Mel must have realized the insanity of their situation, because she joined him in laughing, as she climbed off his lap and adjusted her shirt.
When Noah stood up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms. “Let me make one thing clear, Melanie Haynes, this isn’t over. I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me—for now—but this, what happened just now, is happening again. Just as soon as we buy the damn formula and put my cock-blocking son down for a nap.”
Chapter 9
Things had become way too serious way too fast, and Mel needed to put the brakes on. “We can’t exactly just walk out on our friends,” she stammered out. “We have to stay for lunch, at least, or they’ll know something’s going on.”
Noah looked at her closely, and she knew he could see her hesitation. Part of her felt guilty for how she kept changing her mind on him, jumping him one minute then pulling back the next, but she also knew Noah well enough to know, he would never want her to hide her true feelings. And the truth was, she was nervous, very nervous, in fact, about how quickly their friendship had become more physical.
“Okay, we’ll eat lunch, do the fastest grocery shop in the history of time, then it’s back to your apartment for nap time.” Noah waggled his eyebrows suggestively when he said the words nap time, and Mel had to laugh. It was a relief to know she could still trust Noah, her friend, to know exactly how to ease her tension, even when that tension was caused by Noah, her potential lover.
When they walked back out to the main pub area, Mel was nervous about whether anyone would comment on how long they were gone. Thankfully, her friends were all distracted by Connor who was now awake, happily sucking back a bottle in Anna’s arms.
Noah slid in beside Anna on the bench and looked down at his son. “You look pretty good with him, Auntie Anna,” he said, earning a smile from Anna.
Reagan chimed in, “Yeah, she got to him first, but we all want a turn holding him, Noah. He’s adorable!”
A surprising wave of jealousy went through Melanie as she watched her girlfriends moon over Connor.This is stupid. He’s not my baby, she thought to herself forcefully.But I had him first…Shaking her head against her ridiculous heart, that was filled with so many conflicting thoughts she felt dizzy, Mel reached for the plate of nachos that was in the middle of the table. She tried not to think about how weird it felt, no longer being the only woman who got to cuddle and feed baby Connor.
Once everyone had eaten lunch, Connor began to get fussy. Melanie looked at her watch and was shocked to see how much time had passed.
“Sorry, guys, we need to go.” Noah stood up quickly and began to gather all of Connor’s things.
Mel stood up more slowly and flashed a regretful smile at their friends. “We drove together, so I have to go as well.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Mel was grateful that no one had commented on how long she and Noah were in the back office before lunch. As it was, she struggled to get a grasp on her emotions, but there was no denying that the primary one right now, was lust.
They drove home in silence, as Connor, being a newborn and all, fell asleep within minutes of the car starting. But the silence was charged with the sparks that were now flying between Noah and Mel. Sparks that she knew would blaze into an inferno if she let things go that far. And she was tired of fighting, tired of resisting, tired of ignoring the sexual chemistry brewing between them. The temptation was too strong, and all Mel could do now was hope that she could keep emotion out of it. Both hers and Noah’s. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to get hurt.
Just as Noah had promised, he ran around the store grabbing the essentials as quickly as possible while Mel waited in the car with Connor as he slept. Once back at her apartment, Noah managed somehow to transfer Connor from his car seat to his bassinet, while the baby stayed asleep. She watched him from the doorway of the spare bedroom where Noah and Connor had been staying, admiring the gentle way he handled his son, the loving kiss he pressed to his head, and then the fire in his eyes when he stood up and looked at her.
Noah prowled over to her, grasped her hips, and pushed her backward until her body hit the wall opposite the door. With one hand he reached behind himself to pull the door closed, the other stayed in place holding Mel captive. She wouldn’t have moved, his hand was so hot and heavy, like a brand searing through her clothes and marking her skin.
With the door to the sleeping baby now closed, Noah placed both of his hands on her hips. She stared up at him hungrily, waiting to see what he would do next.
“I’ve waited too long for this, Mel. I know you think we can’t be anything but friends, and while I definitely don’t agree, for now I’ll accept that. But that won’t stop me from showing you just how good we can be together. That kiss at the pub was just a taste, babe.”
Mel gasped as he bent down and captured her mouth with his.Just this once.As that thought passed through her mind, she tried to make herself say the words, but was already lost to their kiss.
Noah’s hands slid down her hips and around to her ass, where he squeezed firmly before lifting her up into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist automatically, bringing her center into direct contact with his rapidly hardening cock. Even through their clothes, she could feel his rigid length pressing against her, and she shivered at the thought of having all of that to play with. He strode down the short hallway to her bedroom, walked inside and slowly lowered her to the bed. Mel ran her hands up his arms and threaded her fingers in his short hair before pulling him down for another kiss. She drank in the pillowy softness of his lips, the rasp of his scruffy chin against her face, and the heat radiating from his body.
When he pulled back, leaving her laying on her bed gasping for more, she wanted to moan at the loss of his body against hers. But then, he pulled off his shirt and pushed his pants down to the ground, stepping out of them, leaving him in nothing but a tight pair of black boxer-briefs that left nothing to the imagination.
“You’re beautiful, Mel,” he murmured. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fantasized about this. You, spread out on a bed beneath me, mine for the taking.”
Those words were enough to send Mel over the edge of not caring about the consequences of what was clearly about to happen. She sat up, stripped off her own shirt, then lay back down and lifted her hips to wiggle out of her leggings. Noah’s hands on her hips stopped her, and the dark look in his eyes made her freeze.
“Let me.”
She nodded. His hands slowly pulled her leggings down. When she realized he had her underwear in hand as well, she moaned. Cool air hitting her core, already wet from arousal, made her clench the blankets underneath her with her hands. She closed her eyes and let herself simply feel what was happening. She would have never expected Noah, sweet, kind, romantic Noah, to have this deeply sensual alpha side to him. But when his firm hands moved up her bare legs, and pushed them apart, she realized there was a lot about her friend that was unexpected. Including her body’s response to him. She thrust her hips up into his hands and he growled in response.
“I want to devour you, babe, so if you need this to stop, you had better tell me now. Because seeing you, wet, naked, and ready, I can’t hold back anymore. Once I start, I’m not stopping.”
She opened her eyes and fixed him with what she was sure was a lust-filled gaze. “If you stop now, our friendship is over. Devour me, Noah.”
His eyes flashed as he smirked at her, then without another word he slid down on the bed until he was between her legs. He pressed hot kisses to her inner thighs before lifting them over his shoulders.
She waited, holding her breath in anticipation. At the first swipe of his tongue against her sex, her breath came out on a keening moan. As promised, Noah devoured her. His fingers joined his tongue in teasing and tormenting her, until she was writhing on the bed, hovering on the brink of release.
