Dealmaker, Heartbreaker

by Rochelle Alers

  She turned to find Noah with his arms crossed over his chest. “It’s beautiful.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “Is this one mine?”

  “Do you want it?”

  Viviana strolled into the dining room and ran her fingertips over the fabric of classic Chippendale-style dining chairs. The chairs were similar to those in the dining room of the bed-and-breakfast. If her brother hadn’t paid the delinquent property taxes, she would’ve been forced to sell off many of the authentic antiques in the house.

  She walked over to Noah and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yes.”

  He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Then, it’s yours.”

  Viviana leaned back and met eyes that were filled with laughter. “Where are you going to stay?”

  “There’s a door in the kitchen that connects this guesthouse to mine.”

  She knew it was just a matter of time before she and Noah would share a bed again, and it wouldn’t be only to sleep but to make love. “Do you know what I’d like to do?”

  Noah cradled her face in his hands. “What’s that?”

  “I’d like to spend the rest of the day with you right here.”

  “You don’t want to see the resort?”

  Viviana shook her head. “Not today. I want to swim laps in the infinity pool, and then lie out, soaking up the sun until I’m well-done.”

  “You’re already well-done. I can’t see your freckles anymore.” Noah kissed the end of her nose. “Let me know what you want to eat for dinner, and I’ll call the chef and place an order.”

  A slight frown appeared between her eyes. “Why do you have a kitchen if you don’t use it?”

  “I’d use it if I could cook.”

  “What if I teach you to cook?”

  “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

  Viviana saw a slight hesitation in Noah’s eyes, and it was the first time since meeting him that he didn’t appear the overly confident, cocky young man who was used to getting what he wanted just by picking up a phone. “No, I’m not kidding, Noah. You can’t go through life expecting someone to feed you. What if you were stranded and had to fend for yourself? How would you expect to survive?”

  Bending slightly, Noah scooped her up in his arms and spun her around and around. “I’d call a local restaurant and have Grubhub deliver my order.”

  Viviana scrunched up her nose. “You’re impossible. Now, please put me down.”

  He set her on her feet. “I’m willing to be your student for three lessons.”

  “Five.”

  “Four and no more, sweetheart.”

  Going on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss over one of his eyes. “That’s one.” She kissed his other eye. “Two.” The bridge of his nose. “Three.” And then his mouth. “That’s four.”

  “I think I’m going to enjoy cooking with you. And what’s going to make it fun is that I get to flirt with my teacher. I’m going to get your bags so you can change, and I’ll do the same.”

  * * *

  “Are you falling asleep on me, Viv?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Noah had invited Viviana to share the webbed recliner in the loggia at the rear of his guesthouse. They’d spent the day swimming laps in the pool, walking hand in hand along the beach, before returning to the house to shower and change, then ordering room service.

  He closed his eyes, and suddenly all of his senses were magnified: the warmth of Viviana’s body; the silken feel of her smooth skin; the hypnotic scent of the perfumed crème she’d put on after her shower; and the soft whisper of her even breathing. Noah shifted her body as he sat up.

  “I’m going to take you to bed.”

  Viviana opened her eyes and smiled. “I’m not sleepy.”

  “If you’re not sleepy, then what are you?”

  “I was just resting my eyes.”

  Noah lifted her effortlessly. “You can rest your eyes in your own bed.”

  Viviana put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. After spending several days with her, he’d discovered she wasn’t much of a drinker. He’d ordered a bottle of wine with their dinner, and she’d drunk half a glass before setting it aside.

  His urgent need to make love to her had waned once he realized he would spend more than six days with her. Noah didn’t know how long they would remain at Emerald Cove, but he planned to take it one day at a time and enjoy every second, minute, hour, day or week with Viviana Remington. Walking into her bedroom, he placed her on the bed and pulled up the sheet and a lightweight blanket over her shoulders.

  Noah dimmed the lamp to the lowest setting on the bedside table, adjusted the thermostat and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on a chair outside the pool, and minutes later his cell phone chimed a familiar ringtone he’d programmed for his older brother.

  “What’s up, Jordan?”

  “I’ve been trying to call you for days and kept getting a message that your mailbox is full.”

  “It’s not full. Cell phone reception is spotty here.”

  “Where have you been?”

  “I’m down here in the Bahamas. I had to go to a friend’s wedding. Right now I’m on Emerald Cove. Why have you been calling me?”

  “Mom told me it’s your turn to choose the charity for the New Year’s Eve fund-raiser. She’s panicking because the printer told her he can’t send out the invitations until he gets the name of the earmarked charity.”

  “Wounded Warrior Project.” It was the first thing that popped into Noah’s head.

  “Excellent choice. I’m certain this would make Giles happy because he’s still in contact with a lot of guys in the corps. Thanks, bro. I’m going to call Mom and tell her.”

  “Wait, Jordan. I need to talk to you about something.”

  There came a beat. “What’s wrong, Noah?”

  He heard the concern in Jordan’s voice. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s... Who am I kidding?” Noah said. “I have a dilemma.”

  “Not you!”

  “I’m serious, Jordan.”

  “I’m sorry. Talk to me, brother.”

  Noah paused, choosing his words carefully. “How did you know the first time you met her that Aziza was the woman you wanted to marry?”

  “I wasn’t certain about marrying her, but I knew when I met her that she was someone I wanted to get to know better, even though Brandt had asked me to talk to her about a sexual harassment problem she’d had with her former boss. Her stunning beauty aside, we clicked because we are lawyers, so we had a lot in common. And then, once we began dating, I knew I wanted her to be the last woman in my life. Does this answer your question?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve met someone that will make you turn in your bachelor card.”

  Noah smiled. “I have. Unlike you, the instant I saw Viviana I knew she was the one.”

  “Wow!”

  “Yes, wow. She’s the first woman I’ve known that I want to take care of.” Noah gave Jordan a cursory overview of Viviana’s failed relationships with other men.

  “Has she asked you to take care of her, Noah?”

  “No.”

  “What she needs is for you to love and protect her. Women are a lot stronger than we give them credit for,” Jordan said. “I knew I wanted to marry Zee even before I slept with her.”

  Noah smiled for the first time since answering the call. “Viviana and I haven’t made love, and I still want to marry her.”

  “How long have you known this girl?”

  “I met her early August.”

  “Where does she live?”

  “Wickham Falls, West Virginia.”

  “Damn, Noah! What’s up with these West Virginia women? First Giles, and no
w you.”

  Noah smiled. “What can I say? We have exquisite taste in women.”

  “Is she as beautiful as Mya?”

  “They have a different type of beauty.” Noah thought of Viviana’s beauty as sensually dark and smoldering.

  “When will the family get to meet her?”

  “I don’t know. She has prior plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

  “Bummer. The only advice I’m going to give you is to be patient. From what you’ve told me, she’s been through a lot, and just because you’ve become her knight in shining armor, it’s not going to magically erase her past.”

  Noah nodded even though Jordan couldn’t see him. He’d purposefully not mentioned what Viviana and her brother had had to go through from the residents of Wickham Falls because he didn’t want to depict her as a fragile, broken spirit. “There are times when I believe I’m being paid back for the number of women I’ve dated over the years.”

  “Did you take advantage of them, Noah?”

  “No. At least, I don’t believe I did. I took them out, gave them whatever they wanted within reason, and when we broke up, it was never ugly.”

  “Then, you shouldn’t be harboring any guilt.”

  “I wasn’t what I’d consider a love-and-leave-them dude. I equate making love with a woman as a form of commitment. And that means I’m all in, when it comes to our relationship.”

  “Are you all in with Viviana?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “She’s here with me.”

  “Emerald Cove is where Zee and I honeymooned, and where I got her pregnant, so be careful, little brother, that you don’t get carried away and make a little Wainwright. Mom has been harassing me about giving her another grandchild.”

  “I heard her sing the same tune when I came up for Dad’s birthday. She’s not going to get a grandchild from me until I’m married, so she should set her sights on Rhett or Chanel.”

  “I doubt if that’s going to happen, now that they’re involved with WDG. Dad said they’re like kids running amok in a candy shop. They come in early and stay late in an attempt to learn everything they need to know about real estate.”

  “That’s because it’s new to them. Tell our sister and brother to slow down, or they’ll burn out before they’re thirty.”

  “I will, whenever I see them again. I’m going to hang up now and call Mom with your charity.”

  “Give her my love.”

  “I will. By the way, when are you coming back?”

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping we can spend a couple of weeks here before heading back to the States. Tell Dad I’ll call him to give him enough time to schedule the jet to take us back.”

  “Okay. Talk to you later, brother.”

  “Love you, Jordan.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Noah ended the call and set the phone on the chair. Talking to Jordan had helped him to see things more clearly when it came to Viviana. He knew he was rushing things because he feared losing her. She’d admitted loving with her heart rather than her head, and for him it was the reverse. He’d never allowed his heart to dictate the terms of any relationship he’d had with a woman—until now.

  He sat watching the sun sink lower and lower until it disappeared completely. The night sky was dotted with millions of stars that resembled a sprinkling of diamond dust on black velvet. Noah finally got up and went inside. He closed and locked the pocket doors and walked through Viviana’s suite to his own rather than going around to the rear of the connecting guesthouses.

  Shock assailed him when he entered his bedroom and found Viviana sitting up in bed waiting for him. Unbound black curls spilled over her forehead and around her shoulders in sensual disarray as she held the sheet over her chest. He swallowed, having realized she was naked under the sheet.

  A mysterious smile parted her lips. “What took you so long?”

  “I was talking to my brother.”

  Viviana, still holding the sheet, patted the mattress with her free hand. “Did you mention me?”

  “Yes, I did,” he admitted as he crossed the room and sat down on the side of the bed. Noah went completely still when Viviana let go of the sheet, wrapped her arms around his body and pressed her naked breasts against his upper arm.

  “Was it good?” she whispered.

  Noah nodded because at that moment he wasn’t able to form any words to speak. “Um, yeah,” he managed to get out, moments before her hand searched under his T-shirt to cover his chest, her fingertips caressing his nipples until they were hard as pebbles. He didn’t want to believe she was seducing him, when it had been what he’d wanted to do to her for months.

  Viviana had no inkling of how many sleepless nights she’d been responsible for when he’d fantasized about making love with her. There were a few nights when he’d woken drenched in sweat and embarrassed that he’d had a nocturnal emission—something he hadn’t experienced since coming into puberty at thirteen. And if she didn’t stop feeling him up, Noah feared he was going to ejaculate prematurely.

  Noah forcibly removed her arms and stood up. He held her gaze as he divested himself of his clothes, smiling when her lips parted and she gasped at seeing that he was fully aroused. Her eyes followed his every move as he opened the drawer in the bedside table and removed a condom. He forced himself to go slow as he slipped the latex sheath over his erection. He had waited months for her, and Noah was willing to wait to give Viviana pleasure before taking his own.

  The mattress dipped under his weight when he got into bed with her. Resting both hands on her shoulders, he eased her down. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

  Smiling and staring up at him under lowered lids, Viviana cradled his face between her palms. “Do whatever you want, but don’t break my heart.”

  Noah lowered his body, supporting his greater weight on his forearms. “I promise never to break your heart.”

  She placed her fingers over his mouth. “Don’t promise. Just don’t do it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Noah became an explorer, his mouth and hands charting every dip and curve of Viviana’s body. Her soft moans served to heighten his need to possess not only her body but all of her in and out of bed. He had fallen in love with and wanted her to become the last woman in his life.

  Nothing in his life mattered except the woman writhing under him. There were a lot of things he’d wanted or craved, but none could come close to the woman in whose scented arms he lay. He eased his erection inside her, meeting a slight resistance before he was fully sheathed inside her. Splaying both hands under her hips, he lifted her higher as he began a slow, measured rhythm.

  * * *

  Viviana bit down on her lip to keep from screaming out the ecstasy she had never experienced with the other men in her past. When Noah had suckled her breasts, she felt as if a part of her had taken flight and left her floating beyond herself. He had taken his time arousing her until she wanted to beg him to take her but also didn’t want it to be over. She’d wanted the pleasure to continue until the memory of every man who’d come into her life and used her was eradicated, like an erased chalkboard.

  She had stopped asking herself why Noah Wainwright had come into her life like the silent paws of a stalking cat, and when she glanced up, he was there staring at her with large blue-green eyes that had held her in a spell from which she hadn’t wanted to escape even if she could have. Viviana had lied to herself over and over that she did not find blond men attractive, yet the blond who was making the most exquisite love to her had proven her wrong.

  She exhaled an audible gasp when she felt the first ripple of an orgasm, and she struggled not to climax. Her breathing quickened as she dug her nails in Noah’s back. “Oh! Oh! Oh!” she breathed out, over and over.

  “Let it go, baby
,” Noah rasped in her ear. “Please!”

  Viviana knew he was as close to climaxing as she was and surrendered to the ecstasy that shattered her into a million little pieces as Noah’s groans echoed in her ear and he ground his hips into hers. In between sanity and insanity, they’d ceased to exist as separate entities and become one with the other.

  “I love you. I love you,” she repeated over and over like a litany. Noah’s response to her admission that she loved him was a deep moan as she felt the strong pumping beats of his heart against her breasts.

  His head popped up, and he reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. His face was flushed and his eyes a deep moss green as his chest rose and fell as if he’d run a long, grueling race. A slow smile parted his lips. “Thank you so much for loving me.”

  Viviana traced a sun-bleached eyebrow with her forefinger. “There’s no need to thank me. I tried to convince myself that I didn’t want to fall in love with you because I did not want to be hurt again. But somehow you managed to convince me it would be okay.”

  He pulled out of her body and kissed her forehead. “It wasn’t my intent to convince you, but I’m glad you decided to give in.” Noah combed his fingers through the curls flowing over the pillow. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I promise never to cheat on you with another woman. If you want something, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll try and give it to you.”

  Her eyelids fluttered. “I don’t want to talk about promises because I don’t want to jinx what we have now.”

  Noah frowned. “I don’t believe in jinxes or bad luck.”

  “What do you believe in, Noah?”

  “That we’re all responsible for our actions and that they have consequences.”

  “Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind,” she said under her breath.

  Noah nodded, his expression becoming serious. “Do something wrong, and eventually you’ll pay for it. It’s the same with doing good.”

  “You’re going to have to get off me,” Viviana said, pushing against his shoulder. “You’re too heavy.”