After a few minutes the pounding slowed, and exhaustion washed over me. This day had been strange, the last half hour stranger, but I finally started to drift off to sleep. Except, the moment I did, Georgie’s voice cut across the room—startling me all over again.
“Noah,” she called softly, my name sounding different coming from her. “I’ll never sleep knowing you’re out here on that tiny couch. Trade me, please.”
“No,” I told her firmly. I might be a lot of things, but I sure as fuck wasn’t about to make a girl sleep on this couch.
She didn’t go back into the room. “Seriously. Please.”
“No,” I repeated, hoping I didn’t sound like an asshole. “If we trade, then I wouldn’t sleep.”
“Then…” Her voice faltered but after a long pause she finished her thought. “Then maybe you should share with me. It’s a big bed. I don’t mind. And I’ll stay on my side—promise.”
What?! Good sense told me not to move, but that was not what happened. I stood. My feet carried me across the room and briskly past her before I could even comprehend what I was doing. She silently followed. I knew nothing was going to happen, but this sure wasn’t how I ever expected to spend my night. Through the dark grayness I watched her move for the right side of the bed.
“No, I have to have that side. Take the left,” I told her even though my insides were now screaming with apprehension. Seriously, what the fuck was I getting myself into?
She didn’t argue and moved for the other side of the bed. Meanwhile, I felt around on the ground for my t-shirt. I’d tossed it aside when I’d gone to bed, only wearing the wife-beater shirt I had on underneath, and that suddenly felt like not enough clothing. I found it and yanked it over my head. Then I crawled under the covers on the right side.
The waterbed was a king. She was miles away.
“Goodnight, Noah,” she whispered. “And sorry.”
Did she mean sorry for this sleeping arrangement or sorry for something more? I couldn’t ask. “Goodnight,” I simply said.
As awkward as I might have thought this would be, I was surprised to find it wasn’t. The opposite, actually. As we both lay still for a few minutes, listening to each other breathing and not sleeping, I began feeling ten times more settled than I’d ever felt over the last four months. What a nice, fucking change. That worrying thing I couldn’t seem to stop doing…well, it stopped.
Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
CHAPTER 4
GEORGINA
Wow. This was exhilarating—Noah and I in the same freaking bed! Unfortunately enough, my Knight in Shining Armor had fallen asleep at record speed only moments ago. One second I’d heard practically no sound coming from him and the next his breaths turned long and heavy. Go figure. I rolled my eyes at the ceiling.
After dinner, when I’d gone upstairs to my room, everything looked exactly the same—the same floral comforter I’d had for years, the same photos of all my friends plastered on my closet door, and the same breathtaking ocean view out my window. I was not sure why, but despite all the ‘same’, somehow everything was vastly different. I felt out of place in my own room and the sensation was very unsettling. Even worse, I couldn’t even bring myself to enter my bathroom. Mom had mentioned that I could start using her bathroom instead, but it felt weird too. I’d focused on unpacking, surprised that the tears that had been threatening me at dinner wouldn’t fall, and feigned sleep when Mom came upstairs to check on me.
It wasn’t until after eleven that the house quieted, and everyone had gone to bed. That was when I’d snuck downstairs to shower. Somehow the downstairs felt much more comforting than the third floor of our house, and after my shower, I couldn’t bring myself to return to my room. I never would have guessed that Noah (and I’m assuming Ellie in her room next door) had decided to stay the night. Almost lying down on top of him had been the shock of the century. I wasn’t complaining though, as I was pretty positive that that small moment had been the highlight of my sucktastic year, but that didn’t erase the invisible line cutting down the center of the bed. Even if he were awake, I knew Noah would never dare cross said line.
He’d been curt with me—answering my questions with as few words as possible. Not to mention, the way he’d desperately searched for his shirt. I could read his signals loud and clear— no hanky-panky. Ever. I tried not to let that hurt my feelings. The reality was he probably only saw me as the broken little girl he’d found bleeding on a bathroom floor. Maybe this scenario was different than all my late-night fantasies, but still, it was better than nothing. And when I finally fell asleep, I fell asleep with a smile on my face. I felt safe with Noah.
Morning came way too fast. I would have liked more time to linger in my dreams, but Ellie’s booming voice woke me up bright and early. “Noah, dammit, wake up! We’re gonna be late—again!” she yelled. It was Sunday. Where could they possibly have to go? Church? Ellie then proceeded to beat her fist against the guest bedroom door as hard as she could.
I thought for sure she was about to barge in and find me in bed with him. When that didn’t happen, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and dared my first peek over at Noah. Despite Ellie’s racket, he was still out of it. He slept on his stomach, his tan and impressive biceps wrapped under the pillow that his face was buried deep into. When did a guy who owned and operated a miniature golf place have the time to work out? I didn’t know—one of a million things I didn’t know. Aside from a few basic facts I knew about him, it occurred to me that we were basically strangers.
“Seriously, Noah!” came Ellie’s voice again. “You need to start setting your cell phone alarm. This shit is getting old!”
I figured I couldn’t lie here forever staring at the guy while my sister screamed. So, I reached out to nudge his arm. The moment my fingers made contact with his skin he muttered, “I hear her.”
“Oh.” Jolted by his words, I quickly pulled my hand back over to my side. How long had he been awake?
“Maybe if I ignore her she’ll go away,” he said, surprising me again by speaking. His voice was rough and scratchy yet held an unexpected warmth to it. He shifted and his whiskey-colored eyes, a prettier brown than I’d ever been close enough to notice, connected with mine. “Nah,” he decided. “Not possible for Ellie.”
I didn’t have a response for that. He’d only said a few words, but I was beyond shocked he was even talking to me. We’d never talked more than this. All I could do was lie there and try desperately to play it cool. But the intimacy of sharing a bed and the easiness of his eyes on mine had my heart pounding in my ears, practically bursting my eardrums.
Too bad Ellie broke our tiny moment when she continued to beat on the door. “Noah!”
Noah had no choice but to finally answer her. “Let up, woman,” he called out to her. “I’m awake. You don’t have to break down the door.”
“Whatever, Noah,” she huffed. “I’m going upstairs for a Pop-Tart. Get your ass out of bed and shower so we can go. I do this shit for you.” Her words were followed by the stomping of her feet up the stairs.
Holy smokes. Noah and I were now completely alone! I didn’t really know how to handle that and said the first thing that burst into my head. “You two argue like an old married couple. It’s kinda cute.”
He merely shrugged and pushed himself out of the bed. Gathering what appeared to be his wallet, keys, and phone off the bedside table, he shoved those things into the pockets of the shorts—the ones he’d slept in. Did I say something wrong? Disappointment flooded me as my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with Noah came crashing to an abrupt end. I wished I had more to say (preferably something sexy) but nothing came to mind. Actually, I probably should have thanked him for saving my life—because I still needed to do that—but I could only stare at him as he moved and at all the loose pieces of his blond hair, falling around his face, messed up from the night. I decided right then and there I had a thing for longer hair on a guy.
As if he kne
w I was still watching him, he paused to look down at me. A few moments passed, and his gaze had me practically squirming under the sheets. So much so that I forced my eyes on the wall. Unfortunately, the wall was boring and white, and my focus easily shifted back to him. Our eyes locked again and something unspoken passed between us. Whatever it was, it caused his strong jaw to clench. Then, saying nothing, he reached for the door handle and left the room.
Jesus, have mercy on my pounding heart!
I breathed out a giant huff of air—one I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in. Once upon a time, I used to be the smooth, confident one among my friends. What the hell was that? I’d just laid there ogling up at him like a wet blanket. Trying to shake the regret and embarrassment that was now flooding me, I sat up and crawled out of the waterbed.
Why the heck had Noah been so adamant about sleeping on the right side of the bed? It dawned on me then how that had been kind of odd. But in general, Noah himself was kind of odd, so I let the thought go. It was time to find out if Mom had called the cops when she woke up and didn’t find me in my bed. I was sure I was causing her hair to prematurely go grey.
Luckily she hadn’t called any authorities.
I missed Noah and Ellie leaving, but when I came upstairs Mom was there. She sat on a barstool at the island counter in the kitchen. She had her coffee and her protein shake. “Where have you been?” she asked. Usually she kept a calm air about her, but she wasn’t quite as calm now. I knew she worried about me constantly these days, but I wished she wouldn’t. I still wasn’t sure I regretted my suicide attempt, but I wasn’t about to try to do it again.
“I went for a morning walk on the beach,” I answered, feeling the need to lie about my shared time with Noah.
Mom nodded. “That’s good. The beach is always good for the soul.” She glanced down at my pajamas. “You didn’t want to change before you went out?”
Sighing, I moved for the pantry. I opened the door and hung on it, nothing inside looking very appealing. “Most of my clothes no longer fit.” And that was the honest to God truth.
During my stay at The Cove I’d gained about fifteen pounds. My roommate, Patty, had been anorexic. That was the reason she was there. And the crazy part was, when I’d first moved in with her, I’d been the thinner one! What a wakeup call—I’d never noticed I had an eating problem. Actually, I didn’t think my weight loss was necessarily an eating problem but a result of other things—like stress and depression. But on that first day, when I saw Patty’s eyes take in my figure with envy, I knew I needed to make a change. If not for my own sake, then at least as an example for her.
So that very evening I’d gorged on The Cove’s cafeteria food. And for the entire time I was there, I ate the way I wanted. Part of Patty’s treatment meant we didn’t have a mirror in our room. I hadn’t realized my body had changed as much as it had until yesterday. Because when I tried on the clothes I wanted to wear home, they no longer fit. Talk about a mini panic attack—especially when I’d had to borrow some of what Patty referred to as her ‘fat clothes’ to wear home.
But I wasn’t fat. Last night, after showering in the basement bathroom, I’d studied my naked form in front of the mirror for the first time in four months. My body had changed…but in a good way. I no longer fit into all my size two clothing, but now I had something I’d never had before—breasts! And even if my overly-healthy, slightly diet-crazed Mom was about to tell me otherwise, I think I liked this new me.
Mom stood, heading for the microwave to reheat her coffee. “I guess we’re going to have to go shopping today then. Those pajamas and the outfit you wore yesterday are hideous. You need some different clothes. And a change in wardrobe is always good.”
What? I’d expected her to comment on my weight, but instead she was going to buy me new clothes. I was so relieved, I walked over and gave her a hug. And then, after shocking the heck out of her, I changed for a fun-filled day of shopping. Truthfully, I loved shopping. Almost as much as Rose loved to shop. So, the three of us set out for the nearest mall…and it was a really good day.
Rose was still being very cold and strange around me, but at least her ear buds stayed out for the mall trip. When we arrived back at the house, a little after lunchtime, I debated on what to do with the rest of my day. Mom worked from home, doing most of the behind-the-scenes stuff for Dad’s real-estate job. So even on Sundays both my parents were always working. Rose watched her TV shows. And that left me by my lonesome.
On a normal summer day, I might have taken a towel down to the waterfront, dug my feet into the hot sand, and worked diligently on bronzing my skin. But I wasn’t ready to face the ocean head-on yet. It reminded me too much of Ben and too much of the way he’d died. I’d had lots of time to think these past four months. Ben had sacrificed his life trying to rescue someone else. After learning about my brother’s death, I’d been so distraught that my immediate reaction had been to join him—wherever he might be. But with time to think…I knew he’d be disappointed in that rash decision. And so now, I was scared to death to face the ocean and step in the sand we’d spent countless hours as kids playing in.
My other option was Sonya Fletcher. My bestie. My partner in crime since kindergarten. Her father owned an all-you-can-eat crab place in Nags Head, another beach town a few miles away. I’d worked as a server at his restaurant the past two summers. Now that I was home, I assumed he’d be eager for me to start work with the rest of the summer hires. But just like Logan, I hadn’t heard from Sonya once in the past four months. Why were all my friends from high school avoiding me? Maybe their avoidance was for the best. I felt pressure around them and having that pressure lifted while at The Cove had been pretty freaking nice.
So I settled for an afternoon nap on the living room sofa. Rose’s annoying shows blared loud and made it impossible to sleep, but that didn’t bother me. Ellie came by for dinner later in the evening. But much to my disappointment, Noah wasn’t with her. I went to bed in my own room but once everyone was asleep, I snuck downstairs to sleep in the waterbed again.
The pillow on Noah’s side still smelled of him—a mixture of soap, ocean breeze, and leather. Kind of hard to describe, but I recognized it instantly as his scent. It was nice and comforting. Too bad he wasn’t around. I found myself wondering if I should have taken better advantage of him being in bed with me the night before. I thought of how his lips on my lips might feel. He might be quiet, but he had a strong, unshakeable presence about him. I wondered how those traits translated during sex. Was he secretly soft and gentle or rough and controlling?
Hot damn.
I had to roll away from Noah’s side of the bed because his smell was messing with my mind. Not to mention, the blood in my veins was pumping a little too hard thinking over the possibilities.
But one thing was for certain—Golden. Opportunity. Missed.
CHAPTER 5
NOAH
I don’t know what the hell happened to me this morning. But whatever it was, it wasn’t good. About a million fucking miles from good.
This morning I’d woken before Georgie. With her in bed with me, I’d been able to get my first decent night of sleep in a long time. No nightmares. No flashbacks. No constant worrying. But it was more than that, the other demons that haunted me had taken a night off too. Waking up so calm was strange, and I’d wanted the feeling to last. Therefore, I’d stayed perfectly still, listening to Georgie’s soft breathing, until Ellie came pounding on the bedroom door like a maniac. Seriously, the woman needed to dial it down a notch or two.
Anyway, I’d woken and rolled out of bed—ready to chalk up my peaceful night as merely an urge satisfied. As irrational as it was, that ‘big brother’ protective nature I’d developed for Georgie felt at ease knowing she was safe and sound beside me. But as I’d gathered my keys and wallet off the nightstand, ready to leave, I’d stared down at a very gorgeous woman lying in the bed.
And holy fucking shit. This wasn’t what I’d s
igned up for.
Brotherly affection was the furthest thing from my mind. A whole slew of other emotions came crashing down on me. Morning light streamed across her form and Georgie, curled up in bed with her silky brown hair fanned out on the pillow and her perky, braless tits straining against the fabric of her t-shirt, was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen in my life. Her bright blue eyes met mine. Almost as a test, maybe just to see how she’d react, I continued staring down at her—seconds ticking by. She squirmed under my gaze but only looked away from me briefly. Then her eyes settled on me once more, confident and sure. I could tell when a woman wanted me. And Georgina Turner was looking up at me like she wanted me to rip her clothes off and fuck her until we were both so sated we couldn’t move.
That sexiness she radiated…it was too much for me to handle, and I’d left the room as fast as humanly possible. And since that moment, I hadn’t been able to shake her and the feeling of uneasiness that was threatening to consume me.
“What crawled up your ass, Clark?” Ellie teased, her voice bringing my thoughts back to the present. “Maybe you should pull over so I can drive.”
“Huh?” I was only vaguely aware of where I was.
Driving. Oh yeah, I was driving.
“You’re going twenty in a thirty-five,” Ellie said. “Step on the gas, Grandpa.”
The speedometer in Ellie’s car came into focus, and I sped up until I reached the speed limit. I always insisted on driving when we were together because riding shotgun with Ellie was painful. The girl couldn’t drive for shit. Now, it seemed, neither could I. We were late for work. Church had run later than usual. And because of my poor driving skills, Ellie and I were going to be even later for firing Patrick. It was all so ridiculous that if I hadn’t still been caught up in the tantalizing images of Georgie and the way her nipples had puckered against that tattered old shirt of hers, I’d be laughing at myself right about now.
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