Perfectly Inappropriate

by Stacey Kennedy

  His shoulders lifted and fell with his heavy sigh before he turned around to face her again, giving her a hard look. “We are going to stop talking about this,” he told her firmly, looking very much like the authoritative senator. “Do you want to know why?”

  Holding her ground, her chin promptly lifted. “I’m guessing you’re going to tell me, even if I say no.”

  The air between them flickered with electricity as his fingers sprawled across her lower back and brought her in nice and close against the warmth of his hard body. And then his mouth came down on hers, and for one good long moment, she did not think about anything but the way he madly kissed her. His tongue was hot intensity. His lips moved with hers wildly and overpoweringly, demanding she follow where he wanted to take her. And she willingly went there, losing her mind in his passion.

  When he finally broke off the kiss, they were both breathless. His firm hand remained on her back, keeping her tight against him. “The reason we are going to stop talking about this is because I felt good buying you this camera today knowing how happy it would make you. There is no price tag on that, Olivia. Do you understand me?”

  There in his eyes she saw a truth. Noah’s truth. And her heart broke a little for him when she realized that as much as the gift was about her, it was also about him. He’d done something entirely selfless, maybe something he had not done in a long time for anyone. Something that was not motivated by his desire to win an election. She realized in that truth, he likely needed to give her that gift, as much as she had to accept that someone was doing something good for her. For that reason, and maybe some others that deep down she was not ready to face yet, she smiled and said, “Then I guess all I can say is thank you. I can’t think of anything that would be more special to me than this camera.”

  “You’re very much welcome. I’m glad that I got it right.” His sweet smile spoke of a certain peace she’d never seen before in his gaze. “Now, can we go enjoy the rest of day?”

  Tears threatened to rise at his kind gesture, but she refused to allow them to spill over. No more tears. Even if they were happy ones. She nodded and slid her fingers into his again. “Ready.”

  As they strode down the street, she had a moment of thinking that holding his hand should feel awkward, and yet, being with Noah felt entirely natural. Comfortable. Easy. Like they were living in the moment, not rushing through it.

  Until they noticed a homeless man who was watching them intently. He sat on a cardboard box, blankets around him, with a mutt lying next to him. Noah increased his speed and walked toward him. “Gary,” he called. “How are things?”

  The man gave a toothless grin. “Been good.”

  Olivia’s attention fell to the dog with the big floppy ears. “Is he friendly?” At the man’s nod, she bent down and scratched its ears. She’d always wanted a dog, but she no longer had a home to put one in.

  When the dog flopped onto his back for belly scratches, Noah asked Gary, “Why are you out here today? Is the shelter full?”

  “Too beautiful to be inside,” Gary muttered.

  “It is that.” Noah glanced sideways then he walked toward the street vendor. When he returned, he came carrying four hot dogs, a couple of bags of chips, and waters. “Dinner is on me today.”

  “Thanks,” Gary said, accepting the food and promptly offering one hot dog to the mutt.

  A slow rush crept over Olivia as she watched the exchange. The same rush that always happened when she sensed a perfect photograph in the waiting. She rose and stepped back, then raised her camera to her eye. In the viewfinder, Noah stood over the man, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The contrast to some might look like a strong, powerful, and wealthy man standing over a poor man. But the look in Noah’s eyes declared they were equals. Maybe that’s what made him a good senator. And what made him a great man.

  Gary took a big bite of the hot dog and muttered, “Good to see the aliens haven’t gotten you yet.”

  Noah’s mouth twitched. “I’m one of the lucky ones. Be well, Gary.”

  He gave them a final wave, and Olivia fell back into stride with Noah. “Aliens?” she asked as they passed the street vendor.

  Noah reached for her hand again. “I volunteer at the shelter near here a few times a month for Sunday lunches. Gary’s always there. He believes over three quarters of our population are aliens living in the bodies of humans.”

  “Mental health issues, I take it?”

  He nodded. “Issues that I’m sure could be managed with medication, but it’s medication he does not want to take.”

  Olivia’s heart squeezed. “He has no family?”

  “None that he’s ever talked about.” Noah glanced into the storefront they passed before addressing her again. “He’s told me that he served two tours in Iraq, but I’m not certain that’s true.”

  Olivia glanced back over her shoulder and found Gary smiling at someone walking by who had tossed some change into the cup at his feet. “It’s so sad, don’t you think? That someone can be so low, and yet still be so kind and smile like he does.”

  “It’s honorable,” Noah said with a nod.

  “It’s heartbreaking,” she countered. “I can never understand why bad things happen to good people.” Even to herself, though, of course, she did not have it as hard as Gary. But she had always done all the right things, worked hard, been good to people…and yet…Cameron and Lacie had happened.

  She was sighing away that particular thought when Noah squeezed her hand, drawing her attention back to him. His expression shone with compassion as he said, “Sadly, there’s a lot that needs fixing in our world today. But where does one start?”

  “At the beginning,” she offered with a smile.

  Noah lifted her hand and kissed the top. “That’s the best place, I imagine. But people need to want to fix themselves, and Gary is very content with his life. Don’t feel sorry for him, he doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”

  There was a certain heaviness in Noah’s voice that said he struggled with this issue as a senator. A man elected to make their state better, and yet he was still a man who could only do so much.

  She tugged on his hand and gestured at Gary behind them. “True. Everyone’s measurement of what makes them happy is different. We can’t impose our beliefs on others. Just help where we can and you’re doing just that. Making that one little difference is monumental. If only everyone made one little difference, the world would certainly be a better place.”

  He kissed her palm, those warm eyes intent on hers. “Is that what you captured with your camera? That singular moment when the only thing that matters is the connection between two people?”

  “That’s what I try to capture, but I’m not always sure if I get it right or not.” Her throat tightened, and she nodded instead of squeaking out words. He seemed to get her like no one else did. Being around Noah felt good. Real good. And she could not help but wonder if he was always so captivating with everyone or just with her. “Sometimes I’m just lucky enough see it at all.”

  He stopped then and faced her. A soft smile creased his mouth and he stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “I think you see a lot that others miss, Olivia.”

  She returned the smile and had risen up on her tiptoes for a kiss when she heard a clicking sound.

  Before she could even lower, a man said, “Mr. Grant, what’s on the agenda for tonight’s town hall?”

  Olivia glanced sideways just in time to see a couple of reporters with cameras aimed in their direction.

  Noah squeezed her fingers, returning her attention to his steady gaze. “I’ve seen what you do. This is what I do.”

  With that, he strode toward the reporters, leaving Olivia thinking three things all at once.

  One, this man was incredible.

  Two, he was obviously bringing her deeper into his life.
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br />   Three, was she ready for that?

  * * *

  —

  Long after the town hall meeting wrapped up, and after a quick bite, Noah followed Olivia into an old shoe factory, not far from Paige’s apartment, glad the meeting was over. Most times, he usually ended up taking a beating while listening to the residents complain about things he wished he could make better too. Change was hard. Getting laws passed was even harder.

  Once he followed her inside the factory, the heavy steel door slammed behind him, and she greeted a young, dark-skinned man sitting behind a small counter. “Hey, Bruno.”

  “Olivia!” Bruno exclaimed with a smile. He had wild curly hair and dark eyes. “It’s been a while. Good to see you, girl.”

  She smiled. “Likewise. Is there a room available?”

  Bruno glanced down at the piece of paper on his desk. “Yeah, room four is open for the next couple hours.”

  “Perfect.” She held out her hand and accepted the key from Bruno. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” He gave Noah a pleasant smile, obviously not recognizing him.

  Noah returned the smile then followed behind Olivia, turning past the reception desk toward a hallway lined with rooms. “What is this place?” he asked, done with trying to figure out where she’d wanted to bring him after they had grabbed a quick dinner.

  “It’s a private darkroom.” She opened the black door with the metal 4 in the center, spilling red light out into the hallway. “There’s a couple public rooms around the city for photographers to go to, but Paige knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy”—she smiled—“and she got me a year membership when I moved in with her.”

  Noah took note of the sign to the left of the door, DARKROOM IN USE, as he entered the room. He discovered a long table and a string hanging over it with clothespins. He grinned at those. He had never met a woman where his kink went toe-to-toe with her passion. “It’s a neat space,” he noted, staring around at the industrial area. The stone walls were likely original, and above him all the metal piping was exposed, some even coming down lower on the wall.

  “I know. It’s cool.” She shut the door then flicked a light switch on.

  Noah assumed that was to light up the sign outside. “Where did you develop your film before?”

  “I had a darkroom at my house.” She moved to the table.

  Noah removed his jacket and left it on the edge of the table by the rectangular tub. He stayed back and silently watched Olivia work. It became clear very quickly how the process of mixing the chemicals relaxed her. She moved smoothly and slowly until she was all set up with the machinery in the room.

  When she turned to him again and smiled, she was, without a doubt, in her wheelhouse. “Ready?”

  He cocked his head. “Ready for what?”

  She reached into her purse then held up a roll of film. “To see the photographs from our night away.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Now those I’m particularly excited to see.”

  She laughed softly. “I thought you might like to see them.” But then, the moment was gone when she got to work.

  All he could do was watch her.

  He thought it was a terrible waste that anyone with her talent did not pursue their dreams. He had no doubt that Cameron had been behind some of that, but he also knew life could always get in the way of a person’s dreams. Noah simply had been too stubborn to fail.

  Many minutes went by as she began developing the photographs, hanging each one on a clothespin as she went. Until one photograph stopped her. She went unnaturally still and stared at the picture.

  Noah stepped closer. “What is it?”

  She turned to him, her eyes teary. “I look really happy in this picture.”

  Those tears had him reaching for her and pulling her in close. “It’s good to be happy.”

  “I just…” She paused, then raw emotion seeped from every syllable in her voice. “I think I got wrapped up in all this with you, but it’s like I forgot, you know…”

  “Forgot what?” he gently pushed.

  Her chin quivered. “How sad I was.”

  A heavy sigh fell from his mouth as he wrapped her tightly into his arms, pressing his chin on the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m sorry that life, for whatever reason, gave you such a cruel experience. I could say it will only make you stronger, but it won’t. Because you are strong already.”

  She slowly leaned away to stare up at him. “I don’t feel strong.”

  “That’s because you are choosing to hide.” He brushed a tear away and added, “Sometimes there is darkness. Don’t hide from that, angel. Face that darkness. You cannot conquer what you don’t acknowledge.”

  The growing emotion in her eyes said she knew what he meant. “Why would they do that to me?” she managed to choke out.

  Like a dam breaking open, at last allowing her emotions to free since she had finally asked the one question her heart hadn’t allowed her to ask, tears rained down her cheeks. He brushed each one of them away. “Because they are selfish,” he told her.

  She buried her face into his chest. Her fingers clung to his shirt. “I just keep looking back to the day when I walked in on them in my bed. I loved them.” Her voice shook. “I thought they loved me.”

  Part of him wanted to hurt Cameron. The other part of him wouldn’t have moved away from Olivia even if he were there. “They will regret how they hurt you, if they don’t already.”

  She leaned away and stared up at him with her soulful eyes. Noah saw nothing else but the raw pain in their depths. Pain that he wanted Cameron to see and hurt for. That’s when he knew something really special about Olivia. She didn’t hold any anger toward Cameron and Lacie. Her heart simply wasn’t capable of that. But she was hurt. So, so, very hurt. And that vulnerability changed something inside of Noah, making him understand something he hadn’t before. This was one of those fork-in-the-road moments for her. Something that happened in life which was not planned. A moment when the direction of one’s life changed.

  And Noah knew it.

  He brushed a tear away with his thumb, wishing there was more he could do to help her. “I don’t like seeing you hurting.”

  “I don’t like seeing myself hurting either.” She heaved a long sigh before adding, “But I also don’t know how to stop hurting over what they’ve done. Because the truth is, I miss them, but then at the same time, I know it’s the old them I miss, not those new people who would do something so cruel to someone they loved.”

  He agreed with a slow nod. “I would imagine that’s how you find healing. Facing that you will miss them. They were important people in your life for a long time. You can’t hide from that or pretend it never happened.” She watched him intently and he tucked her hair behind her ear. “People change. Sometimes in a bad way. Sometimes in a good way. That’s inevitable. But now, it’s what you do about it. Don’t change because of them. You were a kind, loving woman with them. Don’t let them take that from you.”

  “Again, you always seem to know what to say to make me feel better.” She smiled softly, pressing her hands against his chest. “You’re a really kind man, Noah.”

  His chest expanded with warmth and he smiled in return. “Thank you for that, Olivia.”

  “Thank you for listening,” she said and stepped away. He let her, wanting to give her the space she needed to think through the release of emotions.

  She placed another photograph in the tray, moving it around while the image appeared. Then her raspy voice filled the room. “Oh my…”

  Noah followed her gaze. “Now that is a photograph I can get behind,” he mused, leaning forward to get a good look.

  She picked the photograph up with her tongs then hung it from the clothespin. In the photograph, she was on her knees, staring up at him, and his rock-hard cock was
in her hand, by her grinning mouth. That smile took him from soft to hard so fast a low groan spilled from deep in his chest.

  Something she obviously heard and reacted to. “Noah,” she whispered huskily.

  “Show me the next photograph.” His muscles quivered with anticipation. He knew what that photograph was, because he had taken the picture. The memory had not been far from his mind.

  With hands shakier than before, she placed the paper into the solution and used her tongs before the image appeared. Her slow breathy gasp filled his ears when she took the photo out of the tray. She clipped it to the clothespin, then the tongs dropped out of her hands, landing on the table as she stared at the photograph in front of her, her mouth parted, breath all but gone now.

  He was equally captivated. He had taken the photograph from up above as his cock was deep in her mouth. She looked damn good wrapped around him, with her dark lustful eyes staring back at him. A ravenous hunger had him sliding gentle fingers over her shoulder, bringing a shiver. “Are there video cameras in this room?” he asked.

  She shook her head, words obviously lost to her.

  Heat burned into his groin. He had never experienced the hunger he did for her. All those sweet looks, that intense arousal she offered him, drove him wild. He reached for his tie, removing it from around his neck a second later. “Offer me your wrists, Olivia.”

  “Yes, sir,” she breathed, lifting her hands to him with a seductive grin.

  Christ, the playfulness, the confidence…she wreaked havoc on his control. Knowing they had a time limit in this room, he used his tie to bind her to an exposed metal pipe in the wall behind the table. Leaving her there, he carefully picked up the tray of solution and placed it on the floor in the corner of the room, keeping it safely away from them.

  When he returned, he stepped in behind her. “Tell me what you see when you look at that photograph of you sucking my cock.”

  “I see us.” She gasped when he pressed his erection against her butt cheek.

  She felt good. So damn good. He grabbed her ass firmly. “Look at how gorgeous you are there. Do you see why those lips tempted me that day now?”