Getting Lucky (A Lucky Novella)

by Gioertz, Karina

  GETTING

  Lucky

  (A Lucky Novella)

  By

  Karina Gioertz

  Copyright © 2013 - by Karina Gioertz.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the consent of the author, except where permitted by law.

  GETTING LUCKY is a work of fiction. All characters and subject matter are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, alive of dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  As always I would like to thank my awesome Beta Readers!! Candie Chase and Dianne Dimayuga ~ Readers like YOU are every writer’s dream come true!!

  Dedication

  I wrote this one for all the readers who didn’t get their fill on Lucky and Noah the first time around. Hope this satisfies your cravings ;-)

  Chapter 1

  Behind Closed Doors

  “What do you want Noah?” I asked, silently pleading with him not to make this any harder than it already was. Reading my mind had been something he was good at once upon a time, but not anymore.

  “I want you,” he said quietly, but still sounding very firm in his position. Unable and unwilling to allow myself to believe the words coming out of his mouth, I began to ramble.

  “No you don't. You want things the way they were before. It was comfortable for you and you want it back. I get that, but...” Before I could finish my argument, Noah cut me off.

  “Would you shut up for like two seconds? I have something I need to say to you.”

  Both of his hands had reached up and grabbed onto my arms. He was standing less than a foot away from me. I could smell his cologne mixed in with his soap and the faint but distinct scent of cigarette smoke that followed him everywhere he went, thanks to all of the hours he spent at the bar. More than that, I could feel the energy his body was letting off. A kind of heat I found both comforting and unnerving because it was easily melting away all of my defenses.

  “Ok,” I replied, seeing no other way out of his grasp than to allow him to say his piece.

  Noah sighed. Then he took a deep breath and as he exhaled all of the words he had been holding in for the last seven years began to pour out.

  “Lucky...when I met you, it was like this instant feeling, like I knew you were going to be different than any other girl I'd ever met. And I was right, but that's beside the point. Anyway, I wanted to ask you out, but I was intimidated.”

  “Oh, please.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. The mere suggestion that I had intimidated Noah, the womanizer, was laughable.

  Only Noah wasn’t laughing. In fact, he looked rather sternly at me and snapped, “I'm not done!” Then, softening his tone again, he continued, “So, I thought that if we got to know each other, if we became friends, maybe it would give me some sort edge or something and I could get you that way - yes, at the time it was a conquest thing, but then the friendship plan, it backfired because you ended up with the edge, you saw through all my bullshit and you called me out on it and I knew you would never go out with me. I mean, girls like you just don't date guys like me.”

  And again I interrupted, “You mean women like me? Self-respecting and smart women like me?”

  This time, Noah just smirked. “Sure, loudmouthed, always have something to say about everything, self-respecting and smart women like you. They don't date guys like me, because, well it would be stupid.”

  “What is your point to all of this?” I was getting impatient. Noah still hadn’t let me go and I had learned a long time ago never to stand too close to him for any long periods of time. I wasn’t cut out for it. I was a strong woman, but there was only so much, even I could resist.

  “My point is...that night I told you I was in love with you, I meant it.” His voice was raspy, it was so low. He was looking me directly in the eyes. Looking back into his, I was surprised to see hurt and something I thought might be regret. And then I remembered.

  “Then why did you act like such an ass after?”

  Noah suddenly broke his hold on me. Looking down he turned away from me, taking his scent and energy with him. He looked angry, but this time it wasn’t with me.

  “Because I felt like an idiot after. I hated the way I did it, and I pretty much hate everything I've done ever since...” and then his head lifted and he turned back to face me, “But I'm trying to make it right now. I love you Lucky, I know you have feelings for me too. So, please, just come back and give us a chance.”

  Once again I felt the nerves rise within, this time bubbling over into sheer panic. How was it possible that the thing I had wanted most was the thing I was most afraid of? Unable to face my fears and frustrated by the uncontrollable ways Noah was making me feel, I spun the conversation completely off course.

  “Is that what this is really all about? I can't just come back, Noah. I have a life there, a new life. And I really like it...and I've met someone.” I had said it without even thinking. The moment the words passed my lips, I regretted the lie. Noah’s face fell. He hadn’t expected this turn in events.

  “You have?”

  Already having put it out there, I felt I had no choice but to commit to it, so I lied again.

  “Yes, he's a teacher at my school. His name is Josh and he's really nice and...” I was running out of things to say, but it didn’t matter. Noah didn’t want to hear any more.

  “Yeah, I don't need to know the details.” He waved his hand at me, signaling me to stop.

  “I'm sorry...” And I meant it. Although I wasn’t entirely sure what I was apologizing for. Lying to him or the fact that I was destroying the one moment that could have changed our entire relationship, possibly our entire lives?

  “Don't be. I'm happy you're happy,” Noah said, and he forced a small smile. Then he leaned forward to give me a hug before he turned to walk away.

  As I watched him walk away, my heart began to race inside my chest. The voice in my head was talking a mile a minute, jumping all over the place from scolding me, to confirming that I had done the right thing, to yelling at me to stop Noah and plead with him to stay. Just as I felt my mouth open to say something, I saw him spin back around. He walked back much faster than he had walked away, with much more intent and destination.

  Halfway back to me he said, “Actually, I wasn't done.”

  Then before I knew what was happening, he was standing in front of me, pulling me close and placing his lips on mine. My eyes closed and I felt every last part of me surrender to the feelings I had fought for so long. After a moment that could have lasted three seconds or three hours, Noah pulled back.

  “Now I'm done,” he said in that deep raspy voice again and without warning, he turned away and began walking back to his car. I stood there, vulnerable and exposed and above all, completely stunned.

  “You're just going to walk away?” I called after him. Noah stopped and turned his head back in my direction.

  “That's what you want, isn't?”

  “Of course that's not what I want!” I shouted back at him, flustered by the fact that he was going to make me admit it not only to myself, but to him as well.

  A smile spread across his face as Noah ran back to where I was still standing, frozen in place. He pulled me to him, wrapping both of his arms around me and pressing my body up against his. Then he leaned in close.

  “What do you want?”

  “I think I just got it.”

  I closed my eyes again and waited for his lips to touch mine. At last we had both fought our way around the obstacles we had so
foolishly put onto our own paths. Nothing could undo now what we had done. There would be no waking up tomorrow and pretending this day hadn’t existed and these words hadn’t been said. This was it. We were in the same place at the same time and it was better than anything I could have ever imagined.

  I was kissing the side of his neck and breathing in all of his scents when I heard him murmur in my ear, “So about this tattoo.”

  I pulled my head back to look at him.

  “What Tattoo?” I had no idea what he was talking about, but Noah didn’t buy it.

  “Oh come on, Gabe told me about your tattoo.”

  That’s when it all became clear to me. I grinned.

  “Gabe was screwing with you. I don't have a tattoo.” After all this time, Gabe had finally got one over on Noah. I made a mental note to remember to tell him how it played out.

  “You don't? That's too bad,” Noah whispered, as he began to pull me back to him again.

  Right before he leaned in to kiss me I muttered, “I do have a piercing though...” and a mischievous grin spread across his face. A moment later his lips were pressed to mine once more. As seven years of pent up feelings began to unleash themselves, his kisses grew increasingly deeper and more passionate. Completely caught up in the whirlwind of emotions, I felt my body begin to mold itself to his, matching his body like a shadow that mimicked his every move. The world around me seemed to cease to exist and all I could do was to hold tight as I felt Noah lift me off of the ground, wrapping my legs around his waist, and carry me up the walkway toward the front door. Given the years of experience, he didn’t fumble with the lock for but a second before we were both inside, my back pinned up against the wall in the foyer with the weight of his body pushing into me and holding me securely in place.

  I could feel Noah’s skilled hands move over me with the expertise of a smooth gigolo who had made the same move a thousand times before as he swiftly lifted my shirt over my head with one hand while holding me steady with the other. An involuntary game of peek-a-boo ensued as the fabric from my top temporarily hid my face from his sight. When our eyes met again I saw a look of panic rush over him. Instantly he stopped what he was doing and took a step back, leaving me to slowly skid down the wall until my feet became one with the ground again.

  “We should stop. We’re moving too fast,” said Noah. He took several more steps away from me, increasing the distance between us until he felt it was safe.

  “What?!” Was he kidding me with this?! I scrunched my eyes shut and balled my fists in frustrated disbelief at what I was hearing. “How are we moving too fast? We’ve had seven years of foreplay, if anything we may go down in history as the slowest moving couple to mate in history!”

  Noah ran his fingers over his face in a state of confusion.

  “I don’t know okay, all I know is that I want to do this right.”

  The expression on his face was priceless. It was like looking at an adorably sad puppy who in his over-excited state of aiming to please, had accidentally peed on the floor. A small smile crept across my lips as I slowly approached him standing at the center of our empty living room. I cupped his face in my hands and stared him directly in the eye.

  “You want to do this right? Then don’t stop!”

  And for what was probably the first time in my life, I suddenly became the aggressor as I pulled Noah’s mouth to mine and crammed my tongue in there in a way that would ensure he knew I meant business. After that, he didn’t try to stop again.

  Chapter 2

  Busted

  I woke up the next morning still enveloped by Noah’s arms. We had managed to move around the house pretty efficiently the night before and had eventually fallen asleep in the small room off of the kitchen. We had curled up in the little built-in sitting nook because it was the only thing that even resembled furniture in an otherwise empty house. Naturally, Noah had been way too big to lay on it, so he had opted to lean his back against the wall with one leg pulled up while the other hung stretched out along the side of the bench. If he was totally uncomfortable in this position, he never uttered a word. I on the other hand, couldn’t have felt more relaxed as I laid there snuggled up on his lap, with my knees up to my stomach and my head resting on his chest. Both of his arms remained around me as I slept, creating a lovely cocoon effect that I was in no hurry to break free from.

  Not wanting to move too much, I slowly pulled my head down into the collar of Noah’s shirt like a turtle and silently inhaled. A satisfied grin grew on my lips as I mentally appraised the current situation. There I was, the newly crowned man-whore tamer. Not only had Noah gallantly offered me his shirt to sleep in given our lack of bedding, but he had also kept me warm all night with his very own body. And not in a sexual way…alright, not just in a sexual way. Nevertheless, I knew for a fact, that before last night, spooning hadn’t ever been an activity Noah participated in.

  I was still soaking in the bliss of my unexpected score when I heard him grumble, “You’re awake?”

  I tipped my head back and looked up at him. He still looked half asleep, but that didn’t keep a smile from forming on his lips as he dipped his chin down to kiss me on my forehead.

  “Just woke up a little while ago. Thought I’d let you sleep,” I answered. It was weird really, how weird it wasn’t. I mean, sure, the whole thing had a definite surreal quality to it, but aside from that, there was nothing awkward or uncomfortable about it. Or at least there hadn’t been until we heard the creak of the front door as it opened, followed by the distinct sound of voices and high heels clicking as they moved over the tile floor in the foyer.

  Noah was so panicked by the whole thing, he practically threw me from his lap as he jumped up and began scrambling for his pants. Somehow I was less bothered by the whole thing. But then, his shirt covered more of my body than some of the dresses I owned did, so I wasn’t feeling nearly as exposed as he probably did given that he was wearing nothing more than a pair of nicely fitted boxer briefs that left little to the imagination. Not that I needed to rely on mine anymore. The thought alone was enough to make me blush like a twelve year old. And if that hadn’t been enough, I began to giggle as well.

  “How is any of this funny?” Noah stopped what he was doing, his pants resting on his hips, waiting to be zipped. I covered my mouth to muffle the sound of my laughter and also, to keep myself from possibly explaining what it was that had me so amused at that very moment. He didn’t really need to know that when it came to penises I had the maturity level of a middle schooler.

  Instead of saying anything that might incriminate me, I gestured for him to finish zipping up just as my realtor, Shelley, came walking into the kitchen. Right behind her was the agent Noah had contacted to make an offer on Grandma Pearl’s house. Both women came to a standstill at the sight of us. There we were, just a few feet in front of them, scantily clad with disheveled hair and all. Without hesitating I ducked behind Noah knowing full well that his tall frame and broad shoulders would hide me entirely. Of course, Noah was still Noah and having professed his love to me only hours before hadn’t changed that, and so, true to form, he slid two steps to the side ensuring that I would be just as exposed as he was.

  I let out a hiss of dissatisfaction, but he just smirked in response.

  “Oh my God!” Shelley exclaimed loudly. Meanwhile, Noah’s realtor averted her eyes immediately and quickly began to retract her steps back out of the room.

  Tugging at the ends of Noah’s shirt and pulling them down as far as they would go to cover my bare legs, I tip-toed over the cold tile floor to greet them.

  “Hi Shelley,” I said trying to sound like I was a respectable adult having sex in my own home and not some ridiculous teenager getting busted doing it in the backseat of her boyfriend’s car. Logically I knew I wasn’t the latter and yet, in that moment, embarrassing memories of the past came rushing over me, bringing with them all of the same mortifying and slightly shameful feelings that had attached themselves to
them.

  “Good morning, Lucky,” said Shelley, making a point to look down at her hands instead of at me. Not that I could blame her. She briefly looked up without thinking, but quickly lowered her gaze again before she continued apologetically, “I didn’t realize you would be here. I thought we had agreed to meet later this afternoon at the office for the signing.”

  Finally Noah piped up, “Oh, yeah, actually it’s convenient that you’re both here. See, there isn’t going to be a signing.” He had barely uttered the words when his realtor came running back into the room. Well, given her short squat statue, it was really more of a waddle; albeit a fast one.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, already turning a smidge pink in the face.

  Not realizing that Noah had been the one to make the offer, Shelly suddenly appeared just as confused. No longer bothering to pretend she couldn’t see the scene laid out in front of her, she was now busy darting her eyes back and forth between Noah and his agent. Although she certainly seemed to spend more time on Noah and his chiseled abs than she had spent studying the squat waddler. I felt a twinge of unexpected jealousy as my face locked onto his to see if he had noticed and more importantly, reacted, but his face gave no indication that he was even remotely aware of Shelley’s interest or even her looks. My Lucky-the-crazy-possessive-girlfriend moment passed and she faded into the background while the Lucky-his-best-friend crept forward, grinning because I knew for a fact that he had checked her out. With her long legs, short dress and high heel, she was right up his alley and just because I hadn’t seen it happen didn’t mean that it didn’t. But I didn’t care. Whether he found her attractive or not wasn’t the issue. Whether he acted on it or not was, and he hadn’t. Which was precisely why Shelley’s full lips were now settled in a confused pout as her eyes went back and forth between him and me, likely wondering how I had managed to land him in the first place when he barely even seemed to see her.