Chapter 4
Amaris stretched her arms above her head and her body groaned as her muscles released. She snuggled deeper into the body molding mattress and her hips thanked her. She’d slept well for the first time in several days. The cotton sheets, goose down comforter and pillows were just what she needed to start to feel like herself again. The only thing that could have made this morning better would be if she’d awakened in Noah’s arms. He’d left so abruptly last night after dinner that she thought she might have offended him, though she couldn’t think of what she’d said. It felt good to hear him say he recognized her, but there were still more questions she wanted to ask him. He’d been distant, which was in direct contrast to all the care he’d taken to make her feel at home.
She could hear him moving outside. Amaris pushed the cover down her body and was greeted by the crisp chill of fall setting in. She shuddered and rubbed her bare arms as she stepped from the bed and into her slippers. The cool air prompted her to look for a robe to warm her up. Amaris opened the drapes to look out and catch a glimpse of Noah, but the shrubs outside the patio hid him from view. After going through her morning routine, she picked a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt with the name of her alma mater to pullover her tank top. When it warmed up some, maybe she would have a reason to slip out of it. Feeling peckish, she decided to go into the kitchen to find something to eat before searching out Noah. She wanted to see him, to feel his dark eyes rake over her skin. Maybe she’d find the answers she was seeking.
Amaris opened the refrigerator and took a minute to decide on what to eat. She chose a bagel with some strawberry flavored cream cheese and put them on a small saucer to carry. The door swung open as she poured herself a glass of apple juice. Amaris gasped as she heard it swing free. These days in fear made everything a threat. It wasn’t until her eyes landed on Noah that she found some relief. She was happy to know it was only him until she noticed his bare chest drenched in sweat and smudge with dirt. He chugged a bottle of water and Amaris was statue still as she watched his Adam’s apple bob and his abs tighten as he swallowed. He could have been an accountant or some type of businessman for as smart as he was. Amaris was convinced the only reason he’d become an Agent was so one day he would be able to torture her with his stone chest and abs, and muscled arms. Amaris lost her appetite for the bagel and cream cheese, what she wanted was something more filling.
“It’s gonna get really cold over the next few days. I’m going to be outside for a little while, chopping more wood. If you want some fresh air, you should sit out on the patio. No one will be able to see you behind the bushes,” Noah said before disappearing back outside the door.
Amaris didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her head started to throb. She wanted to run her fingers over the tight lines of his chest or rather, she wanted to trace every indentation with her tongue. Amaris placed the bagel and cream cheese back into the refrigerator. She couldn’t eat now. She was far too heated and all she really wanted was for Noah to take her right there on the counter.
Amaris pulled the sweatshirt over her head, the cool air of the house was no longer a factor. Her body was on fire. The image of Noah standing there, glistening with sweat, muscles bulging at every turn made her want to forget he was only back in her life to protect her and that was all. He hadn’t come into her space in order to claim her as his own. It was purely a work thing for him, and he was keeping it all perfectly professional. Amaris wondered if she was the only one who wanted to lose control. Noah wasn’t showing any signs that her presence was having any effect on him. Even after admitting that he remembered her.
She tossed the sweatshirt on the crumbled bed she had yet to make and went back to the drawer of delicate things he’d provided. After those visions of him, she needed another shower and to change her soaking wet panties. Amaris was a little embarrassed at being this excited by him. She couldn’t spend the next six months in this much heat. She just couldn’t, Noah would have to break or she would lose her mind. Amaris had never seduced anyone. The few lovers she’d had were from relationships that lacked substance and her lovers initiated every sexual encounter. She knew she couldn’t wait for Noah to decide he would have his way with her. The only way he would come after her would be if she provoked him. For that to happen, she would have to make herself completely undeniable. Amaris didn’t know where to start. Seduction was such a foreign concept for her and she had no idea what Noah even liked where his lovers were concerned. They’d never gotten even close in their brief relationship. Amaris wasn’t sure that she could pull off a stealth inquisition into his life without exposing her motives. It would take some serious planning in order to become one in the know. She’d have to figure it out quickly or burn alive.
Amaris pulled a fresh set of underwear out, this time it was a demi cut black lace bra and panty set. Amaris would never know how he’d guessed her sizes so well, but everything she’d worn thus far fit perfectly. As she fished through the drawer to see what other things were there, her fingers came across a red lace and rhinestone, teddy. The fabric was barely enough to cover her nipples and hot mound. She’d never worn anything like that before, and couldn’t decide if she could really pull it off. The knowledge that she wouldn’t have found it in her drawers if Noah hadn’t secretly wanted to see her in it, caused a shudder of excitement to travel down her spine. If this is what he wanted, she would give it to him. Amaris had nothing to lose.
She took the black bra and panty set and went to her shower. She would work out her plan as she bathe and decide when to pull it off. Her nipples hardened under the hot spray of the shower as she tried to determine the best way to get Noah to see her as more than just his charge. If she could get him to remember that day on her parent’s doorstep, when he’d almost kissed her beneath the moonlight, then she could increase her odds. He had almost seen her as a woman then, and it was exactly what she needed him to do now. Amaris wanted Noah to look at her with brazen passion and unbridled need. She knew the risk she was taking. Amber told her all about how werewolves mated for life. She wanted him to want her that way – forever. Amaris was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. She just hoped Noah wanted her the same.
Noah was still chopping wood when she stepped out onto the patio outside her bedroom door. She plopped down into one of the wrought iron chairs and propped her feet into the other one. The sun was high and beamed down proudly, but its heat was chopped in half by the breeze. She inhaled deeply the fresh air. The air carried the fresh scent of the surrounding woods, Noah’s scent. She’d smelled that scent on Noah before and was sure when he came in from chopping all the wood they’d need, she’d smell it again. God. That man could make dirt smell like an expensive cologne. Amaris wanted that scent all over her body. She closed her eyes and tried to force her thoughts to more neutral ground. She didn’t want to have to take a third shower within a matter of minutes. She wanted to find something else to do instead of just sitting here listening to the swing of his axe as he drove it into one block of wood at a time. It was too much of a reminder of how capable he was. She’d seen the hard line of his chest, and the rippling of muscles in his shoulder and back. She’d stay here for a few more minutes, before going inside to work on her plan. It would take a few days before she was brave enough to execute it, but she didn’t want to leave one thing to chance. Hopefully, it would go her way.
In the meantime, it was getting closer and closer to lunch hour and her stomach was starting to growl. Amaris regretted having skipped breakfast, and she decided she’d cook for the two of them since, Noah prepared diner the night before. She’d seen a few things that could work for a great chicken pot pie. It wouldn’t take much time to put it together. Amaris returned to the kitchen and quickly put the meal together. Noah came inside just as she was pushing it into the oven.
“Got enough wood?” Amaris asked with a smirk.
Noah laughed.
“Stop being so provocative. It’ll get us by for a while.
I’m going to get into the shower, yell if you need me,” said Noah as he walked from the room.
“What if I don’t want to stop?” Amaris yelled behind him.
“Then you better be sure of what you are asking for,” said Noah.
The slant of his eyes said it was a challenge and Amaris couldn’t think of one retort.
She watched his exit as she chewed her bottom lip. Through the denim of his jeans Amaris could tell that he had a tight toned ass. It was delicious to think about. Amaris was a little disappointed though. Noah always flirted, but she felt like it was intentional that he’d been keeping their interactions brief. Amaris wanted more time to enjoy him, but he seemed content to create distance between them. Her spirit dampened. She hoped that while she was musing over him, he wasn’t just being polite in all of his gestures. She wasn’t the tiny little girl she’d been when he’d left those years ago, and for the first time since they reconnected, she considered he might not find her attractive. That couldn’t be right. The way he’d looked at her, like he could peel her clothes off without touching her, said he found her desirable. In a few days, she would know one way or the other and she would move forward accordingly. Noah had to want her, she surmised. He just had too. There was no way she could feel the pull between them and he didn’t.
She’d just have to bring her A game with her plan. When she was done, Amaris didn’t want either of them to have doubts. Amaris pulled a book from the bookshelf as she waited for the pie to bake. She sat in one of the chairs in the living area and tucked her feet underneath her bottom to read it. She heard the moment that Noah turned on the shower. It was hard enough when he was bare chested outside chopping wood, and now he was completely nude inside the shower. Amaris bit her bottom lip until she tasted blood. She released her lip and was relieved to hear the timer chime. The pie was ready. Great, something besides Noah to think about. She went to the kitchen and turned the oven off. Normally she would have adorned a pot holder glove, but her thoughts were in the shower and examining Noah’s calendar worthy build. She could just picture him in one of the old fashioned glossy monthly calendars with smudges of dirt on his chest and holding the axe. Amaris felt her heart start to race in her chest. Without thinking, she reached into the oven and pulled the burning hot pot from the center rack. It only took seconds to come to her senses, but by then it was too late.
Amaris screamed out in pain. She dropped the pie to the ground and it splatter over the lower cabinets as she held her hand whimpering. Noah appeared out of nowhere. His body was still drenched in water, his eyes were slanted in a hard line.
“What’s wrong?” he barked at her.
Amaris couldn’t speak, she could only hold out her hand and his fear turned to concern as he realized what happened. Quickly, he was next to her holding her hand under the cool stream of faucet water.
“Don’t move from under this water. I’ll be right back,” he said.
Amaris only nodded the pain was too intense. Her hand throbbed, as blisters formed in an outline of the pot’s rim. She whimpered and tears streamed down her face as she waited for Noah to return. When he did, he picked her up and sat her on the counters edge. Noah positioned himself between her legs and took her hand in his. He applied a thick salve to her burns, and followed it with a tight wrap. The salve instantly started to cool her burns, easing some of the pain that Amaris was in. Amaris was still in shock.
Noah pulled her to his chest, and held her close. He rubbed her back until her whimpers quieted. Amaris placed her hands on his chest. She relished the comfort of his touch and the speed at which he’d dove into action when he’d heard her scream. She lay her face against his shoulder and took some deep breaths as she waited for the pain to become bearable. She couldn’t believe she’d been so foolish and burned herself so badly. It was a childish, teenager move to become so distracted by the cute boy that it caused bodily harm. Amaris wished there was another explanation for what happened, but it wasn’t. She’d been so distracted with thoughts of a nude Noah that she’d absentmindedly reached for the hot pot. She’d hoped to get Noah to see her as a woman, now she feared he saw her as more of a klutz. Amaris cringed at the thought.
Noah took her face in his hands. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs and stared deep into her eyes. Amaris was shocked at the concern she saw there. It was beyond a friend hoping you were well. It was something else. It was almost as though he were hurt by seeing her in pain. He tilted her head back and looked into her eyes.
“What happened?” Noah asked. His voice was a hot bath after a long day.
“I was just trying to cook some lunch. I wasn’t thinking and reached for the pot without a mitten. Clearly that was a bonehead move,” said Amaris with a smirk.
“Not your best moment,” said Noah with a smile.
Amaris giggled and Noah’s hand’s dropped to her shoulders.
“You’re okay. The salve is going to help it heal quicker, but it’s still going to hurt for a while. If you need something for the pain, I’ll see what I have in the medicine cabinets,” said Noah as his hands went to caress her neck.
“Ugh, okay. I think I’ll take you up on that. It still hurts like hell,” Amaris admitted.
She’d say almost anything to stay pressed against Noah this way.
Noah pushed her hair back behind her ears. He took her hands in his and kissed her palms. He lingered on the one he’d bandaged. Amaris was sure he could hear her heart thumping in her chest. When his lips touched her fingers with such gentleness a hot flash blanketed her body. It was only then that she noticed Noah was still very, very naked. Her shirt was damp from being pressed against his chest. However, the wetness there did nothing to rival what was happening in her panties. Amaris let her eyes drift lower, down the carved lines of his chest and into the deep v of his hips. A dark tuft of curly pubic hair was her entry to his impressive cock. Amaris gasped, even flaccid it was a pleasing length and thickness. Her breath rushed in like a whirlwind and her lungs still fought for oxygen.
Noah pulled her by her hips to perch on the edge of the counter. He slipped between her legs, closing the gap between them. She fought the urge to wrap her legs around his narrow waist and pull him closer still. Amaris was forced to stare at him in his eyes. She saw his want for her there and didn’t hide her want for him. Noah tilted her head up and planted a rough, hot kiss on her lips. He nipped at the corner of her mouth, and courted her tongue with the teasing dance of his own. He pushed up her shirt and ran his hand over her smooth belly. Amaris’ mind clouded with the feel of his fingers inching up her skin. Her nipples hardened in anticipation of his touch, Amaris arched into his fingers. A low growl came from Noah’s throat and he tore his mouth away.
“I’m going to get dressed. Don’t worry about the mess. I’ll clean it up when I’m done,” Noah said as he walked out of the room.
Amaris couldn’t hide her disappointment. Just seconds ago she knew they were headed to a more heated exchange. The way he touched her, and kissed her were clear signs that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She couldn’t believe that he could just walk away without looking back and she was having a hard time controlling her breathing. Her body was on fire. They’d been so close and she couldn’t understand why Noah was holding back. She didn’t trust her legs to hold her up. Her knees were still weak from the way he’d stared at her before claiming her mouth. In that moment, she saw his wolf pressing behind his eyes. She saw his need, bold as sunlight beaming back at her. Amaris knew she could be what he wanted, she just had to convince him to let her.
Protected by the Alpha - Volume 1 Page 5