Holiday Heat: The Men of Starlight Bend

by Ashley Jennifer

  Yet, Noah still stubbornly refused to leave the house. She’d invited him over for dinner to see her apartment, but he smoothly made the excuse Charles liked to cook for her. She’d asked if he wanted to meet her at Stan’s—the bar on the lake—on her lunch hour. He said he needed to work. When she mentioned getting a drink with her friend Megan one evening, he politely declined, citing a slight headache.

  Nerves tightened her stomach. It had only been two weeks since that first kiss, but their bond was as if they’d been lovers for years. When he held her, he opened up in a way she never imagined. She was falling in love with Noah Elliott, but had no idea what type of relationship their future held. He’d buried himself in the pain of his past and believed he was a monster. But Joey knew the world still held kindness, and love, and acceptance, especially for a man who put his life on the line to save two young boys. Would he ever be able to let his fears go, even for her?

  Hard hands slipped around her waist, interrupting her thoughts. She leaned back against him. “Things are looking great out there,” she said. “This is really going to happen.”

  “With you in charge, I never doubted it. You’re a bit on the ruthless side. I heard you negotiating the price of popcorn with the carnies. Wanna come work for me?”

  She laughed. “Never underestimate the power of a woman on the hunt for a good deal.”

  “Now you’re just turning me on,” he teased. “I spoke with Barney who runs the snow plow. He promised to keep the night free in case we get hit with any weather early.”

  “Perfect.”

  “ Have you spoken to the Salt family?”

  She smiled. “Yes, they’re really excited. We managed to get a bus to take a bunch of the children and their parents. And I have it on good authority Owen loves blue cotton candy.”

  “He’ll have it. I have one piece of bad news, though. We won’t have a carousel.”

  She twisted around to look at him. “No! We have a contract with Adventure Fun and they promised me a beautiful carousel. It took me days to settle on them!”

  He stroked her hair back, frowning. “I know, sweetheart, they couldn’t get it shipped out and they have no back ups. I checked a few other places but they can’t get it here in time. But we have everything else.”

  Disappointment crashed her heart so thoroughly she had to step out of his embrace, trying to gather her thoughts. How badly she wanted to watch the children ride those gorgeously painted horses; to hear the happy chimes amidst the colorful lights, spinning merrily on a ride as old as time.

  But this wasn’t about the children. This was about her. She’d just wanted to ride the carousel herself and finally erase that painful memory from her past. Prove how far she’d succeeded in her life. She wanted to be able to make that ride the memory she pulled out, dusted off, and thought of when things didn’t go just right.

  “Josephine?” He cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look at him again. “I feel like I’m missing something. Tell me. Why is the carousel so important to you?”

  She straightened up, refusing to admit how much it had meant. Noah was under enough stress without adding her whining about getting a carousel. A fake laugh slipped from her lips. “Its nothing really. Just wanted everything to be perfect for the children. We don’t need the carousel.”

  His gaze tore through her like a missile seeking a target. Fortunately, the phone buzzed. He shook his head in annoyance. “Sorry, I have to take this. “

  He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and then answered his phone. His smooth, deep voice caressed her ears, calming her disappointment, while sending her thoughts to wild nights she only dreamed about. He had a delicious mix of controlled civility and sexuality that made her knees mushy. And damned if his eye patch didn’t put some dirty fantasies to mind. She enjoyed listening to him conduct business and always imagined how his presence alone could part a crowd. If only he would try.

  He wrapped up his call. “I should be clear for the rest of the evening now.”

  “Did you buy another company?” she teased.

  “No, that’s tomorrow.”

  Joey laughed. “You really have built a conglomerate without even seeing it. Don’t you ever want to tour your new companies? Meet the employees?”

  “I hire good people to do that for me.”

  “Why? Because of your face?”

  “No. It’s because I don’t have to. I have enough money to do whatever I want. Why are you asking this, Josephine?” His voice had sent a sudden chill into the room.

  She wrapped her arms around her chest. He always tried to shut down when she pushed. How badly she wanted to just step into his arms and forget about the outside world. They had the potential to live in their own cocoon of warmth and safety, if they so choose, as he did. A perfect place controlled by only them. But it wasn’t real. She knew that. He didn’t. If she dived into this world with him, she’d have to divide her life into compartments, keeping work and friends and social functions separate, until she was left wondering if it was enough for both of them?

  She owed them both the truth about her thoughts. She didn’t want a relationship where she was afraid to tell her mate all her fears; secure they could talk about anything. “Because I’m wondering what this really is between us. Where it’s headed? What’s next?”

  “I’m not going to change,” he said coldly. “I can’t give you anything other than what’s inside these walls.”

  “Have I asked you to change?” She looked up at him, hoping to see something other than a man still too stubborn to give the world a second chance. To show them the beauty beyond the scars.

  “You’ve constantly asked me to leave my home, knowing I won’t. Do you know what that does to me every time I have to say no? I try being polite, but its like you don’t really understand. That you think I’m going to one day just say let’s go for a stroll in town.”

  “I know this is hard for you, Noah, but you don’t have to live your life this way. I’m not asking you to be something you’re not. I’m just asking—”

  “For me to go out there.” He narrowed his one good eye. “You want to parade me around. Like a trophy.”

  “What?” She stared at him looking for the kind souled man she’d been falling in love with.

  “Or perhaps you just wanted to sleep with a beast. See what it was like. Then talk about it amongst your friends. Your real friends. The ones out there.” He pointed at the window.

  She gasped as pain suffocated her entire being. She clenched her fists and surged forward, standing on her toes to get close as she pounded his hard chest. “How dare you say that to me?” she yelled. “You can be hurt and you can be mad, but I won’t allow you to insult both of us… with that… that horrible nonsense… you big ass.”

  The coldness slowly drained from his face as he laced his fingers around her arms. He bent his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Josephine. You burst into my life, wrecked me, ruined me, and I’m still struggling to catch up. I’m afraid I won’t be enough for you. I’m afraid I will never live up to the man you want and need.” He once again pointed to the window. “I know how much the world means to you, but…”

  His words struck her like blows. She reached up, cupping his beautiful, damaged face, and gave him the only thing she could.

  Her heart.

  “Noah, I’m falling in love with you. I know it’s fast, but it’s the truth. This isn’t about you helping me with the carnival. I don’t want a short affair. I’m looking for a future, for both of us.” She gave a wild laugh, tears burning in her eyes. “And I know it sounds crazy since we just met, and most men would freak out and run the other way, but I don’t care because I want you—all of you—in here, out there, right now they don’t matter and I—oh!”

  He lifted her up in one fast swoop, crushing his mouth to hers in a soul stirring, carnal kiss. She clung to him, and suddenly, he was walking out of the library and up the stairs, still kissing her. She felt him kick open a door, then slam i
t shut. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, she was on his bed. He devoured her with his gaze, one eye flaring with arousal, and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt.

  She watched with greedy anticipation as he revealed his hard chest dusted with dark hair. His biceps bulged with muscles, and she reached out to run a hand over his tight abs, tracing the line of his belt buckle. Her body practically shook with need, and a shattering sexual tension knotted between them, heightening the air.

  “You’re mine tonight, Josephine.” He spoke the words with a fierce possession that made a rush of warmth throb between her thighs. “I’m going to give you all the pleasure you deserve, and then some.” He unbuckled his belt, removed his pants and stood before her in black briefs that emphasized his arousal. “I’m going to worship your body tonight.” He ripped off his briefs and stood before her gloriously naked. “And the only thing I want to hear from your lips is my name, begging me for more.”

  Then he climbed on the bed, pressed her deep into the mattress, and proceeded to do everything he promised.

  His lips explored every inch of her skin. He removed her clothes with precision that made her urge him to go faster. And when she lay naked underneath him, he started the process all over again, sucking, licking, and biting, making her writhe in an agony of need. When he finally parted her legs, and paused before her dripping entrance, she could barely do anything but cling to him, begging to ease the burning emptiness. And then he was inside her, filling up all the spaces within, stretching her to an aching fullness that made her cry out. He gripped her fingers within his, his gaze on her face as he claimed her, until he was seated completely within and there was nothing else left to give him.

  Then he moved.

  The pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain. His name broke over her lips again and again, and he pushed her higher, keeping her at the edge for endless, brutal moments.

  She screamed as the release seized her with merciless waves. She heard her own name ripped in the air and then he followed her over. Time blurred. They lay together in a tangle of sheets, her face pressed against his damp chest, the scent of lovemaking hanging heavily in the air. The noise of the trucks and voices from outside seemed as distant as a dream upon waking. He stroked her hair, and they lay in the darkness for a while, not speaking.

  “Please understand why,” she said softly. “I want you to come to the carnival with me. It has nothing to do with anything other than how I feel about you.”

  His hand paused. She felt him tense, and then relax in deep understanding. “I don’t know if I can give that to you, Josephine and it’s not because I don’t want to.”

  She propped herself up on her elbow. Very slowly, she traced the lines of his damaged face. Her fingertips brushed the scarred, reddened flesh, the nub of his ear, and the jagged line of his right brow. With aching tenderness, she tried to remove his eye patch, but he gripped her wrist to stop her.

  “Let me.”

  He didn’t move for a few moments. Then he dropped his hand.

  She removed his eye patch, exposing the empty socket, and gazed down at him. Pure vulnerability reflected back at her.

  “You’re beautiful,” she whispered.

  He grit his teeth. “I don’t know if I can do this. Being around you isn’t the same as being around the world.”

  “You can do this.” She pressed her mouth to his, and the heat caught flame again, until he rolled on top of her and pushed between her thighs, taking her on another wild ride that silenced them both.

  ~~*~~

  Noah sat in the dark, staring into the crackling fire. Sammy lay at his feet, emitting little doggy growls as he slept.

  Midnight.

  He’d buried himself in her tight, wet heat three times. Finally, she’d tumbled into slumber, and he watched her for a long while. Her beautiful face smoothed out in relaxation. The sweep of her silky hair over her cheek. The curve of her plump breast peeking over the satin sheets. Her breath whispering through her swollen lips.

  She was everything he never knew he wanted. Now that he had her, there was no turning back.

  Yet, she deserved a man who could give her everything, and not possessions, but everything a man should be. Not the kind of man that locked himself up in a tower with no way to relate to the outside world. To real people, outside of his carefully crafted business world.

  Come to the carnival with me.

  A seemingly simple request on the surface, that wasn’t simple at all. The entire town would be in his backyard, ready to judge and pick him apart. Children would scream at his appearance simply because they were children, and he didn’t blame them. If he were a small child, he’d be frightened as well. But the parents, they should know better, but didn’t. For five years, he’d existed in a cold, controlled world of his liking. He didn’t think he had the will to step out there again. How could he sentence Josephine to such an existence, when the most loving thing would be to let her go?

  “You’re up late, sir.”

  His lips twisted in a smile. His butler was framed in the doorway. His proper robe belted firmly at the waist. His feet were shod in leather slippers. White hair looked neatly tamed, and he peered at him from over a pair of silver glasses. “And so are you, Charles. Trouble sleeping?”

  “At my age, a good sleep is a rare commodity. I come down often to make myself a cup of tea. May I offer you one?”

  “No thank you, Charles.”

  “May I offer you a listening ear?”

  He gazed at his butler, who’d given him the only humanity and kindness Noah allowed. Throat tight with emotion, he slowly nodded. The butler took a seat beside him by the fire. “Madame Joey stayed tonight.”

  It wasn’t a question and Noah didn’t treat it as one. “I’m in trouble. For the first time in a while, I don’t know what to do.”

  “I think you do. You have always been good at following your gut. I think the problem is the answer unsettles you.”

  A laugh escaped Noah’s lips. “Let me ask you a question. After all these years, why have you never married?”

  His friend’s pale blue eyes grew distant, with a touch of sadness. “I was. I lost her too young. I tried many times to find some solace with another woman, but I was destined to love only once in my life. I’ve been quite happy finding peace and solace with you, Sir. It’s a good life, and I was meant to serve. But my time is mostly behind me. Yours is in front of you. And she’s sleeping peacefully in your bed.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Charles said. “But I don’t regret a single moment. You, however, stand to regret for an entire lifetime of moments.”

  They watched the fire pop and crackle. Sammy rolled on his back, kicking his paws up in the air. “She wants me to go to the carnival with her. See all those people that once betrayed me. Show them my face and pretend their reaction doesn’t bother me.”

  “Does it still bother you? Are you the same man from five years ago who withdrew from a town of people who once called you friend, believed his physical appearance was all that mattered?”

  Noah mulled over the words. In the beginning, the betrayal and pain had cut so deep it hurt just as much as his scars. Then, he’d gotten so used to building a life within these walls, there was never any need to leave. Josephine was the catalyst to truly test him. Was he ready? Deep inside, had he grown and changed enough to take a chance again?

  “I don’t know.” The answer embarrassed him. He should be stronger. He should be able to walk out those doors and say fuck you to anyone who tried to mock or hurt him. He had a fortune at his fingertips, more power than most, and he was still scared.

  “Fair enough,” Charles said. “Madame Josephine is special. She cares about you. I think you have the chance to have something extraordinary, but you need to take the leap. She believes you can do it. I believe you can do it. Now, it’s up to you, Sir.” Charles rose and tightened his belt. “I must be off to bed now. Good night.”


  “Good night, Charles. Thank you.”

  The butler nodded, and then disappeared.

  Noah spent the next hour wondering if he could be the man Charles and Josephine believed him to be. Finally, he trudged to his desk and sat by his computer. It took him a while to find what he was looking for. Checking the time zones, he grabbed his phone and punched out the number.

  He might not be able to give her the world, but he could give her this.

  Chapter Seven

  Joey drove up the cleared road, waving to Barney who owned the only commercial snowplow in town. The glittering bright lights of the Ferris Wheel beckoned from miles away. She pulled up the drive, into a temporary lot where mountains of snow had been cleared to hold the cars and buses, and stepped out of her car.

  Then arrived in a world as magical as Narnia.

  Noah’s property had been transformed into a child’s dream. Two giant snowmen greeted her at the entrance. Her senses were attacked by the sounds and sights of childhood heaven. The delicious aroma of cotton candy, hot dogs, popcorn, and fried dough hung in the air. Colorful game booths were set up showing off huge stuffed teddy bears for prizes. Music blasted through the speakers, and her sight was dazzled with the blinking array of rides, all set off by the wall of snow frosted pine trees, which had been decorated with ornaments and tinsel.

  Joey took in the scene with pure delight and a mild dollop of satisfaction.

  They’d done it.

  Owen Salt was going to get his Christmas wish. She may not be able to heal him, or take away his disease, but for one magical night, he could have fun with his family and friends and forget about everything else but being a kid on Christmas. Laughing in delight, she headed toward the back to see Noah, and then stopped dead in her tracks.

  She blinked, hard, three or four times, double-checking her sight, but here was no mistaking the carousel.

  Her heart beat wildly, and she slowly crossed the snow dusted trail toward the magnificent, magical, carousel, unable to believe her eyes. It was the most beautiful carousel she’d ever seen. A true work of art. The painted horses were decorated in bright, vivid colors, with polished silver poles and a beautiful winter carriage instead of a normal bench seat. The merry tunes of Christmas caressed her ears and she held out a hand to stroke one of the smooth manes, the ebony horse etched with gold, his face turned up as if to look at her dead on.