Her legs had given out, and as he slipped from her body, she turned and lay herself down on the carpeted floor.
Noah settled himself down next to her, breathing heavily. “God, I didn’t think my legs had enough strength to remain standing for another second.” He leaned forward and stroked her face. “Besides, it’s much nicer down here.” He pulled her mouth toward his and their tongues met and tangled, softly, gently, in a kiss so tender Harper thought she could cry. This was what she missed the most. All the other stuff, sure, she missed it. But intimate moments like this, with the man she’d long ago given her heart to. It was a real shame she could never give that heart away again.
Chapter Twenty
Noah’s eyes searched Harper’s hoping to find some intent behind what transpired. Had they just had astonishingly great sex? Or was it something more than that? Was there still love on her side? He knew there was for him. Now more than ever. And it wasn’t that boyish love from before but rather a tender, deeper, more mature love that he wasn’t capable of when he was younger.
His fingers traced along her body as they lay on their sides, facing each other.
“Don’t you think you’d better get back downstairs in case things have exploded in your absence?”
He grinned. “Hate to tell you, but things already exploded in my presence. And yours.” His face fell as did hers.
“Crap,” she said.
“Double crap,” he said.
“No condom,” they said in unison.
“Should I be worried?” she asked.
“Look, Harper, if you were to get pregnant, you know I’d be there for you.”
She shook her head. This reminded her of what she’d conveniently forgotten until now: Noah’s little boy. Noah of all people must know about failed protection methods. “I meant am I going to catch anything from you?”
Noah started to laugh, quietly. “Harper, I haven’t slept with a woman in longer than I can remember.”
“That’s odd. Why not?”
He fixed an earnest gaze on hers. “Because I realized I wanted to be with you.”
She laughed. “Oh, that’s rich.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Kind of too little, too late, don’t you think? All these years later.”
“It’s never too late, Harps. You feel it, I know you do. I hear it in the tiny whimper you make when I suck on your nipple. I hear it in the gasp of pleasure you release on that first amazing press of my cock inside of you. I see it when you stroke your tongue along my cock while you lock eyes with me. I know you feel it, Harper.”
She frowned, thinking about that little boy he was hiding from her. Where was the mother? Did he have a relationship with her as well? “Sorry, Noah. You’re wrong about that. It’s exactly as I told you: I’ve been in this long, dry spell. And you’re simply watering my garden, remember?”
He shrugged. “Have it your way. But remember, with enough water, you might be surprised at what blooms.”
~*~
They got dressed, dreadfully rumpled now, and returned to the wedding reception, the trickling of warm semen down her leg a reminder of what had happened, almost chastising her for lying as she had. She wasn’t merely using Noah for the sex, but she was too damned afraid to ever get past the superficial with him and truly share herself, her body, her heart, her emotions.
Wouldn’t you know, Georgie was nowhere to be found. Same went for Spencer. Which meant Harper’s chariot had turned into a pumpkin. Hell, she could’ve saved herself a lot of, well, whatever happened between them a few minutes ago, if she knew she was going to be ditched. She could’ve found another ride and been in bed by now.
But then again, deep down, she wished she could be in bed by now with the man who was nearby standing with an older woman ruminating about something on a clipboard the woman was holding. Harper knew if she actually had him in bed for the night, she would lose her tight control over things, including her emotions. And that would be entirely unacceptable.
Harper leaned back against the wall, trying to do a discreet—so as not to look desperate— search for Georgie before she bailed herself. An older woman in a floral dress and sensible shoes with short gray hair and warm brown eyes sidled up beside her. “Aren’t you our Noah’s friend?”
Harper looked at her with suspicion. Who was she and why would she call her “our” Noah’s friend. And who the hell was the “us” she must’ve been referring to? Harper decided to remain polite, hoping the woman would soon go away. She extended her hand. “Hi. I’m Harper Landry. I guess long ago and far away I was your Noah’s friend. Or more than friend. Whatever you’d call it.”
The woman smiled. “I’ve heard so much about you, dear.” She shook her head as if forgetting something. “I’m Betty Lipscomb. Martha”—she pointed to the tall woman with the long gray plait and black dress with whom Noah was talking to—“and I stayed on to help Noah transition the inn.”
“Transition the place? I thought he was just working here.”
She waved her hands. “Oh, heavens no. Noah is the owner.”
Harper squinted, confused. “Where would he get the money to buy an inn? And why would he want to tie himself down like that? I’m sure it’s no secret to you that he’s not one to stick around.”
Betty sighed. “I know that was your experience.” She placed a hand on her shoulder. “It must have been heartbreaking.”
Harper wasn’t exactly prepared to spill her guts to this gal. But she seemed so warm and kind and thoughtful. “It was awful. Horrible. Shifted the earth beneath my feet. Took me years to collect myself and even think about opening up to people again. Killed my sense of trust.”
Betty pulled her into a hug, which was weird but lovely all at once. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Boys sometimes do the dumbest things.”
Ugh, if she wasn’t careful, she might start crying. Something about confessionals with strangers.
“You never explained how it is he owns this place.”
“Millie—Noah’s mother—bought the place shortly after he went away. What with Noah gone, and then Matt and Katie moved in with her folks—”
“Wait. Matt and Katie moved in with her family? Why?”
“Well, because of the baby. It made sense. Katie had more family who could help out with Tyler once he was born.”
Harper shook her head. “Who’s Tyler?”
“Matt and Katie’s boy.”
“I’m sorry but how did I miss out on that news?”
Betty shrugged. “Don’t ask me. Maybe you didn’t want to hear any of it?”
It was true. She’d shunned Millie. She hadn’t appreciated how lonely Millie must’ve been as well, with her firstborn so suddenly long gone.
“Millie had a big heart but she hadn’t a clue about keeping a place like this in the black. I think she hoped this would be her little nest egg, and eventually she could retire here, maybe her grandchildren would come and play.”
“What happened?”
“She started losing weight, got sick suddenly, and declined rapidly. The cancer had taken over her body. The minute he knew something was wrong, Noah left law school and raced home to help out with his mama.”
“Wait. You’re telling me Noah was in law school?”
She nodded. “But I think he was looking for an excuse to leave.”
Harper frowned. “Yep. Sounds like him.”
Betty shook her head. “I didn’t mean that in a negative way. I only meant he found out it wasn’t for him.”
Same way he’d found out Harper wasn’t, probably.
“How long was he in law school for?”
“He was in his second year when he came home. Nursed Millie through that terrible time. And as she lay dying, he promised her he’d fix this place. Make it so that it was financially viable. He’s been running the inn ever since.”
“I’m so sorry about Millie,” Harper said, wiping a tear
from her eye. “She was always so sweet. I had a soft spot in my heart for her. But after Noah left, I simply couldn’t—”
Betty placed a hand on her shoulder again. “Of course not. I’m sure Millie didn’t take it personally. She understood these things.”
Betty pointed at the floral arrangements on the table. “Noah’s tried to honor his mother’s wishes right down to the décor for each wedding. She had these things planned out long ago, before she got sick. Not great with budgeting but she had an eye for details. So Noah has followed her instructions to the T, making sure the weddings he’s creating here are exactly what Millie dreamed of.”
Wow. She had made him out to be an ogre in her mind after all this time. She’d wanted to see him hurt like he’d hurt her. The only way she could hurt him was with her words, so she had been fine saying things that would ensure he knew she didn’t care about him. But dammit, how could she not? The man this woman Betty was talking about was a kind, thoughtful, deliberative man. Not a boy who would flee from responsibility. Even if she still didn’t know why he did what he did. This was a lot to absorb. She wasn’t quite sure how to process it.
Locking arms with Harper, Betty led her to where Noah was standing.
“Martha—what say you and I take care of closing everything up tonight? I think this young lady needs a ride and I know exactly the man to help her out.” She gently pushed Harper toward Noah and ushered them both toward the front door.
Harper couldn’t yell at a sweet old gal like that, so she obliged her, all the while wondering exactly what she was getting herself into. It seemed a far cry from a little itch scratching, that was for sure.
Chapter Twenty-One
“So I guess I have no choice in the matter about your driving me home?”
“Not unless you want to insult my mom’s two best friends.”
“Far be it from me to buzzkill those sweet women.”
“Yep. That’s been my experience as well. If the world had more people like those two, there would be no wars. Who could ever confront them? They’re a force of nature.”
Harper laughed, but then rested her hand on his.
“Betty told me about your mother.” She looked at him, her damp eyes reflecting the lights of an oncoming car. Those eyes he’d thought about so many times over the years. “Must have been awful.”
“More than you can imagine.”
“I wish I had known about her passing. I would have come to the funeral.” She sighed. “I mean, I’d made myself scarce with your mother. I had to. But had I known—”
“How could you have? Had I known, I’d have done things differently too.”
“I hadn’t appreciated that when you left me, you left her too. Maybe it was even harder on her.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I caused enough pain to go around.”
Harper laughed softly. “More than you can imagine.” She parroted his words deliberately. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the question she never thought she’d get a chance to ask. “Why’d you leave?”
They pulled up to her place and he put the car in park. He turned to look at her, scrubbing his hands over his face. “Do you mind if I come in to continue this conversation?”
She nodded, opening her door and getting out. This time she unlocked the front door with less drama than last time, reaching out her hand and offering it to his as she walked inside.
She then motioned for him to have a seat on the sofa.
“I’m going to ask you something, and you can feel free to say no, Harps.” He pursed his lips, afraid she’d say no.
“Go right ahead.” She nodded.
“If we’re going to have this talk, can we do it in bed? Naked?” He held up his hands as if in defeat. “Not because I want to make love to you—even though of course I do—but because I want this to be a bare-bones, intimate conversation, nothing held back. I want to be able to hold you as tightly to me as I can, to let you know exactly where I’m coming from and why I did what I did. If after all that, you want to kick me out, I’ll leave, no questions asked.”
Harper stared at him, squinting as if she wondered if this was some sort of trick. He could hardly blame her.
He removed his coat and helped her with hers, then reached out to clasp her hand in his. He nodded. “Lead the way.”
They walked down a short hallway into a large bedroom decorated in shades of white. The bed contained more pillows than a bed ought to hold, but he had to admit it looked inviting. Not nearly as alluring as it would with a naked Harper in it, though.
“So, uh, how do we go about this? Minus the seduction, I don’t quite know the protocol for getting naked with your ex-boyfriend who abruptly ditched you but then with whom you’ve decided to have tawdry booty call sex, except this time the plan is for skin on skin, but evidently no skin in skin? Do I have that right?”
He laughed. “In a manner of speaking.” He reached over to Harper and pulled down the zipper of her now very wrinkled dress. “How’s this for a start?”
“It works.” She stood before him in only her panties while she slid off his suit jacket then unbuttoned each shirt button slowly and methodically as he unknotted his tie.
He got to his belt before her and unfastened it while she took care of the zipper of his suit pants, and together they shimmied both those and his underwear off as he toed off his shoes and socks.
Once again Harper was left in underwear in those shoes, and despite himself, Noah grew instantly hard at the sight of her, so sexy and beautiful.
He looked down then up at her. “Sorry, I can’t seem to help myself.”
She grinned. “It’s fine. But tell him it’s look don’t touch.” She pointed to her feet. “Okay if I finally remove these?” She pulled back the covers and sat down on the edge of the bed.
He sighed. “I suppose if you must.”
“Would you like to do the honors?”
His face lit up and he sat down next to her, motioning for her to put her foot in his now naked lap. “I’m gonna miss these,” he said with a grin.
“Maybe if you’re lucky they’ll make a command performance at some point in time.” Which would mean that they were still together, or at least sleeping together. He smiled inwardly at this slight glimmer of hope. However he could water her garden, he was up for the task.
He fumbled slightly as he unbuckled the fine straps of her shoes, and once he’d removed them both, he massaged her feet. “I’d imagine they need this after withstanding hours teetering on those things.”
She nodded. “The price of beauty is pain.”
“I’m afraid sometimes the price of love is as well.”
He motioned for her to make room so that he could join her but first helped her ease out of her panties.
“Just so you know this is going to take a tremendous amount of willpower to lie naked beside you like this. But I’m willing to undertake this mission because I believe in it.”
She shrugged. “I’m not even sure at this point what the mission is, but I do remember my question: why’d you leave?”
The room was quiet but for the light hush of the furnace running. Now was the time for truths to come out, once and for all.
He took a deep breath.
“Right before I left, I found out that Matt had gotten Katie pregnant. Little Matt, my kid brother. Was he maybe twenty at the time? And bam, all of a sudden kicked in the gut with this reality. It scared the shit out of me. Even more so because of all the ‘real world’ stuff that was looming.”
Wanting to run his fingers through her silky strands, he paused to pull the ponytail holder out of Harper’s hair. They were facing each other, side by side, their bodies touching in some places but not in others. Despite the intensity of the discussion Noah wanted nothing more than to drag his cock along her slit to see if she was as wet as he hoped. But he had to refrain.
“I guess Matt’s thing stirred up huge feelings
of inadequacy in me due to my father leaving me when I was a toddler. All of a sudden, I felt like I must be exactly like my shitty father, unable to hold down a commitment. I thought I would jump out of my skin if I didn’t put one foot in front of the other and keep on going.”
He placed his hands on either side of her face, then gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
“And so I left.”
He could hear Harper softly crying now and it broke his heart how much he’d hurt her. He pulled her into a hug, stroking her back to soothe her.
“Harper, I wrote you lengthy notes of explanation in my head all the time. I had conversations with you, detailing my motivations. But every time they seemed to fall short, so instead I did nothing. I convinced myself that you were better off without me, that I’d let you down and it was time to move on.”
In between soft sobs, Harper prompted him for more answers. “But where did you go? What did you do?”
“I traveled for a long while. Worked on self-discovery at an ashram in India.”
She wrinkled her nose. “And did you find yourself?”
He shrugged. “It’s complicated. I mean yeah, it was one step on a crooked path to figuring my shit out. A really hot step, I might add. It made me appreciate air conditioning, that’s for sure.” A smile curled up one side of his mouth.
She frowned. “Dammit, Noah. Stop with the grinning. That smile always sucker punches me right in the solar plexus. How can a girl resist that thing?”
Did that mean she was finding him irresistible? Could it be possible that she would consider a reconciliation? Did he dare hold out hope?
“So then what happened?”
“Eventually I came back to the States and started law school. It wasn’t long after that when my mother became ill, and I needed to be honest with myself that I hated every minute of law school anyhow, so I withdrew.”
“Do you regret it?”
He lifted his eyebrow. “Hell no. I wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer. I’m too averse to conflict.”
“Is that why you left me? To avoid conflict with me?”
Falling for Mr. Wrong Page 9