“Kiwis have healing effects that range from fighting cancer to reducing cholesterol. Multiple studies have shown they reduce oxidative stress, that thing I just explained happened with bone fractures, and encourage damaged cells to repair themselves.”
“Your medical talk is starting to hurt my brain. Maybe you could—”
“Hey, Noah.” The call drew their gazes toward the entrance, where a man strode toward them. He was a few years younger and a couple of inches shorter but just as attractive in that rugged, outdoorsy way. His hair and eyes were pure milk chocolate, his face scruffy with a little more beard than Noah currently sported. The new guy wore clunky snow boots and black ski pants, their suspenders hanging loose along his thighs, all topped off by a long-sleeved gray Henley.
The man’s gaze drifted to Julia. His eyes held, his grin widened, and his trajectory altered from Noah to her.
Noah stepped into his path. “What’s up, dude?” He put a hand to the guy’s shoulder, stopping him, then walking him backward. “Taking a break from your ride?”But the guy was leaning sideways to look at her. “Who’s that?”
“No one,” Noah said.
“Dude.” He laughed the word. “No one? You’re not just out of practice, you’re fuckin’ damaged. Maybe you bored Samantha to death the other night. She told us she passed out on you, thinks you’re mad a
t her because you didn’t get any, which is even funnier considering how long—”
Noah gave his buddy a shove. “Dude,” he said in a hush Julia barely heard, “lower your damn voice.”
Julia grinned and moved around the fruit stand to the mangos on the opposite side.
“Who’s this chick?” His friend’s sharp gaze darted to Julia again, and a slow grin crossed his bearded face. “Hardly your type, but definitely mine.”
He gave Noah a shove and stepped past, his gaze steady on Julia, smile sparkling.
But he didn’t get far before Noah gripped his friend’s bicep and swung the guy around. “Just mind your own business.”
Instead of stopping to face Noah, the guy turned a full circle, easily pulling his arm from Noah’s grasp and catapulting himself out of Noah’s reach on his way toward Julia. A very smooth, practiced move that made her lift her brows.
“Hi there, beautiful,” he said, still sixty feet away. “I’m Finn. Why is Noah trying to keep me away from you?”
Julia tied off her bag of mangos and pushed the cart toward the next stand for apples. “Probably because he doesn’t want to be seen with someone so ‘not his type.’”
Noah followed, expression tense, eyes dark—the complete opposite of Finn, who was quite handsome when he flashed that grin on a girl.
“He’s an idiot.” Finn said, laughing as he sidestepped to escape another one of Noah’s grabs. “And slow with that lousy leg.”
“But I’ll be quick to kill you once I get ahold of you,” Noah said.
“Eventually. Until then…” Finn returned his attention to Julia. “So what’s up with you and this scamp?” He leaned a hip against the refrigerated produce stand. “You two have a thing going?”
“She’s my physical therapist,” Noah said, coming up behind his friend. “Back off.”
“Ah,” Finn said, his gaze sliding slowly over Julia until he reached her feet. “That explains the body.” When his gaze returned to hers, there was also one hell of a lot of heat making gold flecks in his irises stand out. “Maybe you and I can compare abs sometime.”
That made Julia laugh. “There’s one I haven’t heard.”
“Hers are better,” Noah said, coming up to stand beside them. “But you’ll have to take my word for it.”
“When it comes to women, I take your word for nothing, bro.”
Julia held out her hand, hoping to turn the conversation in a different direction. “I’m Julia.”
Finn took her hand, grip firm, but instead of shaking it, he lifted it to his mouth. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Before his lips met her skin, Noah smacked Finn’s arm down.
Finn cut a look Noah’s way. “Dude. Your manners suck.”
“Excuse us.” A female voice cut in from behind them.