Defender (Seattle Sharks 9)

Faith unbuckled herself from the seat next to Lukas and practically skipped down the aisle toward me. Sawyer was across the aisle from me, snoring louder than a bulldog.

“How are you feeling?” Faith asked, sinking into the seat across from me. The motion drawing attention to the fact that Nathan could’ve done the same thing but had elected to be as close to me as the space allowed.

“Better,” I said, holding up the Sharks tumbler and shaking it.

She smirked. “Lukas has had to make me one of those before,” she said. “It’s a miracle recipe Noble invented or something.”

“I figured he’d gotten it off Pinterest or something.” I was halfway through the liquid gold now.

“Nope. He created it. Kind of funny, isn’t it?”

I tilted my head.

“How alike you two are.”

I snorted. “Meaning?”

“He likes to experiment with things too,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Formulas.”

“Okay,” I said. “I guess I hadn’t noticed that.”

“But you noticed other things?”

“What are you getting at? I’m not at full capacity today so pretend like I don’t always understand things,” I teased.

“Are you ever going to tell me what happened in Sweden?”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “Nothing happened.”

“Like nothing happened last night?”

I swallowed the smoothie a little harder than necessary. See, the second I stopped thinking about that stupid kiss—

“You told me that kiss,” she whispered, “was intense.”

I totally forgot I’d texted her the entire tale the second my eyes were open this morning. “Were you on the other end of it too?” I laughed.

She smacked my knee. “I’m serious, Harper!”

I shushed her, glancing over my shoulder at Nathan and Lukas who, thankfully, weren’t the least bit interested in what we were talking about.

“It was pretend,” I said, settling myself in my seat again. “You know that. I told you we had to pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend so I can get my data. I saw the owner and…acted.”

“It didn’t sound like pretend.” Her eyes were practically dancing.

“Cut it out,” I said, wagging my finger at her glazed over look. “You know me. I don’t believe in love.”

Her shoulders dropped.

“But,” I hurried to continue. “You and Lukas have made me realize that, for some people, it might possibly be a real thing that isn’t solely based on the person’s chemical makeup.”

“Uh huh,” she said, grinning.

“Even if I did find him attractive,” I whispered. “He’s completely and tragically out of my league.”

“No, he isn’t,” she said.

“He is. And it’s fine.”

“And the kiss?”

A flush swept over my skin, and I took another drink to try and cool the fire inside me. “Fine—”

“Fine?” she cut me off. “Fine? That’s it?”

I shushed her again. “If you would let me finish,” I said, glaring at her. “It was…” I held my breath, cursing my slow processing mind for not locating the right word. “Electric,” I breathed out the word.

Faith grinned again, but I shook my head. “No, stop,” I said laughing. “Please? It was pretend. Kind of. And I’m sure that it happens to him all the time. More than kissing, actually. He’s a Shark.”

“It doesn’t.”

“You’re saying that because you’re my best friend.”

“No,” she said, all business now. “I’m not. Noble isn’t known for that. Not like my fiancé was.” A new, more sparkly glow dusted her eyes when she said the word fiancé. “Coming from someone who actually dated the guy who was known for sleeping around?” She didn’t even cringe. Wow. What they had was real. Strong. Untainted by his past now that they’d finally come together. “Noble doesn’t do that. He’s like you. All work and no play.” She chuckled. “That is, until the two of you are together.”

“What?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never seen him let loose like he did last night and thanks to Lukas, I’ve been around him plenty. Even when we go to Thirty-Five, he’s calm, controlled. Like you.”

I chewed on my lip, contemplating. I hadn’t realized how alike we were, but perhaps that is why we’d gotten along so well in Sweden…and after.

“So,” she said, leaning closer. “Tell me what happened in Sweden. Because you can’t say nothing. That kiss last night shows that there is some serious chemistry and you were alone with him a ton in Sweden. Thanks to me.”

“We weren’t alone,” I said. “Axel and Langley were there.” Most of the time.

She arched a brow at me.

“I wish I understood what they were saying,” I said—basically into Nathan’s ear—to be heard over the music that pulsed through the speakers in the…club? I think this was the Swedish version of a club…but I’d never been to a place that had human-sized cages, dark-walnut bars with liquor bottles that looked to be from another century, and the lights so muted it was an effort to see a foot in front of my face.

Nathan gently touched my hip, leaning down to ensure we could hear each other. The touch hadn’t changed over the past few days—it still made chills race across my skin, still made my body clench with a hunger I didn’t understand—but it had become more consistent. Ever since that day he’d pulled me away from the street, the day he’d said I needed an anchor in this world, he’d been that anchor.