Noel snorted. “I am now,” he said. “Finn’s father made it all legal. I’m sure he paid well to fast track the whole thing, but what did I care? I got to leave that shit-hole life behind.”
Haley worried her lip for a moment. Just watching her drove him crazy. He was sure she had no idea what that did to him, but if she did it again, he might just have a nibble himself. Control. That’s what he needed.
“But wasn’t coming here just as hard?”
Noel shook his head. “The boss was clear on what he wanted. I followed through.”
She took another drink, and he knew she was building up the courage to ask something else. Something that’d probably be far more uncomfortable.
“Followed through on what?” she asked quietly.
The air stilled between them as they locked eyes. He knew what she was asking. How could he not? She was a good girl, and stuff like that bothered good girls. Still, it presented an opportunity to nip the situation in the bud before they both did something they regretted.
He looked down at his plate and silently groaned to himself. Missing the rest of this meal was going to suck.
“Look,” he said and stood up. Noel placed his hands on the table and leaned down toward her. “If you’re asking if I followed all his orders, yes, I did. I’m not the good guy you seem to think I am. Just because Finn cleaned up his act doesn’t mean that we didn’t do bad things. I’ve killed men before. Killed them and not even thought twice about it.”
He could hear her take in a shuddered breath and knew he was pushing things, but she needed to know. She was pushing for something with a man who wasn’t a good man. Hell, even his presence with her tonight had been under false pretenses, and yet she’d totally bought it. The thought almost pissed him off.
“I think you and I know that you can’t handle this,” he said.
He picked up his plate and carried it into the kitchen. Noel placed it on the counter and took in a deep breath. This was far more difficult than he ever thought it would be.
Footsteps stopped behind him, and he almost didn’t want to turn around. Didn’t want to see the hurt in her eyes. But he had to. Had to face her pain.
Only it wasn’t pain he found in her eyes but a fire. It burned so hot, he felt himself pulled into the flame.
“I think you don’t know what the hell I can handle,” she said.
Before he knew what was happening, Haley grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down until her mouth met his in a hard kiss.
She pressed her mouth against him with a brutal force. Something stirred deep inside. Her hands released the death grip she had on his shirt and slid up the back of his neck. He moaned when her nails traced up to the stubble on his head. The feeling sent a spark through him.
His hands wrapped around her back, and he relished the skin when he found the space between the spaghetti straps on her dress, finding her smooth and soft skin.
He wanted to run his mouth over her, feel the velvet against his tongue and watch as the skin puckered from the cool air. Just the thought of it made him greedy. He pulled her closer until she was flush with his body.
Their mouths moved wildly against one another, nipping and sucking the tender skin. When she opened her mouth to him, he delved in, his tongue searching for hers. She teased him, taunting him with little swipes but never totally giving him want he wanted.
Noel growled into her mouth. She was playing his game now.
He pulled back and stared at her for a moment before lifting her up. In one swift move, he turned and sat her on the counter. He pushed in hard, her legs on either side of him. Her hot center pressed against his aching cock.
“There,” he said and rubbed himself hard against her. If she wanted to tease him, then he was ready to go all the way.
Haley moaned and let her head roll back. Taking advantage of the situation, he leaned in and sucked on the skin there.
Her hands wound again around his neck and back up to his head. He loved the feel of her nails as she dug into his scalp. It was driving him crazy.
He followed the line back up to her mouth. This time he was the one to take her in a brutal kiss. All this time he’d thought about the way she’d feel. The small taste he’d sampled the other day only reminded him what he was missing. Now he wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep inside her and to fuck her until they both couldn’t move, until her voice was hoarse from calling his name.
She trailed her fingers from his head down his chest, moving lower and lower. His cock strained against the confines of his jeans. Her fingers slipped under his shirt and left a hot trail along his bare skin.
They moved a little further from the middle, and he froze as she touched the mangled skin there. His body jerked back of its own volition.
He stood, several feet between them, panting still from their frenzied session.
Noel turned to the door.
“Wait,” Haley said and slid down off the counter.
He couldn’t even look at her. Here, all she wanted to do was connect, and he’d practically attacked her.
She’d seen past his scars. He thought she couldn’t, but she had. She wanted him, but he was so fucked up, he couldn’t even react the way a man should react to a beautiful woman. It made his stomach twist.
“Please,” she whispered and stepped up to him.
He wanted to move. He wanted to run out the door and away from the words she might have for him.
She placed a hand on his cheek, and he glanced at her, worry filling him. When her other hand came close to his injured cheek, he tried to pull away, but she was faster and had him sandwiched between her palms.
“This is a part of you,” she said.
He tried to pull away, but she shook her head.
“But that isn’t the only part of you.”
She smiled sweetly up at him, and he stared at her, confused. This wasn’t the conversation he had been expecting.
Haley sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. It was almost like she was drawing strength from him.
And then, she stepped away. Noel stared at her in a sort of daze. He watched as she pulled out a red plastic container. When she disappeared into the dining room, he took a deep breath.
She returned and walked over to the container. Haley filled it with pasta and put the lid on. He stepped back, and she turned around to look at him.
“I had a nice time tonight,” she said with a smile.
Noel frowned, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing. Maybe he’d missed something along the way. She held out the container, and he took it, not sure what else to do.
“Thanks,” he said.
He walked into the living room, and when he’d reached the door, he still didn’t have the faintest clue what had happened.
“Thanks again for all your help,” she said.
Noel nodded and stepped out the door.
“Goodnight,” he said and gave her one last look. He only hoped all this made more sense in the morning.
“Night.”
Noel made his way across the lawn. Riley was parked just a bit down the road. He gave a nod and slid into the seat of his own car. The faster he got away, the better. As it stood, he had to fight every urge he had not to go back and ask for seconds.
Maybe his reaction had been for the best. It’d save them both from a mistake.
He gripped the wheel and took in a deep breath. When he’d let it out, things felt far more focused.
Noel placed the key in the ignition, and the car roared to life. He glanced back to the house. The door was closed now, and he was glad he couldn’t see her.
He sighed. He could only hope that he wasn’t on pick-up duty this week. Things might spin off into something neither one of them were ready for. Even if she did truly see past his scars or think he was okay despite his past, that didn’t change the fact that being around him was dangerous. Anton’s cards are what drove him to her home in the end.
Shaking his
head, he pushed the thoughts out. He’d just have to worry about any more passion when it happened. For now, he needed to get home. A cold shower and sleep were in order.
He rubbed his still hard cock and frowned. Maybe two cold showers.
Chapter Sixteen
Haley had made great progress cleaning up the classrooms over the week. She’d taken all of her pent-up sexual frustration and irritation at Noel and turned it into something productive. Maybe she’d even sarcastically thank him for that next time she saw him.
It had been three days since she’d last seen him. Like he had promised, someone came every day to take her to and from school, but he’d somehow managed to avoid having a turn.
She knew it wasn’t a coincidence. He was avoiding her. It didn’t matter though. There were only so many men Finn could send to pick her up, and she knew eventually Noel would have his turn.
She really didn’t have a plan when she saw him though. Well, aside from trying to get a little more of what they had on Sunday. It was so frustrating. She’d finally broken through his defenses, and then he ran.
Before that though¸ the experience had been good. In fact, it had been more than good. It had felt right. The moment of shared passion just felt like it was supposed to happen. She knew he felt it. The only thing stopping them was the scars.
The first time she’d touched his cheek, Haley worried that it might be hurting him. This time the truth was all too clear. His emotional wounds were far deeper than she could have ever guessed. Now she had to see if there was any chance for them.
She sighed. To figure out if she had a chance, she’d have to lay out the situation for him. Otherwise he’d continue running from her.
Haley jumped when a book fell next to her. She turned and found Stan had slipped into the room.
She really wasn’t all that fond of the other teacher. Stan hadn’t really done anything to her, but more than once, she’d caught him mocking the children or making comments about other women at the school. He always tried to pass them off as jokes, but they mostly came off as unprofessional and rude comments from a jerk.
Right before school had ended, he insulted one of the pregnant women by making some comment about how getting laid had cause her to stop getting laid. He had laughed hysterically at the joke. Although she knew he hadn’t been laughing near as hard when he was called in for a reprimand.
“Looking good in here,” Stan said and surveyed the room as if he were the boss. “Maybe I should take you out for a job well done.”
She wrinkled her nose while her head was turned away from him. This was so not what she wanted to be dealing with.
Haley opened her mouth to gently turn him down when she heard his sharp laugh.
“Who’s this loser?” he said and laughed loudly.
She turned and found Noel had just stepped out of his car and was leaning against the hood.
“Hey,” he shouted to the janitor as he passed by with his squeaky mop bucket. “He one of your friends?”
The janitor gave a little laugh and shook his head.
“He’s one of mine,” she said, staring hard at Stan.
The thin, balding man frowned at her, but she ignored him. He could think what he wanted. She didn’t really care.
Haley picked up her purse and gave him a forced smile.
“Have a good night,” she said.
As quickly as she could, Haley made her way from the building. The last thing she wanted was to have to answer that slime. Maybe she should just slap him next time. She was fairly certain the school would side with her considering his record with women.
Haley kept the smile in place as she came up to Noel. He frowned at her forced smile.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Haley shook her head. “Can we just get in the car?”
He stared at her for a moment and then back at the window to the school. She jumped when he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her in close for a hug. Haley sighed into his arms.
“Let’s go,” he said quietly.
Without another word she climbed into the car and waited for him.
Noel slipped into the seat and stared out the window.
“Do I need to go in and beat the shit out of that guy?” he asked.
Haley looked over to him, and before she could stop herself, big, loud laughs erupted from her. She couldn’t seem to stop herself.
Noel stared at her as if she’d lost her mind, and it only made her laugh even harder.
When she’d finally calmed down, he was pulling onto the street.
“Stan needs to be beat up, but I think we should save that for some other lucky person,” she said and smiled at him.
Noel glanced at her but otherwise kept his eyes on the road.
Haley suddenly became very aware that it had been days since she’d seen him, and yet the tension was still so thick, she could cut it with a knife.
It didn’t take long to get to her house from the school. It was one of the big reasons she loved the school.
They stopped outside her house. Haley turned to look at him.
“Want to stay for dinner?” she asked. Maybe that would be a better way to break the ice.
Noel stared ahead, not even looking at her.
“I can’t,” he said, his face tight..
Haley sighed. If she was going to do this, there wasn’t going to be a better time to charge full-speed ahead.
“I like you,” she said.
His head snapped to look at her, and she knew she had taken him by surprise.
“I know we’re different. That our lives have been very different,” she said and turned in her seat, so she could look him in the eyes. “But I don’t care. I know who you are, and that’s all that really matters.”
He snorted a little and she frowned.
“You are a good man,” she said firmly. “A man that sticks by his cousin no matter what. A man that protects women, even at great cost to himself. A man that feels the pain of the little boy he once was. This is what I see. This is who you are to me. Nothing else really matters.”
He turned to look out the driver-side window. She could see his reflection in the glass.
“And I also know we could work together,” she said quietly. “But I can’t make you take that step.”
Haley open the door and stepped out of the car. He turned to look at her, and she took her moment to say her final piece with his eyes on hers.
“If you spend your whole life making those who wronged you pay, what kind of life have you lived? In the end, aren’t you just letting them win?”
Haley pressed her lips together. Those words were hard to say to him, especially since she knew they would sting. The next ones were really more for her own sake.
“I like you,” she said and looked down at her hands against the door. “But I can’t wait forever. Goodnight, Noel.”
Without looking back, she let the door close and raced to the house, fully expecting this to be the last time she saw him.
Chapter Seventeen
Haley had just slipped on her shorts and tank when the bell rang. Maybe she had forgotten something in Noel’s car.
She glanced down at her clothes and frowned. She debated putting on her bra, but it wasn’t like he’d notice. It was very clear to her that Noel had put her on the friend list, and she was just going to have to live with that. No one could say she hadn’t tried her damnedest to push for something more.
Barefoot, she padded to the door and opened it.
Noel stepped in, somewhat frazzled.
“You didn’t even check,” he said and frowned at her as he closed the door.
Haley opened her mouth to say something and then closed it when he flicked the lock on the door.
“This is you,” he said and advanced toward her. “Reckless, loving, kind and troublesome, all wrapped up in a sassy redheaded little ball.”
“Troublesome?” She frowned at him as the continued moving into the house.
She stopped when the back of her legs bumped the couch.
Noel closed the distance, pulling her close to his body.
“So much trouble,” he said. The words rumbled in his chest and made her nipples tighten against the thin shirt she was wearing.
“I thought you didn’t want me.”
“I can’t be in-between with you,” he said, his voice full of rare emotion she’d never seen from him before.
“So don’t,” she whispered. “I want you.”
Haley trailed a hand up his muscled chest and wound it around his neck. She pulled his mouth to her own, hungry for his kisses.
Her mouth trailed over his, eager to taste him. To see him.
She let her fingers roam over his hard muscles and felt her center quiver at the strength he possessed.
Not waiting for him to start, Haley pulled her shirt from over her head and grinned as his eyes fixed on her breasts. At least she had one thing going for her. The more clothes that came off, the more worried she was about other areas. Someone so fit would almost certainly see fault in a body like hers.
She shook the thoughts from her mind as his rough hands scraped over the hardened peaks. Haley moaned at the feel of him.
He pinched them, and she arched her back to give him better access. His mouth came hot against the tops. He rubbed his stubbled face between them. Sensitive and red, his tongue soothed them. She hissed when his cheek brushed against one of her nipples.
She could feel him smile at her torture.
When he nipped at the same one, Haley could feel the slickness that pooled between her legs. She squirmed to put the pressure she needed on her throbbing clit. Noel nipped her again.
“Stay still,” he whispered.
Haley stopped moving, despite the ache in her center nearly driving her mad.
He pressed her breasts together and pulled both nipples into his mouth. Her legs shook as he continued to suck and lick.
When she couldn’t hardly stand, she placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself.
Noel grunted in annoyance.
With a loud pop, he freed her breasts. She yelped in surprise when he picked her up. With large strides, he made his way through her hall toward the bedroom. She leaned forward and scraped her teeth against his neck.
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