I’ve fallen, and fallen hard.
I just hope this beautiful man is there to catch me.
Deciding to give them some privacy, and myself a much-needed breather, I step away from Nova’s door and walk into the living room. I grab my sketchpad from my purse and curl up on the couch. My pen meets the paper as our evening on the front porch, watching the sunset and looking at stars, fuels my imagination. I’m halfway through a dress design when my phone vibrates, signaling a text.
Charlotte: How was dinner?
I have found such a good friend in Charlotte, and I love that she’s checking up on me. She’s the only person here that I really talk to, and she knows how nervous I was about tonight.
Me: Great.
Three little dots bounce on the screen, and I sit down on the couch, waiting for her message to come through.
Charlotte: That’s it? Just great? Come on, throw me a bone. Or a boner. Either will do ; )
Me: There aren’t many details. We ate, we watched a movie, and Nova just went to bed.
Charlotte: Ooooh…the child is in bed. Now it’s time to get freaky.
Laughing, I shake my head. This woman seriously needs to get laid.
Me: There will be no getting freaky!
Charlotte: You’re no fun.
“I agree with Charlotte.”
I whirl around at the sound of Noah’s voice behind me. He walks around the couch and sits down next to me.
“What’s this?” he asks, motioning toward my sketch pad.
“Just a design I was working on.” I hand him the pad, and he examines it. “Were you reading my texts, sir?”
“I like this,” he says, tapping the paper before setting it on the coffee table. “I want to see more.” Grabbing my hand, Noah tugs me toward him until I’m practically in his lap. “And yes, I was reading your text. Does that make you mad?”
Tossing my phone on the table, I shake my head. “Not at all.” And that’s the God’s honest truth. “Mathis used to hate when I’d answer his phone or read a text over his shoulder.” I pause before adding. “Turns out there was a good reason why.”
“Who’s Mathis?”
“My ex.”
“We need to rethink our sitting position for this talk.” Noah pulls his wallet and phone from his front pocket and sets them on the table alongside mine. Sliding his hand along my hip, he guides me onto his lap, and I’m not about to fight him.
Okay, maybe just a bit, because there is a little girl to think about.
“What about Nova?”
“What about her?” he asks, situating me until my knees press into the fabric on either side of his hips as I straddle him. Both palms pressed against my thighs, he squeezes gently. “She sleeps like a rock. A tornado could roll through here, and she still wouldn’t wake up.”
“Impressive.”
Noah smiles. “That she is.”
Splaying my hands against Noah’s chest, I gradually slide them up as I push my body down, grinding myself against his hardness. Noah’s grip on my legs tightens. I love knowing I have this effect on him.
“I wasn’t talking about Nova.”
“Lennon.” Noah makes a sound low in his throat. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“I’m always trying to distract you. Distraction leads to fun, fun things.” And I want to talk about Mathis about as much as I want a bullet in the head.
“And I enjoy being distracted, but I want you to tell me about Mathis.”
“Mathis who?”
Noah chuckles. “Fine. You win.”
“No,” I groan. “Don’t let me off the hook that easily. You told me about Kim, so it’s only fair I tell you about Mathis.”
“Is that his real name, Mathis?”
“Yes.” Laughing, I sit back on Noah’s lap, determined to choose my words carefully. “We met in college. He was my first real boyfriend. At the time, I thought he was perfect. Always the gentleman, he opened doors, held my hand, and took me on fun dates. I should’ve known he was too good to be true.” Sighing, I shake my head. “I was naïve. Young and stupid. In year three, he proposed.”
Noah‘s lips part, and I wince. “I said yes,” I say softly. “And in year five, we broke up.”
“Wait. That’s it? I feel like there’s an entire story tucked away in there somewhere.”
Falling forward, I drop my forehead to his chest and mumble, “That’s because there is.”
I take a ragged breath in, and when I release it, I cast my memory back in time to tell Noah what happened:
“Mat?” I call out, quickly realizing he probably can’t hear me because Nirvana is blaring through the surround sound. Shutting the door, I drop my purse on the entryway table, kick off my shoes, and walk upstairs.
The faint sound of a woman giggling brings me to an abrupt halt. Every hair on my body stands up. I listen quietly, wondering if my ears are playing tricks on me. But sure enough, there it is again, and that’s definitely a woman. Slowly, I tiptoe toward Mathis’s room. The door is halfway open, and what I find nearly brings me to my knees.
“That’s it, baby,” Mathis croons. Sliding his hand up the woman’s thigh, he brings her leg around his hip and sinks into her.
My stomach churns, and when he pushes his body against hers, the woman drops her head back on the pillow. My entire world tilts on its axis.
Oh God, no!
Lizzie.
My best friend buries her head in my pillow—my pillow—as a breathy moan falls from her lips. I’m frozen in place, completely stuck, unable to move because this has to be a bad dream. It has to be. Mathis wouldn’t do this to me, and neither would Lizzie. They just wouldn’t.
Shaking my head, I bring a hand to my mouth and watch the horrid scene unfold in front of me. Neither one of them notices me standing in the doorway. The minutes tick by, and with each passing second, my disbelief and hurt turn more into pure, white anger.
Taking my phone out, I pull up my camera, switch it to video, and hit record. I’m not doing it to be malicious—I won’t be selling it to the tabloids. I’m doing it as a reminder, because I know Mathis. He’ll try to worm his way back into my life, and I need to be able to remind myself exactly what happened, remind myself that I deserve better than someone like him.
I watch through the screen as Mathis brings Lizzie to the brink. He pumps his hips several more times, and when he collapses on top of her, I tuck my phone back into my pocket.
I applaud them as I saunter into the room. Their heads whip around, and Lizzie scrambles to cover herself. Mathis flies off of the bed, and I have to stifle a laugh. The look on their faces is absolutely priceless, and then they both start yammering as I reach under the bed and pull out a bag I stuffed there several months ago.
“Oh God, Leni.” Wrapping the sheet around her body, Lizzie jumps off the bed. “Leni, I’m so sorry. Please—”
“What the fuck are you doing, Leni?” Mathis growls, cutting Lizzie off.
Stupid fucking asshole. What the fuck does it look like I’m doing?
That’s what I want to say, but I keep my lips sealed tight. They don’t deserve my anger or my pain. I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me break. Mathis reaches for my bag and tries to pull it from my hand, but I’ve got a death grip on it.
“She means nothing to me,” he declares, following me around the room. “She came on to me, and I was weak. I was weak, baby. I had been drinking and—” His words stop when Lizzie smacks him across the face.
“You son of a bitch,” she sneers, jamming a finger in his chest. “How dare you make this out to be my fault? You’ve been trying to get in my pants since we met.”
“And I didn’t have to try very fucking hard, did I?”
I take a deep breath, feeling the blood rushing through my ears. Coupled with the tightness in my throat, I know I’m moments from falling apart.
Pulling open a drawer, I scoop out a few sets of lingerie, leaving the ones Mathis bought me behind.
I open the closet door and start yanking clothes off the hangers, shoving them into the bag.
It isn’t until a hand wraps around my upper arm that I allow the noise from the room to filter back in.
“What the hell are you doing?” Mathis yells, pulling me out of the closet. “You’re not leaving.”
“The hell I’m not.” Four words. That’s all he’s going to get from me. Four words that will cut the son of a bitch from my life for good.
Mathis’s eyes widen, and for the first time since I walked in, I see true fear there. He knows I’m serious.
“Please. Please don’t do this.” He holds his hands out, trying to calm me. “I swear to you that nothing like this will ever happen again.”
Pushing my way around him, I reach for my sandals in the corner of the room, stuff them in the bag, and head out the door with Lizzie and Mathis hot on my heels.
“Leni, please,” Lizzie begs. “Please don’t leave like this. Let me explain. You’re my best friend!”
Coming to a sudden stop, I whirl around. Mathis manages not to run into me, but Lizzie slams into his back.
“What did you say?” I sneer.
Lizzie steps out from behind Mathis. Tears run down her flushed cheeks, and she makes no attempt to wipe them away. “I said you’re my best friend.”
I shake my head, but she nods and keeps talking.
“Yes, you are. You’re my best friend, and if you’ll just let me explain this—”
“There’s nothing to explain. If you were my best friend, you wouldn’t have fucked my fiancé. It’s as simple as that.” I’m both surprised and proud at how calm my voice is. “I don’t want to hear your excuses, Liz. Or yours,” I add, turning to Mathis with bile rising in my throat. “You two deserve each other.”
“No,” Lizzie cries, throwing herself at me. “Please. Please, Leni.”
“Leni.” Mathis’s voice is thick with emotion, but I don’t turn around to look at either one of them. Determined to put this chapter of my life behind me, I simply walk out the front door, get in my car, and drive to my parents’ house, hoping to talk to Helga.
As fate would have it, Helga isn’t home, but my mother is.
Lips parted, eyes wide, and that unruly lock of hair in his face again, Noah watches me. “What did your mom say?” he asks, rubbing his hands along my thighs.
“She told me to toughen up and get over it.”
His hands stop. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. She said men like Mathis need to sow their wild oats before settling down and that I shouldn’t really care anyway because Mathis was going to give me everything I’d ever dreamed of.”
“And what did you say?”
Pursing my lips, I shrug. “I told her I didn’t want to hear it, and I walked out.”
“Well, I’m proud of you for standing up to her, and I’m sorry that happened,” he says, his fingers now fiddling with the bottom of my shirt.
“Don’t be. Finding Mathis and Lizzie in bed together was the wake-up call I needed. I moved on with my life, and really started to live. I quit caring about pleasing my parents and started to do things for me.”
“What kinds of things?”
“Well, I quit my job as a CPA and started to focus on sewing and design. I’ve built up quite a portfolio, but there’s always room for more.”
“Tell me about your designs.”
“Do you find it odd that you’re wanting to talk and all I can think about is getting you naked?”
Noah captures my wandering hand, bringing it to his lips. “Don’t think for a second that I don’t want you naked beneath me.” He kisses my knuckles. “But like I told you before, I want us to date, and talking and getting to know each other is part of dating.”
“Yes, I’m aware, but so is getting naked. In fact, if you strip me down, I’ll let you get to know me on a much more personal level.”
With her hand wrapped in mine, I lead Lennon down the hall and push my bedroom door open.
What else is a hot-blooded man to do when his woman practically begs to get naked?
“Tonight’s going to be a little different, sweetheart.”
Lennon steps into my room and turns toward me. “What do you mean?”
“My daughter is down the hall.”
“I thought you said she slept like a log?”
“She does, but this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this with her in the house, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“We don’t have to do anything tonight, Noah. I’m more than happy to go back to the couch and talk.” Lennon closes the gap between us and runs her hands up my arms. “As long as there will be kissing involved.”
“I don’t want to talk anymore.”
“All the blood has already rushed from one head to other, then?” she asks, flicking the button on my jeans.
I nod. “The second you said you wanted to get me naked.” Gripping Lennon’s wrist, I remove her hand from my pants and lock the door. “Now I want you to get naked for me, beautiful.”
My eyes trained on hers, I see the exact moment my request registers. Her breath quickens, desire flickering in her beautiful blue eyes—the same desire that’s pumping through my veins.
Leaving Lennon standing in the middle of my room, I sit down on the edge of my bed and cock an eyebrow. She swallows, and with a smile designed to bring a man to his knees, she lifts her shirt over her head and tosses it to the floor.
The breath catches in my throat.
She’s a blessed fucking angel. From her pouty lips to her perky breasts, all the way down to her tight ass. Biting on her bottom lip, Lennon steps out of her shorts and stands in front of me in nothing but a pink, lacy bra and matching panties.
“Take them off.”
Eyes narrowed, Lennon does as I ask. She flicks the front clasp of her bra, allowing the silky material to fall to the floor. At least that’s where I think it falls; I don’t bother to look because my eyes are full of her breasts. Her nipples pucker under the heat of my gaze, which is drawn downward as Lennon slips off her underwear.
“Fucking beautiful.”
“What about you?”
“Hell, no.” I shake my head, dragging my eyes back up her body. “I’m not near as beautiful as you.”
Lennon fights a smile. “That’s not what I meant.”
I grin. “What did you mean?”
My pants are already undone, thanks to this gorgeous woman, but the longer she stands in front of me naked, the harder my cock gets. What I’m about to do is going to be torture, but worth every fucking second.
She nods toward me. “Aren’t you going to get undressed?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Remember I said tonight was going to be different?”
“Yes…” Her smile falters.
“Well, this is the different part. Tonight is about you.”
Pushing off the bed, I close the distance between us in two long strides. Unable to help myself, I run the back of my hand down Lennon’s chest, over a breast, grazing her nipple. Stepping behind her, I flatten my palm against her belly and lower my fingers until they meet her pussy.
“Noah—”
I cup my other hand over her mouth. Bringing my lips to her ear, I whisper, “Tonight I need you to be quiet.”
Lennon glances over her shoulder, her eyes filled with excitement and trepidation.
“Can you do that for me?”
She nods.
“Because we don’t want Nova to hear us.” I slide my fingers along her folds, then push into her tight, wet heat. Lennon moans when I add a second finger and throws her head back against my chest. I quickly withdraw my hand and take a step back. Without my body to lean on, Lennon sags, and she whines at the loss of my hand.
“Quiet.”
Lennon whips her head around, her eyebrows raised, but she doesn’t dare say a word.
“Do you want my hands on you?”
She nods.
�
�You’re soaked, Lennon. Are you always this wet when you’re around me?”
She nods again, her eyes glazing over.
“Get on the bed.”
Swallowing hard, she does as I ask, situating herself against the pillows on my California king.
I don’t dare get up there with her, because if I do, I’ll have no choice but to fuck her, and right now I have other things planned.
Better things.
I want to push Lennon’s limits, see how far she’ll go and how well she’ll listen. This isn’t my sort of thing, ordering women around, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t bring out an entirely different side of me.
“Spread your legs.”
Leaning back, Lennon slides her heels up the comforter, bending her knees, putting her pussy on full display. My mouth waters at the sight of her swollen clit, and I have to shove my hands in my pockets to keep myself from reaching out for her.
“Touch yourself, Lennon. Show me how much you want me.”
Lust-fueled sparks shoot through my body, making it nearly impossible to keep myself rooted to the floor. It takes every ounce of control I have not to replace her hand with my mouth when she pushes a finger deep inside her pussy. When she pulls it out, she swirls the pad of her finger around her clit before shoving two more fingers back inside.
“Does that feel good?” My voice is as raw as the look in her eyes when her heavy gaze finds mine. “Does it turn you on, knowing that I’m watching, wishing it was my mouth on your pussy instead of your fingers?” I keep my voice low, but firm, and if it weren’t for her eyes flaring to life, I wouldn’t know if she’d even heard me. “Because you’re turning me the fuck on. My cock is begging for your pussy, begging to be wrapped up inside of you.”
“Oh God.” Lennon’s back arches off the pillows, her eyes closing, and just when I think she’s going to moan, she doesn’t, instead pinching her lips together as her fingers move faster.
“Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She’s squirming, her hips rocking, urgently seeking release, and when her cheeks flush and her legs begin to tremble, I take a step forward. Wrapping my hand around her wrist, I pull her hand away from her body.
Her eyes fly open. They’re wide and wild, and if I weren’t holding on to her, she’d surely smack me, because I just stole the thing she desperately wants.
The Truth About Lennon Page 11