Chapter 20

In the pouring rain, Noah and Maggie dashed back to the car with Boon. They all clambered inside and Noah started the engine, but he didn't put it in gear. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. She smiled at the old-fashioned gesture, but gratefully mopped off her wet face and then used it to squeeze the rain out of her dripping hair. Afterward, Maggie rested back in her seat, her eyes closed, mind whirling.

She was so happy to know that Valentina was alive that she wanted to dance. She knew the path before them was not going to be an easy one, but now, at least, Noah was going to be safe. There would be no murder charge against him, and it was a relief to have a solid plan in place.

But now that they were alone again, some of the underlying peace she'd just experienced dissipated as her thoughts flipped back to earlier that evening.

She and Noah had kissed. A really, really good kiss.

The thrill of that memory swept over her like a Lake Michigan wave, making her heart race. But coming right along in its wake was a feeling of dread. The love she had for Noah Riley that had begun blossoming in high school was now in full bloom. But she felt her throat grow tight as she thought about the fact that he didn't feel the same way about her, and she swallowed past the hard lump that had formed there. How could she possibly go back to trying to find the perfect match for Noah in light of her feelings toward him? The answer was, she couldn't.

Noah's voice broke into the turmoil of her thoughts. "Can you believe all this?"

She opened her eyes and sat up, pressing her hands to her forehead to stop the onflow of thoughts, trying to focus on his words. Then she slowly shook her head. "No, it's so much to take in."

Boon's snuffling nose poked between the seats at the sound of their voices. He whined softly and placed one furry paw onto Maggie's arm. She turned to meet his gentle brown gaze that seemed to radiate concern and couldn't help smiling at him. "It's okay, bud," she said softly, patting his head. "We're just overwhelmed."

"And then some," Noah said, stroking the side of Boon's neck. "It's just like Eric said, it feels more like something out of a movie than real life."

Maggie nodded, then turned in her seat to face him. "What about you, how are you feeling about all of this?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, I mean you've gone through a lot of abuse in their quest to escape mob life," she said. "You were drugged, lost your memory, endured the stress of potentially being accused of murder." She shook her head. "And all because...because I matched you up with a mafia princess." She covered her face with her hands, her voice muffled as she spoke through them. "I'm so sorry, Noah."

He gently grasped her wrists and guided them away from her face. His fingers trailed down to claim both of her hands. His touch was like the comfort of a warm blanket enveloping her. "Cut it out," he said softly. "There's no way you could have known any of this. Nobody could have known any of this!"

He dropped his gaze and they sat in silence for a long moment, but he still kept ahold of her hands. Rain droplets covered the car windows, forming blurred patterns of the outside that resembled the brushstrokes of an impressionist painting. When he finally spoke again, his voice held a strange note. "You really want to know how I'm feeling? Here it is. I'm glad Valentina is alive. I'm glad we didn't just die in there." Then he looked up and met her gaze, causing her heart to skip a beat. "But as crazy as this sounds, Maggie, I wouldn't have changed one single thing about the past couple of days. Except," his teeth gleamed as he flashed a grin in the darkness, "maybe the part where we were attacked by mobsters. But I will never regret one single second that I got to spend with you, Maggie, renewing our...relationship."

She noted how he stumbled over that last word, and it only strengthened her resolve in enacting the decision she'd just made.

"About that," she said, gently disentangling her fingers from his. "I agree, renewing our friendship has been great. Really great. But we need to talk about what happened earlier tonight, Noah."

He looked confused.

She rolled her eyes. "The kiss?"

"Aaahh." A slow smile curved Noah's lips. "You mean this?" And before she could react, he'd leaned in and was kissing her again. This time there was no hesitancy in it. His lips moved against hers with an intensity that took her breath away and sent a surge of desire coursing through her body. Maggie's head spun as she lost herself in the taste and touch of him. And for one blissful moment, she let her heart soar as she melted into the kiss. Her hands found their way to his broad shoulders, and he tunneled a hand through her hair, cradling the back of her head and angling her to deepen the kiss. His tongue teased at her lips, and when she opened to him, he explored her mouth with a hunger that matched her own.

But then the reality of their situation began to creep back into her consciousness. Something niggled at the back of her mind...something she was supposed to do. Or say. His lips trailed a tingling path along her jaw to her ear where he nibbled at her earlobe, the heat between them sizzling like a live wire.

"I need to...I want to..." She was losing her train of thought.

"Yes?" he whispered against her skin, sending fresh waves of sensation rocketing around her insides.

With Herculean strength, she fought for focus and lifted her hands, placing both palms flat against his broad chest and gently pushing him back. The moment his lips left hers, she felt the loss like a physical ache.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Then she took a deep fortifying inhale and let it out. "Noah, I need to say something."

He pulled back and studied her, his eyes held a mixture of desire and confusion. "What is it?"

"I'm dropping you as a client." The words came out more bluntly than she'd intended.

Even in the darkness, she could sense his surprise. Noah frowned, his brow furrowing. "Okay," he said slowly. "That makes sense in light of—"

"We can't do this," Maggie interrupted him. "Now that we know that Valentina is all right, and we have this great plan in place, it's time to get back to reality. The fact is, I should never have kissed you. I've not only compromised my business ethics, but I've messed up the entire process for you. I've distracted you from your goal of finding the right woman to share your life with."

"But—"

She held up a hand and he hesitated.

"We both know that woman isn't me, Noah." She shook her head and scooted back farther into her seat, putting even more distance between them. "Over the past few days, you've made it clear how much you value our friendship, and I don't want to jeopardize that just because our emotions are heightened due to the stress we've been under. We got caught up in the moment. And if we took this any further, you'd be doing what you always do: picking the wrong woman."

"But—"

"No buts, Noah. My mind is made up," she said firmly. She turned to face forward and reached for her seatbelt. "Tomorrow, I'll refer you to another matchmaker I know in Grand Rapids. With your permission, I'll share your file with her so that you're not starting at ground zero. I'll also refund your money, so you won't be out anything when you switch."

Noah was silent for so long, she wondered if he was going to say anything at all. The car suddenly felt small and suffocating, the dampness of the rain seeming to seep through the glass.

Boon whined and poked his head through the seats again, this time his focus was on Noah. "Sounds like you thought of everything." His voice was hoarse, scraping against the raw emotion she struggled to contain. She kept her hands tightly folded together in her lap, when all she really wanted to do was wrap them around him, hold him impossibly close, and kiss him again.

Without another word, he put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking space. She could feel the tension radiating from him like a palpable force. She knew that she'd hurt him. But better to hurt him a little bit now than to cause them both a lot of grief later.

They drove in silence, and as they approached Whispering Pines' downtown, Maggie glanced at the car clock. It was after three in the morning. Ugh. And it was Monday, so they'd both have work today. She had a lot to do in order to switch him over to the new matchmaker. But first, she had to get some sleep. After all the events of tonight, she was physically and emotionally exhausted.

Suddenly, she was aware that he'd made an unexpected turn. "Where are you going?" she asked, breaking the silence. "My apartment is the other way."

"I'm not driving to your apartment. I'm driving us back to my brother Wade's house," he said stiffly.

She shook her head. "Uh-uh, no way. Please, just take me home, Noah."

His face flashed in anger. "No."

"What do you mean, no?" she said.

He immediately pulled over and stopped the car on the side of the empty road. "I mean no, Maggie. Despite everything that happened tonight, Nick and Johnny are still out there. It only makes sense to stay someplace safe until we know they're gone."

Maggie shook her head. "I—I'm not comfortable with that, Noah. Please, just take me home, I'll be fine."

He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Well, we have a problem then, Maggie," he said, his tone firm. "Because I'm not comfortable with that."

They sat in a strained, angry silence just staring at each other while outside lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the dark sky. The tension between them was heavy, each of them refusing to back down.

Finally, Noah broke the silence. "If you insist on me taking you home, you're not staying there alone. I'll sleep on the floor if I have to. But I will not leave you unprotected tonight."

"It's morning," she said, aware that she was just being contrary now.

"Morning, whatever. You've got two choices. We go to my brother's place again, or to your place. But either way, I'm not leaving you alone."

She took in the stubborn set of his jaw and realized she wasn't going to move him on this. "All right, fine, but it will be my place. And you don't have to sleep on the floor; I have a sofa."

"Great." He didn't sound like it was great, but he put the car back into gear and made a U-turn.

Inside her apartment, she disappeared for a moment and returned with a washcloth, towel, and blanket for him, along with an extra pillow, carrying them to where he sat on the small sofa.

Boon had already made himself at home on the rug beside it. He'd curled his long, lean body into a deceptively small ball of tawny and black fur. His head rested on his paws, and his dark eyes studied her solemnly. It was a little disconcerting.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "But apparently it's not something you can give me right now."

She frowned in confusion.

"Never mind," he sighed. "No, I don't need anything else."

"Okay, well then, goodnight." She turned and walked back down the hallway to her bedroom.

He turned off the living room lamp just as she reached her door.

"Goodnight." His words were a whispered caress in the dark.