Throttled (Dirty Air 1)

Noah hires a car to take us to a party, the lights of the city passing us by. Noah grips my hand on his lap, occasionally giving it a squeeze, checking that I’m still here.

“I don’t want my brother to know. At least not yet.” I look at him head-on, no shoes stealing my attention this time.

The temperature in the car drops a couple degrees. It may sound dramatic, but I swear it happens.

“Why?” His edgy voice makes me frown.

My eyes plead with his. “It’s new. I don’t want to distract him from the Championship since you’re both teammates and he won’t like it. He tends to be overprotective of me.”

Noah doesn’t talk for a full minute. I shift in my seat, waiting for him to say anything. His frown makes me wish I could take back my words.

“I’m not happy about it because I don’t want to treat you like a dirty secret. I’m happy to be with you…but if that’s what you want, I’ll respect it.” He shrugs.

“If it works out, I’ll tell him after the Championship, once everything is finalized for him.”

His blue eyes stay pinned to mine. “It’s going to work out, so we’ll tell him when you’re ready.” His clipped voice has a finality to it.

“Thank you.” I move close to him and wrap my arms around his waist, a new gesture that feels right. He gives the top of my head a quick kiss before he returns my hug.

“Now, time for kissing and making up. I hear that’s the best part.” He mumbles the words into my hair.

My laugh makes his own chest rumble.

I can now confidently say kissing and making up might be my favorite part too.

I’ve watched extravagant weddings on television, even a few crazy sweet sixteen parties where a kid cries over getting the wrong colored convertible. All those parties one-up each other with new levels of craziness. If I combined every single overdone party known to man, that would sum up what Noah and I walk into for the Singapore celebration. Do all local events look like this—filled with indulgence, celebrities, and glam bordering on obscene? It’s a party Gatsby would envy. But I love every second of it, soaking up the activities, including a side stage where people perform.

People say this is one of the best parties of the entire Championship. None of the galas so far hold a candle to it. We stand on the rooftop of the most famous building in the city overlooking the whole island, the supertrees glowing while buildings around us light up.

“Amazing, isn’t it? Plus, now I have a date, which makes it ten times better.” Noah’s hand grips my waist. His sexy smirk makes my heart pick up and my thighs clench. I sigh at the grin he saves especially for me. He wears a navy-blue tux today with black lapels and a crisp white shirt. I love the look on him, especially when my eyes gaze upon the bow tie. He looks dreamy.

He gives me a peck on the lips. My body stills as I search around nervously for my brother.

“I’ll keep an eye out for him. Don’t worry.” His gruff voice vibrates against my chest. Lying to my brother makes me sick with worry, making it difficult to fully enjoy attending the event with Noah.

Darkness cloaks us, giving us the ability to disappear into large crowds of people, becoming one of the many partygoers. We grab drinks at the bar before we search for our friends.

We find them soon after, Noah’s fingers tensing before he removes them from my waist. The loss of contact makes me frown. But it’s a necessary precaution at the moment, at least for the next two months until the World Championship is over.

We pull up to the table Jax and Liam reserved, bottles of alcohol set up in the center. Sophie sits next to them. I take up a spot next to her while Noah sits on the opposite side with the boys.

“Did it work out between you two?” She yells over the music into my ear.

I nod my head up and down in confirmation. “I’m surprised you helped pull that plan off. What happened to saying no to fuckable bodies?”

She winks at me. I laugh because it looks way more like a twitch.

“This time it was worth it. I have faith it’ll all work out. The magic dildo told me so.” Both of her dimples show.

“Hey, I finally found you. Didn’t see you earlier.” My brother pulls me up for a hug. His words tug at my thin resolve, my lies building a wall around myself.

I play off my discomfort. “You’ve been busy being a Champion and all. Must be such a hard life. Hopefully your hand hasn’t cramped from carrying the trophy around all day.”

“If I have to do another interview I’ll scream. How do you guys ever get used to this?” He glances at the guys who send him a hello.

“You don’t. Eventually press conferences become a running joke. Check some of ours out on YouTube.” Liam hands a shot glass to my brother before tipping his own back. He pours alcohol for the rest of us. Sophie and I knock ours back at the same time, my nose scrunching as the alcohol burns my throat.

I try to pace myself throughout the night. A for effort. F for execution.