Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

GEMMA

W hen my friends had been joking about Noah not being old enough to legally drink, they hadn’t been too far off. He was literally just legal.

It sank in that he’d been fourteen when I’d become legal, and I instantly felt like a creepy granny getting a high school boy liquored up. The only thing that kept me from leaving right then was the intensity of the connection I felt with him. And there was nothing childish about the man sitting across the table from me.

He was all man, and despite the larger than expected age difference, I still felt an invisible tether drawing me to him. It kept me right where I was.

What really is seven years, anyway? In dog years, we’re basically the same age.

I sighed, knowing that was a reach.

For his part, Noah didn’t appear to be concerned at all. When I’d first told him my age, his eyes had widened just a little bit, telling me he’d been somewhat shocked himself, but he’d shrugged it off without even giving it a second thought.

I stared at him from across the table, taking in the finer nuances of the color in his eyes, like how he had a slightly darker blue ring around his irises. I decided age wasn’t such a big deal. Behind those eyes lay a mind I desperately wanted to get to know better, and right then, the fact that said eyes had only been open for twenty-one years didn’t seem to matter all that much.

Finally, I managed a small but real smile and tightened my fingers around his. “Alright then, Noah Parks. We’re not going to let this get in our way. Now, where did Al go? If you’re legally allowed to drink alcohol, they make a cocktail here that you absolutely have to try.”

Al, our server, appeared at our table like my mental distress and uncertainty had summoned him. “What can I get you?”

“Two Hot and Heavies, please.” I felt Noah’s amusement as I placed the order, but I chatted to Al, who knew me as a semi-regular here, for a few more seconds before I turned back to my date. He was staring at me with a slightly arched eyebrow, as if he was waiting for an explanation. “What?”

“Hot and Heavy, huh?”

“Yep.” I grinned. “You’ll love it.”

“Getting hot and heavy with you? Always. Drinking it, however…” He lifted one shoulder in a shrug, laughter shimmering in his eyes as he tried to fight a smile. “Are you okay? You’re blushing.”

My cheeks grew a little hotter under his intent gaze. “I’m not really used to people being so forward, is all.”

“I prefer the term honest .” He let that smile loose and I nearly swooned under the brilliance of it. The guy really was too good looking for his own good—and definitely much too good looking for my own good. “Are you okay?”

I blinked a few times fast and dropped my chin in a nod. “Sure. Yeah. I’m just feeling a little dazed, I guess. It’s not every day I go on a date with a younger man who looks like you and who has thousands of fans countrywide. Maybe worldwide.”

He chuckled. “It’s not every day I get to go on a date with a woman who looks like you . I am a little worried about these cocktails, though. Hot and Heavy? It sounds like that could be dangerous.”

“Are you afraid of a little danger?” Or maybe he’s just careful because he hasn’t been drinking for long enough yet to trust his own tolerance.

Urg. Damn it. Stop it. If anything, he doesn’t want to lose control like his mother.

It was a sobering thought, which I didn’t share with him.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Noah chuckled, stroking his thumb along the side of my hand as he shook his head. “Am I afraid? No. I don’t want to say something cliched like ‘danger is my middle name,’ but I do know a thing or two about living on the edge.”

“Really?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Like what?”

We were flip-flopping between light flirtation and heavier subjects, but it was really working for me. It kept the atmosphere between us easy and fun rather than creating tension, which was great—and it also reminded me of just how effortless and natural talking to him had been since the very beginning.

Noah and I always seemed to be on the same wavelength. The chemistry between us was off the charts, and we’d never once had an awkward silence. Somewhere deep down inside, I still wondered if the age gap would eventually be the reason we didn’t work out, but I couldn’t deny that I’d never fallen into a blossoming relationship with anyone quite as easily as I was with him.

That had to count for something—even if my desire to start a life and a family with someone might eventually scare him away. It was highly unlikely a twenty-one-year-old popstar would want to settle down anytime soon, but for now, I’d promised both him and myself that I would give it a chance, and that was what I would do.

If heartache was inevitable, that was all the more reason to make the most of the time we had together.

Noah’s head had cocked while all those thoughts had been racing around my mind, and he suddenly grinned. “The way I see it, I’ve lived most of my life on the edge one way or another, but I’m also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. When we’re filming our music videos and there’s some or other stunt to be tried, I’m the guy who volunteers.”

“That’s your idea of living on the edge?” I teased. “Volunteering to do stunts that are overseen and designed by professionals, probably with an entire medical team on standby?”

His grin widened. “People get hurt doing stunts all the time, but okay, Gemma Longstrum. Let’s hear it. What have you got that’s better than volunteering to do the stunts?”

“Me?” I laughed, finally withdrawing my hand from his to pick up my cocktail when Al brought them over. We placed our food orders before he left. Then I shook my head at Noah once Al was gone. “I never said that I live on the edge. I don’t. I’ve always lived very much on solid ground, far, far away from any edges.”

His gaze softened on mine. “I don’t believe that. You don’t seem like the type to play it safe all the time.”

“Oh, I am that type,” I admitted. “Recently though, I’ve been trying to branch out. Mariam, Laurel, and I have all been working on stepping out of our comfort zones a little bit.”

“What does that mean?”

I pulled in a deep breath. “Do you remember when I told you on the plane that you’d helped me with something when you kissed me?”

Flames burst to life in his eyes as he nodded. “Yep. My offer still stands, by the way. I’m always available to help you with that again if you need me to.”

Warmth spread across my body, but it also moved to my cheeks, making them burn a little even as the rest of me seemed to suddenly come alive. “Thanks. I might just take you up on that, but it probably wouldn’t be in the same way again.”

“Pity.” He groaned. “I’m so confused right now, though.”

I flashed him a playful smile. “For example, my friends and I don’t always go around throwing toilet paper on people’s houses.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that from all the warnings Jack and the others were giving you about what to do and what not to do.”

I chuckled. “And you didn’t wonder why we were doing it for the first time when we’re almost thirty?”

“To be fair, I didn’t know at the time that you’re almost thirty, but of course, I wondered. I just figured you’d talk to me about it when you were ready.”

My heart gave a little squeeze. “You’re very patient.”

“I do my best. It is a virtue, after all.” He winked. “I could use a little extra virtue.”

I giggled. “Couldn’t we all?”

“I don’t know,” he mused softly. “You seem pretty virtuous to me.”

“Not always. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I kissed a stranger in an airplane bathroom.”

“Which brings us back to the original conversation,” he said. “What exactly was I helping you with that day, aside from the obvious?”

“Completing the first task on my portion of the Naughty List.”

Those blues widened, his chin lowering. “Your what?”

“This will probably be a little easier to understand if I start at the beginning,” I said.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Please.”

“Okay, so, Laurel, Mariam, and I have always been what you might refer to as goodie-goodies. We never took many risks. We always do what’s expected of us and we completely missed the ‘rebel without a cause’ phase, so we came up with a list.”

“A list?”

I nodded. “When we were fourteen, we wrote down twelve things that good girls like us would never do, and we pledged to do them if none of us were married with kids by the time we had our ten-year high school reunion.”

“You were fourteen when you came up with this?”

I smirked. “We were pretty self-aware even then. We knew there were things we’d never do unless we had to, so those were the things we wrote down.”

“Okay, I’m starting to see what you’re talking about.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Writing down a list of ways to live wildly is some truly nerdy shit.” He laughed, his eyes dancing with merriment. “You weren’t kidding about being goodie-goodies. It’s cute.”

I grinned and shrugged. “Told you so. Anyway, our reunion was earlier this year, and obviously, we’re all single and none of us are moms, so we broke out the list and we drew our first tasks on Halloween.”

“Halloween, huh? That was the day of our flight. I like where this is going.”

“My first task was to kiss a stranger on an airplane in the bathroom.” I smiled. “So thanks for that.”

Noah laughed. “I don’t think you can claim that one. I kissed you .”

“Sure, but I kissed you back, didn’t I?” I batted my lashes at him. “It totally counts.”

“In that case, I was happy to help you check off your first task. Was the TPing on your list as well?”

“Nope, that was Mariam’s,” I said. “I haven’t drawn my second task yet.”

“Let’s do it,” he said excitedly, sitting up straighter as he leaned forward. “Draw your second task. I want to see what else fourteen-year-old you thought was ‘living on the wild side.’ Do you have the list with you?”

“Of course, but right now?”

“Yes, right now. Why not? This is my new favorite thing. I love it.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You do?”

“I do,” he said, and my mind flashed on another occasion on which one might hear those words from the mouth of the man you’d been seeing. But Noah was blissfully oblivious to the mental image I’d just had of a future that probably would never come for us.

Instead, he was giddy with excitement, his eyes lit up with the spark of it as he spoke. “This is awesome, Gemma. I love that you’re adventurous and that you’re up for a challenge even though it hasn’t always come naturally to you. I think it’s really brave that you’re trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone and I want to support you.”

A whole different kind of warmth spread through me. He wants to support me. The me that I’m trying to become, too.

I grinned. “Alright. Let’s do it. Like you said, why not now?”

Al came by to drop off our food and I glanced at Noah once we were alone again. “Okay, eat first, and then we do it.”

He nodded his agreement, picking up his cutlery and practically vacuuming half his steak before he dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “Ready whenever you are.”

I chuckled around the bite I’d just taken but did my best to eat fast without looking like I was stuffing my face. My fettuccine was so good that I was actually kind of glad to have an excuse to inhale it, though.

As soon as I was done, I washed it down with a sip of wine and then reached for my purse. Pulling out the little wooden box I’d taken to carrying around with me in case the right moment struck, I smiled at my date. My heart raced as I wondered what this next task was going to be.

Slowly lifting the lid, I reached in and drew my second task, reading it aloud after stowing the box away once more. “Pole dance at a popular nightclub.”

“And the crowd goes wild!” Noah pretended to cheer and clap, obviously not wanting to draw too much attention by getting too loud, but he was clearly even more excited now. “God, I’m glad I’m going to be there for that one.”

I was glad he was old enough to get into a nightclub.

A thrill shot down my spine as I flashed him a probably too flirty smile. “Should we knock it off the list tonight?”

“Yes.”

I grinned. “Okay, then. Drink up. This might just be fun.”

“It’s definitely going to be fun,” he countered, teeth sinking momentarily into his lower lip as he went a bit cross-eyed.

I shivered. The thought of seeing me pole dance made Noah Parks go cross-eyed? He’s right. This is awesome.

A belly full of fettucine might not have been the best prep for sexy pole dancing, but we had one more drink, which helped give things time to settle. I felt ancient beside him again. Worrying about healthy digestion was such a grandma move. I internally laughed at my ridiculous thoughts and brushed them away.

Both of us finished our drinks and he insisted on paying before we took off to go find a club. Thankfully, there was a super popular spot not far away and we decided to walk there. Noah held my hand all the way from the restaurant to the line of club-goers waiting to gain entrance inside.

I stopped at the back of the line, but Noah shot me a questioning look over his shoulder, then tugged me to him, striding confidently to the bouncer manning the velvet rope. The guy took one look at my date and unclipped his precious rope, smiling when Noah offered him a handshake and a quick, one-armed hug as he let us in.

The good girl inside me felt guilty about bypassing all those people who had been waiting, but the devil on my shoulder was strutting around in slutty heels. Not even the stuffy air pressing against my skin as we made our way around the dance floor to the bar could make that little devil any less happy.

Lights flashed red, green, and blue from above, a disco ball casting prisms of light into the air as bodies writhed on the dance floor—and the little stages around it. On top of those was the reason we’d come here: the poles.

Nerves skittered across my skin, but I also felt a flurry of excitement traveling through my insides. Or was that the pasta? No, definitely excitement.

I had never even danced on a stage in a nightclub, let alone around a pole. Strangely, I was looking forward to it, though.

Because Noah would be watching me.

Noah, who, halfway through the dance floor, was mobbed by women wanting his attention, which brought my focus back to him. Part of me wanted to get between him and all these vultures in lipstick suddenly circling around us, pawing at him with their claws.

He was good with them, though, smiling and being polite while also visibly keeping his distance. He kept raising our joined hands as if to show them he was here with me, which made another thrill shoot down my spine.

It felt like he was claiming me. Proudly so, too.

Eat your hearts out, skanks.

I knew they were all probably nice, normal girls, but the possessive part of me was kind of a bitch, apparently. She would have no mercy if they came after my man.

Noah wasn’t interested in anyone else though. He kept giving me these smoldering stares as we walked, and when we finally got our drinks and hit the dance floor ourselves, he made me feel like the only girl in the world. With his big, strong hands on my hips, his muscular thigh between mine, and his gaze locked on me, I didn’t even spare a thought for the girls I could feel glaring at the back of my head.

All night long, Noah had eyes only for me. We couldn’t talk much thanks to the volume of the music, but our bodies were doing all the talking for us. Bass reverberated through the club, vibrating the air and pulsing in time with the flickering lights.

His hands found mine easily, his fingers warm and steady as he held me to him. The rhythm of the song flowed through us as if we’d been dancing together for years. As seemed to happen with us, our bodies synced effortlessly.

Noah moved with a dancer’s confidence and I followed his lead, my own movements more hesitant, but my inhibitions quickly disappeared under the intensity in his eyes. There was something so magnetic about the way he was watching me like he was trying to read the language of my soul. I met his gaze, my head dipped back and my body pressed against his.

For a second, everything around us seemed to blur, the crowd, the noise, the flashing lights—it all faded into the background.

His hand slid around my waist, pulling me in enough that I felt the heat radiating from his body. My breath caught in my throat at the contact, but I leaned into him, his touches light but possessive as his fingers traced the curve of my spine.

Undeniable chemistry simmered between us, a current of energy that made my heart race. Our connection was electrifying, and it stayed with me when he finally led me to one of the stages as soon as it became available.

Holding his gaze and focusing only on him, I felt like I was in a trance. I ascended the stairs, grabbing hold of the warm metal of the pole and pulling myself closer to it. Noah stood right up against the stage as he watched me, the shadows in the club intermittently broken by pulsating light from above that allowed me to see the hunger and possession in his gaze.

I couldn’t get enough of it, and even though my dance was not up to par, I felt like the sexiest, most alluring woman in the world thanks to way he was looking at me. Every so often, when I really messed up or lost my balance, his lips twitched into a smile, his shoulders shaking with laughter I couldn’t hear, but not even that made me feel any less desirable. In fact, I liked that he could laugh with me when the moment warranted it.

When I came off the stage, he caught my hips and tugged me to him. Exhilaration coursed through my veins. I let out a whoop, wrapping my arms around his neck and looking directly into his eyes. “I did it! Naughty List item number two complete. That must’ve been hilarious.”

“That’s not the first word that comes to mind,” he murmured against my ear before pulling away and waving a hand in front of his face. “Hot is the word I’d use, but hilarious isn’t that far behind.”

I laughed, my heart thrumming in my chest and my being feeling more alive than it had in a long time. I gripped Noah’s hands, bringing him even closer. I pressed myself up on my toes to speak into his ear.

“We can be done here now. Do you want to come back to my place?”