RUSH: Deluxe Edition by Emma Scott

Author:Emma Scott [Scott, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

chapter twenty-three

The following Friday, Noah and I took a cab to Regina Chen’s place in Hell’s Kitchen, my hand clutched tightly in his the whole way. The red brick building loomed above us with its rectangular windows and fire escapes zigzagging up the façade. The strains of music—modern radio, not live—and voices talking and laughing could be heard, even though Regina’s place was four flights up.

“You ready?” Noah asked.

“Um, sure. I guess.” I buzzed the door. “It’s going to be loud in there. And crowded. Are you ready?”

He smiled down in my direction. “Baby, I was born ready.”

I snorted a laugh as the door buzzed open, but I felt Noah tighten his grip on my arm as we started up the first of three flights of stairs.

“There’s a rooftop terrace if it gets to be too much,” I told him as we climbed, “or we can just leave…”

“Charlotte, this is your night. We’re not leaving until you want to.” At one of the landings, he pulled me to him. “You’re going to do great and then after…” He bent and kissed me, one of his patented Noah Lake kisses that suffused my entire body with heat and left a lingering promise of more when it ended.

A door on the floor above us opened and Regina Chen’s voice wafted down on a current of loud music. “I don’t know who the hell it is; I buzzed them in like a million years ago…” I looked up to see Regina lean over the banister. “Oh. My. God. You’re actually here. Charlotte Conroy is actually here!”

Regina hurried down the stairs and threw her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy, you have no idea.”

“I have some idea.” I laughed.

She glanced at the violin case in my hand. “Holy shit, it’s on now. This party just got epic.” Her dark eyes took in Noah behind me. “Oh, I see you brought a GQ model with you, as one does.”

A blush crept up my neck. “This is Noah Lake. Noah, Regina Chen.”

Regina grabbed his outstretched hand briefly then started back up the stairs. “Come on. The guys are going to flip. Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Mad Men… Like I said, epic.”

“Regina, please don’t make a big deal…”

Too late. We’d arrived at her loft door which Regina threw open with a bang. “Charlotte’s here!”

A chorus of loud shouts, whistles, and applause went up, and I was genuinely touched.

“I didn’t know it’d be like this…” I said, clutching Noah’s arm.

Regina leaned in my ear. “Welcome back.” She kissed my cheek, then ran off to attend her guests while I led Noah inside.

Friends from Juilliard, most I hadn’t seen in more than a year, surrounded us. I linked my arm through Noah’s to anchor him to me as I was engulfed in a round of hugs. I introduced him more times than I could count and was proud when every one of my friends greeted him as if he were anyone else—but for a few lingering stares from some of the women.

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