Filmed_ An Alpha Bad Boy Romance(46)

Suddenly, something clicked for me.

“Is that why you’re always late to class?”

He laughed, nodding. “Good job, detective.”

“I thought you were just a lazy asshole.”

He glanced at me, still grinning. “I’m that, too.”

I shook my head, astonished. I would never have guessed in a million years that Noah was late because he was busy visiting his grandfather.

“I’m at a loss for words,” I said, honestly.

He laughed again. “Not many people know that about me.”

We lapsed into a short silence as the river came into view. I took a deep breath, savoring the clean air. People ran and walked, both in pairs and alone, along the path that skirted the water, and I liked looking out at them.

“So, why do you have such a shitty reputation?” I asked him, breaking the silence.

He didn’t answer right away, and I was afraid I had gone too far. Finally, he sighed, shrugging.

“It’s not undeserved.”

“I don’t know. Everyone at the theater has good things to say about you.”

He smirked. “Oh yeah, like who?”

“Chelsea says you tutored her in math.”

“I’m good at math, and she needed help. It’s not a big thing.”

“Chuck seems to like you. Then there’s your friend Ellie. People obviously care about you, and yet everyone has this picture of you.”

“Chuck and Ellie are my friends,” he said.

I sighed, exasperated. “Come on, quit dodging. What is it about you?”

“Just because I’ve done some nice things, doesn’t mean I’m not a complete piece of shit.”

He was quiet for a second, and I worried I may have insulted him. Instead, he took a deep breath, visibly composing himself before speaking again.

“I’ve fucked people over, done way too many drugs, driven drunk. I’ve stolen from friends for no reason other than it was fun. I was arrested once for pissing in public, another time for getting into a fight. I’ve fucked girls over because I felt like it, took them home and promised to call. There was a time out in L.A. where I didn’t know who I was, and I wouldn’t recognize that person if I saw him now. And maybe I don’t do all that shit anymore, but I’m not a nice person. Girls want to fuck me because I have money, and usually I don’t say no.” He stopped, then repeated, “I’m not a good person, Linda.”

I was quiet, taking that in. “Why did you tell me all of that?”

“Because you asked. And because I don’t want to lie to you.”

He looked frustrated, and I couldn’t understand what was driving him to say those things about himself. He could have easily lied to me, but instead he decided to paint this monstrous picture of himself.

And I had to admit, part of me believed it.

I looked back out over the water, conflicted. That was the other Noah, the side of him that ignored me at work, or made lewd comments about my panties when he wasn’t busy flirting with some cute customer.

But then the night before came flooding back to me, and I remembered how he had moved my hair gently out of my eyes after he brought me to a third knee-shaking orgasm, and the way he smiled back when I smiled at him. For as much as I loved his rough, strong hands pulling my hair back, there was also a tenderness to him that I needed. I remembered that he ignored all of those people just to spend a few hours with me. He hadn’t hustled me out afterward. He answered my questions, even when it was clear that he didn’t want to. And the things he said when he slid inside of me, I couldn’t believe that was what he said to every random girl he fucked.

It was almost as if he was simultaneously trying to get close to me, and trying to push me away. And I had no clue which one I wanted.

“Why did your dad try to ruin my mom’s career?” I asked him suddenly. I wanted to change the subject.

He shook his head, looking angry. “I honestly don’t know. I asked him about it, but he gave me some bullshit about her tanking his first movie.”

“She told me she wrote him a bad review, and that’s why he did it.”

He nodded. “Yeah, he told me that, too. But he also said he had brought her in to see an early screening of it. He said he was trying to help her out, since she was still young and building a career. I guess he felt like she stabbed him in the back.”

“What was she supposed to do, write a good review because he was nice to her?”

“In his mind, probably.”

I snorted. “That’s not very ethical.”

“Linda, Hollywood isn’t ethical. Fuck, my dad is as far from ‘ethical’ as possible.”