Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Lu

A knock on the door had me smiling, especially knowing who waited on the other side.

I hurried through the living room and pulled the door open wide. "I was promised a milkshake."

Noah grinned. "How about pizza instead? There might even be stuffed crust."

"Ohhhh." I clapped my hands and reached for the plastic grocery bag dangling from his hand while he cradled the pizza box. "That's an appropriate substitution. Come on in."

Noah stepped into my apartment and nudged the front door closed with his elbow. "What are we watching?" he asked.

I'd thought about doing the girl thing where you say you don't care and whatever is totally fine. But that wasn't me. So I grinned mischievously and said, "One of my favorite eighties movies. All the machines and cars and electronics come to life because of a comet passing by the earth, and they terrorize and kill people in this town."

He made a disbelieving face. "What? Why?"

"The comet makes them do it. I don't know. It's a classic. You'll love it."

Noah appeared unconvinced.

We deposited the pizza and drinks on my coffee table and then settled in next to one another. Unlike the first time we watched television together, I wasn't worried about keeping my distance and scaring Noah off. Well, I was still a little concerned about frightening Noah away. Yes, things had progressed between us, and we were dating—his word choice—but Noah still had some uncertainty lingering around him. A fear in his eyes told me he was trying really hard to trust me, but he wasn't all the way there yet. And, honestly, getting caught driving the Jeep when he still thought it was in the shop had not been a good look. I still felt awful about not telling him the truth upfront.

During the long intro of the opening credits, Noah and I got situated with our food. He cast me a quick look before glancing back at his plate.

"What?" I asked, then took a bite of my slice.

"So I had someone contact me about building a website for them."

I chewed quickly so I could freak out. "That's amazing! Was it someone in town? How did they hear about you?"

Noah shook his head. "She just found my website by chance. It was really strange, but she contacted me a few days ago. We had a call to go over things and I'm working on it for her."

"I am so excited for you! And when you're ready for more clients, you just let me know."

He smiled. "I will."

I realized I didn't really know what Noah did for work before moving to Cozy Creek. "Do you enjoy that sort of work? Is this a new development?"

He chewed thoughtfully and took his time answering. "It is new, but yeah, I do enjoy it. Computer science was my major back in school. I'd always intended to go into web and app development."

I badly wanted to ask more questions, but Noah still hadn't offered up a lot of personal details—including why he'd come to Colorado and why he was driving for Jimmy Huber. Something about the way his eyes fastened on the television didn't invite a follow-up response.

So, I murmured, "That's really cool."

"And I talked to Cole Sutter. He said you'd mentioned me. Thanks for setting that up. I went for a run with him on his lunch break yesterday."

Nodding, I fought not to make too big a deal about that. Cole was a great guy with ties to the community as a member of the Cozy Creek Fire Brigade. I wanted Noah to fit in and be happy here, and if he had more friends, maybe he'd like it more.

Since I'd first met Noah, everything about him screamed cautious mistrust. Sometimes I got the feeling that Cozy Creek was this temporary stopover. Not everyone wanted to settle down, and I knew that.

But my roots were here. This was where I grew up—where I'd had fifteen years with my mother and fought to keep a relationship with my father. I loved this town.

Selfishly, I wanted Noah to accept this place that meant so much to me. I wanted it to be home for him too. He was already so important. You didn't just meet someone every day that you felt an undeniable connection with. I'd been attempting to date for the better part of a year. I knew that Noah was special. My heart knew it too.

But he wasn't ready to hear all that. He needed to take things slow, one day at a time. And if this new routine with Cole gave him another tie to Cozy Creek, then I would try to play it cool.

"That's great," I replied casually. "He's a nice guy."

Eventually pizza consumption slowed and we settled into the couch and watched the movie. Noah was equal parts entertained and horrified. We laughed together and teased, and eventually, he reached for my hand and laced our fingers together.

At one point, I glanced over and saw Noah's eyes were closed. The movie had only about ten minutes left, but it was late. I knew his schedule was a little wacky since he drove the evening and night shift for Jimmy. But he also didn't like to sleep the day away. That probably made it easy for weariness to kick in when Noah finally sat down and let himself relax, no matter the time of day.

Leaning forward, I slowly grabbed the remote and lowered the volume so it didn't disturb him. And then I watched him sleep like a total creeper.

His breaths were deep and even, chest rising and falling beneath his gray Henley. Long dark lashes rested on the tops of his cheeks. His light brown hair was getting pretty long on the top. I bet he hadn't found a place to have it cut since moving here. His hand still held mine, not loosening at all in his sleep. My eyes traced the line of his profile and all the scruff on his jaw.

I was just thinking about how handsome he was and how much I liked looking at him when the music and end credits stopped.

Noah blinked sleepy hazel eyes open before he found me next to him. "Staring at my unconscious body, were you?"

Unable to help myself, I grinned. "Yes, Sleeping Beauty. You ready for bed?" His dark brows rose in surprise, but I brazened it out and kept going. "You can stay if you want. I have a fresh toothbrush you can use. And then I won't have to worry about you crashing and dying on the way home."

He shifted and propped his elbow up on the arm of the couch, resting his head in his hand and staring at me. "What is it with you and transportation and dying? First, the flight where you weaseled a hug out of me, and now this. Cars are pretty safe, Looney Tunes."

I turned toward him on the couch, pulling my knees up and letting my feet hang off the side. "I'm just awesome like that."

Noah's gaze was warm and amused. "Yeah, I guess you are."

"We can just . . . sleep," I offered, my voice soft.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay."

Rising, I held out my hand, and Noah took it, following me down the hallway. I grabbed the spare toothbrush and left him in the bathroom while I took our dishes and trash to the kitchen.

I met Noah back in the hallway and led him to my bedroom. He helped me remove all my throw pillows, and we folded the comforter and the sheets back together.

"I'm just going to go change," I told him, the sound of my voice breaking the silence. It wasn't awkward, but it was tense. Expectant, even. But I meant what I'd said. Just sleep. Despite my orgasm in the back seat of the Bronco last week, I wasn't rushing Noah into anything.

After grabbing some pajamas from my dresser, I turned to peek at him from the doorway. Noah was toeing off his boots and unbuttoning his jeans.

I made quick work of my nighttime routine and slipped into a tie-dye sweatshirt and matching lounge shorts. Noah was already in my bed when I got back. The bright overhead light was now off, with just the bedside lamp casting the room in a soft glow. His skin was painted gold, the tops of his rounded shoulders sticking out from the blankets were bare and smooth.

I wanted to touch him. To glide my hands over his leanly muscled body. But instead, I slipped beneath the covers and turned on my side to face him.

"I like your pj's," Noah said, voice soft and sleepy again.

Lifting the covers and sneaking a glance beneath, I grinned and said, "I like yours too."

Noah laughed, and I ignored the way it made my stomach swoop. I also didn't let myself focus on the fact that he was in my bed in just his black boxer briefs and bright white socks.

Reaching back, I turned off the lamp and plunged the room into darkness. I could make out Noah's silhouette from the dim light from the windows.

"Good night, Noah."

"Good night, Luanne," he replied softly.

I fought a shiver at the use of my full name in that low voice—the same one that had whispered in my ear as I came. Tugging the blankets around my shoulders, I tried to force myself to relax despite the fact that there was a person in bed with me for the first time in a very long time.

It turned out that falling asleep with Noah was just as easy as everything else with him. I didn't toss and turn and spend hours staring at the ceiling before sleep claimed me. I dropped right off, content and warm and feeling like I was exactly where I belonged.

When I woke the following morning, it was still early. But I didn't think I could fall back asleep. I was a chronic early riser and there was also the fact that I was wrapped up in Noah.

He was spooning me from behind, his chest warm against my back as he breathed deep and even. His thighs tucked neatly along mine, all our long lines matching up. His face was probably buried under a mountain of blond hair, but if he minded, I couldn't tell.

Shifting just a bit, I rose to check the time. The phone on my bedside table said 6:42 a.m.

Noah's body edged closer at my subtle movement. His arm tightened around my waist, drawing me to him, and I felt something hard pressed to my backside.

Warmth flooded my system, and I fought the urge to arch into him. The instinct to grind my ass against his erection was admittedly strong.

I froze as Noah's face nuzzled my back, a sleepy groan rumbling close enough to feel. His hips flexed as he continued to wake up, the solid length of him insistent and oh-so welcome.

I could tell the moment awareness and wakefulness entered the chat because Noah became utterly still, even his breaths halted.

"Good morning," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Uh, morning." He cleared the roughness from his throat. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was a snuggler."

He lifted his arm from where he had it draped across me, but I reached down and kept him from retreating. "Don't be sorry. I like it. I'm a snuggler, too. Which probably doesn't surprise you at all."

Noah huffed a laugh, and I felt the heat of his breath, the force of his exhalation, his heart beating steady against me. I wanted to hear him sigh into my hair. To curse and moan and fall into me.

Carefully and slowly—so slowly—I rolled over to face him. I took in his pink cheeks and his sleep-mussed hair and thought my heart might be in real trouble here.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked, conscious of the promise I'd made the night before.

In answer, Noah brought his forehead to mine. I felt his arm ease back around me, holding me close and drawing me in.

I tangled my legs with his before cupping his jaw and pressing my lips to his. He made a sound deep in his throat when I arched my back. The contact between my breasts and his chest did nothing to ease the ache I felt growing between us. The closer I got, the closer I wanted to be.

Things got heated pretty quickly. Our kisses turned impatient, and our hands restless. Noah fastened his lips to my neck as my nails scraped across his shoulder blades. His hand was in the back of my underwear, cupping my ass and bringing us even closer. The erection pressing into my stomach was hot and hard and impossible to ignore.

Reaching low, I gripped Noah's dick through the fabric. His lips stuttered against the column of my throat, and a sharp inhale met my ears.

"Can I?" I breathed, terrified that he might say no. That he might not want this—want me.

But I felt him nod, forehead resting against my collarbone.

I gave a squeeze and felt his cock jump within my hold. Then I snaked my hand between us and beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs to touch him, skin to skin. He was hot and hard, and I wanted to make him feel as wild as he made me.

There was another harsh inhale from Noah when I started to move, pumping his firm length as his hips jerked forward, seeking my touch. I kept up a steady rhythm as his hands resumed massaging the globes of my ass.

When Noah's breathing became ragged, I removed my hand to urge him flat on his back. He seemed dazed as he watched me climb between his spread thighs and lower his boxer briefs to expose his dick to the cool morning air. My bedroom was still dim in the emerging daylight, but I could see him well enough, so hard and eager before me. His lean torso was taut and rigid as he awaited my next move, hazel eyes never leaving my face. I felt powerful and worshiped at the same time.

"Can I?" I repeated as I took his length in my grasp once more, slowly pumping up and down.

Noah's hand reached down to cover mine and pause my movement, but he didn't push me away. "I can't think with you doing that."

"Oh." I grinned unrepentant. I wanted Noah out of control for me—wanting me, needing me.

"What are you asking, Lu?"

My thumb leisurely traced the vein running along his impressive shaft, loving the feel of him, eager to put that dazed look right back on his handsome face. "Can I touch you here?"

Noah's throat worked as he swallowed, eyes following my movements.

"Can I taste you here?" I asked, once I reached the flared head of his cock, smearing his arousal with the pad of my thumb.

His plump lips—swollen from our earlier kisses—parted before he finally said, "You don't have to."

"I know. I want to, though. If that's okay with you."

His nod was tentative and cautious, as was his gaze. But then I leaned forward and swallowed him down as deep as I could go, and his eyelids closed, and he groaned.

I pulled back and swirled my tongue around his tip, gathering another bead of liquid and tasting him, salty and warm.

Using my hand to help, I set a pace as I moved over him, drawing him in and out of my eager mouth in a steady pace. I played around a little to find out what he liked, licking and sucking, hollowing my cheeks and using my other hand to cup his balls.

His hand snaked into my hair when I relaxed my tongue flat against the underside of his dick.

Color high and brows furrowed, Noah muttered, "Fuck," and guided my movements to a rhythm he liked.

I loved how Noah looked in my bed and how it felt to wake up with him. Heat built in my core when I remembered the feel of him, hard and unyielding against my ass. I let go of his balls to reach down my body. Slipping my fingers into my underwear, I gathered the growing wetness and brought it to my clit. I used three fingers to circle there, providing relief to the tension coiling tight inside me.

When I lifted my gaze, Noah was watching me, how my arm was angled, allowing me to touch myself. Another groan left his lips, and I knew I wanted to hear that sound again—with him inside me, behind me, surrounding me. I wanted to feel the rumble of his pleasure against my lips and in a million different ways.

This was the beginning for us. I couldn't forget the way he'd looked at me when we'd talked and he'd touched me in the back seat of the Bronco. He knew what was happening between us was . . . something else—something more. He had to.

And a blow job in my bed wasn't repayment for services rendered and orgasms delivered. This was seeing the look on his face and knowing I'd put it there. The pleasure, the wonder, and the overwhelming relief of meeting someone's needs—being the face of their desire. Even more than that—making their needs your own.

I liked the feel of him on my tongue and the way he gripped my hair, like he couldn't help himself. But more than anything, I loved taking the tight leash of Noah's self-control and wrapping it around my fist. I wanted him to come apart for me, the way I'd dissolved under his touch, the way I was coming apart right now from my own hand, and how he was looking at me.

I hummed against his flesh as my orgasm pulsed beneath my fingertips.

The tendons in Noah's neck strained, and he blew out a sharp breath. "I'm gonna come. You feel too good, and I can't—I'm gonna come."

Keeping my eyes on him, I saw the moment all his muscles went taut before he crossed the point of no return. His release flooded my mouth in waves, and I swallowed it down as Noah's body eventually relaxed into the mattress.

The hand tangled in my hair loosened, combing gently through the unruly strands. "Come here."

I climbed up his body, placing a few soft kisses as I went, before settling at his side. Noah drew me close, urging my head onto his chest while his hand still played in my hair. I felt the wild beat of his heart thundering beneath my ear and stayed long enough to listen as it gentled, settling into something quiet and content.

My body eventually relaxed into sleep as Noah held me. Our breaths deep and even. My heart wrecked and helpless and utterly undone.