by Marie Harte
“Yes. I know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Mr. Arrogant. Let’s play.”
She lost the first hand.
“My question.” He sipped his Scotch and watched her with predatory intent. “Did I scare you after our date? Our coming together was pretty intense.”
Trust him to go right for the kill. No “what’s your favorite color?” from Noel.
“Um, well, I wasn’t scared you’d hurt me or anything. But I wasn’t prepared for that level of heat between us.”
He nodded but didn’t expand on his feelings. Of course not.
They played again, and she stopped at seventeen. Noel hit twenty and won.
“Next question. When’s the last time you had sex before me?”
“Geez. A little personal, don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “We got naked together. Not much more personal than that.”
He had a point. “Well, hmm… More than a year ago. Two summers past, I think. I was dating a fellow teacher at the time. It didn’t work out.” She sighed and drank more wine. “What about you?”
He smirked. “I didn’t lose. I don’t have to answer you.”
And so it continued, with her constantly fessing up while he interrogated her like a Spanish priest at the Inquisition. She finished her second glass of wine and realized she’d told him about her parents, her likes and dislikes, her friendship with Solene, dates with Brent and Mitch, and her student stories from this year. But not once did she learn anything new about him.
She felt warm but not tipsy or drunk, yet she shook her head when he asked if she wanted any more wine. “No, thanks. I need my head clear around you.”
He smiled, and she saw the real Noel she’d started to fall for.
“You are either the luckiest man I know or you cheated. And don’t give me that wounded look.” Even his smirks turned her on. “Tell me something about you. Something personal that no one else knows.”
His humor left him, and he stared at her with a somberness she found disconcerting. Being the center of all that focus was intense.
“I’m thinking of a career change.” He seemed to surprise himself admitting that particular truth. “I’m tired, Addy. Tired of the travel and the hard work. It takes a toll.”
She could only imagine.
“Hotels look the same after a while. The constant changes, the solitude, the moving around all the time. I want to put down roots.”
“I get that. Trust me, I do.” She was ready for a husband and children. But not yet, and not with Noel.
So why do I have to keep telling myself not to fantasize about happily ever after with him?
Because I’m a stupid romantic, that’s why.
And because she’d never felt so deeply for a man, despite the fact that for the past two years she’d barely gotten a hello out of him.
“Do you?” he asked. “You have wonderful parents, a good life. Your students love you, your friends do too. You’re a part of the community here, and you belong. I always feel like I’m passing through, never in one place long enough to really exist.”
She put a hand over his, her smaller one covering his roughened exterior. “You think I don’t understand, but I do. Yes, I belong in my community. But it can get lonely. I want to be special to one person. I want to love someone and have children, a house, pets. The whole works. I want warm holidays with children laughing and cooking for a rowdy bunch.” She smiled. “It was just me and my parents growing up. Nana would come visit, or Aunt Tara, but for the most part we had a small family. And it was great. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I miss being a part of that kind of belonging.”
Remembering what he’d said about losing his parents, she squeezed his hand. “You’ll have that someday too, Noel. But yeah, you probably do need to settle down to get it. It’s got to be hard on relationships never being around.”
He just stared at her, and she wondered what the heck he was thinking. He didn’t look like he wanted to kiss her or sleep with her. He didn’t look happy or sad, just very intent. On what?
Then he gave her a slow smile. “You’re sneaky.”
“What? Me?”
“You have a way of making me want to spill my guts. It’s those soft green eyes, that gentle touch, that sincerity. I wish I had your skills.”
“Gee, thanks, Noel.” She dragged her hand out from under his. “I wasn’t trying to trick you into sharing. I just wanted a little something, you know, since you pretty much got me to answer everything about me.”
He gave her a sly grin. “I did, didn’t I?”
Entranced by this playful side of him, she just nodded.
He leaned close and gave her a disappointing kiss on the cheek. “Well, it’s late. I suppose we should turn in.”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat, determined to be in charge of herself tonight. No more succumbing to her libido. “Thanks for letting me have the bedroom.”
He gave a mournful look at the couch and sighed. “No problem.”
She refused to be the one to give in. He’d won everything else tonight. Not that she wanted to degrade their fledgling relationship to a game of one-upmanship, but Addy wanted to prove to herself she wasn’t a needy, desperate woman. Plus, she didn’t want the physicality between them to overshadow the emotional sharing they’d had tonight. She wanted to revel in how amazing it had felt to be on the arm of a man who treated her like she mattered.
As she retreated to the bedroom and readied for bed, she thought about Noel smiling and laughing. She’d seen him take in the show and genuinely like it. They had more in common than sexual chemistry. He was well-read and intelligent. Throughout their dinner, they’d verbally sparred, each making sound arguments on everything from politics to religion—two topics she normally strayed from when newly dating someone.
He held the same views she did, which surprised her, because she’d have pegged him as far more conservative. But Noel didn’t hold bias against sexuality or gender. He didn’t seem to care about playing games either. With Noel, it was all right or wrong, his morals not cloudy in the slightest. Heck, he believed in the death penalty. “Because some people just deserve to die,” he’d said quietly.
Before she could follow that up, he’d tempted her into ordering dessert, and they’d said no more about grim subjects.
Addy slipped into bed and stilled, listening for Noel to fall asleep. He hadn’t said anything about his accommodations for the night, but she hadn’t seen a rollaway bed anywhere, and she didn’t think the couch made out into a bed. Poor guy would have an uncomfortable night’s sleep.
She wanted to feel badly about that but a grin curled her lips. Ha. See? Just because I lost my mind once for you doesn’t mean I can’t control my urges. She listened again but heard nothing from the living room.
Two hours later, she stared at the ceiling, her body on fire, her mind buzzing with thoughts of Noel and why he seemed so important lately. So vulnerable, when he always appeared in control of himself. So strong, able to stand against everyone.
“I always feel like I’m passing through, never in one place long enough to really exist,” he’d said. Then she understood. His loneliness had drawn her to him from the beginning.
Having been an only child, she’d felt that same isolation. Oh, she knew love and acceptance from her parents, but when she’d left for college, then moved back only to find her parents moving out, she’d experienced that same sense of aloneness. Of not really belonging.
She taught other people’s children. Dreamed of having a man of her own. Envied Solene’s confidence and comfort around other people. Addy wouldn’t call herself shy, exactly, but she didn’t have that ease around people. Kids were easy to deal with. There was a pecking order, a need for discipline and balance. But adults made her uneasy, expectations always making her feel as if she lac
ked something.
Mitch had dumped her for another woman. That had hurt, but she hadn’t loved him so the sting was mostly to her pride. Brent just didn’t do it for her. Like most men she’d dated in her life, they didn’t connect. She wished she could put her finger on it, but she couldn’t explain why Noel felt so right when those others she’d spent months and even a year or more with never had.
Addy blew out a breath and wondered what the heck she was doing. She’d finally found a man she really liked. A man who might or might not be leaving again soon. He had issues. He was closed off. He might, in fact, have fathered a baby with a mysterious woman. And he still posed more questions than answers.
So what did she plan to do about him?
She finally had him all to herself. Why shouldn’t she take what she wanted and see where the risks led her? Her father had known the moment he’d met her mother that she was the one for him. And he’d moved across the country to be with her. A huge risk.
Then again, Addy had friends on their third marriage, and that after having married and divorced their high school sweethearts. She sighed. What to do? Go big or go home? Did she risk her heart and take a chance on what might prove an amazing night, leading toward an amazing relationship? Or did she stay safe and be cautious? Remain the little school teacher who had nothing but her kids, her books, and a bitter best friend to keep her company?
Deciding to take charge of her life and embrace her strength as a sexual creature who could do whatever the hell she wanted, Addy quietly crept out of bed. She took a quick peek at herself in the bathroom and smoothed down her hair, wishing she looked sexier and less rumpled, then slid her door open and walked into the living room.
She stood over Noel, draped awkwardly on the couch, his feet hanging over the arm, his chest bared by the blanket tucked at his waist. From the moonlight illuminating the room in a faint glow, she saw his eyes closed. He looked perfect—handsome, muscular, at peace.
Then he opened his eyes, and she wondered if he’d been asleep at all.
His slow smiled caused the heat inside her to unfurl. “What took you so long?”
Noel had been dying inside, minute by minute, waiting for Addy to figure out she needed him. As much as he needed her. It made little sense for a man born to caution, who worried about every last detail, to feel so much for a woman so soon. But in all fairness, he had been—not stalking—investigating her for years. He didn’t deserve her. That sweetness, that inherent goodness Addy carried around so naturally.
But he craved it, craved her.
They had bantered at dinner, the conversation never stilted. And that was saying something for a man short on charm. Deacon or even Hammer could have flirted with her all night, seducing her out of her slinky dress. But Noel could only be himself, and he’d been able to relax into his own skin with her all night. That prickle of alarm when in public hadn’t faded, but he’d thoroughly enjoyed her company.
And that affection made him desire her all the more. Her body had tantalized him all night. Every time she shifted and that dress teased at the supple flesh of her thighs. Or when she’d laugh and her hair had fluttered over her décolletage, hinting at the fullness of breasts he’d touched just a few days ago.
Fuck. He’d been aroused for hours, vacillating between lust and like as he considered all of Addy’s attributes. A sharp woman who would only let him get away with so much, she’d managed to push past his barriers to get him to open up to her.
And that honesty compelled him to see the truth. The Business had worn thin years ago. Sure, Noel liked righting the world’s wrongs, but death and destruction were eating at his soul. He couldn’t brush off the kills anymore. He found himself thinking about that drugged-out girl in Bangkok. About the bastard children that Nigerian dictator had left behind after his death. About so much more than Noel could control.
Noel wanted his garden. He wanted his safe home with walls and doors that locked. He wanted Addy by his side. Her softness, her tenderness.
And in the deep secrets he didn’t dare admit out loud, he wanted her love.
She stared down at him, and his heart filled, excitement and nerves jumbling while he waited for her to take that last step.
She frowned. “You knew I’d come?”
He shook his head, aware his erection made a tent in the sheet. “I’d hoped. You have no idea how much I’ve hoped.”
Her frown eased, and she glanced at the rising blanket with a slow smile. “That looks…uncomfortable.”
“It really is.”
She held her hand out to him. “Maybe you’d be better off in bed.”
“Only if it’s with you.” He waited.
Her smile widened. “That’s the plan.”
He took her hand and shoved off the blanket. His boxer briefs did nothing to hide how much he wanted her.
She swallowed audibly. “You look good in underwear. Sorry my pajamas aren’t that sexy.”
He drew her to him and swore to himself when his arousal grew. Slow down. Ease her into it. “Trust me. I’m not seeing you in anything but skin. I have a great memory, and Tuesday night is burned into my brain.”
Her sweet blush made him groan. He had to kiss her. The warmth of her mouth and the taste of minty toothpaste was so wholesome he had to smile.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world right now. And I’m not saying one more thing to chance it. Let’s go.” He pulled her with him toward the bedroom, then shimmied out of his underwear.
She stared at him, and he realized she hadn’t seen him naked before.
“This is it, Addy. Oh, and one other thing.” He left her and returned with a box of condoms. “I’m totally ready for you this time.”
“Oh, right.” She bit her lip and reached for the hem of her sleep shirt.
“Take it off,” he said softly. “I want to see everything.”
She tossed her shirt and pants to the floor, then slid her underwear down and stood straight and tall. Her nipples had beaded and her belly clenched, but she didn’t cover herself at all.
After a moment, he admitted in a hoarse voice, “I’m not going to last the first time.”
She blinked, then gave a shy smile.
He moved to the box and drew out a condom. She watched him like a hawk as he ripped the packet open then rolled it on. Fuck, just touching himself while she watched was enough to set him off, so he slowed down.
“Get on the bed and spread your legs,” he ordered.
She laid back, still saying nothing.
“How kinky are you, Adeline Rose?” he asked her, crawling between her legs. Oh hell, she was wet and making no effort to hide it.
“How kinky?” she asked, her eyes shuttered, her lips parted. “I don’t know.”
“I’m going to fuck you tonight.”
“I know.”
“In your pussy.” He watched her reaction to his plain talk and saw her blush, but he thought she liked it. “In your mouth.” She licked her lips, and he groaned. “And in that tight ass.” He stroked her thighs, still watching her expression. She didn’t seem turned off or horrified by the idea. “You ever had anal, Addy?”
She gave a stiff nod. “Once, a few years ago. It was okay, but not great.”
He smiled and leaned closer to her sweet sex. “Not then, not with the wrong man.”
“Oh?” A challenge in her voice. The sexy school teacher was a go-getter in bed.
“Yeah. But with me, the right man, you’ll be begging for me to finish you. And I’m going to drag it out.”
“I thought you were afraid you wouldn’t last?” she taunted.
“Not the first time. Not with such a feast in front of me.” So saying, he shoved his face between her legs and went to work.
Chapter Seven
Addy couldn’t believ
e it. None of this with Noel felt real, because just like the last time, she felt a dreamy lassitude cover her from head to toe. Nothing but carnal need turning her body into something foreign, unfamiliar.
Noel’s body was covered in nothing but muscle…and some faint scars. He had many, but she couldn’t dwell on them because the moment his hands touched her inner thighs, she was lost.
He stroked her and then his mouth was over her, sucking her clit between his lips and teeth. She jerked up, the pleasure too intense, but he clamped down on her thighs with those large, callused hands and kept her still. Controlling her, setting the pace, seducing her out of her mind.
She moaned his name, begging for more. Knowing she’d be the one to go off too soon, but unable to help it. Noel played her body so easily. How?
“Oh, yes, yes.” She thrashed her head and clenched at his shoulders, needing more. Feeling so empty. “Please.”
He moaned and sucked harder, then shoved his tongue inside her. But again, it wasn’t enough, and she arched her hips to take more.
Noel squeezed her hips, then her ass, rubbing her cheeks then parting them, and she recalled he planned to take her in every way.
“Noel,” she said panting. “I want you.”
All she heard was a muffled acknowledgement while he continued to lick her, teasing with a mouth that should be outlawed. She’d never be able to watch him talk again, unable to stop imagining how he could melt her with that talented tongue.
She felt something probing her ass, and he slid his finger there while he shoved deeper into her pussy. She ground against him, needing some kind of penetration, even back there.
He pulled his mouth away to whisper, “Oh fuck, honey. Come over my tongue. I want you so bad.” Then his mouth was back, wild and hungry as he sucked her clit with deep draws. The pressure at her ass retreated, and then his fingers stroked her labia before sliding deeper.
He eased one finger inside her, and she bucked, perilously close to orgasm.
The vibrated moan against her clit and addition of a second finger inside her pushed her into a climax so intense she seized and kept on seizing, crying his name.