AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s surprisingly cold but that doesn’t seem to bother Noah. He dives into a cresting wave and comes up on the other side, wet floppy hair curtaining his eyes. I suppress a yelp as a wave hits the top of my thighs, splashing cold water against my cock.
‘You just gotta jump in,’ Noah calls from where he floats a few metres away.
Sucking in a breath, I dive under a wave and brace for the cold. Surprisingly, it’s not that bad. I break the surface and swim out to Noah. When I reach him, he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his chest. We’re out far enough that the waves don’t break over us and we can float in the placid water.
‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ I say as his fingers entwine with mine. ‘When you come to Paris, I’m going to take you to the Alps. We’ll rent a cabin and spend the day skiing, and at night, we’ll lie by a log fire.’
Noah laughs. ‘I can’t ski, Gabi.’
‘I’ll teach you,’ I say. ‘It’s easy, I promise.’
‘I think you’ll make it look easy.’ Noah snuggles in, his chin resting on my shoulder to look back at the beach. ‘You can’t be serious about that sort of stuff, can you?’
‘What stuff?’ I ask.
He rears back to look at me. ‘Stuff that happens after the tournament. I mean, I like what we have now for as long as we have it. But you could be out of the tournament tomorrow.’
‘It doesn’t mean we have to stop being friends,’ I say.
‘Friends.’ He repeats the word like he dislikes the taste of it. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t go to your next match. Just to let #retrotennisguy blow over.’
‘Is this because of Papa?’ I ask, struggling to keep up with how quickly this conversation changed. ‘Because he’s sorry for what he said, sometimes he’s just a little—’
‘It’s not.’
I grasp Noah’s hip and pull him to me, our bodies knocking against each other as the current pushes us towards the shore. ‘Then why? I want you to be there.’
Noah looks away, clearly embarrassed.
‘Noah, why?’
‘It’smydad, okay?’ Noah admits finally. ‘With the article going viral, I’m worried he might see it. I don’t know what he might do. Growing up, he wasn’t the best dad ever. He made my life hell. He was violent.’ Noah glances back to shore, unable to look at me, and I study the water droplets that hang off the ends of his dark eyelashes. ‘I’ve spent the last two years keeping a low profile. As much as I tell myself I’m not a kid anymore and that he’s out of my life . . . when I saw that article this morning, I was scared. Scared that he’d find me and—’
He trails off, a little embarrassed. The urge to help Noah is overwhelming, even though I know I can’t. He’s already discovered a life in front of the camera comes with very little protection; people will demand more than you’re willing to give, simply because they feel entitled to the information. ‘Did you tell the police?’
Noah laughs mirthlessly. ‘Heisthe police. A retired cop. No one believed us in Bendigo. Why would they believe us here?’
‘I believe you.’
He gives me a tight smile. ‘It’s fine. I know how to keep myself safe.’ He runs a hand through my hair, smoothing the curls back from my face. ‘Forget him. He’s not worth thinking about. In better news, I have a trial shift at the Rosewood tonight.’
‘That’s great!’ I assure Noah, even though the issues with his father are definitelynotforgotten. ‘I’m excited for you.’
‘Thanks,’ he replies. ‘I’m excited too. A new beginning.’
It’s starting to get a little cold, and my stomach rumbles. ‘Do you want to go back? Maybe we could get something to eat?’
Noah shakes his head and wraps his arms around my shoulders. ‘Not just yet.’
He kisses me. I pull him closer. I can’t keep him safe, or make all the drama and baggage in our lives magically disappear, but I can kiss him. I can kiss him until all he can think about is the way my mouth moves over his, and hope, somehow, that it’s enough.
Noah’s all sunglasses, sea salt and sex appeal as he drives, the first three buttons of his navy shirt open to reveal the top of his chest. ABBA’s on the radio: ‘Dancing Queen’.
As I watch him drive, I think about how lucky I am to have met him. How circumstances led me to his bar, of all places.
He looks at me over his sunglasses. ‘So that’s the beach ticked off. Any other tourist ideas?’
‘Not really.’
