“Yes. Oh…wow.” It felt so good, unlike anything I’d felt him do down there before. That was until he stuck his finger in my ass. Without warning I felt it going in, hurting at first and then turning to extreme euphoria. I screamed and my thighs tightened around his head as I climaxed. Noah didn’t stop though. He kissed his way up my abdomen and then ended up at my breast. His beautiful eyes fixed on mine the whole time he nibbled on my nipples. “More. I want more,” I could barely manage to say.
His lips brushed over mine. “Not yet, sweet Shalan. Tonight, when I bring you home, I’m going to make love to you until you can’t fuckin’ move. Until then,” He kissed me once more. “I want you to picture my mouth on your pussy. Think about how you could have that every night when you come to visit me.”
He’d left me breathless and I couldn’t respond, even if I had something worth saying it wouldn’t have come out.
After washing me, he wrapped me in a towel and carried me to his bed. I watched him walk around his bedroom, getting dressed, and finally hopping on the bed next to me. “You ready to get dressed and go for a ride?”
“A ride? Where?”
Noah ran his hand between my legs when he spoke. “Get some clothes on and you’ll find out.”
“I can’t get dressed when your fingers are inside of me.” He’d slipped them in as he spoke, not that I minded. I was fully prepared for the next round of anything he wanted to give me.
Noah laughed and removed his fingers, only to stick them in his mouth and suck on them. “Bet you never had your pussy licked like that before.”
“Well, one time my girlfriend spent the night and seduced me,” I lied.
Noah’s eyes got huge. “For real? I’m in love. I need details.”
I froze. Noah didn’t even realize he’d said it, at first. Then I shook it off, taking it as a joke, just like my comment had been. He was a guy, who was strong and opinionated. Just because I was his girlfriend didn’t mean it was that serious. Sure, we’d shared so many countless hours talking on the phone, and a whole lot of time getting to know each other physically. For me, the question was easy to answer. Still, I didn’t want that word ruining our happy time together. “I’m kidding, you perv, but if I wasn’t, I probably wouldn’t tell you anyway.”
He started to tickle me, and then suddenly he stopped. “That ain’t right. I’m an open book. It’s only fair that I get every detail from you.”
I slapped his hand away. “Fat chance. Let me get dressed so we can go on this ride.”
He backed away and reached for my feet, pulling me almost all the way off the bed. “Hurry up. No primpin’.”
I took my things into his bathroom and got dressed as quick as possible. When I opened the door to head back in the bedroom I noticed he wasn’t in there, so I walked out to find him. Sitting on the couch was a beautiful blonde with her legs crossed. Noah was standing in front of her. They both turned when they heard me. “There she is. Tell her what you just told me.”
Bella stood up and walked over to me. “Oh my goodness, it’s so good to meet you finally. Don’t listen to my cousin. He’s just tryin’ to make us hate each other, so he doesn’t have to be jealous.”
I laughed with her, but was being pulled out of the room. “I guess I need to go with him.”
She waved. “Have fun. We’ll chat later.”
We got to the golf cart and he started backing away from the house. “What was that about?”
“She was pissed that she came home and heard us in the shower. Don’t pay her any attention. My cousin has major problems with relationships. As of this week she’s against anyone that is happy. Next week she might hate puppies. We never know.”
“Aren’t you best friends?”
“Yes, and no. I will always have her back, except for when she’s on her period, or just being a bitch for no reason. Today is one of those days. She’s pissed her parents are coming this weekend and she’s goin’ to take it out on me. I’m used to it.” Noah pulled me close to him, putting his hat on my head, and then his arm around my shoulder. “I’ve got my hands full for the next several days, so she can bitch to someone else for all I care.”
I hadn’t realized where we were headed until we pulled up at the giant white mansion. “What are we doing here?”
“There’s someone I want you to meet. Hopefully she’s back from her shopping trip.”
He hopped off the golf cart and held out his hand for me to take. I’d been to two mansions since signing on the dotted line with the music company. Both were mind blowing, but this was so much more personal. This was where Noah grew up. He was used to this giant house, and the woman who lived inside of it.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but we walked through a foyer, then a pretty large family room, and finally into an extremely large kitchen. An old lady with almost all white hair was kneading dough. She looked up when Noah walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “What are you doing in here, kiddo?”
“I wanted you to meet someone, Gram. This is Shalan.”
The woman, who’d never met me before, walked up and put her flour filled hands on my cheeks. She stared into my eyes and then looked over at Noah. “I approve. You have my permission to marry her.”
They both started laughing while I stood there amazed that it had happened.
“Do I get a say in this? We’ve only been dating for a little over a month.”
Noah walked over and started wiping off my face. “We’re teasin’ you, darlin’.”
“Oh.” My face turned as red as an apple. “How was I supposed to know that?”
His grandmother washed her hands while she spoke. “If this one gives you a hard time, you let me know. He’s never too old to put over my knee.”
“Gram.” Noah seemed embarrassed by her comment. “Just be respectful, boy. Don’t forget, I raised your father.”
He kissed her on top of the head. “Yeah. I know.”
“How long are you staying, honey?”
“Until next week. I was able to get a couple days off and surprised Noah.”
She smiled and wiped her hands to dry them off. “Have you met Colt and Savanna?”
“Yes, ma’am. They’re very kind.”
“Don’t let this family overwhelm you, Shalan, and certainly don’t let this one take advantage of you. I’ve taught him to be a gentlemen, so he better respect that.”
“He does.” I wanted to giggle. She obviously thought the world of Noah, and so did I.
“We better get goin’. Mom’s makin’ dinner.”
We started to leave, but his grandmother grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me to the side. “Can I have a minute alone with this young lady?”
I felt nervous from the get go. She grabbed my hands and held them as she spoke. “Noah doesn’t bring beautiful women here to meet me, Shalan. That boy means the world to me, and I can tell he’s smitten over you.”
“We haven’t been talking very long. Only since his first visit to New York.”
“His daddy fell in love with his mother in less than a month. Don’t think it can’t happen. I’ve never seen two people more in love than I do when I see them together. That kind of love isn’t based on time. Just do me a favor and don’t hurt him. Okay?”
I nodded, afraid to say anything that would make her hate me. I surely didn’t want to tell the old woman that there was no way Noah could love me. He cared for me, but knew better than to give me his heart, when he knew our relationship was temporary.
“Go on and enjoy your night. Don’t keep him waiting.”
I found Noah sitting on the golf cart. He smiled as I climbed on. “I can’t get used to the fact that you’re here, but then my dick reminds me of what happened in the shower.”
I smacked him on the arm. “Noah, wait until we leave her house before you talk like that.”
“What did she want to tell you?”
“She asked me not to hurt you.”
He grabbed my hand a
nd put it up to his lips. “So don’t.”
His comment made me rethink what the old woman had said. Was Noah in love with me? Had all of our time talking and being away from each other made what we had stronger? “Noah, I-.“
“Don’t ruin the moment, Shalan. You’re about to see something as beautiful as you are.” We came up over this hill and I knew right away what he was talking about. The sun was setting and the sky was different hues of red and orange. Noah pulled me closer to him and kissed the side of my head. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Just like you. I knew you’d like it.”
Waves of anxiety overwhelmed me. This was a side of Noah that I wasn’t used to, and although it was even better than I ever could have imagined in my head, it reminded me that I had to leave it behind and go back to New York.
I watched the sun disappear in the horizon, and appreciated the arms that were around me. Every second I spent with Noah was making me wonder if the life I’d always wanted was as good as what he already had. He was so lucky, and I was sure that he didn’t even know it. There was nothing I wouldn’t have given for a family like his. In my eyes, he was the luckiest man I’d ever met.
“Thank you for inviting me here, Noah. I know I just arrived, but it’s wonderful.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“I may never want to leave.”
Noah turned his head and leaned forward to kiss me. When our lips met he held his over mine. After pulling away, he said something that I will never forget. “I may never let you.”
Noah
Something was seriously wrong with me. From the minute I saw her on my parent’s porch I’d started acting like a sap. Since it was so out of character I wasn’t sure how to approach Shalan about anything else. She and I both knew that even a label couldn’t stop the inevitable, yet every moment I spent with her made me want to keep her as close to me as possible.
Right now she was singing backup for artists that were on tour, but once she got her own opportunity to shine, a country boy like me would be the last thing she needed in her life.
Shalan was going to be famous. She had this gift that deserved to be shared with the world. As lucky as I was to meet her in that bar, I felt torn because I wished I’d never heard her sing. Who would have known that one night at a karaoke bar would change her life like it had?
As nervous as I knew she’d been, Shalan survived dinner with my parents. I’d never seen her scarf down food like she did when she tasted my mother’s cooking. Now I think she understood why I still ate there so much. After dinner we all sat around talking, and Shalan told my parents about her pending record deal. While she helped my mother do the dishes, I walked out on the porch with my dad, who had his own concerns about my girlfriend.
“Son, I’m not tryin’ to start with you, but have you considered the lifestyle that girl’s goin’ to be livin’ in? I don’t know if you were too young to remember, but the music industry ain’t all as glamorous as it’s cracked up to be.”
“I remember just fine. Look, I know you just met her. There’s a lot that you don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but her mother died of breast cancer when she was a kid.”
My dad looked away, seemingly still affected by that disease.
“Shalan’s dad became a drunk. There were nights when he thought she was his dead wife.” My dad turned toward me shocked. I held up my hands. “Nothin’ happened, but she knew she had to get out of the house, so after graduation she went to stay with her uncle who owned a bar. They treated her like she wasn’t a real part of the family. In the meantime she was datin’ this loser that cheated on her with pretty much her only friend. You see, when I met Shalan her whole world was crumblin’ at her feet. You probably don’t understand this, but I felt like I had to save her.”
My dad cleared his throat, which he did when he was thinking of how to reply to something. “Son, I do understand. My concern is that now that she’s in a better place, what are you goin’ to do when she moves on and forgets all about you? I’m not sayin’ it’s goin’ to happen, but you need to prepare yourself. Shalan is a beautiful girl. If she can sing half as good as you’re tellin’ me then she’s got a real shot at getting far in the industry. I don’t have a right to ask you this, because you’re a grown man who can make his own decisions, but please don’t get involved in that lifestyle. I don’t want to see you turn out like your uncle.”
I put my arm on his back. “You don’t need to worry about that. I turned down the offer to sing as partners when they first approached us.”
“What?” He turned to face me. “They wanted to sign you?”
I shrugged. “That’s what they said. I’m sure it was a ploy to get Shalan.”
“And you turned it down?”
“It’s kind of a long story, that has to do with Bells, and it doesn’t even matter. I don’t regret not goin’. I just regret not bein’ there for Shalan. She’s always been alone, and I hate knowin’ that.”
“You really care about this girl?” He leaned on the railing to the porch and looked out into the dark yard.
“Yeah, I really do.”
My dad looked over at the door to make sure nobody was coming. “Could she be the one?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never connected with anyone like I have her, that’s for sure. I mean, we talk all the time, and I miss her like crazy when we’re not together.”
“Could you see yourself with her in the future? Could you see her here?”
“Seriously, I don’t know. We haven’t been datin’ that long.”
“Noah, I’m goin’ to tell you a little story, and hopefully you’ll understand where I’m comin’ from.” He turned toward me and crossed his arms over his chest. “When your uncle Ty was injured in that car wreck, I went to go help out in North Carolina at their farm. Now I’d seen your mother through the years, but this time was different. She’d become a woman, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. The problem was that she was with your uncle Ty, and had been for some time. I tell ya, I did my best to ignore what I was feelin’ for her, but she was fragile, and something in my bones made me want to help her. I felt drawn to her in a way I’d never felt before. After only a short time things started happening between us that neither of us could stop. We started sneakin’ around, spendin’ all of our time together. Then your uncle woke up. I’ll give it to your mom for being a good person, because your uncle didn’t deserve her. The hardest thing I ever did was watch her with him. Did you know they were engaged?”
I shook my head. “No. You never told me that.”
“It was only for one night. He’d asked her in front of everyone they knew and she felt obligated to accept. During the party some things happened and she found me. I couldn’t watch them, so I’d taken a drink and went out to a combine in the field to be alone. I’d lost the girl, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it, so I thought. Then she was there, standin’ in that field in the pourin’ rain. She told me she loved me, and I told her the same. In that moment time stopped, I swear it did.”
“So you brought her home and married her?”
“Nope. Your uncle Ty caught us the next night in his daddy’s truck. We started to roll around until your mother broke things up. I was fully prepared to take her home with me, but she was feelin’ guilty about Ty and I got the call that your granddaddy had fallen off the ladder. I rushed home to say goodbye and missed it by only a little bit of time. You see, Noah, at that point in my life I didn’t have my priorities straight. I thought I did, but there always felt like somethin’ was missin’. I pushed your mom away, but she came running right to me, and the rest is history.”
“I don’t get what this has to do with me.” The story was nice to hear, especially since my dad was always a hard-ass, but it had nothing to do with me or Shalan.
“That’s where you’re wrong. The way you look at her, the way you kept her a secret, that’s love. You c
an fight it all you want, but it’s for real, and it’s goin’ to rip out your heart if you let it.”
“I think I can handle my relationships.”
“Noah, I’m tellin’ you this because I’ve been in your shoes, son. This ranch ain’t for everyone to love. I get that. It takes a strong woman to want this kind of life, so if you think she’s worth it, and you’re willin’ to lose every fight from now until your last dyin’ day, you make sure she knows how you feel. Don’t let her slip away.”
“Why are you bein’ so nice to me? You don’t even know her.”
“Boy, how do you think my mother felt when I brought my cousin’s long-term girlfriend home with me to stay?”
I’d never even considered that she’d met my family before. “She probably thought you were hardheaded and that it was a terrible mistake.”
“Exactly. Does that remind you of someone?”
I smiled, finally understanding how alike we were. Though I hated to admit it, my dad had a point. My feelings weren’t about a time or a place. They didn’t have anything to do with how long we’d been seeing each other. There was something there that I’d never felt before, and if I didn’t make my move I could lose it forever.
I reached out for my dad’s hand. “Thanks for the talk.”
He placed both hands on mine. “Noah, I know I’m hard on you, but you’re my son and I just want you to have what I have. I’ve never regretted this life, and you kids. You’re the reason I wake up with a smile every day. Life means nothin’ to me if I don’t have my family, even the ones I’d love to trade in sometimes. Together we’re better.”
My dad walked back inside after our talk, and for the first time in as long as I could remember I felt closer to him. It felt like he really did know what I was going through.
Shalan came outside almost immediately after, and found me still standing on the porch. She put her hand into mine and leaned the other on the railing. Though I’d never seen her wearing the dress before, the white long flowing fabric looked beautiful against her naturally tanned skin. “It’s so quiet here, Noah.”
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