Crossing Lines Chapter 53

**Noah**

I hadn’t been here ten minutes before I realized I’d made a huge mistake.

Not because I didn’t want to be at the party—hell, I’d been counting down to it all day—but because every damn time I looked across the room, I saw him. And not with me.

I couldn’t follow a single conversation. Laughter, music, voices—they all blurred into background noise while my gaze kept finding him again. And every time I did, he had someone in his space.

Those girls sweet-talking in his ear. The one with the low-cut dress pressing close enough to count his heartbeats. And then—oh, the audacity—one of those bitches actually slipped her number into his pocket, and he didn’t even slap her on the face for that…. Just like I wasn’t even there. I nearly choked on my drink.

And it wasn’t just the girls. All those golden-fucking-boys, all smiles and perfect hair, slapping him on the back like he was their best friend, leaning in too close to talk. I wanted to break every hand that touched him—especially the ones that didn’t belong to my team. We needed every hand in perfect condition if we were going to win this year, after all.

Sure, he hadn’t openly led anyone on. But why the hell wasn’t he walking away from them? Taking me aside? Kissing me, touching me… Giving me the attention I deserved?

My jaw clenched. I could feel my temper winding tighter by the second… And then someone “especially tempting” started talking to me.

I didn’t notice her first. I noticed *him*.

The way Aiden’s easy smile faltered, the subtle shift in his shoulders, the way his eyes sharpened and locked on us like he was cataloging every move I made. That’s when I turned fully to her.

She introduced herself as Lexie.

And damn, she was gorgeous. Not the kind of pretty that wilted under a camera flash—real, sharp-edged beauty that came with confidence. Long, sunlit hair, eyes the kind of bright blue you only see in summer skies, and curves that would have made most guys forget their own names. She wasn’t the typical bimbo type either; you could tell she was smart, calculated, and very aware of her effect on people.

I tried to focus on her eyes. Honestly, I did. But her boobs had their own gravitational pull.

Lexie tilted her head, her smile easy but calculated. “So… Noah, right? I saw you at the welcome party. You didn’t notice me, but I definitely noticed you—with that girl hanging all over you.”

Her tone was playful, but her eyes were sharp, like she wanted to see if I’d squirm.

I gave a half-smirk. “Guess I missed my shot, huh?”

“Depends,” she said, crossing one leg over the other. “You’re not one of those big-shot, quarterback ‘player’ types, are you?”

“That night, I was pretty drunk,” I admitted with a shrug. “But I’m not that type. Not unless I’m really interested.”

Her lips curved in a slow, knowing smile. “And am I supposed to guess whether you are?”

I leaned in just enough to make her wonder. “Where’s the fun if I make it easy?”

I grinned, but it wasn’t her I was trying to bait. It was the man across the room, watching like he was about two seconds from crossing it.

And for just a moment, I considered giving her exactly what she was asking for—if only to see what my Sir would do about it.

I kept the conversation going just long enough to learn the important bits—Lexie was captain of the cheer team, originally from Texas, and her dad was apparently some big-deal rich guy who also happened to be a major sponsor of our college team.

“So I guess I should thank your father for helping bring me here?” I said with a smirk.

She leaned closer, all perfume, perfect hair, and her nice cleavage right below my face. “Well… I guess you can just thank *me* instead sometime.”

On the inside, I rolled my eyes at the obvious cheesy flirting I wasn’t even interested in—and then I saw it.

Across the room.

That fucking Marcus guy, wrapping his arm around my… whatever the hell Aiden was to me… just to tap his back.

I didn’t care if it was harmless. I didn’t care if it was quick.

I was angry.

No—furious.

I turned back to Lexie like I hadn’t just mentally set someone on fire.

“And any ideas on how I can do that? I’m a very grateful kind of guy.”

Her lips curved in a slow, knowing smile. “I’m sure I’ll come up with something.”

“Wanna dance?” I asked before I could stop myself.

We made our way over to where others were already dancing—some making out against the wall, some grinding like they were auditioning for a music video. A slow song started up, and I let her close the distance between us.

I didn’t have to turn around to know Aiden’s eyes were on me.

I could feel them—drilling holes into my back, burning right through the thin fabric of my shirt.

Small victory achieved.

I held Lexie close, my hands sliding down from her hips to the curve of her perfect, round ass, every inch of it filling that tight little dress like it had been sewn on just for her. She leaned in, her perfume wrapping around me, her body pressing against mine in a way that should’ve had my full attention.

As the song ended, I glanced over my shoulder. Aiden was leaning against the wall now, watching me more openly, like he’d stopped pretending he wasn’t keeping score. I locked eyes with him without even meaning to—just as his thumb dragged slowly across his lower lip in one lazy, calculated stroke.

What those perky breasts against my chest and that perfect ass under my hands hadn’t accomplished, Aiden’s silent gesture did in a split second. Heat punched through me, hard and low, and I had to pull back from Lexie before it became obvious just how much it got to me.

I untucked my shirt, claiming I was hot, giving myself an extra second to breathe before anyone—especially her—noticed the problem pressing against my zipper.

“Wanna get some air?” I asked, turning my attention back to Lexie.

“Sure,” she said with a smile.

We headed upstairs to the balcony. The cool night air hit us instantly, the noise from the party fading behind us.

Whether anything happened or not didn’t matter—what mattered was that my Sir would be wondering. I’d made a damn promise to him earlier… but if Aiden and his fucking glare wanted to torture himself imagining what I might be doing out here, I was more than happy to hand him the rope and let him pull.