Irish’s current thoughts transcended the ones that normally sat in her mind. This time, she thought about what life would’ve been like if she hadn’t made certain decisions. She could’ve been living the life her little sister was. In college, having a ball without any burdens weighing her down. In a way, she wished she could go back but unfortunately, life didn’t have a remote control. She couldn’t rewind the time and edit out the part of her life that changed the trajectory of her existence.
“You have all the answers, huh?” she joked to lightened the conversation.
“Not all. I just know when a person needs to start living for themselves. That’s all.” He shrugged.
“Was that you once upon a time?”
Noble nodded, shocking Irish since she didn’t expect him to be so open with her.
“Yep, and then I said fuck everybody and started doing life my way. I’ve been content ever since.”
“Hopefully, I’ll get to that point.”
In order for Irish to arrive at thefuck everybodystage in life, she knew she would disappoint a few people, and she didn’t think she was prepared for the backlash.
Noble smashed his blunt on the wooden chair before lifting his arm. “Come here.”
His order was one that didn’t need to be repeated. Irish scooted closer, leaning into Noble’s body as he wrapped his arm around hers.
My God…
Irish hadn’t felt a touch this soothing in so long. It was one that smelled like cedarwood and vetiver. Closing her eyes, she imagined this being the norm. One where she could wrap herself in endless blankets of Noble.
There has to be interest in me on his end…
The thought of Noble sharing attraction to her was one that made her insides melt. Still, they wouldn’t be able to explore freely because of their mutual association with Jovanis.
“I can help you start living for yourself,” he rasped in her ear.
Irish’s eyes opened, and she peered at him. “How so?”
Licking his lips, Noble’s gaze deepened, causing her to get lost in the intensity of his eyes. There was charm there. One that Irish was falling for.
“Just stick with me, and I’ll show you how to not give a fuck about nobody except you.”
Sticking with him sounded like a thrill that she would enjoy too much before it was snatched from her. Almost like a ride at an amusement park that would eventually come to an end.
“I don’t wanna piss off the people in my life by abandoning them.”
Noble gently rubbed her arm, soothing her overactive nerves. “You won’t be abandoning them. You’ll be prioritizing yourself.”
Her stare drifted toward the ocean as his words cemented inside her mind. Prioritizing was such a foreign concept to her. She never made herself a priority because everyone’s needs had to come before her own. Irish’s regard returned back to Noble, who studied her with his reddened lenses. How did this become so intense so suddenly? She started out peeping him from afar, and now she was inches away from his face with his arm snuggling her.
Logic had exited her mind, and her emotions had made an appearance. The ocean waves caressed her ears, heightening the serene mood she’d been placed in. It was the perfect moment to explore something different. Inclining forward, Irish pressed her lips against Noble’s. The hairs from his mustache tickled her top lip as she deepened the kiss. It felt as though an explosion had blasted in her belly. The butterflies had turned into fireworks, inciting the warmth between her thighs to radiate heat.
Noble grabbed the back of Irish’s head, pulling her into him. This was the best feeling she’d experienced in months. Being wrapped in the presence of Noble was beyond inebriating. She wanted to gulp him down and store him in her body forever. With her chest pressed against his, Irish was ready for takeoff. Her needs had been bottled up, ready for someone to twist the lid off. Noble’s hand roamed down her back, stopping right before her ass. Just when she thought he would grip her cheeks, the buzzing of a phone disrupted their impassioned chemistry.
Abruptly, Irish pulled back, allowing Noble to dig in his pocket and grab his phone. A sullen feeling washed over her as he answered the call. She was so close to betraying Jovanis onceagain. A part of her felt bad for it but there was a facet of Irish who thought she was doing no wrong.
“Aye, I gotta go,” he said with so much urgency, her pulse quickened.
“What happened?”
Noble stood then pulled her up. “Rio got into an accident.”
“Oh, my God.” She gasped right before covering her mouth with her hands.
That was the last thing she expected him to reveal. Irish’s thoughts immediately went to Cali and her mental state. This was the night she was set to end her marriage and now she had to deal with her husband being injured.
