah fought the incredible urge to spin her around by her arm and pull her to him. Instead, he walked around her car and waited for her to unlock the door.

~*~

Infuriating is what it was. Veronica took a deep breath before hitting the unlock button on her car. She knew coming with Noah tonight was a mistake. She never should’ve done it. And if he expected her to admit she was pissed—beyond pissed about the fact that he’d given Gio’s cousin a long hard ride the day after Thanksgiving, he was out of his mind.

She thought back to that day now as she shoved her key into the ignition. The day he’d acted disappointed that he couldn’t join her at the park to take her stupid pictures. Yeah, she was sure now that was sincere. A day at the park watching her take pictures of snails and raindrops on leaves or a day of sex with his holiday whore. Hmm, tough choice.

But again she reminded herself, it was none of her business. Noah was free to do what he pleased. He owed her no explanations and she wasn’t asking him for any so why the hell was he pushing this now? Did he want to embarrass her? Was this fun for him to know that it had bothered her more than she would’ve even imagined but he wanted her to say it? She’d sooner die.

He finished putting on his seatbelt just as she began to back out. “You were pretty obvious, Roni. I don’t know why you just don’t tell me.” She turned to him expecting some kind of smug smirk or twinkle in his eyes. Instead, he was glaring at her. “You have a thing for Gio?”

She blinked, stopping the car right there in the middle of the parking lot and stared at him. “What?”

“I saw the way you looked at him with that girl. Admit it. You were jealous.”

She shook her head slowly trying to make sense of what he’d just said. This is what he’d been referring to all this time? He thought she was jealous of Gio and that groupie?

“You looked disgusted when she sat down next to him. That’s when I noticed you were upset and then you suddenly wanted to leave?”

Roni’s mind raced as her foot stepped down on the accelerator and they were on the move again. She was glad now that the restaurant was just a few blocks away from her house. She wanted nothing more than to get this night over with. Hector’s comment had hit her like a slap and she’d spent the entire time after that trying and apparently failing miserably to recover from it. Seeing Gio with that groupie served only as another reminder that this was Noah’s world and she had absolutely no right to be judging him. He was young and deserved to be sowing his wild oats. But there was no escaping the festering jealousy she’d felt knowing he slept with Gio’s cousin and would apparently be doing so again in just a week.

She’d have to worry about her annoyingly contradicting emotions later. For now, there was hope that he’d misconstrued her stewing. Instead, he was under the ridiculous notion that she was jealous over Gio.

“All right, you got me.”

“You’re into him?” His voice was a near whisper now.

“No.” She turned to him. He’d been staring straight ahead but he turned to face her when she answered. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s your age remember? But you got me about the groupie. I remembered what you said about them before and I guess I was a little disgusted. But I wasn’t upset.”

“So you’re saying you couldn’t be into him because of his age?”

Glad that they’d gotten past the subject of her being jealous about anything she nodded in relief. “Well, yeah. He’s twenty like you right?”

“But what does that have to do with anything?”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “It has everything to do with it. Why would a guy his age be interested in a woman my age?”

“That’s just it. If he ever was he wouldn’t be thinking about your age. He’d be interested in you. You’re hung up on a number, Roni. What? Is it because you think a twenty-year-old is not mature enough for you?”

Veronica pulled into her driveway feeling a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going. She got the distinct feeling they weren’t talking about Gio anymore.

“No. I’m thinking about experience,” she said getting out of the car.

“Oh is that it? You want an experienced guy?”

Roni frowned. “That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about his life experience versus mine. There is still a lot a guy that age—your age—needs to experience and it would be unfair for me or any older woman to come along and expect him—or any guy his age to just skip those things to catch up to her.”