by Jessie Evans
“I promise,” he said, kissing his way down her throat, pausing to count the beats of her heart against his lips before he moved lower. He kissed the center of her chest, running his tongue down to the hollow between her breasts before pulling one nipple and then the other into his talented mouth and showing her he knew exactly what to do to drive her wild.
By the time his jeans and boxer briefs joined the pile of clothes on the floor, she wasn’t thinking straight enough to worry about protection, but Noah pulled a condom seemingly from thin air and slid it on the long, thick length of him before he settled between her legs and pushed inside. Yasmin cried out in bliss, arching her back as he slid home, filling her in a way no lover ever had. He wasn’t too much or not enough. He was made for her, made to stretch her, own her, pleasure her with every movement of his body working inside of hers.
And as he made her gasp and cry out and eventually scream his name as she came hard enough to make stars explode behind her closed eyes, back in the kitchen a sharp, staccato rapping signaled that Sampson the Third didn’t approve of Yasmin having mind-blowing sexy times any more than he approved of her walking across the town square without her legs covered with peck marks.
But Yasmin was too lost in Noah’s arms, in his kiss, and in the bliss he sent flooding through her to notice.
Later, when she and Noah were bent over their bowls of Chinese-Nebraskan beef noodles, laughing in the candlelight as they shared stories from their childhood and ideas about the crazy things they would do when they were old and gray and people made the mistake of assuming there wasn’t any trouble left in them, she would wonder aloud if the rooster was still outside prowling the perimeter. But her musing was just an excuse to keep Noah in her house, in her bed, holding her tight as they drifted off to sleep long after all self-respecting roosters had returned to the coop for the night.
Just before she went to sleep, Yasmin made a mental note to call her mother in the morning and cancel the background check. She had spent the night looking into Noah Riley’s heart, and she didn’t need any more proof that this man was good news all the way. Maybe the best news she’d ever heard.
She went right on thinking that until the phone rang at eight o’clock the next morning and she learned that even Mr. Right has a secret or two up his sleeve.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Noah
Noah woke to the sound of a car peeling out of the driveway below him and for a moment couldn’t remember where he was. But then he glanced around the yellow room with the framed concert posters on the walls and it all came rushing back—dinner with Yasmin and deciding to sleep over and all the not-sleeping they’d done until well after midnight last night.
The memories made him want to smile, but a niggle of worry tugged at the back of his mind. There was the matter of that car peeling out below and the fact that he and Yasmin were, so far as he knew, the only people here.
He stood and hurried to the window in his bare feet, peeking through the gauzy white curtains in time to see Yasmin’s Jetta churning up dust as it barreled down the long driveway toward the road. Something in the way the tires spun, spraying gravel onto the rose bushes on the left side of the drive, told him she wasn’t just popping out for donuts and coffee.
His worry niggle transforming to a case of full-blown concern, Noah slid into his jeans and grabbed his shirt from the back of Yasmin’s desk chair, tugging it over his head as he thudded down the stairs. There was no sign of Yasmin in the living room or the dining room, but in the kitchen, there was a note in red marker stuck to the fridge with a green pepper magnet.
The writing was so large and angry-looking he was able to read it from across the room.
Dear Liar,
Yes, Noah. That means you.
I’m sure you thought it was hysterical to lead me on for the past few days while you pretended to be seriously considering my proposal. But now it’s clear that it was all a lie and that you are a liar, just like every other man I’ve ever dated.
I hope you enjoyed last night. It was both the first and the last time I’ll be stupid enough to sleep with you.
Please be gone before my mother shows up this afternoon to lock up the house. I’ve told her to bring Sampson for protection and to feel free to let him do his worst if you’re still around. She has agreed because she doesn’t like liars either.
Have a great life with your precious samples. Hope they keep you warm and happy in San Francisco.
Yasmin
“What the hell?” Noah ran a hand through his hair, baffled as to what could have possibly happened between last night and this morning to make her think that he was a liar.
The letter didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t lied about anything, and though he had always been leaning toward saying “no” to letting Yasmin have that sample, he had been seriously considering it. What in the world could have happened to convince her otherwise?
Turning to retrace his steps, he dashed back upstairs, grabbing his cell from the nightstand, intending to call Yasmin and go straight to the source. If he could just get her on the phone, he was sure he could clear this up.
But when he picked up his cell, he noticed he had a missed call and a message from the sperm bank in Omaha.
Wavering for a moment, he decided to check the message first.
“Hello, Dr. Riley. Hope you’re well.” The congested-sounding voice was instantly recognizable. It was the head of the clinic, the same woman who had accidentally sold Yasmin a storage-only sample and started this insanity in the first place.
Though at this point, he was more inclined to think it was destiny, not insanity, that had brought Yasmin and him together, and he wasn’t about to let her go without a fight.
“Sorry to call so early,” the clinic director continued. “I just wanted you to know that everything has been taken care of ahead of schedule. All the samples have been shipped to the facility in San Francisco and a check for a full refund for the storage fee sent to your home address. Again, we’re so sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully, knowing this is all behind you will make the rest of your trip to our great state of Nebraska that much more enjoyable.”
Noah was about to delete the message when the woman added—
“And my associate has already called the woman who was interested in your sample to inform her that she’ll have to look for another donor. So there’ll be no more stress for you from that direction, either.”
“Shit,” he cursed, closing his voice mail with a jab of his thumb. He dropped to the floor to look under the bed for his socks and shoes even as he scrolled to Yasmin’s contact number and hit call.
This was all another huge misunderstanding, courtesy of Screw Ups R Us Sperm Bank. All he had to do was get Yasmin on the line, and he could explain this away in a second. Or at least, he hoped he could. Surely she would believe him if he swore to her that he hadn’t been the one to ask that the transfer date for the samples be moved up.
But when he called Yasmin, he was sent straight to voice mail. She must have turned her phone off, so Noah did the only logical thing to do at a time like this. He googled Yasmin’s parents’ number and called Sada Wang North, owner of generations of prize-winning roosters and a woman who clearly didn’t enjoy hearing that her daughter’s emotions had been toyed with.
As soon as she found out who Noah was, she made a growling sound and warned, “You’d better be out of the house before I get over there, mister, or I’ll put my rooster on you. Maybe I’ll put him on you anyway. Thanks to you my daughter is leaving town again, just when her father and I were sure we had her back to stay.”
“What?” Noah said, his pulse speeding all over again. “Because of this? But it’s all just a big—”
“Because of you,” Sada interrupted. “Because she doesn’t want to live in a town where you’re planning to make your home. As soon as she picks up her Mud Run tee shirt, she’s gone. She’s not even going to stay for the race, and those silly runs are her favori
te part of the festival.”
The Mud Run. Noah glanced at the clock above the stove. The registration table wasn’t due to open until nine a.m. If he hurried, he could be there before Yasmin had a chance to claim her tee shirt and stop this from getting any worse.
“I’m going to bring her back, Mrs. North,” Noah said. “I’m not a liar. I’m wild about your daughter, and I’m going to make her happy, no matter how many rabid roosters I have to fight to do it.”
“My roosters are not rabid. Only mammals can get rabies. You have a long way to go before you’re ready for the farm, Mr. Riley,” Sada huffed. “But if you make my Yasmin happy we’ll see about getting you on Sampson’s good side.”
Noah smiled. “Copy that.”
Less than a minute later, he was in his truck, pushing the speed limit down the highway, hoping he wouldn’t be too late to keep his girl from getting away.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Yasmin
Yasmin lurked in the shade of the oak tree near the sign-up table, doing her best not to make eye contact with any of the other runners warming up in the grass.
She wouldn’t be making the journey with them and really didn’t deserve her tee shirt, but she hadn’t scored a mud run tee in years and the custom shirts from each year inevitably became collector’s items. The design team behind the Mud Run tee was kept top secret, but they were clearly some of the most brilliant creative minds in Sapphire Falls. If she had been forced to give up a Mud Run tee shirt as well as her hopes, dreams, and romantic fantasies, Yasmin was pretty sure she would have laid down on the ground beneath the oak tree and never gotten up again.
Noah Riley may have broken her heart, but by God, he wouldn’t rob her of a Mud Run tee.
The thought made her press her lips together, fighting the stinging at the back of her eyes. She couldn’t believe she’d done it again, fallen hook, line, and sinker for a liar. Sure, the lie wasn’t a deadly lie or even a dangerous one, but it still hurt like hell. It was what the lie represented that hurt the worst—another man who couldn’t be trusted, another time Yasmin’s judgment had proved to be shitty and flawed. But this was even worse than the times before. She’d already been having happily ever after dreams starring Noah as the leading man.
Idiot. She deserved a bad case of heartache. That’s what she got for falling head over heels for a man she barely knew, even if he did have the kindest eyes she’d ever seen and had made her feel, for one amazing night, like the sexiest, most irresistible woman in the world.
“Yasmin!” The voice seemed to come straight from her subconscious, summoned by memories of her epic night with Noah Riley. But then it came again, louder this time. “Yasmin! Wait!”
She turned to see Noah racing across the square toward her. His shirt was untucked and his hair stood up in a wild, rumpled, bed head tangle and his cheeks were covered with quite possibly the sexiest morning stubble she had ever seen. Even now, he looked beautiful. Beautiful and worried and excited to see her all at the same time. It was enough to make her want to smash her fist into a tree. Or maybe his face.
Yes, his face would be better.
How dare he come here looking handsome and sexy and worried when he was the one who had ruined everything?
“Go away.” She pointed a finger toward Teal Street, where she could see his truck parked beneath a tree. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“But I have a lot to say to you,” he said, stopping in front of her, his breath coming fast. “Actually, no, I don’t have that much to say. Just that this is all a big mistake and that you can’t go.”
“I can do whatever I want. It’s called free will, Noah. The same free will you used when you sent your stupid samples back to San Francisco.”
“I didn’t send them!” He thrust his arms out to his sides as if he had nothing to hide. “At least not yesterday. I had them scheduled to ship on Tuesday. The crazy woman at the bank decided to move up the date on her own. I had nothing to do with it. And I certainly never told her to call you.”
Yasmin scowled. “I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t believe that the sperm bank that sold you a storage client’s sperm by accident might have made a mistake?” Noah rolled his eyes. “Another mistake. That place is a fucking nightmare. If I were a different person I would sue their asses for everything they’re worth.”
Her frown trembled, and a sliver of unease snaked through her self-righteous anger. “But you were never going to agree to the insemination,” she said in a softer voice, keenly aware that they were starting to attract attention. The other runners were keeping their distance, but every word of this conversation would be making the gossip rounds by the time the starting pistol rang. “Admit it. You were just stringing me along.”
“I was not stringing you along,” he said, his eyes pleading with her to believe him. “Yes, the chances that I would have agreed to the procedure were slim, but that’s only because I was—”
“See!” She crossed her arms at her chest, shaking her head back and forth. “See, you already talk about it in the past tense! Like, it’s all been decided, even though it’s only Friday and as far as I know your sperm maker isn’t broken.”
“Okay, then. Fine.” Noah reached for the close of his belt. “If that’s what it takes to get you to believe me.”
Yasmin’s eyebrows shot up. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Getting you a sample,” he said, ripping the belt through the buckle. “Right here. Right now.”
“But we’re in the middle of the town square,” she squeaked, gazing frantically over her shoulders. “And there are people everywhere.”
Noah’s eyes didn’t waiver from her face. “I don’t care. You’re the only person I care about. And I’m going to get you a sperm sample. And then I’m going to convince you that I’m falling in love with you and that you’re falling in love with me and that all of this is ridiculous because we should just move in together, finish falling in love, and make a baby the old-fashioned way.”
Yasmin blinked against the tears rising in her eyes. She was so shocked—and touched—that Noah had his zipper all the way down before she recovered enough to launch herself across the grass between them.
“Stop it,” she hissed, hands covering his as he prepared to shove his jeans down. “Are you crazy?”
He nodded “Yes. I’m crazy. I’m crazy about you, and if you leave now I’m going to have to quit my job and follow you across the country until you realize running away from this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”
“I don’t know,” she said, tears still pressing in. “I’ve done a lot of dumb stuff. Especially where men are concerned.”
“But that’s all over now,” he said, holding her gaze. “Because you’ve got me and like I told your mom on the phone this morning, I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m worth taking a chance on.”
She shook her head. “But how do I know? How do I know this isn’t going to be another heartbreaking, terrifying waste of time?”
“Was last night a waste of your time?” he asked softly. “Because it certainly wasn’t a waste of mine. In fact, it was one of the best nights of my life. I went to bed holding a beautiful, funny, sweet woman, feeling like I’d finally found the person who was meant just for me.”
She sniffed, but the tears in her eyes were already streaming down her cheeks. “I felt that way, too. And I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here. With you.”
“Then stay,” he said, reaching for her. “Stay with me and let’s prove that love isn’t a fairy tale.”
With a happy sob, she threw herself into his arms and he held her tight, the strength in his grip making her certain he was never going to let her go.
“Now close up your pants!” a man’s voice called from behind them, inspiring a wave of laughter from the runners gathered near the start of the course.
“No rush on that, sweetheart,” a woman’s voice called, earning a second, louder
round of laughter.
Yasmin pulled away from Noah long enough for him to close up his britches, but then she was right back in his arms, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” he said.
“Even if I ran a background check on you?”
He hugged her closer. “Nope. You should have run a background check. I want you to be safe.”
“It came back clean,” she said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “You’re apparently a complete Boy Scout.”
He lifted a sexy brow. “I think we both know that’s not true.”
She grinned. “Well, you do have a naughty side. But even that has an air of boy-scoutish-ness about it. I would award you a few badges for excellence if you know what I mean.”
“I’m flattered,” he said, eyes glittering. “So are we good?”
“We’re good,” she said, sighing happily. “Though my parents are going to think I’m crazy for telling them to sic Sampson on you in the morning and informing them that you’re moving in in the afternoon.”
He wrinkled his nose. “No, they won’t. Your mom already told me that as long as I make you happy, she’s willing to help me get on Sampson’s good side.”
Yasmin laughed. “It’s never going to happen, Riley.”
“I don’t know,” Noah said. “I’m starting to believe in miracles. Or at least extremely fortuitous coincidences.”
“Thank God for the screw up at the sperm bank?”
“No,” he said, gaze softening. “Thank God for you.”
And then Yasmin cried a little and laughed a little and she and Noah decided to run the mud run in their street clothes because it seemed like the thing to do. And when they were done, they collected two of the coolest Mud Run tee shirts in the history of Sapphire Falls and went home to shower together. But thankfully, by the time Sada and Frank came to meet Yasmin’s new boyfriend, they were both dressed and sitting out on the new deck furniture, admiring the view from their corner of paradise.