The set rolled on as it had all those other nights she’d listened. They always started with the old favourites and carried on in chronological order. Right up to the album she’d heard him write. It seemed so long ago now, but it was only a few weeks. And tomorrow it would be over. She’d go back home. Back to The Cloister and back to negotiations with Wesley.
Noah sang with everything he had. He said so little in between the songs that the fans went wild whenever he did drop in a bit of banter. He looked good up there. It was plain that he was through the worst of his problems. Of course, there were never any guarantees, but she wouldn’t need to worry about him when she left.
The song trailed off, signalling more deafening applause and he transitioned into the next one. The hairs on Angelique’s arms rose as she recognised the tune. It was the first one she’d heard him pick his way through on the guitar.
All the other instruments faded into the background and his voice and guitar came to the fore. The chorus rang out across the stadium, clear and pure.
Too many nights
Too many fights
I never wanted it to end
Then I did
It took her straight back to her first day on the job. She’d been so sure she’d be able to handle things, but it hadn’t been long before the first cracks started to show in her protective shell. They’d ended up looking after each other. And now he didn’t need looking after at all.
She didn’t want to listen any more. As she turned to leave, John stepped out in front of her. “I think you’ll want to hear the next part.”
She searched his face for some clue as to what he meant, but he only smiled. What had they cooked up between them?
Noah slowed down in preparation for the end of the song. When he strummed the final chord, the crowd erupted in cheers and clapping.
“Thank you.” Noah didn’t launch into the next track. He stood in the middle of the stage, waiting for the audience to quieten down. “I’m sure you all know I was in rehab not too long ago.”
A couple of shouts went up and he waited for them to die away.
“Just for the record, I don’t recommend alcoholism to anyone. It takes all the fun out of partying.”
There was a muted round of applause and a few whistles.
“But there is one good thing that came out of it. Well, two if you count getting clean.” He turned to the side of the stage and looked Angelique right in the eye.
She felt his gaze all the way down to the soles of her feet. Her heart pounded, her throat went dry.
“Angie.” He lifted his hand, calling her out to him.
She shook her head. She couldn’t go out there in front of all those people. What was he doing?
“Go on,” John said.
“I can’t.”
“Of course you can.”
“I think she’s shy.” Noah told the crowd. Then he beamed at her and she started to wonder if she’d got him all wrong.
The first step was the hardest. After she managed that, walking out to stand beside him got less daunting. As soon as she came out of the wings, another round of whistles and cheering went up.
“Everyone,” he said, putting an arm around her waist. “This is Angie. This is the woman who saved me from myself.” He let go of her to start off more applause.
She looked out into the crowd. The lights stopped her seeing much more than indistinct movement and a lot of glinting camera-phones. There were so many faces. She’d heard the numbers at the start of the tour, but fifteen thousand people was an abstract concept until you were faced with a wall of music fans. The weight of attention froze her to the spot.
Then Noah swept her up in a kiss and the reaction was louder than anything the audience had come out with that night so far. She couldn’t believe it. He’d kissed her in front of the whole arena. Everybody knew about them now. It would be all over tomorrow’s papers.
He’d just made a declaration to the world.
And then he moved to whisper in her ear. “I love you.”
The stage lurched under her feet. She was too shocked to say anything back. The words wouldn’t form on her lips.
He kissed her temple and walked her back over to John. She was glad he was there to catch her. She’d been so wrong. Noah wasn’t going to dump her. Not after doing that.
The rest of the set and the encores passed in a blur. Angelique watched from her spot in the wings, but she didn’t take it in. He’d told her he loved her. And she hadn’t said it back. Oh god. Did he think she didn’t feel the same way? Sick panic churned in her stomach.
And then it was over. The last encore was done. The band came off the stage and Noah headed off into the wings on the opposite side to Angelique. Was he avoiding her? She rushed around the back, desperate to tell him how she felt.
“Where’s Noah?” she asked the drummer as he walked past, peeling off his t-shirt.
“Don’t know.” He shrugged.
No one else seemed to know either.
She ran round to the dressing room and knocked on the door. “Noah. Noah, it’s me.”
When the door swung inwards she almost fell into the room. She didn’t wait to close it behind her or even step over the threshold. “I love you too,” she said, and threw her arms around his neck as she pressed her lips to his.
To her relief, he returned her kiss and pulled her inside. “Thank god for that,” he said, kicking the door shut.
He kissed her again, tugging up her t-shirt and dragging it off over her head. Spinning her around, he pushed her down onto the couch and unfastened her jeans. “God, I want you.”
His words went straight to her core, triggering a great well of moisture between her legs.
“I want you more.” She’d tried to convince herself she’d be fine without him, but now she knew it was a lie. She scuffed off her shoes and he slid off her jeans. Next went her panties. She took off the bra herself.
Then he paused, standing back to look at her in all her glory.
She didn’t waste time thinking about how she looked. The naked desire on his face told her all she needed to know.
“Do you know how beautiful you are yet?”
Heat flashed over the skin at her throat. How was she supposed to answer that?
He fell to his knees in front of her and kissed a line across her belly. His touch made her sex draw in on itself. She wanted him to touch her there.
He moved higher, kissing a trail to her breast. Taking her nipple in his mouth, he sucked briefly and she held him to her. He moved to her other breast, giving it the same treatment. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her clit pulsed along with her heartbeat. She needed him to touch her.
He moved further up her body, his hands moving to cup her breasts as he took hungry kisses from her. Still he didn’t touch her where she wanted it most. She shifted beneath him, kissing him back and pressing her crotch against his hip.
He nuzzled at her ear and whispered, “You’re so wet, I can feel it through my t-shirt.”
That sent another wave of lust through her body. “Oh, Noah.” She tried to tell him what she wanted, but couldn’t make it happen.
He twisted between her legs, rubbing his hip bone against her aching clit until she cried out. “Do you like that?”
She nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Yeah.” But it wasn’t enough. She reached for his hand and slid it away from her breast towards her juice-smeared centre. He soon got the message and smoothed his fingers over her pubic hair. But he stopped right above her clit. Varying the pressure he applied, he teased her into breathlessness.
Pausing for a moment, he removed his shirt and she took hold of his bare shoulder. She pulled him closer, desperate for him to bring her to climax. His fingers danced across her mound, tickling her and twisting in her pubic hair. Just when she thought the frustration would drive her crazy, he slid his thumb down over her clit and she almost screamed.
Biting down on her bottom lip, she
dug her nails into his skin. He moved slowly in the slick of moisture that coated her sex. Her breathing slowed right down. It was as if she could feel each molecule of air entering her lungs while the pad of his thumb played over her sensitive nub. She felt hugely swollen and completely at his mercy.
Twisting his hand, he probed the entrance to her pussy with the tips of two fingers. He barely began to slip inside, but the sensation spread across her skin like a warm flood. Slowly, he pushed his fingers into her, circling his thumb at the same time. She wailed as he slid in deeper, gripping him so hard it hurt his shoulders.
Her sex twitched around him, welcoming him in. But she needed more. She needed to feel him fill her up and thrust until they both fell over the edge. Words failed her again. Opening her eyes, she reached for his waistband and found the button. She undid his jeans and stroked her hand over the bulge in his underwear.
He stopped what he was doing, distracted by her fingers. Then he leaned back and stripped off the rest of his clothes. He was impressively hard. Searching in his jeans pockets, he found a condom and quickly rolled it down over his shaft. And then he was back on his knees, positioning himself between her thighs and pulling her down the couch. He took one more kiss and plunged inside her.
She gasped as his manhood slid tightly home. He filled her up exactly the way she wanted and she gripped him with her legs, not ready to let him pull out quite yet.
He smoothed her hair away from her face and kissed the bridge of her nose before he began to thrust. Each stroke drove further into her very centre, touching her the way only he could. She held him to her, urging him on. Her moans filled the air – she couldn’t hold them back. He grunted as he pounded into her, holding on to the sofa to steady himself.
The cords of muscle in his back bunched beneath her fingers as he moved inside her over and over again. She wanted to look into his eyes, but it was too much. She focused on the sensations, the tension building deep within, the smell of fresh sweat mingled with his earthy cologne, the sound of his breaths – of his pleasure. She was close and getting closer all the time.
And then her orgasm took over, spreading out in waves of uncontrollable warmth and release. Her fingers drummed against his skin just as her sex quivered around his length. In the midst of her peak, his cries grew more urgent and he made a final strained groan. He slumped on top of her and she held him there. She didn’t want to move and break the spell.
But they couldn’t stay like that forever. Noah pulled out and grabbed a box of tissues to clean himself up. She picked up her clothes and pulled them on, remembering where she was for the first time. What if someone had walked in?
Noah grinned at her and came over for a long, lingering kiss before he started to get dressed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” It was still hard to talk. In more ways than one.
“I love you, Angie.” He stroked her cheek with his knuckles and a happy glow permeated her entire body.
“I love you too.” She wanted to say it a million times.
Taking her hand, he got her up on her feet. “Come on.” He opened the door.
“What about the fans?” There’d be a queue of them waiting for autographs at the back of the venue. There always was.
“Not tonight. Tonight I need to be with you. The tour’s over.” He dragged her out through the door and down the corridor.
“Where are we going?”
He came to a stop and lifted her off her feet, swinging her round before he set her back down and gave her another steamy kiss. “To bed. I’m not finished with you yet.” The smile that lit his face was positively wicked.
She took his face in both her hands and kissed him with all the passion she had in her. God he was amazing. And he loved her. “How are we getting back tomorrow?”
“Why?”
“If I’m reading you right, we’ll have to sleep on the way.”
He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow. “You’re right. I wasn’t planning on getting much sleep tonight.”
“And I don’t fancy getting on the bus with everyone.”
He kissed her savagely, leaving her breathless. “We can get the train.” And with that, he took her hand and strode off towards the exit.
CHAPTER 16
One of the many, many ways Angelique knew she was happy was by how quickly the time since the tour had passed. When she was married to Wesley, time inched along as if it didn’t want to move. But when she got home from Wales and things with Noah got better and better, the weeks flew by.
A solid custody arrangement was decided – Lewis would stay with her one night every weekend and half of each school holiday. And both parties agreed to revise things further down the line. She didn’t like to put it into words, but it seemed likely she’d get something approaching equally shared custody.
For the first month and a half after she came home, Angelique lived with her breath held in case everything came crashing down around her. But nothing went wrong.
Wesley even let her have Lewis for the whole of Noah’s birthday weekend. They spent it at Noah’s place. Lewis’s jaw practically scraped the floor when he saw where his mum’s new boyfriend lived. She’d tried to describe it to him, but he obviously hadn’t taken it in.
“When I grow up, I want a house like this.” His eyes darted over everything – the gardens, the facade, the huge front door. When she got out her key and they went inside, it was the same story all over again. “Wow, Mum. It’s like a castle.”
“Hey, you two.” Noah kissed her on the cheek. “What do you think?”
“It’s sick.”
“That’s good, right?” he asked Angelique.
She nodded. “Very good.”
“Who’s hungry? We’ve got burgers and chips and all the stuff your mum won’t usually let you eat.” He winked at her and led the way through to the dining room. He hadn’t been kidding about the food. Lewis ran in, sat down and started shovelling chips into his mouth.
“There’s salad too,” he added when he caught the mock-scowl on her face.
All of them ate until they could hardly move. Then Noah brought out a cake and they had to find room for a slice of that after Angelique insisted they sing Happy Birthday. Sitting around the table, they fell into a comfortable silence.
“What are we going to do now?” Lewis asked.
“Noah needs to open his present.” She brought out the box she’d carried in from the car and handed it over. This was what she’d been looking forward to all day.
“It’s pretty heavy.” Noah bobbed it up and down with both hands, gauging the weight.
“Do you know what it is?” he asked Lewis.
“No. Open it.”
With an excited smile, he placed the present on the table and tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a cardboard box. He lifted the lid and his mouth fell open. “Oh my god!”
“Surprise.”
He reached into the box and carefully lifted out his bashed-up acoustic guitar. “I tried to buy this back. They said they’d already sold it.”
“I wanted to get it for you.” It seemed a small gesture compared with what he’d done for her.
“I can’t let you pay for it. You can’t afford it.”
“I know. John paid for it.”
“John?”
“I told him what you did. When he found out how much they were asking for it, he wouldn’t let me pay.”
He put the guitar down and gave her a hug. “Thank you. It means a lot.”
She looked up into his eyes. She couldn’t describe how good it felt to give him that gift. “You’re welcome.”
Noah went back to his present and couldn’t resist a quick strum.
Sitting at the table, Lewis rested his chin on the back of his hand. “I’m bored.”
“Lewis, that’s rude.”
“No, it’s okay.” Noah pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. “Fancy a game of football?”
“Yeah.”
“Yo
u don’t have to.” It was his birthday after all. She was sure he didn’t want to spend it running around the garden on a full stomach. With the amount of food she’d watched him put away, there was a good chance it would make a return appearance if he did anything too strenuous.
“It’s fine. I think I’ve got a ball out in the shed somewhere. Why don’t you relax in front of the TV?”
Actually, that sounded like a pretty good plan. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”
He kissed her forehead. “Go and sit down. We’ll have fun. I’ll bring him back in when he’s tired.”
“Okay.” It warmed her heart to see how good he was with Lewis. “I’ll see you in a while.”
The boys trooped outside and she got up to make herself a coffee.
***
Noah had found it extremely weird spending time with a nine year-old boy to start off with. He didn’t know any other kids, so he didn’t really know how to interact with him. Angie had told him to be himself, so he tried it and it seemed to go okay. Lewis had hardly said a word at first, but he was like that with his mum too. It wasn’t too surprising considering the circumstances.
After a few weeks of visits, they’d all started to relax and Lewis had come out of his shell. He was a lot like Angie – they shared the same laid-back temperament. Football was one thing he had in common with the lad. Noah didn’t even have to let him win.
“Here it is.” He carried the old ball out of the shed and booted it up the lawn. Lewis ran after it and stopped it dead. They spent a few minutes dribbling it past each other. Neither of them were bothered about marking out goalposts so they just kicked the ball around for a while.
“So, what do you think about me going out with your mum?”
Lewis shrugged and took the ball past him up the grass.
“Do you think she’s happy?”
He turned a tight circle around the ball and passed it to Noah. “I don’t know. I suppose. She talks about you a lot.”
Black Girls and Bad Boys: Changing his Tune Page 14