Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

NOAH

A s I stepped into a cafe down the street from the hotel, I inhaled deeply. The air was rich with the deep, aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee. The earthy notes swirled together with hints of caramel and chocolate. The sound of grinding beans and the soft hiss of the espresso machines created a familiar, comforting soundtrack in the background.

With my cap and sunglasses firmly in place, I’d gone out the back exit of the hotel, and so far, I’d drawn a few curious glances, but I hadn’t been recognized just yet. Careful to keep a low profile though, I pulled off the sunglasses as I walked in, tugging the cap a little lower over my forehead.

The door swung shut behind me. The low murmur of conversation in the cafe mercifully continued as I made my way to the counter. I joined the short line of people waiting to be served, my gaze skimming across the faces of my fellow caffeine-seekers.

To my surprise, I spotted a familiar face among them, sitting at a table for two nearby. Gemma was there with another girl, a dark-haired woman I’d seen with her last night as well. My heart rate spiked as I stared at her.

Gemma. Not the other girl.

Her face was devoid of makeup this morning. Her eyes sparkled like precious gems in the sunlight as she spoke animatedly to her friend. With her short blonde hair pinned back and wearing a casual, but elegant black turtleneck and jeans, she was as beautiful to me as she had been last night when she’d been dressed up.

More curious about her than I should’ve been, I moved over to the line that snaked past their table. My ears perked when I picked up the sound of her voice among the hushed conversation in the shop. “Nonsense. You don’t have to feel bad about it, babe. I’m excited for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sad too and I’m going to miss you something terrible, but you’ve always wanted to travel, Mimi. I think it’s incredible that you’re actually going to do it.”

“I know, and I’m excited too, but I just feel like I’m leaving you in the lurch,” the other girl replied with a soft sigh. “Buying my half of the company means that it’s going to be all yours. It’s all going to be on you from now on. Every event you book, you’re going to have to do it by yourself from start to finish. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“For the millionth time, yes.” Gemma shot her a radiant grin that made my heart clench and my dick twitch. “I’m going to be fine, Mariam. I promise. How long have you known me? I would’ve told you if I wasn’t up to it. We could’ve found a different buyer for your half, but I don’t want that. I want to do this by myself, and if you ever want to come back, The Events Co will always be there for you.”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“Yes. Now stop fretting and let’s just enjoy breakfast. Have you started packing up your place yet? The lawyers said they’d have the papers ready for us to sign soon, so you’ll be on your way to Sun Valley before you know it.”

As the girls spoke, the line ahead of me got shorter and shorter, and finally, it was my turn to order. I got my coffee, not wanting to interrupt them but also not wanting to just leave without even saying hi.

Last night with Gemma had been fucking explosive. I was no stranger to a one-night-only hookup, but that one had left me wanting more.

When I approached their table, deciding I’d just greet her and then leave them to it, she looked up. As if she’d felt me coming, her gaze flew to mine. A rosy flush spread on her cheeks and a surprised smile graced her lips.

“Noah? Hi. This is a surprise. What are you doing out and about?”

“No good day ever starts without this.” I held up my coffee and turned to her friend. “Hi. I’m Noah.”

“Mariam,” she said, her voice a little breathy with that starstruck quality I was becoming used to, but at least she managed to keep it together. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard you like hanging out in airplane bathrooms.”

“With Gemma, I’d hang out anywhere,” I joked, glancing back at the girl in question. “How are you today?”

Her cheeks had gone bright red, but she was still smiling as she shook her head at her friend. “Ignore her. She’s a fan. She knows not what she does. I’m fine, thanks. You?”

“Better than ever.” I meant it, too. Last night? Shit. It had blown my mind. “Are you headed back to Austin soon? We’ve got to be in the studio this afternoon, but I’m free tonight.”

“Unfortunately, we’ve already got plans,” Gemma said with a hint of real regret in her tone. “Mariam here is going to be fulfilling her life-long dream of becoming a world traveler soon, so we’re ticking off a few bucket list items while we’re here together.”

I took a small sip of my coffee, my gaze hooked on hers. “Sure, I get that. When am I going to get to see you again, then?”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but I saw her trying to play it cool despite the fact that I’d also seen the flash of excitement in those vibrant green depths. “Well, I don’t know. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

“Nothing that’s set in stone.”

“If you should find yourself in Austin around that time, give me a call. I’ll be taking a few days off for the holiday. We could hang out.”

“Sounds good. My best friend has a house there, so I usually spend the week there with him anyway. I’ll call you.”

Gemma smiled. “I won’t be waiting by the phone, but I hope I do hear from you.”

“You will,” I assured her, my gaze still on hers as I started backing away from them.

Taking a sip of my coffee, I finally spun around when I realized I was guaranteed to bump into someone and make an idiot of myself if I kept walking backward. As I left the cafe, fighting the urge to look at her over my shoulder, I was surprised by how much I already liked this girl.

New York was massive with tons of people in it. The fact that we’d ended up in the same place at the same time, three times, had to be fate. I wasn’t usually wooed easily, but Gemma had gotten me quick.

As I headed to the recording studio next, I tried to shift my focus to our upcoming session. I loved music with everything in me and studio days were my favorite, but today, I couldn’t stop thinking about Gemma.

In just a few weeks, the guys and I were releasing a new album and we were supposed to be recording one of the songs for it today as well as writing the last few. I couldn’t afford to be distracted, and yet, I felt inspired too as thoughts of her swirled through my mind.

A memory of the first time I’d seen her face popped into my head. The way she’d stared at me as she’d sat down on the airplane stuck to the very front of my mind. I really had thought she would recognize me, and I’d been waiting for the moment it would happen.

When that flare of recognition hadn’t come, I’d felt something sizzling deep inside my soul. It had been a while since I’d been able to talk to someone just as myself and not Noah Parks , the heartthrob from City Lights. It had been refreshing to have a conversation with a beautiful stranger.

It had been even more refreshing that she’d laughed at my jokes because she’d found them funny rather than it being about her stroking my ego or trying to flatter me. Gemma shared my sense of humor. She kept up with my banter. She’d melted under my touches last night, but she was also strong and independent in her own right.

Everything about her turned me on. Made me want more of her.

By the time I walked into the studio, I had already decided that I would make it happen. I would take her up on her offer to hang out in Austin at Thanksgiving, and hopefully after that, this growing obsession with her would fade.

Brandon smirked when I met up with them in our booth. “Look what the cat dragged in. Someone looks like he had a good night last night. What’s that smile all about, bro?”

“Nothing.” I shrugged, looking around and nodding hello at Lewis. “Where’s Jack?”

“Later than you for a change,” Lewis replied, grabbing the notebook beside him and motioning for me to take a seat with him on the piano bench. “I’m playing around with something while we wait. Listen to this.”

As I sat down, he launched into a new melody he must’ve been working on and I listened closely. Lyrics for it suddenly appeared in the back of my mind. My features scrunched up as I called them forward, trying to look past the memory of Gemma’s green eyes staring so intently into mine to reach the words lingering there.

I flipped open the notebook Lewis had given me and grabbed a pen lying on top of the piano. I furiously scribbled as one line was followed by the next and the one after that. Lewis kept playing and I kept writing, more inspired than I had been for a long time.

Brandon laughed when I stood up. “Already done?”

“All done with the first verse and the chorus,” I declared. “Look it over. Where the hell is Ja?—”

At that moment, the door burst open and the final member of our band sauntered in. Jack grimaced as the door shut behind him.

“Sorry, guys. I overslept.”

Lewis looked up from behind the piano. “Everything okay?”

“I’m all good,” Jack said easily. He took a sip of the coffee he’d brought along, which reminded me that I still had my own.

I took a sip but winced. It had gone cold and there was nothing as gross to me in the world as cold coffee.

Jack and Lewis chatted back and forth for a bit, and Brandon came over to me. “What’s going on with you? Your hand was flying across that page.”

“I’m just on today,” I said, not really sure why I wasn’t just telling him about Gemma. “It’s a good thing, don’t you think?”

“Sure,” he said slowly, his deep brown eyes searching mine until he suddenly laughed. “You got laid last night, didn’t you?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothing.” He gave my shoulder a playful shove. “I just hope you got her number, is all. She must’ve been amazing if she even turned your muse on.”

I laughed, flipping him off. “Are we here to work or is everyone just going to be shooting the shit all day?”

I headed over to the mics.

“We’re working,” Lewis said decisively, getting up to grab one of the stools and dragging it over to another mic. “We’ll keep writing later. Noah is right. We need to get the song done before we get tired.”

Jack hailed the sound guys and then we were off, all of us shutting out the world as we focused on giving the song our all. It took a few more hours in the studio, but by the time we left, we had another future hit recorded and a couple more songs written.

“Anyone up for grabbing dinner?” Brandon asked as we walked out into the cool evening air. “I’m fucking starving. I’ll buy.”

“I’m in,” I said immediately, my own stomach feeling like it was about to start eating itself if I didn’t get something in it soon.

Lewis and Jack agreed, and we headed to a Japanese place we liked only a couple blocks away from the studio. Since we were all together though, it was impossible to avoid being noticed. Within no time at all, the first fan had spotted us and we were taking selfies, laughing, and trying to be friendly.

While we were busy with her, a small group of people formed around us, many of them taking pictures of us taking pictures with her. It took us much longer than planned to get to the restaurant, and once we arrived, our table was quickly mobbed with more people wanting a moment of our time.

Jack retreated into himself, signing whatever the fans wanted signed but not joining in the small talk. I stepped up, smiling and posing—and turning down numerous proposals from women who were trying to get me to go out with them later.

With Gemma on my mind, I wasn’t interested.

Brandon eyed me curiously once the management of the establishment finally moved us to a table in a private area. “Okay, Parks. Time to spill the tea, buddy. Who the hell is she, and what the hell has she done to you?”