Anything but casual was a mistake, dammit, and Noah knew that. However, it seemed that things could take certain turns without him even being aware of it. He'd wanted to keep the excess emotion out, away, pushed aside, because then if they didn't work out, it wouldn't hurt. He could just shrug and say 'so what?' That plan clearly wasn't coming to fruition.
Noah did her the courtesy of thinking about what she'd asked him and not just snapping out an answer in order to be done with the subject. Taking a few seconds to scrub his hands over his face and then drop them to his lap, he sighed. "I wouldn't've liked it," he admitted. He wasn't the raging jealous type, but he had a streak of possessiveness when he was into someone. It absolutely wouldn't have thrilled him to see some guy sitting close to Vienna and trying to seduce her.
He heard her soft-voiced murmur, but he didn't know what to say to it. The absolute last thing he'd wanted when everything had imploded with Rufus was another relationship. At the time, he'd figured if he found someone he wanted to fuck, he would, but he hadn't been able to imagine wanting anything more. But he liked Vienna, cared for her, thought she was stunningly beautiful, enjoyed talking to her, among other things. He admired her for what she'd come through, her and her young son. It was just that he wasn't sure what to do with all that besides think it in his own mind. It was so much simpler when deeper emotions didn't rule.
Noah lowered his head, biting his lip to stifle another sigh. He didn't want her to think he was irritated with her or being impatient, but he simply didn't know what to do right now. "I didn't know I had to tell you," he mumbled. "I thought we had a good thing." Why did women always have to hear the words spoken? Jenna had been like that, too.