Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

GEMMA

E very once in a while, life had a way of redeeming itself. These last few days, I had been convinced that it was simply a bitch and then I’d die, but right then, the universe was certainly making up for the crappy hand it had dealt before.

Still absolutely shocked that Noah had come all this way to apologize to my face, all I could do was stare at him. Even more surprising was that the explanations he had offered actually made sense.

Without even seeing those messages with his management team, I had known that he was telling the truth when he’d told me the introduction hadn’t come from him. I don’t really know how. The pain in his eyes, maybe.

The messages had merely served as confirmation. So there was that. But then, there was this other thing.

Noah Parks had just told me that he loved me.

Which is another thing entirely.

My lungs had ceased proper operation as soon as he’d said those words. I kept sucking in shallow, short breaths that didn’t seem to be injecting any oxygen into my system. I was struggling to even think.

Meanwhile, Noah was looking at me like he would spontaneously stop breathing himself if I said that I didn’t believe him. Seriously. How is he standing here right now? Did Santa drop him off?

As I stared into those deep blue eyes, I realized that there was no part of me that thought he was lying.

Something about the whole situation had felt off ever since I’d left him standing in that corridor and now I knew why. He hadn’t actually done anything I’d thought he had. It had seemed so out of character because it wasn’t his character, and that meant I hadn’t been wrong about him at all.

Noah Parks was still the most beautiful, genuine, talented, funny man I’d ever met, and I still wanted him to be mine. Feeling a smile tugging at the corners of my lips, I twined my fingers around his and leaned in closer.

“I believe you, Noah. I really do, and I love you too,” I whispered with big, fat tears welling on my lids. “I love you.”

His lips parted, eyebrows twitching until the first beginnings of that cool, confident smile touched his lips. “You do?”

“I do.” I slid one of my hands around his neck and touched the other to his cheek.

I had been so hurt by the way that everything had played out that I’d forgotten for a moment what it was all really about. Him and me. Me and him. Noah and Gemma. Screw the world, the press, the rumors, and even his own damn team.

“These last few days without you have been the worst,” I murmured, feeling those welling tears threatening to spill over. “Can we please just kiss and make up already?”

“With pleasure.” He smiled and caught the side of my neck in one of his large hands, then guided my mouth to his for a kiss that I would remember forever.

For the first time since the last time, it was a kiss that made me feel like I’d finally come home after being out in the cold all week. A kiss that truly made me feel like I was the only girl in the world. But this kiss was also different because it made me feel like he and I would go the distance.

My heartbeat quickened, my arms wrapping around his shoulders. I pulled him to me, not stopping until his chest was mashed against my own. I still couldn’t believe he was here, but I knew in my heart of hearts that from then on, he would be wherever I was whenever he could be there.

We probably still had our fair share of challenges to face if we really wanted to build a future together. Noah traveled a lot. I had my company. My house. He lived out of suitcases and owned a property he’d told me wasn’t a home.

He was also a megastar, a heartthrob with legions of fans who would rather see him settle down with anyone other than his event planner, but he’d still come after me. He’d come all the way to Texas for me. He’d fought for us and I wouldn’t forget that.

Right then, everything else felt like noise. We could overcome all that. We had to be able to. Good thing hard work and dedication are two good-girl traits I would never, ever lose.

His tongue stroked mine, and he groaned before he pulled away. Bringing his forehead to mine, he breathed harder than he had been a minute ago. “We should head back inside. I’m sure you don’t want to miss the whole party.”

Sigh . All that mattered to me at that moment was him. Us. Figuring it all out.

But Rome hadn’t been built in a day and the red, green, and warm yellow lights flickering from inside called to me like a festive signal from Santa himself. There was magic in Christmas, and part of me felt like my reunion with Noah happening here, of all places, was part of that magic.

So while he was my priority, I smiled and dipped my chin in a slight nod. “Let’s just go tell my friends that you’re not a filthy playboy, dance to a few songs, and then we can get out of here.”

“Filthy playboy?” He laughed. “Gee, thanks.”

A coy smirk graced my lips as I shrugged. “There are many worse things I could’ve called you.”

“Fair enough.” He gripped the side of my neck, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “Thank you for believing me, Gem. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“Why would you say that?” A darker undertone to his voice made me pull away until his whole face came into focus and I frowned at the semi-tortured expression he was wearing. Those beautiful features were all contorted, his brow furrowed and his jaw ticking. When he didn’t respond, I prompted him gently. “Noah?”

He opened his eyes, and the vulnerability suddenly in them stunned me, but he didn’t hold back. “There aren’t a lot of people who would’ve taken me at my word the way you just did. I mean, I know I showed you the messages, but you believed me about the girl, and for someone like me, that means a lot.”

My heart gave a painful thud. “Someone like you?”

He shrugged, hurt flickering behind his eyes for a moment. “Someone with a past and a reputation, but I swear to you, I was done chasing random women before you came into my life, and meeting you completely sealed the deal. I don’t need anyone else ever again, Gemma. I love you and I would never, ever cheat on you.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “Honestly, even when I thought you might have, I knew deep down that it couldn’t be true.”

Doubt marred his forehead and I shook my head at him, needing to exile every last ounce of it before we went inside. “For the record, Noah, everyone has a past by the time they get to their twenties. It’s more serious for some than for others, but even if it was just your first love who broke your heart, your first love has still broken your heart. The past can’t define a person unless they let it, and as for your reputation, it doesn’t matter to me. It never has. I mean, sure, it might’ve influenced my reaction when I saw that picture, but I get it, and I wasn’t with you then. I know you’re different now.”

A look of wonder washed over his features as he cocked his head, looking deep into my eyes like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You really feel that way?”

“I do,” I promised softly. “I’m sorry for not just coming straight to you to talk about it that night, Noah. I should have. I said I would after you gave me a chance to explain about Dave, but I heard that introduction and saw the photo immediately after, and I guess I spiraled from there.”

He inhaled deeply, not speaking immediately but still looking at me like he was seeing the sun for the first time. “I’m not going to lie to you, Gem. For the first day or so, it pissed me all the way off that you’d left without even telling me what was wrong, but I know that was a lot all at once.”

“Are you still angry?” I asked, knowing that he had every right to be.

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t have been blindsided by that picture if I’d just told you about it, and if it hadn’t been for that, the introduction probably wouldn’t have made you run.”

He sighed, gaze cutting to the side before it came back to mine. “I want to put it behind us. I want a future with you, and sure, I was pissed. The whole thing came out of left field completely and it was out of my control, and I hate that, so I let anger take over, but I’m putting it behind me. Can you?”

Warmth spread through me and I smiled, slid my hands to his hips, and squeezed them. “I can. I want a future with you, too, and getting stuck in the past isn’t going to help us get there, but we need to keep talking, okay?”

“For sure.” He stole another kiss and exhaled harshly when he finally pulled away. “Okay, let’s get in there before we really do miss the whole thing. This is my first community Christmas party and it actually seems pretty cool, but, uh, do I need to be worried about being kicked out by your friends?”

I chuckled. “Nah. I’ll tell them that we’re alright now. It’s really your first one?”

“Yep.”

I took his hand and stood up, grinning as excitement shot through me. “Well, then what are we waiting for? These are always amazing. You’re going to love it.”

Noah rose to his feet, tightening his grip on my hand before we walked inside together. My friends were at a table in the corner and Mariam’s eyebrows shot up when she saw Noah with me, but I smiled, mouthing, “I’ll tell you later” as we approached them.

She nodded, standing up to hug him hello when we got to the table. “This is a surprise, but welcome back, Noah. I’m glad you two managed to sort things out.”

“So am I,” he said, not letting go of my hand as he hugged her and then Laurel.

He shook hands with Leif, who introduced him to some of his friends who had come to sit with us. Brandon was there too, but judging by the way he was gazing at some of the women in the room, he wouldn’t be there for long.

Thankfully, both Mariam and Laurel seemed happy to forgive Noah now that I had, and they took him in as one of our own without question. Leif kicked out a chair for him at our table and they folded him into our group, regaling him with tales of what had happened at this party during previous years. We laughed, we reminisced, and Noah held my hand through it all.

One by one, however, my friends started begging off.

Leif and Laurel disappeared, Jack and Brandon were long gone, and so was Mariam. When Noah pulled me closer for one last dance, I smiled up at him, pushing my fingers into his sandy blond hair. “Are you ready to leave after this?”

“You know it.” He smiled against my lips, pulling me tighter to him and resting his head on top of mine. “I love you.”

“I love you.” I whispered the words against his chest, not knowing if it was possible that he’d heard me, but he tucked his arms tighter around me and enveloped me in six-foot-something of pure dancer’s muscle. When the song faded, I slid my hands into his and lifted my head off his chest to look up at him. “Do you want to get out of here now?”

“Yes, please.”

I chuckled at the enthusiasm that sparked to life in his eyes. Keeping hold of his hand, I took him to collect my things. When I’d grabbed my purse and coat, I wondered where Leif and Laurel had gone off to, but I had a feeling she was ticking off the last item on her Naughty List.

The thought brought a smile to my lips. Good for you, Lulu. Get it, girl.

Noah glanced at me, hesitating after opening the passenger door of my car. “Your place or mine?”

“You have a place here?” A mischievous smile tugged at my lips. I slid in behind the steering wheel, turned over the engine, and waited impatiently for him to join me. “You didn’t have to buy a house in Austin, you know. I would’ve given you a bed.”

“You’re so kind.” He winked. “But I was talking about Brandon’s. It’s good to know you’d take me in, though.”

“Let’s go to my place,” I said. “If you’re nice enough, I’ll even let you have my bed tonight.”

He turned to smile at me, making my heart race and skip, but then I remembered I was supposed to be driving and returned my attention to the road. My heart was still going crazy though, but that was its default setting around him.

When we got to my house, Noah looked around like he was searching for something. I frowned as I slid out of my coat. “What’s up?”

“Mariam?”

“Not here tonight.”

“Music to my ears.” He walked to me with purpose in his stride, then hooked his arms around my hips and lifted me right off my feet. He tossed me over his shoulder and ignored my squeals of laughter as he carried me to my bedroom.

It had always amazed me how much fun I could have with Noah. Just having his hands on me set my body on fire. Tonight was no different.

There was an urgency about him I wasn’t used to, but he was still grinning when he dropped me on my bed and quickly lowered himself down on top of me. His lips claimed mine in a ravenous crash that took my breath away, and yet, I was also still giggling over him acting like a caveman by literally hauling me over his shoulder.

He smiled against my lips but didn’t stop his feverish kisses. I shivered underneath him. The happiness I felt in that moment brought tears to my eyes. Locking my arms around him, I held him close and kissed him back, deliberately breaking down every wall I’d ever had and resolving never to put them back up again.

Noah’s kisses were deep and hard. His tongue stroked mine with deliberate purpose and his teeth nipped at my lips every so often. I moaned into his mouth, spreading my legs as wide as they would go as his hips started undulating against mine.

We were both still dressed, but Noah suddenly decided to change that. Hands all over me, he worked on getting me out of every stitch I had on. As he set the fervent pace, I matched him, as desperate for him as he appeared to be for me.

My core had turned into liquid heat, so wet that even my pants had a damp spot on them, and my skin felt like it was buzzing. Every nerve was so sensitive that I moaned when he simply inhaled too hard, his chest brushing against my needy nipples.

I ran my hands up the strong muscles in his back after pulling off his shirt. Noah shivered and muttered curses fell from his lips. His hips kept moving into mine. Our kisses turned sloppy as garments got caught between us or stuck on something.

By the time there was nothing left between us, I was panting for him and he was so ready that I felt his cock throbbing in my hand when I wrapped my fingers around it. I started stroking him despite my movements mostly being trapped between our bodies and he groaned.

Without sliding all the way off me, he snaked his hand down too, running his fingertips through my silky folds. He hissed when he felt how wet I was. I arched my hips into his hand, silently begging him to take it further, but he gathered some of my own juices on his fingertips, bringing it up to rub my clit and moving faster than I’d expected.

I picked up the pace of my fist too. Our ragged breathing, whispered curses, and moans filled my bedroom in between the wet sounds of our kisses. Noah’s muscles were tense, his hips rolling in these little motions that made me wonder if he was even aware he was doing it. His fingers worked their magic a little too well for me to be entirely aware of the movements on my own body.

“Noah,” I ground out, limbs locking in anticipation of an orgasm that I already knew would knock the breath right out of my lungs.

But he stopped at the last moment. Withdrew. Sat back on his calves. Eyes fixed on mine, he stared at me for a short beat, then twisted to retrieve his pants and produced a condom from his wallet, hurriedly rolling it on and then lying down on his back on the bed.

He grabbed my hand, breathing hard, and offered to help me on top of him. I shook my head, crawling onto all fours instead.

“I’ve never done this,” I breathed, nervous because of some of the things I’d heard but knowing that Noah would never hurt me. “I want it to be you.”

He groaned, rose up on his knees, and lined himself up behind me. Taking my hips in a firm grip, he bent over to press a kiss to my back and then he thrust into me. A choked cry rumbled out of him as he pushed all the way in. I trembled, feeling him deeper than I ever had. It felt so good that I whimpered, curling my fingers into the bedding to give myself something to hang onto.

Noah pulled out all the way before he rocked into me again. In and out, in and out, the rhythm he set felt incredible. He slid and dragged across every part of me and it was euphoric, but there was something missing.

As if he’d heard the thought, he reached around my hips and slid his hand between my legs, flitting his fingers over my clit. I groaned much too loudly, my back bowing and my body pushing back to meet his thrusts.

He worked me into a wild frenzy before ecstasy raced through me in its purest form, touching every part of my body and consciousness, and leaving me boneless in its wake. Noah emptied himself inside me a few sharp thrusts later and we collapsed together. Our bodies curled into each other and we started laughing all over again.

I had no idea why, but I couldn’t stop. I was just so happy to have him here with me again that I laughed until I couldn’t breathe, and then we were kissing again. When Noah thrust into me the second time around, he took it slow and gentle, and I looked up into his eyes, knowing that this was what it was supposed to be like.

All of it. From waking up together until we fell asleep again at night, what Noah and I had was something right and I never wanted to lose him.

Not ever, ever again.