Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Charlotte had a hard time concentrating on the action on the field. Especially with Noah looking ruggedly handsome in his rollneck sweater and well-worn jeans. From the moment he took her hand earlier, he hadn't let go. Throughout the game, he sat with his solid body pressed up against hers so that they were joined from knee to shoulder. She resented every time the team scored because it meant having to stand from their deliciously warm cocoon and cheer.

Then there was the funnel cake. A delicacy unfamiliar to Charlotte, but something she was going to enjoy again and again. Especially if it meant Noah would nibble at the trace of powdered sugar on the corner of her lip. Sophie wasn't going to let her live it down when that particular image landed on social media.

Her friend was probably crowing over video likely already posted of Charlotte at mid-field planting a congratulatory kiss on Noah's lips after the dedication was complete. It was a bold move, she knew, but she was taking Meemaw's words to heart. Going for what she wanted.

Something had shifted between them tonight. Noah was no longer acting like the man who'd once vowed she wasn't his type. Rather, he seemed proud and almost grateful to have her by his side as he navigated the evening. Both feelings she was experiencing herself.

And there was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes, either. Each time his gaze landed on her, the longing she saw reflected there stirred up the pent-up need he'd left her with last night. And every other time he'd touched her. She was grateful when the game ended with a win for the home team.

Forty-five minutes later, they were still trying to work their way past the well-wishers and fans who wanted to glad-hand with Noah. Charlotte tried to hang back, letting him have his moment, but Noah wasn't having it, keeping her glued to his side. He appeared to no longer care about dodging the media, pulling her into selfies with fans. She tried not to think about the feeding frenzy Bucky Kincaid was going to have with all the videos from the evening. That was a worry for another day.

The parking lot had cleared out when they reached Meemaw's truck.

"Looks like the rest of your family left us." She leaned her back against the driver's door.

"Mmm," was all he said.

Noah braced his hands on the roof of the cab, caging her in. Not that she felt trapped. Rather, she felt protected.

And desired.

"Is this the part of the evening where you lure me behind the bleachers?" she teased.

Noah scoffed. "Not private enough."

His hips bumped against hers when he moved in closer. Charlotte smothered a gasp at the contact. She pressed her palms to his chest, trailing her fingers along the soft waffle stitching of his cotton sweater.

"I have a confession to make," she told him. "I wasn't exactly honest with you last night."

Another scoff. "Do tell."

"I did come to last night's game with the express purpose of cheering for you." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And hopefully seeing you."

He looked like he'd stopped breathing. The streetlight behind his head made his face unreadable.

Charlotte forged on. "I came back to Baltimore because—" A shaky sigh escaped. "Because no matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about you."

Noah went still as a statue. She could feel his warm breath whispering against her cheek. Her fingers slid along the stubble of his jaw before they traced his bottom lip.

"And if I have to beg you to kiss me, I will."

He jerked away from her. Charlotte immediately mourned the loss of his body heat. And very probably her dignity.

"Noah?" she croaked.

He fumbled with his jeans pocket until the locks on the truck chirped.

"Get in the truck, Charlotte."

Seriously? Was he rejecting her again? She shook her head.

"I don't understand."

He reached behind her to open the door, the streetlight illuminating his face. His expression was strained. When she touched his forearm, his nostrils flared.

"Woman, get in the truck so I can take you home and do things to you that I'd rather do in private," he bit out through clenched teeth. "Please."

"Oh. Ohhhh !"

As soon as he yanked the door open, she scooted across the seat. He followed, turning the ignition and jerking the truck into motion. The five-minute ride felt like an eternity. If Charlotte had been restless sitting beside Noah on the bleachers and not being able to act on her desire, she was practically burning up with lust now. She started to shrug out of his jacket.

"Don't." His rough comment had her pulling up short. He steered the truck into the driveway. "I've been dreaming about undressing you for three fucking years. Don't you dare deprive me of that fantasy now."

Oh. My.

She froze with her arm halfway out of one sleeve as the truck lurched to a halt. Noah was out of the cab and around to the passenger side before she could right herself. He reached out a hand, but then seemed to think better of it.

"If I touch you now, we won't make it inside."

His coarsely uttered words had her panties wet. One by one, the motion-sensor lights blinked on as she marched swiftly toward Meemaw's front door. He reached around her to punch in the code on the lock. They were welcomed by a single lamp illuminating the foyer, coupled with the sound of his grandmother's soft snores drifting in from the back bedroom.

Charlotte experienced a brief lick of apprehension. "She wasn't kidding about taking out her hearing aids, was she?" she whispered.

Noah groaned. "You're killing me, Princess."

He jerked his chin toward the guest bedroom. Her pulse kicked up another notch at his assertiveness. Noah was a man of action. There would be no false platitudes or rambling soliloquies about his desire for her when they reached the bedroom. Based on their earlier encounters, his mouth and his hands would do all the talking.

The very thought was already driving her wild. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she began sauntering backwards. He followed, his focus intent on her mouth.

One of the bedside lamps was left on, casting a seductive glow over the queen-sized bed. Backing into the room, Charlotte could feel her annoying self-doubt start to rear its ugly head. What if she messed this up again? This wasn't like a casual fling with one of the banal trust fund boys of her past. This was Noah prowling toward her.

A man of substance.

The man she'd been longing for since before she even knew he existed. There was something about him that felt so true. So perfect. It was as if he was the missing piece that she'd been longing for her entire life. She'd known that rightness the moment she woke up beside him that long ago morning in London.

And, just like that, she knew she wouldn't mess this up. Because this was Noah. The only person she could be herself around. The only person who gave the impression of liking her for herself. Not her trust fund.

He closed the door and Charlotte's knees quivered slightly. She drew in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and jutting her chin up. A sly smile formed on his lips as he closed the distance between them.

A low, almost-feral sound escaped his mouth when he stopped mere inches from her.

"You have no idea how many nights I've dreamt of this," he said before lifting one hand to delicately finger the collar of his jacket she was wearing.

She canted her head so she could lean her cheek against his wandering fingers. "Actually, I have a pretty good idea."

He smiled at that, this grin relaxed and perhaps a little awestruck. His fingers moved to feather over her cheek. "I need to know this is what you want."

Of course he would ask that now. Most guys waited until both parties were hot and bothered before asking for acquiescence. Not that Charlotte wasn't already bordering on combustible. Still, she appreciated that Noah's character ran deep.

She rested her palms against his abdomen, letting a finger slide beneath his sweater. He flinched when she traced along the taut skin just above the waistband of his jeans. "I want this," she whispered. "With you."

The last word was barely out of her mouth before he kissed her. Only this kiss was unlike any he'd given her before. The hunger was still there, sure. Yet this kiss was different.

More reverent.

More tender.

More devoted.

Charlotte swallowed a sob of joy as she kissed him back, eager to convey the same emotions. It didn't take long for things to heat up, though. They'd started down this road a time or two before, and their mouths were becoming attuned to each other.

Tongues tangled as their hands wandered. Her hips swayed into his. A moan escaped the back of her throat when she brushed up against his hard length.

He tugged the jacket down her shoulders. She moaned again, more plaintive this time, when she was forced to remove her hands from his body so she could shrug out of the jacket. Noah had the nerve to chuckle against her mouth. It turned into a groan when her palm found the bulge in his jeans.

Noah nipped at her lip in response before soothing it with his tongue. His hands skimmed along the arms of her turtleneck, moving up and over the silk until his thumbs were torturing her nipples at the same time as he ravaged her mouth. When she began to fumble with the button on his fly, he dropped his hands to her waist, gripping her firmly so he could put some space between their bodies. Charlotte let out a tiny cry of frustration.

He dropped his chin to his chest. "We've got all night," he mumbled, sounding as if he was giving himself a little pep talk.

"Yes, we do. I'm not going anywhere."

Her whispered reassurance was all the encouragement he needed. He yanked the hem of her shirt up her torso. Her arms and hair got tangled in the silk. Noah wasted no time taking advantage of her captivity, bowing his head, and scraping his teeth over her nipple, already straining through the satin fabric of her bra. Charlotte swore, frantically working her arms free, then pulling the fabric from her hair.

Their eyes locked. The hunger she saw in his expression took her breath away. It also had her feeling a tad self-conscious. She reached up to tame her wild hair.

"Don't." He brushed her hands away before working his fingers through what had to be a riotous mess.

"I'm sure I look like a troll," she mumbled.

He chuckled. "Your hair is exactly like you. Wild." He tugged her closer. "Unpredictable." His tongue teased one corner of her mouth. "Exciting."

She tried to capture his lips with hers, but he was having none of it. Instead, exploring the tender skin beneath her ear.

"Unique." He nibbled along her collarbone.

Her knees did that wobbly thing again, while the rest of her grew taut with longing. She dug her nails into his shoulders.

"And unbelievably gorgeous," he whispered before giving her what she wanted.

He ravished her mouth at the same time as he edged their bodies closer to the bed. Seconds later, they toppled onto the mattress, their mouths still fused, their arms and legs tangled together. He rolled her beneath him, aligning his body between her legs. She gasped into the kiss at the feel of him rubbing against her aching core.

"On second thought," she panted once she managed to coax her mouth from his. "I'm not willing to wait all night. I need you naked. Now."

His arched eyebrow told her she'd likely pay for her bossiness later. To her relief, he pushed up onto his forearms, reached behind his head with one hand and tugged the sweater off. He sent it sailing into the shadows.

"Finally," she moaned, letting her fingers slide along the smooth muscles of his competitor's body. Feeling the heat of his gaze, she tore her attention away from her mission to map out his shape, lifting her arms so he could free her from her bra. Her boots hit the floor with two loud thumps, followed by his sneakers.

Before she knew it, they were both naked, skin-to-skin, on the bed. Noah hummed with appreciation, while his lips undertook a slow, torturous exploration of her body.

"Noah," she moaned when her nerve endings were so aroused, she didn't think she could take it any longer. She was growing frantic to have him inside her.

But this was Noah. Of course, he was going to take care of her first. And, as it turns out, Noah was a talker during sex. The consummate gentleman, asking for permission before every move.

Is it okay if I touch you here?

Do you like it this way?

May I kiss you here?

Is it good for you?

Yes, yes, yes! She cried, writhing beneath him. He placated her with not one, but two toe-curling orgasms.

She wanted to do the same for him. Touching him everywhere she could reach. Learning how to make him moan with pleasure, too. And when he looked at her one last time, a silent request for permission in his eyes, the foil packet in his fingers, Charlotte whipped it away from him and tore it open.

"Yes, Noah. Please, God, yes."

He eased into her, swallowing her gasp of pleasure with a kiss. Their bodies lined up perfectly, like two halves of the same piece. He propped himself up on his elbows, staring down at her with a half-drunk smile on his face. She hiked up her hips to allow him to seat himself deeper.

"Mmm." He stared down at her, his expression pure male satisfaction, appearing to savor the moment.

Clenching her muscles around him, she reached up and brushed that untamed piece of hair out of his eyes.

"Don't you dare ask me permission one more time," she told him. "I want this. So, so much."

That's all it took for him to shed his polite demeanor and show off his athletic prowess. He moved like a man possessed with want.

"Yes," she murmured in encouragement.

His breathing became more fractured with every stroke. Charlotte cried out with delight, wrapping her legs more securely around his hips. He muttered something lethal sounding when she began scoring her nails along his back. Their bodies, now slick with exertion, were moving in perfect synchronicity. Her hips kept pace with him thrust for thrust until the humming in her veins threatened to overwhelm her.

"Noah," she begged. "Please."

She thought he might have chuckled at her plea. But then he sent her flying over the edge and all she could think about was the unadulterated bliss ebbing through her body. With a very un-Noah-like savage groan, he thrust into her one last time, then collapsed beside her.