Best Of Both Worlds (Colorado Black Diamonds #4)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

GRAHAM

Bode

Did anyone find out what we’re doing tonight?

Jasper

Some painting thing the PR team organized. Coach Andrews told us at practice

Dax

Did you not listen?

Bode

Of course I was listening

Noah

Then what time does it start?

Bode

7:30?

Marcus

Starts at 7. Don’t be late

Bode

When am I ever late?

Graham

You literally just said the wrong time. You would’ve shown up late

Dax

You’re always late

Bode

One time! I was late one time

Noah

You’re always late for practice

Bode

No I’m not! What is this, gang up on Bode night?

Can’t take the heat?

Marcus

Graham with the zing

Noah

He learned from the best

Bode

Getting a big head then, Fields

Jasper

Ugh.

Dax

Is it too late to send him back to Denver?

Marcus

Nah…we don’t want to. Not since we’re winning

Noah

See? Greatness

Marcus

I take back what I said

Bode

I like this. Ganging up on Noah

Marcus

Painting night starts at 7. Don’t be late (looking at you Bode)

Bode

Fuck you

“ H ey. Look who’s on time.”

Getting out of the car, Bode is walking over to us, a snarky look plastered across his face.

“Had to prove a point to you idiots.”

“How many alarms did you have to set to remember to come?” Noah asks him, walking around the car.

“Easy for you to say. Graham is the most punctual person on the team besides Marcus. You have a built-in reminder.”

The three of us head toward the small shop set in the strip mall near downtown.

“Maybe you should move in with him.”

“Hey!” I interject. “I don’t need a revolving door of teammates sleeping with me.”

“Sleeping with you?” Bode asks, raising his brows at me.

“Uhh…I meant sleeping in my condo.” I try to recover, but do a poor job of it.

Jesus. The last thing I need to do is tell the guys what Noah and I are doing. We just started this thing. I’m not ready for it to be over. I want more. Want to see if these things I’m feeling are real, or if they’re just a reaction from being so close to Noah.

“Sorry, Flounder. I’m not bringing all the women into your place. We’re too loud.”

“Can you show a little bit of respect for women?” Marcus grumbles, coming up behind us, smacking Bode in the head. “It’s like I’m surrounded by teenage boys.”

“Don’t lump me in with him,” Noah calls after him as the two of us head into the small shop. “I’m better than that.”

The studio the team found for the event is an explosion of color. Paintings of all kinds line the bright white walls. Square tables are set up with two blank easels on each side. Sinks line one wall, and a hat tree holds aprons of various sizes. A small stage sits in the middle of the room with an instructor waiting for all of us.

The four of us find an empty table as Jasper walks over to us, dropping into the seat next to Marcus.

“Look who’s on time!” Jasper chirps.

Bode flips him off as Dax takes the empty seat beside him.

“Welcome, everyone,” the instructor calls out. It cuts off any further argument from Bode. “We’re so happy you could join us tonight.”

The older woman has a short gray bob, overalls covered in paint, and wears white low-top sneakers.

“Tonight is going to be very low-key. We’ve got drinks at the bar for you.” A few guys whoop at her comment. “We want you to have fun and relax. Express your creativity.”

“Think you can handle that?” I ask Noah, who’s in the spot next to me. The side of the table facing the instructor is empty so we have a better view.

“Please. I’ll show everyone here up.”

“I’d say we should make a bet, but I don’t know what that would look like with you.”

Noah gives me a quick up and down glance. “I have a few things I could think of.”

“Not here,” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth. I don’t need Noah being more obvious than necessary.

“Then tonight at home.”

A shudder racks my body. Noah’s words are more of a promise than anything else. One I know he will follow through on.

“Okay. You might be wondering what we’re doing tonight. Each of you will be painting your seatmate. When you’re done, they will go to the team’s auction to help support a local school’s music program.”

“Who picked that?” Noah asks from next to me.

“I did. Why?” Marcus leans forward, looking over at Noah. “You have a problem supporting kids learning music?”

Noah throws his hands up in defense. “No. I like it. I just didn’t know who was in charge of that kind of thing with the team.”

Marcus scrubs a hand over his face. “Sorry, Strawberry. The girls are sick and I’m tired.”

Noah cuts his eyes from Marcus to throw a glare my way. “Where in the hell did you hear that name?”

“Flounder. Why?”

I can’t help the smirk that threatens to take over my entire face as the instructor continues with her instructions.

“Supplies are on the back wall. Grab whatever paint you need, and your brushes and water are in between your stations.”

“I thought I was going to shake that nickname here,” Noah grumbles.

“What? I can’t share a nickname for you?” I cross my arms and spin around in my stool, taking in the guy next to me.

“Aww. Poor baby.” Marcus ruffles his hair as he goes to grab his paint supplies. “Now that’s the only thing we’re going to call you.”

“I could kill Nick,” Noah mutters to himself.

“But then who would I get to tell me all the good stuff on you?” I bat my eyelashes at him. “I missed a lot when you were in Denver.”

“I’m going to have a conversation with ol’ Nicky.” Noah ignores me.

“I’ll make sure I get the scoop then before you get to him.”

Pulling out my phone, I pretend like I’m going to text him when Noah makes a grab for my phone.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Why not?”

Noah looks around, and when he’s sure no one is listening, he mutters, “Because otherwise I won’t do all the things I’m planning on doing to you tonight.”

“You play dirty.”

“I’ll get the paint.” Noah ignores me, whistling as he heads toward the paint station to get what we need. Damn. He really does know what he’s doing. The promise of what the night holds is too good to be true.

But I shouldn’t be thinking about that right now. Definitely not something I should be thinking about in mixed company.

“You have two hours. I’ll be around to help as needed, but in the meantime, have fun with this. Let your artistic abilities loose!”

“Do you even have an artistic bone in your body?” Jasper asks Bode, who is now sitting across from him.

“I’ve got one bone that does the job. I don’t need to be creative.”

“Gross, man!” All of us chide him from our spots around him.

“Seriously. How you don’t have an STI at this point is mind-boggling.” Marcus shakes his head from next to me before dabbing his paintbrush in a blue color and starting his work of painting Jasper.

“Aren’t you glad you’re here?” I ask Noah. Based on the look of concentration on his face, he’s already hard at work painting me.

Not to be outdone by him, I grab my own paintbrush and start in on my canvas. The last time I painted had to be in kindergarten with finger paints.

By the time I was old enough to express interest in anything, I was already playing hockey. If I had any creativeness inside me, I put it all on the ice.

Swirling the paints on my tray together, I study Noah with more concentration than this exercise calls for.

But it’s an easy excuse to look at him.

Because Noah Fields is quite possibly one of the sexiest people I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The dark brown hair that’s always falling into his even darker brown eyes.

The way his lips curl up into a playful smile.

The strong set of his jaw.

And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Trying to stop my head from going down the “why is Noah sexy” road, I turn my focus back to the canvas in front of me and can’t help but laugh.

“What?” Noah chimes in from across the table. “Do I look sexy as hell?”

Marcus peers over and lets out a belly laugh. “You do know that he isn’t an alien, right?”

“Shit.”

In letting my thoughts run wild about the man I’m supposed to be painting, I mixed the paint wrong, with Noah’s skin being green and his hair being a light orange color.

“You really should be paying more attention,” Jasper agrees. “I don’t know if anyone would want to buy that. It’d give kids nightmares.”

“You’re an asshole.” I shove him back over to where his own canvas is. “Yours isn’t much better.”

Marcus looks like he has one eye that overtakes his entire head. A small line looks like it’s supposed to be his mouth, but you can’t really tell.

“Would you like a new canvas?” the instructor asks as she comes around. Her face is one of shock as she takes in the canvases at our table. “You still have enough time to start over.”

“Uhh, sure. I guess so,” I tell her.

“We can dispose of this if you’d like.”

“No!” Noah chimes in. “I want to keep it.”

“You really want to keep this?” I ask him. I’m starting to question this man’s sanity.

“I want to hang it in the living room when we get home. It’s hilarious.”

“Fuck off, you asshole.”

“Wouldn’t you like that.” He waggles his eyebrows at me.

“How about we hang this in the locker room? We could use it for darts,” Jasper tells us. “Rough up this guy’s mug.”

“Not enough darts in the world to do that,” Noah quips.

The instructor’s head is swiveling around between all of us, looking at us like we’ve lost our minds. I don’t think she knew what she signed up for when she agreed to have the Knights here for a little team bonding and PR.

“Alright. Get a new canvas and start over, Graham. Go back to your own paintings.” Marcus doesn’t even have to look at us to get us into gear.

I guess that’s why we’ve named him captain for the last two years.

Noah’s eyes are sparkling from beside me.

Because I know what the rest of the night holds.

And I can’t fucking wait.