He kissed her again. “That’s because I probably outweigh you by at least a hundred pounds.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “If you’re trying to get me to tell you how much I weigh, then forget it. You should know never to ask a woman her age or her weight.”
“That’s something I learned a long time ago.” He winked at her. “I’ll be back as soon as I get rid of the condom.”
Viviana lay back, watching Noah as he walked, naked and totally uninhibited, to the bathroom. She pulled the sheet up over her breasts and closed her eyes. She hadn’t known how he would react to finding her in his bed, but she’d been willing to risk it.
There was something about Noah that had sparked a fire in her the first time he’d walked into her home. She’d felt as if he had special powers to look inside her to see what she’d vainly attempted to hide. He was the first man who’d stared at her and wordlessly communicated that he wanted her. Viviana was no stranger to men coming on to her with lame reasons why they wanted to take her out, and some were bold enough to say they wanted to sleep with her.
She believed she had been discriminating when it came to men, but that didn’t change the fact her previous bad boyfriends took advantage of her specific blind spots and emotional vulnerabilities.
Noah was right about her having bad luck with the men she’d selected as boyfriends.
“What are you thinking about?”
She opened her eyes and smiled up at Noah looming over her. He had reentered the bedroom so quietly that she hadn’t heard him. “I was thinking about the dog that stole my identity.”
Noah flicked off the lamp, got into bed and pulled Viviana against his body. “Tell me about him.”
“Didn’t your investigator uncover information on him?”
“No, babe. I’d only asked him to investigate you. Do you want me to have him find the dog?”
“No, because sooner or later he’s going to get caught. Once I realized he’d scammed me, I posted his photo on every available social-media site, which put women on notice not to fall for his lies.” A beat passed. “Just say your investigator did find him, what would you do?”
“Hire someone to break his kneecaps.”
She popped up, and Noah pulled her back down. “You wouldn’t.”
He chuckled softly “Of course not. What do you think your brother would’ve done if he’d caught up with him?”
“Lee would tease me saying if anyone messed me over, he’d snap their neck and then sit on their body until it got cold. Then he’d know they were gone for good.”
“Well, damn!” Noah whispered. “I took one look at your brother and knew he wasn’t to be played with.”
“Lee isn’t as dangerous as he appears. But he does have a way of looking at you that says Don’t get too close.”
“The man’s not dangerous, Viv. He’s lethal.”
“Why are you talking about my brother like that?” Viviana knew she sounded defensive, but for all of her life, with the exception of her aunt, there had only been her and Leland.
“I meant no harm, sweetheart. I don’t have the skill to snap someone’s neck, but I would stomp a mud hole in some dude’s ass if he hurt my sister.”
Viviana shifted, resting her leg over Noah’s. “How did we just go from making love to talking about jacking people up?”
“Not people, Viv. Just your ex.” Noah angled his head and covered her mouth in a surprisingly gentle kiss. “I want this to be the last time we talk about the folks in our past. Beginning tonight, it’s only about us.”
Parting her lips, Viviana, traced the outline of his mouth with the tip of her tongue. “Just us,” she whispered, swallowing his breath as he exhaled. She kissed the pulsing hollow at the base of his throat, seemingly unable to get enough of tasting his warm skin. The scent from the bodywash he’d used to shower still lingered on his body. She let out a small shriek when Noah wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled her over and over on the king-size bed. She smiled up at him, her smooth legs sandwiched between his hairy ones.
* * *
Noah nuzzled her ear and then moved over to lie beside her. He could not stop asking himself how he had gotten so lucky to have fallen in love with someone like Viviana. She was a lot more complicated than any other woman he’d known, like a thousand-piece puzzle he had to complete to see the whole picture.
Jordan had asked when he was going to introduce her to their family, and he hadn’t been able to give him a firm answer. However, he was confident that his parents would come to adore her as much as he did. He smiled when several wayward curls tickled his nose. He attempted to blow them off, but they floated back against his face.
“Are you falling asleep on me?”
Noah smiled. It was the same thing he’d asked Viviana what now seemed so long ago. “Nope. I’m just resting my eyes.”
“So am I.”
Why, he thought, did her voice sound so low and sexy with just a hint of a Southern drawl? The song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” popped into his head. Viviana had become his country mama, and the question was, if they were to have a future together, whether it would be easy for him to give up the bright lights of New York for a small town with two stoplights and a population of barely four thousand.
Although his cousin had made his home in Wickham Falls, there were times when Giles talked about missing the excitement of Manhattan and had finally been able to convince Mya to spend more than two months at a time in the city that never slept.
Mya had lived in Chicago when attending college, while Viviana had attended college in a small city in North Carolina. Her entire life had revolved around small towns, and he wondered if she was afraid to live elsewhere. That was something he planned to discuss with her once their relationship reached the point where the issue would have to be resolved.
* * *
Viviana lay facedown on a deck chair as the sleek yacht sailed along the Intracoastal toward Fort Lauderdale. She did not want to believe the two weeks she had spent island-hopping with Noah were coming to an end. They’d spent their first week touring the entire resort, swimming in the ocean and in the infinity pool, picnicking on the beach and visiting the area where the farm animals were housed.
The island was divided into different areas: the above-water guesthouses for members of the Wainwright family and exclusive guests seeking ultimate privacy, and the section with tourists who’d reserved suites in two manor houses. At first she’d felt guilty, lazing around and doing absolutely nothing, but she soon became acclimated to what she deemed a somewhat self-indulgent lifestyle where all manner of food and drink were delivered by picking up a telephone and making the request.
As promised, she’d begun teaching Noah to cook, beginning with breakfast. He’d called the kitchen and asked for the foodstuff she needed, and he seemed genuinely interested when she demonstrated how to crack and whisk eggs, broil bacon to crispness, slice fruit and make fresh-squeezed orange juice. After three attempts, he was able to prepare a palatable breakfast and earn her seal of approval. Dinner proved to be more challenging, and Viviana decided let him bask in the knowledge that he’d done exceedingly well with only four lessons. Most evenings found them relaxing in the loggia at the rear of the house where the water appeared emerald green, giving the island its name.
Noah had broken up the monotony of lounging by suggesting they go island-hopping. He’d rented a yacht with a small crew, and every day they sailed to one or two islands to tour the ruins of sugar plantations or listen to griots. They would tell the history of the peoples brought over from foreign lands to work the plantations for European colonists, who grew wealthy from growing, processing and selling sugarcane. Viviana took pictures of crumbling remains of colonial mansions and sugar-processing plants, some nearly hidden by centuries of ivy, weeds and plants, and of fragrant flowers growing in wild abandon. She opened one
eye and peered at Noah as he sat on a matching deck chair. He’d exchanged his shorts and tank top for a pair of slacks and a pullover sweater.
“The captain says he expects to dock within an hour.”
Viviana nodded and sighed contentedly. Noah had chartered the boat for their return trip to the States in lieu of flying. “I need to go down below and change.” Once they docked in Fort Lauderdale, she and Noah would board a charter to West Virginia before it continued on to New York City. She would have two days to recover from her Bahamian vacation ahead of leaving Wickham Falls to drive down to North Carolina to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend with her family.
Viviana entered the cabin and closed the door. Fifteen minutes later she returned to the deck to stand at the rail with Noah to watch the skyline of Fort Lauderdale come into view. “I can’t thank you enough for—”
Noah rested a hand over hers. “Stop, Viv. There’s no need to thank me because I should be the one thanking you. You’ve made the past three weeks magical ones.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “Are you saying you’d want to do it again?”
“Yes. And the next time, I’d want more than three weeks.”
“How much more time would you want?” she asked. “After all I do own a business.”
“At least a couple of months.”
“Where would you go?”
Noah wanted her to ask Where would we go? He didn’t want to go away for any appreciable length of time without her but knew that would pose a problem once the B and B was back in business; it would only work if she trusted someone enough to manage it for her.
“Probably to South America and then on to Europe.”
“You would fly there?”
“No. We’d charter a ship and stop and tour the countries we’d like to see.”
Viviana took off her sunglasses and met his intense stare. “You can’t make plans for us on a whim. Remember, I have a business to run, so it’s not going to be easy for me to drop everything and go globe-trotting with you.”
“What about Leland?”
“What about him?”
“Aren’t you two partners?”
“Legally we are,” Viviana confirmed. “Unofficially we aren’t.”
“Which is it, Viviana? Either you are or you aren’t.”
Noah struggled not to raise his voice or lose his temper. He realized his frustration stemmed from his inability to see her for the next two months. She had plans to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family, while he would remain in New York until he received notice to return to Wickham Falls to attend the zoning hearing.
“Lee and I have joint ownership of the property, but he has relinquished all responsibility to me to operate the B and B. And he has two years before he completes the coursework for his degree in culinary arts. The last time I spoke to him, he said that Angela wants to stay in Charlotte to earn an undergraduate degree, which means they’ll spend at least four years there before coming back to The Falls.”
“You’re going to spend the next four years running a business on your own?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Noah,” she spat out.
“Like what?” he returned.
“Like I don’t have the wherewithal to do what I’ve been trained to do. I may not be the brightest bulb on the tree when it comes to picking boyfriends, but I’m not going to allow anyone to question whether I can run a business—with or without a partner.”
Noah realized he’d just come down with the worst case of foot-in-mouth. He never should’ve questioned her ability to make the B and B a success. He rested a hand at the small of her back and felt her body go stiff. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m not questioning your ability.”
Viviana turned back to look at the choppy waters of the Intracoastal. “Remember, I have a staff that I’m paying with the money you gave me as a gap loan. Once the permits are approved and I reopen for the season, they will return to work, and we’ll pick up from there.”
He took a step, pressing his chest against her back and smiling when he felt her relax. Noah didn’t want to fight with Viviana when they had so little time left together. He couldn’t understand how he’d come to depend on her to fill up a part of his life he hadn’t even been aware was missing. When he’d dated women in the past, it had been to fill the empty hours when he did not want to be alone. However, it was different with Viviana. She had become not only his friend and lover but also his confidante. He’d shared details of his father’s infidelity with her that he had never spoken to anyone outside of his family. She was nonjudgmental, and he knew he could trust her with his family’s secrets.
Noah loved her, and he had also fallen in love with her. Initially he’d believed he’d been drawn to her because of her stunning beauty. He had likened her to smoldering embers with an occasional flicker of bright light which told him she was cool, but if he touched her, then he would feel the heat from a passion she’d sought to hide from every man who’d come within a foot of her.
It hadn’t been easy for him to scale the wall she had erected to keep men not only out of her bed but out of her life in general. Never had he worked so hard to get close to a woman, and that was how he’d realized she was worth the work and the wait.
“How long do you plan to stay in Charlotte?”
“I’m going to stay the weekend. Lee and Angela have to return to their classes on Monday. Lee is taking the family on a cruise for Christmas, and he invited Miss Joyce to join them. She’s volunteered to chaperone Malcolm and Zoe so Lee and Angela can have a belated honeymoon. I did tease him about having a honeymoon on a ship with hundreds of screaming children, but he said he’ll take whatever he can get.”
“Anytime he and his wife want to get away for a while, I can always make arrangements for them to stay at Emerald Cove.”
Viviana smiled. “I’ll definitely let him know that.”
“If you had to choose a place to honeymoon, where would you want to go?” Noah chided himself as soon as the query slipped past his lips. Why was he asking Viviana about honeymoons when he hadn’t asked her to marry him? Was it wishful thinking?
“It would have to be Venice.”
“Not Paris or Rome?”
She shook her head. “I’ve always fantasized about going to Venice during Carnival, where I’d wear a mask with my outrageously glamorous ball gown and hire a gondola to take me from palazzo to palazzo for the endless parties.”
“You sound like a heroine in a romance novel.”
“Haven’t I been a romance-novel heroine these past three weeks?”
Noah pressed his mouth to her hair. “Yes, you have, and I’ve tried to live up to your image as your hero.”
“You didn’t have to try, Noah. You are my hero.”
He wanted to tell her he wanted to continue being not only her hero but to also be her husband and the father of their children. “So, your plans are still on for celebrating Christmas in the desert?” he asked, deftly steering the topic away from them as a couple.
“Yes. It’s probably going to feel strange seeing Christmas lights and decorations when it’s eighty-five degrees.”
Noah stared at the approaching shoreline as the sleek yacht left the Intracoastal and glided smoothly into one of the many canals lined by palm trees and high-end real estate. With hundreds of boats and canals, the port city was known as the Venice of America.
A member of the crew had brought their luggage on deck, and Noah knew what they had shared for the past three weeks was ending. That he probably wouldn’t see Viviana again for another two months.
The captain deftly pulled the ship alongside a pier, and within minutes they were standing on a dock where a driver held up a placard with Wainwright printed in large black letters. Noah reached for Viviana’s hand and led her over to where the man stood beside a town car.
The ride to the Fort Lauderdale airport passed in a comfortable silence as he held Viviana’s hand, and no words were exchanged between them during the flight to the Tri-State Airport because they weren’t needed.
* * *
The small jet landed smoothly, and Viviana unbuckled her seat belt. “You don’t have to get off with me,” she said to Noah as he undid his belt.
“Baby...”
“Please, Noah. Don’t make this harder for me than it is.”
“This is not just about you.”
Leaning forward, she placed her hand on his clean-shaven jaw. “Please. I’m begging you.” Viviana prayed she wouldn’t break down and start crying. She kissed him and then stood up and walked to the front of the aircraft and down the stairs to where a driver was loading her luggage into the trunk of a sedan. Within minutes of touching down, the flight crew had unloaded her bags.
She nodded to the driver when he opened the rear door for her. Tears blurred her vision as she attempted to buckle her seat belt. Viviana had fallen in love with Noah Wainwright, wanted to share her life with him, but feared that what she had shared with him in a tropical paradise was indeed a fantasy, and that now that she was back in the real world, it would vanish like a puff of smoke.
Chapter Ten
Viviana stared through the windshield and smiled when she saw her brother step out on to the porch of his late-model house in a new development in a Charlotte suburb. She’d left Wickham Falls at four in the morning to avoid the holiday traffic, and two hours later she entered the city limits for Charlotte, North Carolina.
Parking behind Angela’s minivan, she shut off the engine and reached for her handbag and a tote filled with wrapped Christmas gifts on the passenger seat. Viviana noted that marriage agreed with her brother when he came over and opened her door. His lean face was fuller. He smiled.
Leland Remington stared at her as if she was a stranger. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been going to a tanning salon.”
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