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A sound so pure like a melody I’ve known all my life.
“Noah,” I whisper. “That was perfect.”
He brushes a loose strand of hair away from my face.
“I wanted our first time to be perfect,” he says softly, then follows with a devious smirk. “But, since that’s now over, it’s time to get dirty. Are you ready to head home? I’ve got plans for you, and sleep isn’t one of them.”
I laugh beneath him. “Show me what you got, cowboy.”
KATE
My breath hitches as my head falls to the pillow in pure bliss.
I can barely open my eyes, every muscle sore with a delicious ache from a man who has ravaged me nonstop since the moment we stepped foot in my apartment.
“You’ve killed me.” My throat is dry, desperate for water, though I can’t move a single limb. “Am I even alive?”
Noah snickers beside me, running his finger along the side of my breast, causing me to shiver in delight. My eyes are still closed as his lips circle around my nipples, a moan escaping me once again.
“I hate to burst your bubble, but Necrophilia isn’t my thing,” he informs me.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. Reaching over to the side, I bring it close to me and open one eye to see the number on the screen, sending it straight to voicemail.
“You’re a wanted woman. Your screen is covered in text and email notifications.”
“I know, it’s like they don’t know I’m having the most intense orgasm ever,” I say with resentment. “Selfish bastards.”
I manage to twist on my side, bringing my face toward his chest to feel his skin. He smells so masculine, and despite my earlier complaint of being ravaged, a stir between my legs sends mixed signals. This is insane.
“I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
“I wish I didn’t have to either. But I have work and Jessa,” he mentions while stroking my hair with his fingertips. “Plus, I’m thinking of flying to San Francisco to see Nash next weekend.”
“Have you asked Olivia to move closer to you?”
He continues to play with my hair, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know how to bring it up. Olivia is a reasonable woman, nothing at all like Morgan. I guess I’ve been pre-occupied with a certain somebody who’s lying naked beside me.”
My lips part into a loving smile, then slowly, I kiss his chest wishing things were different.
“Far from me to intrude, but what if you can compromise? If she can move closer, you can help, as can your mom. Some of the smaller carriers only fly on the West Coast. One of our business associates owns a charter company specializing in corporate traveling. Perhaps, a company like that would mean that she could still work but be home each night.”
Noah stares at me avidly, pressing his lips together.
“I’m sorry… it’s your life and—”
“Hey…” he interrupts, lifting my chin, so our eyes meet. “Don’t be sorry. I love your intelligence, your ability to see a situation and find solutions. You’ve always been this headstrong woman, but with the biggest goddamn heart I know. It’s why I love you.”
I fall silent at his words. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard the comments leave his mouth but in a different context. He’s said it as a best friend when there was no romantic interest in me whatsoever. But now, those three words sound entirely different.
“I love you, Kate, and before you say anything in which you don’t have to say anything, I want you to know that this isn’t new to me. I’ve known this fact for a long time, but life panned out differently. So many times throughout my marriage, I wanted to reach out to you, but I couldn’t. So instead, I stalked you online.”
“Noah—”
“Let me finish, please. Morgan and I never truly fit. We weren’t easy together, but I gave our relationship the benefit of the doubt and because others told me marriage wasn’t easy. You have to work hard for it. But I knew deep down inside that both of us were working too hard to save something we never truly had.” He takes a deep breath, then continues, “She was right last week when she called me about the party. She said she never had a chance because it was always you. And there were countless nights when I’d lay there and think about you, about us and what we had. The guilt ate away at me because I felt like I wasn’t giving Morgan a chance because you were on my mind. So, just so you know… this has been a long time coming for me.”
All along, I was jealous of a woman who won Noah’s heart. And last week, when she called me second best, her own insecurities were being projected. The saying stays true, you don’t know what battle someone is fighting behind the scenes.
“But this is new to me,” I confess, swallowing the lump in my throat. “For the longest of time, I’ve buried the memories of us and refused for them to surface. I purposely distanced myself not to see your new life. I built my life to focus on only me because the thought of having my heart broken again was just not going to happen. It’s why I agreed to the arrangement with Dominic. But you did break me, Noah. It’s hard to know that you were falling in love with someone else. And now…”
