Round & Ravishing

by Mary E Thompson

  When the hostess came back she smiled warmly at me. “Welcome to Wine & Dine. Do you have a reservation?”

  “Oh, um, I don’t know. I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. Noah Carpenter?”

  Her grin grew wider, making me ever so slightly jealous. The woman clearly knew exactly who Noah was, maybe a little more than I wanted her to. That wasn’t fair though. It was our first date. If Noah didn’t have a past, I’d be even more concerned.

  “Noah does have a reservation but not for a couple hours. Did he tell you to meet him here?”

  I nodded, feeling silly. “I’m sorry to bother you. I must have misunderstood him.”

  She shook her head, auburn hair spilling over her shoulders. Everyone always said blondes had more fun, but I’d have traded my light color for a rich, elegant auburn like hers any day.

  “Noah probably told you to meet him here so you could take one car wherever you’re going before dinner. Is this your first date?”

  “Yeah. We only met a week ago. How do you know Noah?”

  “He was my brother’s nurse a few years ago. He’s been coming here ever since.”

  “Did you date him?”

  “Me?” she asked with raised eyebrows and a laugh. “No. I’ve been seeing the same guy for years. Long before I met Noah.”

  “Oh. I just thought…”

  “It’s okay. Noah became like a brother to me when Jalen was in treatment. He would answer all our questions and even call in the evenings when Jalen had chemo. He’s a pretty special guy.”

  “Are you talking about me?” he asked from behind me.

  I turned and met Noah’s dark brown eyes. They scanned me, my coat open revealing my black leather leggings and the turtleneck I’d found when I ran into Olivia. I’d added a scarf that had the camel color, a touch of black, and some blue that perfectly matched my bag. The outfit was worth it when I saw the heat in Noah’s eyes.

  He moved toward me, leaning in close to kiss my cheek and tell me I looked beautiful before he turned his attention to the hostess. He wrapped her in a hug then stepped back. “Did you already kill my chances for a second date, Katie?”

  Katie laughed. “Of course not. I probably helped your chances. I think if you get a second date you should have to take Jalen ice skating.”

  “I’d do that anyway,” he said with a glance toward me. “He’s a good kid.”

  “He adores you. He says you’re the first person he’s going to save when he becomes a firefighter.”

  Noah chuckled. “Well, I hope he never needs to save me, but I appreciate the thought.”

  Katie nodded. “We’ve got you down in two hours. Are you going to stand here all night and ignore your beautiful date, or are you taking her out?”

  Noah turned and flashed me a grin that had my panties ready to melt. “I’m definitely taking her out. I promised her a night she won’t forget.”

  Katie stuck her fingers in her ears and said, “La la la! I don’t want to hear it!”

  I laughed with her, blushing because I was hoping for exactly what she was thinking about.

  “Then I’ll whisk her away for a few hours so you don’t have to find out what we do when you aren’t around.”

  “Ewwww!” Katie teased as Noah grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

  Outside in the crisp November air, Noah turned to the right, away from the parking lot. I was about to ask him where we were going when he stopped and wrapped our joined hands behind my back. His lips came down on mine in a flash, a startled gasp allowing him access to my mouth.

  His body leaned against mine, hard planes meeting my rounded figure. Damn did he feel good. I moved my free hand up to his neck into the hair at his nape as his tongue swept through my mouth. He tasted fresh, minty even. But he smelled even better. Like fresh rain and spice and… man. I wanted to crawl into his jacket and stay there forever.

  He tightened his grip on me, as if he sensed my desire to get closer to him. I sighed contentedly, squeezing his hand that still held mine captive behind my back. Noah tilted his head and tangled his free hand in my hair, angling my head to suit him. He growled when I swiped my tongue over his.

  He pulled back just far enough to say, “You make me forget where I am. Let’s go before I forget the whole date and take you back to my place.”

  “We’ve already done that once,” I teased.

  “I’m more than happy to do that again. You said you needed to be wowed. I know I was.”

  I laughed. “I was definitely wowed. But good sex is just good sex. It doesn’t mean we have anything in common or will work outside the bedroom.”

  “Good sex? Good sex? Hmm, well, first I guess we’re going on our date. I’m going to prove to you that we work just as well outside the bedroom as we do in it. And then I’m going to remind you that it wasn’t just good sex, but amazing sex. Mind-blowing sex. Earth-shattering sex.”

  He punctuated his words with a lick and a nip on my neck, heating my body and making me want to just forget our date and go back to his place for some more of that incredible sex.

  “I, um…”

  He ran his tongue up the column of my throat then claimed my lips once more. His kiss was quick and forceful and left me wanting more when he pulled back.

  “Let’s go.”

  Noah dragged me down the street, both of us laughing like kids as we practically ran. I had no idea where we were going, but I was having fun just being with him. When he stopped in front of an arcade, I thought for sure he was going to kiss me again. I leaned in, ready for my kiss, but Noah was looking inside.

  “You ready?” he asked with a nod.

  I looked at the arcade with disbelief. “We’re going here?”

  Noah grinned like he’d just won a prize. He had to be nuts. “Can you tell me you’ve been on a date here before?”

  “Um, no. I don’t think I’ve stepped foot in an arcade since middle school.”

  “Points for creativity?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Or you’re a man-child with a video game addiction.”

  Noah tipped his head back and laughed. He reached for me, tugging me against his side, and kissed my temple. “This is why I like you. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  I had my doubts, but I followed him inside. The place was dark the further we got from the windows, but appeared to be clean and even smelled like lemon cleaning products. Noah headed straight for the back counter, winding between game consoles and kids playing until we reached the prize counter with a man standing behind it.

  Noah handed over a $20 bill and accepted the bucket of tokens. He faced me with a delighted smile and bright eyes. “You ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be. Lead the way man-child.”

  Noah laughed and headed toward the far wall. We stopped in front of a pair of skee-ball machines. “Here are the rules. Whoever wins gets to pick the next game and ask a question. If you refuse to answer the question, you forfeit your next chance to ask a question. We have one hundred tokens. When we’re done. I’ll buy you a fancy prize from the grumpy man in the back.”

  He crossed his arms and frowned like the guy who’d given him the tokens. I laughed and rolled my eyes. We were the oldest people there by at least ten years, but I didn’t feel awkward with Noah by my side.

  “Deal,” I said, offering my hand to shake. “I get to start.”

  “What! I thought we would start with skee-ball.”

  I nodded. “I love skee-ball. I get to ask the first question.”

  Noah gave me another stern look but softened it with a grin when he couldn’t hold the angry look any longer. I loved how much he smiled. Especially when he smiled at me.

  He inserted tokens into the two games side-by-side and we waited for our balls to roll down so we could play. We each picked up a ball and faced each other.

  “How did you get into nursing?”

  Noah smiled as if he expected the question. He turned and launched his ball, rolling up and fal
ling easily into the 40 circle. Damn.

  “My cousin had leukemia when I was little. It was an aggressive form and he only lived about three months after they found out about it. I was only twelve when Kenny died. We were close, almost like brothers, and it really bothered me.”

  I threw my ball, watching it bounce off the 30 circle and drop to the 10. “Why a nurse and not a doctor?”

  He arched an eyebrow. “I should make you wait for a win, which I’m not sure you’re going to get, but I’ll let it slide. Kenny’s doctor was great. A nice guy who really cared, but he only saw his doctor once a month, maybe a little more. He was the one who made the diagnosis and reviewed all the results, but his chemo nurse was the one he saw all the time. The one who was there for him during treatments and held his hand when it wasn’t going well. He was the one who really inspired me.”

  I grabbed another ball and tried to choke back the emotion in my throat. I threw the ball, barely noticing what I was doing. It fell into the 20 circle, but I was thinking about Noah’s cousin and the nurse who inspired him.

  “That’s really cool. Most people would want the recognition of being the doctor. The title.”

  He shook his head. “Titles don’t really interest me. Doctors are really overworked and don’t have time to spend with their patients. It’s frustrating for them because most of them got into medicine to help people and they end up chasing the insurance companies. Nurses though, there’s not as much pressure. Especially in my job. I don’t work in the office, just in the infusion center. When a patient comes in, they’re with me for at least an hour, sometimes as much as four. I have time to sit with them. Listen to them. Hear how they’re feeling and learn about their lives. We get the same patients every time so there’s continuity, which is great. It’s hard when treatment doesn’t work, but it’s so rewarding to get to know these kids. To be there for them when they need someone.”

  “I’ve never known anyone with cancer. I can’t imagine seeing kids with it.”

  Noah nodded and threw a couple more balls. I followed suit until I was on my last one. Then he turned to me.

  “I’d lie and say I’m used to it, but you never get used to it. Winterville has pediatric and adult infusion separated. I’ve gone to the adult infusion and it’s quieter. The kids are sick, but we try to make it as much fun as it can be. We have games for them to play and a great group of volunteers who come through regularly with snacks and small gifts. There’s a local organization that works with artists in the community to come in and do different crafts with the kids, or sing songs, or even dance. Those days are always the best days. The kids all leave happy. Even if they feel like shit, they had fun.”

  “Wow. I always imagined it would be so depressing.” I threw my last ball, falling far short of Noah’s 220 score.

  “It can be. When we get to tell a kid they’re done, it’s a pretty awesome feeling.”

  I smiled. “I bet.”

  Noah tossed his last ball, putting him even further out of reach of my measly 140 points. “I think I won that one. So I get to choose the next game and ask a question.”

  His eyes glittered with excitement of a child and I realized I was only partly right. He was a man-child but not the addicted to video games type. He was the always-having-fun type. I needed a little of that in my life.

  “First, my question… What would your superhero name be?”

  “Excuse me?” I asked on a laugh. “My superhero name?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. Some people say it’s the street you grew up on and your pet’s name or some list or something. I think it should be whatever you want it to be. So, what would yours be?”

  I shook my head, still laughing. “I have no idea.”

  “Come on. You can’t seriously tell me you’ve never wanted to be a superhero. That you’ve never watched one of those movies and wished you could do some of that cool shit.”

  Patrick directed one of the latest superhero movies, so no I hadn’t seen it. But I couldn’t exactly explain that one without telling Noah who I was.

  “I have to think about that one. Let’s find another game and I’ll come up with something.”

  Noah huffed like he was annoyed, but winked at me and led me to a game we had to sit down and drive a car. We raced around a windy track, both of us hitting the walls more than not. By the time I crossed the finish line, before Noah, we were both laughing.

  “That did not go the way I’d hoped,” he confessed, still sitting in our fake driver’s seats. “I thought for sure I’d beat you.”

  “Driving in California is a bit dicey. I got used to it.”

  “I didn’t know you lived in California. What did you do there?”

  “Hey now,” I chastised. “I won that game. It’s my turn to ask a question.”

  He smiled. “Ah, but you never answered my question. You can’t ask me a question if you don’t answer.”

  “Okay, fine. I think if I could have any superpower, I’d want to be able to look like anyone I wanted.”

  “Really? You’d want to be a shapeshifter?”

  I nodded. “Definitely. I’ve always enjoyed pretending I was someone else. If that was my superpower, I could do it any time I want. That would be pretty awesome.”

  “No flying or reading minds or invisibility. Just shape shifting?”

  “Yep. Do you want to know what my name would be?”

  “Of course. Lay it on me.” He leaned back, giving me his full attention. His arms were crossed over his chest, giving me a great view of his bulging muscles. He was smiling at me, showing off his slightly crooked teeth that made me want him even more. He wasn’t perfect, and I liked that. I’d spent too long with men who wanted to be perfect. Noah was real.

  “Mimic.”

  “Mimic?” he asked.

  I nodded, feeling pretty proud of myself. “It fits, right? If I was a shapeshifter, I would be able to mimic what someone else looked like. It’s a good superhero name, isn’t it?”

  His face split into a wide grin. “It’s perfect. I like the whole one name thing. Cleaner. It works for you.”

  “What would your superhero name be?”

  He chuckled, clearly thinking of something else. “Well, the kids decided to name all of us one day. All the nurses were given names and we have capes that one of the artists help them make for us.”

  I knew it was going to be good. I started giggling at the expression on his face. He did not want to tell me, so I had to ask, “What’s your name, Noah?”

  “Captain Invisible Sword.”

  Chapter 8

  I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. It was just too funny. Especially coupled with the pained expression on his face.

  “I know, it’s hilarious. All the other nurses have been making fun of me for months. Thankfully you know my sword is not invisible.”

  To prove his point, he tugged me against him, letting me feel his ‘sword.’ Laughter died on my lips and my breath caught in my throat. He swelled against my hip then kissed my neck, setting my pulse racing.

  “Definitely not invisible. Although I’d definitely agree with the Captain part. You are very good with your sword.”

  He growled in my ear and nipped my earlobe. “We still have a lot of tokens to use, Tara. I’m getting very close to making some kid’s night and giving him the rest.”

  I shook my head and stepped away. “Nope. We’re going to finish this. But first you’re going to tell me how in the world you became Captain Invisible Sword?”

  I couldn’t say it without laughing. Noah fought it, but after a second he laughed with me. “It’s not that bad.” I gave him a skeptical look. “Okay, it is that bad. The kids all said that they like when I give them shots or draw blood because they don’t ever see the needle until it’s over. Most of them claim they don’t feel it either. I started saying the needle was my invisible sword and that it couldn’t hurt them unless they saw it. I hide it from the kids and distract them and I have no crying o
r pain. It just went from there.”

  “Aw, that’s really sweet. You shouldn’t be embarrassed by that.”

  He arched an eyebrow and I laughed again.

  “Okay, well, inside the hospital you shouldn’t be embarrassed. Maybe not something you should share with any dates in the future.”

  “Well, you’re the only one I plan to have any dates with in the near future and you already know, so I guess I’m good.”

  I shouldn’t have been warmed by his words, but I was. He wanted to keep seeing me. As much as I hoped to be heading out of Winterville soon, I couldn’t deny that I was looking forward to spending more time with Noah.

  Moving on with our tokens, I picked a shooting game and won, shocking Noah. I asked him about his parents.

  “They moved to Florida a few years ago when my dad retired. They hated the winters. When the leaves start falling from trees, they were ready to head south. In the summer they’ll come visit, but for the most part they’re in Florida for the year. They have a condo on a golf course. My mom has a group of friends that knit prayer blankets for my patients and Dad golfs every day. They’re happy there.”

  “And your brother is a photographer?”

  He nodded. “Yep. He does a little of everything, but he loves taking pictures of unique things. Stuff that a lot of people don’t get a chance to see. He says he’s a freelancer. He gets paid by the photograph. If it’s something that resonates, he’ll earn a little more. Unfortunately, he says the photos that sell the best are famous people, but he hates chasing stars so he rarely deals with any of that.”

  My palms got sweaty and my heart pounded in my ears. If Noah’s brother found out who I was, I’d be sunk. Not only would he have quite the exclusive, but if Noah wasn’t in on it, he’d never speak to me again once he found out who I was.

  Was Noah playing me? Could he be in on it? Maybe he was taking pictures of me to prove to his brother who I was so he could find us. Find me.