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She pushes her hair back and exhales. “Nothing happened. I just… Look, there’s a lot of things that I want but acting as your fake lover isn’t one of them.”
“Because you’re scared?”
“Of what?”
“That you’re going to fall in love with me when it gets overwhelming for you?”
She scoffs and blows a breath. “You’re delusional.”
I sigh. Nothing about this woman is easy. I swear every time I interact with her, I feel like I’m trying to figure out the next move in a complicated game that I don’t know all the rules to.
“Am I right?”
“No! I barely even know anything about you.”
“Same goes for me when it comes to you.”
“I guess that solidifies my point, then.”
I bring my head forward and slant my lips over hers, and it’s the kind of kiss that’s been missing from my life for so long. One that starts off as a slow burn, a soft meeting of lips and the feather-light flick of the tongue. She’s receptive and her lips fit into mine. It’s like she’s laying the groundwork for something fierce. She’s building a fire, each teasing kiss serving as the kindling, until finally I unleash a groan, drive the kiss deeper, and the fire engulfs us. And then we’re devouring each other’s mouths again, making out with a passionate frenzy that’s heated. I pause for a moment, breathing heavily. Noelle’s gorgeous eyes peer back at me. A deep, dark green, like the jungle after a heavy rainfall. I can see why men like Burnham go nuts for her.
We stare at each other when we pull away, ignoring the gust of wind nipping at our skin.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” she rasps, pushing me away and turning her back to me.
I nod even though she can’t see me. “We end this, it’s back to the basis. Burnham leeches on to you, and Sara does the same to me.”
“That’s a risk I’ll have to take.”
“Until when?” I go around to face her again. I need her to look me in the eye when she rejects me. I need to see if she is hurting even a fraction of what I’m hurting with this conversation. And this is an arrangement. It shouldn’t hurt. But fuck…
“Until—"
A vibration echoes from her purse and she unclasps it, taking her phone out.
Her face pales when she sees the caller ID. Turning away from me, she says, “Abbie? Hello?”
There’s an inaudible response in the background that I can’t decipher. Suddenly, Noelle gasps and let out a small shriek. “Oh, my God. Abbie, just stay right there, okay? I’ll be home soon.”
When she cuts the line, I round up to her. “Is everything okay?”
Fidgety, she tries to step away from me. She’s trembling furiously. “I— I need to go home.” Her voice is breaking. “I’m sorry but I… but I have to go.”
Perplexed, I stare at her. “What’s wrong?”
Tears are forming in her eyes. Her mouth is moving but no sound comes. Her pain is so clear it is almost as if I can touch it.
“Let’s go. I’m driving.”
Nodding, she briskly follows me to the north wing of the parking garage where my car is and I drive to her apartment. Her eyes are shiny with heavy, unshed tears and she taps her foot impatiently on the car floor. Her mouth quivers as she takes in a sharp breath. “Please, go faster.”
Her house is thirty minutes away and I’m breaking laws and regulations left and right to get her there as fast as I can. I’m not taking any chances. Glancing at her, I ask, “What happened?”
A tense silence hangs between us. In a side glance, I see her expression soften. I reach out and squeeze her thigh. “It’s all good, Noelle. I got your back, okay?”
She bites her lip and gives me a grateful look.
I change lanes to pass a truck that’s traveling half the speed limit.
