Page 39 of Snow

“Is that Nova?” Playboy asked.

Snow looked toward the restaurant and immediately spotted her sitting alone in a small two-seater booth tucked near the back wall.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than it probably should have. He could tell something was off with her. She looked tired. Actually, she looked more than tired. There was a heaviness about her that hadn’t been there earlier, as if the weight of something was pressing down on her shoulders. The usual spark he had come to associate with her seemed dimmed tonight.

His thoughts drifted back to earlier, as they were finishing up for the day. She had received a text, and when she looked at it, her expression had completely changed. But the moment Derek asked her if everything was okay, she masked it, brushing it off with a smile and telling them that everything was fine. Though he and the rest of the team all called bullshit. Whatever was in that text had upset her, and judging by the way she was sitting alone now, looking like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, it was still bothering her. The question was why. And for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, he found himself wanting to know.

“Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys later,” he muttered.

The team followed his line of sight toward the restaurant, and several smirks appeared instantly.

“Don’t,” Snow warned, pointing a finger at them before anyone could open their mouth.

Nails held up his hands in mock defense. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“Okay, fair.”

Snow rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying, for a guy who says she’s a distraction, you seem to be very invested in her.”

Okay, he wasn’t entirely wrong. But he wasn’t about to admit it. He looked back into the restaurant.

“See?” Nails said.

Snow groaned. “See what?”

“The look.”

Snow slowly turned his head.

Nails grinned. “You know, the one that says you’re about to walk over there despite everything you just told us.”

Snow stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. Then he turned and headed toward the restaurant anyway.

The explosion of laughter behind him followed him all the way to the door.

“Jesus Christ,” Snow muttered under his breath as the guys disappeared toward the elevators, still chuckling like idiots.

Nova was reaching for a nacho when she looked up just as he stopped beside the table, and genuine surprise crossed her face when she realized who it was.

“Oh, it’s you.” She stuffed the overloaded chip in her mouth as she looked at him.

Snow wanted to laugh. There was something about the way she looked at him that always seemed to hit him square in the chest.

“Do you mind if I sit down?” he asked, gesturing to the seat across from her.

She lifted one of her perfectly arched brows as she finished chewing. Then she took a sip of her beer.

“You want to sit down…here…with me? Why?”

“Because I’d like to talk with you.”

“About what?”

Snow rubbed the back of his neck. Christ, she was making him work for it. “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot.”