Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1)

by Té Russ

  "Are you sure you're okay about us leaving?" Isabella said. "Dad would have wanted us to stay and help you with Noble Naturals."

  Isaiah smiled at Isabella over her concern. "And when I need you home, I'll do just like Dad did and summon for you," he teased. "But all jokes aside, we’re still in the idea stages of the company's revamping. We haven't even begun to create anything new. But with Ian and Giselle Warren's solid ideas, we've got a bright future. Izzy, I know you'll be able to help us create a new look for the company. And Ivy, I think it will be great for you to start doing beauty how-to vlogs with our products."

  Isabella and Ivy took off a few minutes later to go and visit their mother, while Ian stuck around Isaiah's place.

  "I haven't seen Tessa around lately," Ian observed.

  "Yeah." Isaiah said, avoiding his brother's curious glare. "With everything going on, I've just been–"

  "Avoiding her."

  Isaiah didn't say anything, so Ian asked, "Why?"

  "I don't want this burden of me losing my father to be her burden too."

  Ian shook his head. "Don't be an idiot."

  "Excuse me?" Isaiah said.

  "Look," Ian sighed. "I know I'm no expert when it comes to matters of the heart, but I've seen the way she looks at you, and I've also seen the way you look at her. You two look at each other the way Mom and Dad used to. Like I said, I'm no expert, but even a fool can look at you two and know you're in love. And when people have that...love shit...they carry each other's loads."

  Ian stood. "I'm gonna roll out to my place, check things out." He had a place on the outskirts of Sweet Rapids. "You gonna be okay?"

  "Yeah," Isaiah said. "I'll be fine."

  Once he was alone, he thought about what his brother said. And then he thought of the last words Tessa had said to him, including she loved him.

  He'd wanted to respond, but she'd walked off before he'd gotten the chance. He should have called or went to see her, but he'd become so preoccupied with dealing with the family, and the business; not to mention handling his own feelings about the loss of his father. Time just seemed to slip away.

  But he couldn't let that happen anymore.

  He couldn't neglect the woman he loved any longer.

  Chapter 25

  Isaiah slid his arms in his jacket, grabbed his keys and opened his front door and froze when he saw Tessa standing in front of him, her fist in the air poised to knock.

  "Tess–"

  "It's been nearly three weeks."

  His mouth clamped shut when he saw the fierce look in her eyes. He stumbled back slightly when she shoved her way inside.

  "I know–"

  "Three weeks since I've seen you, kissed you or touched you." She blew out a breath. "Three weeks since I told you that I loved you."

  "Tess I–"

  "I know I have no right to be pissed, because what you've been through is...I can't even imagine. I don't know how I would cope if I suffered that kind of loss. So I know I shouldn't be pissed. But I am dammit! I understand that your family needed you and you needed them. But, as selfish as it probably is, I wanted you to need me too."

  "I did...I do need you," Isaiah said to Tessa.

  "Then where have you been?" she asked, obviously attempting to keep her voice from rising. "All three of your siblings have come by the bakery, but you...you've been MIA."

  Isaiah took a step towards her. "Losing my dad..." He cleared his throat. "It was the hardest thing I've had to deal with. I've never felt so weak as I did over the last few weeks. I didn't want you to see me like that."

  Tessa looked away from Isaiah briefly. "I don't mean to be insensitive, but that is the most macho, stupid crap I've ever heard."

  "I know," he said, as he gave her a small smile. "But it's the best I've got for an excuse."

  "You don't need an excuse. I just wish you would have trusted me enough with your heart to let me help you through your time of sorrow. If you need me, Isaiah, even when you're feeling broken and weak, even when you're feeling like you can't get out of bed, I want to be there for you."

  "I do trust you, truly. And I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. The least I could have done was reach out to you."

  "I'm sorry for being so crazy right now."

  Isaiah chuckled, pulling her into his arms. "I don't know if it'll earn me any brownie points, but I was literally on my way to come and see you before you showed up on my doorstep."

  "That might earn you a few." she said, before his lips closed over hers.

  He pulled away and took a deep inhale, the fragrant smell of the food coming from the bag she'd brought with her filling his nostrils.

  "Did you bring Mediterranean?"

  She shoved him, and shook her head, grinning. "I pour my heart out to you and all you're worried about is the food I brought with me."

  He reached out, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back against him.

  "Tess." he whispered against her neck, before planting a kiss beneath her ear. "I love you."

  He pressed his forehead to hers and her eyes slid open and upward, locking with his.

  "I love you too. Now let's go eat."

  

  "We finished the documentary."

  Tessa looked up from her food to Isaiah, who was eating with gusto. She was glad to see that. One of the reasons she'd brought food with her was because when his sisters had come by the bakery, they'd 'let it slip' that Isaiah was barely eating.

  It was obvious when he'd opened the door right, as she was about to ring the doorbell, that he’d clearly lost a few pounds.

  Smiling, Tessa said, "That's great. I'm sure your father would have wanted you to complete it."

  Isaiah nodded and swallowed the food in his mouth. "We all thought the same thing, which is why we decided to move forward with it. I still have to finish putting it together, but all of the filming is done."

  "You make sure you make me look good in my part," she teased.

  "That won't be hard to do. The camera loves you."

  "I bet you say that to all the girls," she said with a wink, before she went back to eating.

  "We're holding a special screening in about a week."

  "Will it be ready by then?"

  "Even if I have to stay awake for the next few days, it will be ready."

  "I don't know a thing about that type of stuff, but if you any help..."

  Isaiah nodded. "You can help by providing desserts."

  It was nice to know his appetite had returned, Tessa thought.

  "Speaking of desserts," Tessa said. "I guess I should share my good news too."

  "What good news?"

  "Dana and I have started selling our new creations at the bakery."

  Isaiah dropped his fork.

  "Really? Like actually selling? Not just samples?"

  Tessa nodded and then told him the story of how their father came in and laid down the law with their mother.

  "And now they're off on a month long cruise?" Isaiah repeated, after she finished.

  "Yes, it's so crazy! They literally packed their bag and flew out the next morning. Apparently, Daddy had been planning this trip for sometime. He wasn't taking no for an answer."

  "I'm glad everything worked out for you, Tess."

  "Me too," she said. "The customers love them and are eager for more new products."

  "Do you have any planned?" Isaiah asked.

  "Yeah, we've actually been thinking about some kind of honey cookies. Dana found this locally harvested honey, Abe Nilon's Honey, I believe is the name of it. It's really good."

  "That's a really good brand," Isaiah said. "I know a distributor. I can get you a good deal."

  "Are you serious?" Tessa asked.

  "Yeah."

  "That would be amazing."

  "I'll call him tomorrow, get you guys connected."

  Tessa stood up and came around to the side of the table where Isaiah was sitting.

  "Thanks for dinner," Isaiah said, as he pus
hed his chair back to make room for Tessa to stand in front of him.

  "You're welcome."

  "Have I told you how much I missed you over the last few weeks?"

  Tessa shook her head, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his chair.

  "No, but you can show me…upstairs."

  

  "Isaiah?"

  Isaiah was down in his studio working on the final edits of the documentary.

  "Honey, it's three in the morning. Come to bed."

  "Another hour."

  He sat back when Tessa slid between his legs, blocking his view of his laptop.

  "Tess–" he said, attempting to keep the irritation out of his voice.

  "You've barely slept this week."

  "And I told you if I had to stay awake all week, I would. The screening is this weekend. We've already set everything up, sent out invitations."

  "And it's going to be perfect," she said, leaning forward, palming his cheeks in her hands. "But you need your rest now."

  "I have to finish this–"

  "In the morning," she said, firmly. "When your mind is clear and fresh."

  She sat back and he noticed the way his button down shirt that she put on had slipped open slightly.

  "Now, we can argue about this now..." She shrugged out of the shirt a little, showing her shoulders. "...Or we can skip all of that and get right to the make up sex."

  Her long chocolaty legs spilled from beneath the shirt and he couldn't resist her offer. He reached out, grabbed the hem of the shirt and yanked her toward him.

  "I think we can skip ahead to the make up sex."

  Chapter 26

  "Your father proposed to me out here."

  Irene Noble stood with her kids surrounding her on Genoa Peak over looking Lake Tahoe, clutching their father's urn to her chest.

  Chuckling, she said, "I didn't know what we were doing out here so early in the morning." Sighing, she shook her head, "But when he got down on one knee as the sun was rising..."

  She wiped a tear from her eye and Ivy and Isabella wrapped their arms around her, both of them resting their heads on her shoulders.

  "Are you sure you're ready to do this, Mama?" Isabella asked.

  Irene nodded. "Your father wanted this...and it's time. Time to say good-bye."

  Taking a step forward, she removed the top off of the urn.

  "Thank you, Isaac for your love, the life we had together," she looked around. "...And the beautiful children we shared. You'll always be in my heart."

  And then she tipped the urn and let the ashes float away with the wind.

  "Bye, Daddy," Ivy whispered.

  After the ashes disappeared, becoming one with the earth, they all turned and began their hike back down the mountain.

  "How are things going with you and Tessa?" Isaiah heard Irene ask.

  Ivy, Ian and Isabella were walking a little bit ahead of them.

  "Things are better than ever."

  With Tessa back in his life, each day was a little easier to get through.

  "Good. She's such a sweet girl."

  He wrapped his arm around his mother.

  "How are you doing?"

  "It's been a rough month. Absolute hell."

  "Yeah, it has."

  "But saying good-bye to your father today...I could feel his presence. He's at peace, and that gives me a bit of peace too."

  It pleased him to know that his mother's grief was beginning to lighten. They would never completely get over the loss of the head of their family, but each day would get a little brighter.

  "I need you to do something for me."

  "What do you need, Mom?"

  "I've decided to move out of the office at Noble Naturals. I can't stay in there, just too many memories." She shook her head.

  "You're not ready."

  "No. Besides, according to his will, it's your office now anyway," she said, with a smile.

  At the reading of their father's will, it had been revealed that Isaac wanted the firstborn of the quads to help their mother run Noble Naturals and then takeover as CEO after she decided to retire. No one was surprised about the request, but Isaiah was still trying to let it all sink in.

  His mother had assured him that there was no rush for him to take over and she was still capable of running the company until he was absolutely ready to step up.

  He squeezed her shoulders tighter and kissed the side of her forehead.

  "Don't worry about it, Mom. I'll handle it after the film screening."

  

  Tessa was just finishing up a new dessert when her cell phone rang.

  "Hey!" she said, answering her phone with a smile.

  "I was wondering if I could talk a certain manager of this bakery in to letting me in for some of her irresistible treats."

  Tessa laughed lightly, remembering when Isaiah had said those same words several months ago when he walked into the bakery early in the morning.

  "Well, it's Sunday. If I told you I wouldn't make the exception to open early in the mornings, what makes you think I'll open up for you on days when we're closed."

  "There might be that little thing of you being madly in love with me that allows me all kinds of exceptions now."

  "So now you're using that as an excuse to get my goodies?"

  "Oh, I have so many inappropriate responses for that question."

  "You're terrible."

  "Yet, you still love me."

  "Yes, I do."

  "Well then quit making me stand out here and come open the door."

  Shaking her head, she hung up her phone and went to unlock the door for him.

  He gave her a quick kiss before following her back to the kitchen.

  "How was the trip up to Genoa Peak?"

  "It seemed to be very cathartic for my mother."

  "I'm glad to hear that. Sweet Rapids won't be the same without your father."

  "No, it won't."

  Looking at the countertop filled with delicious treats, Isaiah rubbed his hands together. "I see some new things."

  "Yep! Wanna try them?"

  "What kind of question is that?"

  Smiling, she held up a cupcake.

  "What's this?"

  "Margarita cupcake," she said. "For the more mature crowd."

  She watched as he took a large bite of it. After chewing a bit, he nodded, "These are good."

  She swiped her thumb across the corner of his mouth, wiping away a trace of icing. She brought it to her own mouth, tasting it.

  "Do you think there's too much tequila in it?"

  Isaiah shook his head. "It packs a punch, for sure. But I don't think it's too much. What's that?" he asked, pointing at a cake.

  "Oh..." Tessa grinned. "That's uh...a Better Than Sex cake..."

  "Oh really?" Isaiah said, his eyebrows hiking.

  Tessa nodded.

  "Let me try it."

  She grabbed a fork and dug into a slice of cake. She watched, growing quickly aroused as his mouth covered the fork, taking in the chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and caramel drizzled on top. Her nipples hardened when his eyes closed and he moaned.

  Nodding, he said, "Now...that is a good cake. But do you really think this is actually better than sex?"

  "I...uh...I suppose I haven't accurately tested the theory," she tried to joke.

  "Well we have to make sure your theory is correct," he murmured with a sexy grin as he pressed his body against hers, trapping her between him and the island behind her. His mouth dropped down onto hers, his tongue explored her mouth, and the fork she was holding slipped from her grasp.

  Her body trembled when she felt his warm hand sliding upward against her thigh until it disappeared underneath the skirt of her dress.

  "I have a hard time believing that this cake, while it is very good, is better than sex," he whispered, his breath causing her skin to tingle as it fanned against her neck. "Because you, sweetheart, are, by far, my favorite dessert."

>   She pulled her lip between her teeth when the hand beneath her skirt, slid her panties to the side, and two fingers dipped inside of her. His other hand grabbed the front zipper of her dress, pulling it down, as he worked her body in to a frenzy.

  A moment later, her dress fell to the floor and she was standing in the kitchen in nothing but her panties. He pulled his hand out of her and she missed the connection instantly. He quickly lifted her onto the island, then reached over and grabbed the spoon out of the leftover caramel.

  Before she could question him, he swiped the sticky, sweet concoction down the front of her body, from the valley between her breasts, all the way down to the band of her panties.

  She watched with heated anticipation as his hands gripped her ass and he pulled her forward to the edge of the island, before leaning down to press his tongue to her skin. He licked his way up her body and then all the way back down until every drop of caramel was gone.

  "So good," he murmured against her skin, now wet from his tongue.

  He stood, grabbing his belt. "You ready to find out which is better?"

  She sat up and shoved his hand away from his belt and grabbed it, yanking it out of its loop. In seconds, they had his pants undone and down and her panties were gone. After he covered himself, he grabbed her butt again, entering her in a long, hard thrust that had her screaming out.

  Her first orgasm slammed through her minutes later, and ebbed and flowed for several minutes. Isaiah continued to make love to her relentlessly and soon she felt a second one building up, even more powerful than the last.

  He tilted her body backward, hooking her legs over his arms to deepen the penetration and Tessa's body climaxed again. This time Isaiah was right behind her with his own orgasm.

  After they caught their breath, Tessa finally spoke.

  "Okay...I guess we'll have to come up with a different name for the cake."

  Chapter 27

  Isaiah peeked out of the curtain and was overwhelmed by the sight of the full theater. Every seat was sold for the special screening of the Noble Naturals documentary. Everyone in Sweet Rapids wanted to get a chance to see the film before it was sent out for the rest of the world to see. In fact, they were going to have to add another showing for everyone who hadn't been able to get a ticket to the first screening.