“Walk me up,” Rose said as they pulled in front of her building.
Noah hesitated for a moment as he looked around and couldn’t find any immediate parking spots. But he didn’t refuse her. Instead, Noah drove around three blocks to find a parking spot and then ran around to her side of the car door to help her out.
“You should just take those damn shoes off,” he said.
Noah pushed Rose gently toward the car and then leaned down and held onto her calf. His gentle touch sent tingling sensations throughout her body as he slid off one of her heels and then moved over to the next one. Slowly, he slid that one off too and then held his arm out for Rose to hold onto as they walked to her building.
“The ground is disgusting; I’d probably be safer wearing my heels.” Rose laughed.
“A little dirt never hurt anyone.”
“Says the man with his shoes on.”
Without hesitating at all, Noah leaned against the building and pulled off his shoes and socks. Rose couldn’t stop laughing and looking around to see if anyone else was seeing what was going on.
“What are you doing?” she said through her laughter.
“I’m living dangerously.”
“Yes, you are.”
They finished the two block walk to her building, and Noah graciously opened the doors, and they stood together to wait for the elevator. The quiet between them seemed to intensify the sexual attraction, and Rose found herself hatching a plan.
“I’m proud of you,” Noah said when the elevator door opened and they walked toward her apartment. “You’re doing a really good job lately.”
“Thank you.”
“I just wanted to make sure you knew I have noticed.”
“Thanks for bringing me home,” she said as she unlocked the door.
“Of course.”
“Come in for a minute,” Rose said as she pulled on Noah. “I want to show you something.”
That was all Noah needed to get him to agree to come into her apartment. He willingly came in with her and sat down on the couch while she went into the other room.
“You’re not going to make me hide again …”Noah started to say and then paused mid-sentence.
There was Rose. Standing there. Totally naked. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked at Noah and saw the desire in his eyes. He didn’t look away, not even for a moment as he stood up and walked toward Rose.
“You’ve been drinking. I should go,” he said.
“No.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean aren’t you tired of always doing the right thing? I’m sober enough to know what I’m doing. And I’m standing here naked, just for you. Noah, what do you want?”
Noah looked at the door and then back at Rose. It was obvious by the look in his eyes that he wanted her, but was he going to actually go after what he wanted? Rose was ready. She was putting herself out there and totally willing to risk their friendship for the kindness and passion that she felt with Noah. This was his chance. The moment he had been waiting for, and he was standing there trying to analyze it.
“I don’t want to take advantage of the situation.”
Rose walked slowly the four steps that separated them. She looked into his eyes and wouldn’t let go of their gaze. It was time. Right then, right there, she had finally come around, and she wasn’t going to let another moment slip by.
She stood in front of him and slid her hands under his shirt as she pulled it out of his pants. Slowly she started to unbutton each little button.
“How about I take advantage of you, then?” she asked.
Her hands continued to remove his button-up shirt and then moved to the top of his pants. But Noah stopped her. His hand held onto hers as he looked deeply into her. He was searching for something.
“You’re ready to give this a go?” he asked uncertainly.
“I’m standing here naked, aren’t I?”
“Oh, yes you are,” he said as he finally let his hands grab onto her body.
“I want you, Noah. I want this,” Rose whispered.
Chapter 32
“I’m a little nervous,” Noah said as Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her.
“I make you nervous?”
“Hell yeah, you do.”
Rose laughed. It was funny that this man she had known for a decade was actually nervous to be with her. He had been the one who said he wanted her from the moment he had laid eyes on her. Noah had longed to be with Rose, he had made it a point to let her know he wanted her. But when she was standing right there in front of him, suddenly Noah was nervous. It was endearing and made Rose want him even more than before.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she teased and pushed him away from her naked body. “Maybe we should stop right now and just go back to the way things were before?”
His face dropped as she moved him away from her. Just because he was nervous didn’t mean that he was willing to give up the evening that he had dreamed about for years. His hand held onto hers, and he didn’t let Rose push him away any further. Noah might have been nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous. It was the kind of nervous you got on Christmas morning when you thought you were about to get everything you ever wanted. Noah liked how he felt at that moment and wasn’t about to let Rose stop.
Noah turned his body to face Rose and held onto her hand as he moved back toward her. It didn’t matter how nervous he was, Noah was making love to Rose that night, and there was nothing in the world that was going to stop him. He and Rose were meant to be together. Sure, it had taken them longer than he had expected, but it was worth it. Everything had happened just as it needed to, and both of them were in a much better place emotionally.
“I’m not that nervous,” he said as he gently placed his hands on her face and pulled her toward him. “I’ve waited for this moment.”
Rose quickly reached down and grabbed Noah’s pants as she started to unbuckle them, but Noah stopped her. His hands held onto hers as his lips gently touched Rose’s lips. The moment was calm and sweet and nothing like what Rose was used to in the bedroom. He didn’t want Rose to frantically unbuckle his pants; Noah wanted Rose to feel how much he cared for her. He wanted her to taste his lips on hers and to truly be there in that moment with him.
She was ready to get sweaty and recklessly have sex with Noah, but his gentle touch was throwing off her plans. She liked it. Rose loved how Noah took control of the moment and let his lips softly touch hers. The delicate skin of their mouths moved from left to right, and Rose felt his hands let go of hers. Instead of pulling his clothing off, though, Rose let her hands lightly slide up and down his back as she enjoyed the tenderness of the moment.
They stayed wrapped in each other’s embrace as they slowly moved toward the bedroom. Dirty clothes littered the floor, and Rose couldn’t help wishing she had remembered to pick up the room a little, but then again, she hadn’t planned on inviting anyone home with her.
Rose had never been the best at housekeeping. Normally, she didn’t really care if a man saw how she kept her house. She only intended to have those men over for one night, so it didn’t matter at all what they thought of her house. But it was different with Noah. Rose wanted him more than once. She wouldn’t have given in to her desires unless she felt ready to move their whole relationship forward. It was scary to her that she felt so ready, but it was the feeling she had waited for, and she wasn’t going to let it pass her by.
Perhaps the reason things felt so right at that moment was because it hadn’t been planned. Rose hadn’t methodically picked Noah up. She hadn’t planned out what would happen next or how she would feel in the morning. It felt good to go after what she wanted and not worry about the consequences. It was how Rose loved, and that made her feel like she was back to her old self again.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Noah whispered between kisses.
Rose ignored his compliment and went back to kissi
ng him. Men always said things like that before having sex; it was like they believed it was a necessary thing to say before they got on top of a woman and screwed her. She didn’t think bad of Noah for saying it, but she didn’t think it was the most romantic thing in the world either.
“I want to look at you,” Noah whispered as he pulled himself away from Rose and flipped the lights on.
“Oh, no, no, no. We don’t need the lights on,” Rose protested and tried to turn them off.
Noah stood adamantly in front of the light switch as his eyes moved over her body. He took in her legs first; they were smooth and toned without even the slightest sign of cellulite. His eyes moved up the rest of her body, and he mentally took pictures of every inch of her. Noah reached out and grabbed Rose and pulled her toward him as his hands held on tight to her ass.
“Oh, I’m looking at you, damn it,” he demanded.
Rose couldn’t help smiling; even though his eyes on her suddenly made her uncomfortable, she liked how he was looking at her. When she was in charge, it was fine; she felt like she had the upper hand. Now that Noah had taken charge, Rose was in totally uncharted territory. Not only was it new to have Noah taking charge of their moment, but it was totally new for Rose to let a man take charge at all. Sure, she sometimes let men think they were in charge, but she always felt like she was in control of the situation.
Noah gently walked Rose to the bed and then walked backward so he could take in the rest of her naked body. Her stomach was flat and toned with the sign of abs just under the skin. Her breasts were voluptuous and her nipples hard as Noah moved back toward Rose to let his lips touch them. He had dreamed about having Rose naked for so many years, Noah wasn’t about to just let the moment pass him by without appreciating every inch of her delicious nakedness. There would be plenty of time for making love later; at that moment, he wanted to taste her.
“You know, I think I have loved you for a long time,” Rose suddenly said just as Noah started to suck on her nipple.
His eyes looked up at her, and he stood back up. It was a realization that Noah had always thought was true, but never truly knew. Rose acted like she cared about Noah. She always had. Even when they first met and talked with each other in groups of people, there was a way that Rose looked at him, and it made Noah feel like she cared.
“What?”
“Well, I didn’t know that it was love. But I always knew I could count on you. Even when Derek and I were first dating, I remember telling one of my friends that I thought I would be friends with you forever.”
There was so much more Noah wanted to talk with Rose about, but it would just have to wait. He had better things to be doing at the moment than talking philosophically about their past.
He gently kissed her and used his hands to support her body as he placed her on the bed. The moment felt surreal as Noah felt his body and Rose’s together. Rose had always been so unattainable, he had chased her, wanted her, lusted after her for so long that nothing about the moment felt real.
“I’m going to turn the lights off now,” Noah teased as he started to take off his clothes.
“Oh, no you aren’t.” Rose laughed. “We are doing this with the lights on.”
They both laughed for a moment, but then Rose looked on seriously as she admired Noah’s body. The look in her eyes gave him confidence as he removed each piece of clothing and ultimately ended up standing in front of her naked. He hadn’t stood that exposed to a woman in all of his adult life. Certainly, Noah had made love to women. But they had been under the covers and usually they both had their eyes closed. It wasn’t that Noah hated his body, but he just had never been comfortable with that level of exposure.
Exposed to Rose, Noah reached for the light to turn it off. Her eyes penetrated him, and he couldn’t stand the idea that she might not like what she saw.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said as she jumped out of bed and stopped him.
Rose turned around, walked calmly back to the bed and lay on it as she looked seductively at Noah. He slowly removed his hand from the light switch and walked back toward Rose. She looked so peaceful and calm as she lay on the bed. Not at all like she normally seemed at work. When Rose was at work, she always had a serious expression on her face. Even in the last few weeks when she had lightened up, Rose was still one of those women that you just couldn’t tell if she was in a good mood or not.
Noah liked this expression on Rose. She looked almost exactly like she had when they were back in college. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and Rose was only moments away from being his. Noah couldn’t wait. His body throbbed in anticipation as he climbed fully onto the bed and started to move his hands up her body.
“You’re killing me,” Rose said as Noah let his kisses linger around her hips.
He didn’t even come close to her center, but instead moved his lips from one hip to the other. Noah held onto her hips and controlled how he rolled her body from one side to the next. He had started to really enjoy being in control when he was around Rose. Not only did his control change how he acted around Rose, but it seemed to soften her up and change her reactions to him too.
“Oh, I’m going to make sure you remember this night for as long as you live.”
“I’m already guaranteed to remember this night,” Rose responded.
It was true. Rose knew with one hundred percent certainty that she would always remember that evening with Noah. Even if nothing ever came from their relationship, Rose would always keep the memories of that evening in her mind. It was the culmination of so many years, and for whatever reason, Rose felt it was the right time for them to make love.
“I’m coming up there,” Noah laughed as he moved his kisses slowly up her body toward her mouth.
“I can’t wait.”
Noah lingered with his lips around her nipple as he pulled the delicate skin into his mouth. When Rose let out a deep moan, Noah couldn’t help but start throbbing harder with desire. He liked that moan, in fact, Noah loved the sound of that moan so much that he instantly pulled her nipple firmly into his wet mouth again. This time, he held onto it longer and watched closely as her body squirmed with desire.
The moment took over for him and soon he found himself over Rose with his rock hard body sliding into her wetness. Rose let her fingernails grab hold of Noah as she continued to let out primal moans that fueled his thrusts. But Noah didn’t want to watch Rose come and then be done with it; he wanted to see the pleasure he could give her body. The ultimate goal for Noah had always been to make Rose happy in everything he did, and he was finally getting his chance.
A weird ‘God Bless America’ ringtone started to play on Noah’s phone, and they both stopped for a moment. Rose saw the look on Noah’s face; he clearly looked like he was going to stop making love to her and grab his phone. But he only stopped for a minute and then continued.
“Who was that?” Rose asked as she pulled him back toward her.
“The president.”
Rose stopped instantly and let go of Noah as she looked at him. At first, she thought he was joking, but as she looked into his eyes, it became clear that he wasn’t joking at all.
“Do you mean the actual President of the United States of America?” she asked in astonishment.
“Yep.”
“Go answer it! Oh, my God, Noah. Go call him back.”
“Nah, I’m busy,” he said as he leaned down and let his lips cover hers. “He will just have to wait.”
Noah’s hips went back to thrusting slowly as Rose tried to protest some more. She didn’t want Noah to ignore his most important client, just to make love to her. But she did like that Noah had been extremely willing to ignore such an important man because he wanted to make love to Rose; she would never forget that moment, that was for sure.
“You’re seriously not going to call him back?” Rose asked.
“Later. It’s the middle of the night. Even the president has to sleep sometime.”
&nbs
p; The fact that it was the middle of the night only made Rose worry more. The president wouldn’t be calling his lawyer in the middle of the night if he didn’t have a very serious issue going on. Rose was eager to see what was going on with the President, but she was also very eager to finish what she and Noah had started.
“So you seriously aren’t curious about why he called?” Rose asked.
“I’m sure it’s something urgent. But I’m busy right now.”
Noah reached his thumb between his body and Rose’s and gently started to massage her clit as he thrust into her. Rose moaned out and closed her eyes as she took in the pleasure she was feeling. There was no doubt that she was going to have to just go with Noah’s plan, and they could figure out what the president wanted when morning came.
Her back arched as he moved, and she took in every second of the pleasure. Rose felt so comfortable with Noah that it was much easier for her to orgasm than it had been with other men. She felt her body building up to a big orgasm and was relieved to know that the two of them were sexually compatible. In fact, Rose felt that Noah and her fit together almost perfectly, like they were meant for each other.
“Yes,” Rose moaned. “Oh, fuck, yes.”
Her words empowered Noah as his hips thrust harder and harder. He had to move his hand to help support his body weight and soon they were both moaning with pleasure. When the final explosion of desire came, Rose was certain her neighbors could hear through the walls of her apartment complex, and she didn’t care one bit. She finally had Noah there with her, and everything about her life seemed to be falling perfectly into place.
Chapter 33
“Sure, I can keep a secret,” Noah said into the phone as he finally returned the phone call to the president. “Only Rose, my girlfriend,” Noah answered when he was asked another question.
“Oh, I’m your girlfriend?” Rose whispered and said dramatically.
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