Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

GEMMA

“ W hy is Noah Parks staring at us?” Mariam asked over the sound of his ruggedly angelic voice filling the great hall we were in. “He is, right? It’s not just me.”

I shook my head slowly, my eyes refusing to leave his, still so very blue despite the distance between us. “Do you remember the super hot guy from the plane that I told you about?”

“Yeah?” I saw her frown in my periphery. “What’s he got to do with anything?”

“Well, uh, that’s him,” I said. “Noah from the plane is also Noah Parks.”

Mariam squealed. “Oh, my god. You made out with Noah Parks ? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t know.” As I stared at the demigod currently driving the crowd wild from the stage, I was struggling to process that, just a few hours ago, I’d been kissing that guy. I swallowed hard. “Obviously, I’ve heard of City Lights. I mean, their stuff is all over the place all the time and they’re headlining the Diamond Festival, but it’s not like I’ve been following them.”

If I was being honest, their main fanbase was quite a few years younger than us. While I enjoyed their music, I couldn’t say that I’d ever made the effort to look them up. On occasion, I’d seen them on billboards and that kind of thing, but I’d never paid that much attention. They were simply the next in the near-constant stream of new bands and musicians creeping onto the charts every year.

Even so, as I stared at him on that stage, dancing and striding confidently from one side to the other, I realized that I should’ve known my Superman was famous. He definitely had that star quality about him. I’d simply mistaken it for the mysterious it factor that some people just seemed to have.

“You have to go find him after the show,” she gushed, swaying along to the tune of a sultry song that seemed to be making most of the women in the audience swoon. “You said he asked for your number, right? That means that he wanted to talk to you again, so you should do it. Go find him and talk to him.”

“It’s tempting,” I admitted as I watched him strut his stuff.

City Lights were putting on an impressive show, all the guys in the band seemingly larger than life from where I was standing. They exuded sex appeal and magnetic energy, their voices blending in seamless harmony when they were all singing together and each of them having a unique appeal of his own during their solos.

None of the others compared to Noah, though. Wearing sweats and a loose-fitting, sleeveless vest, his black hair was styled to stay off his face, yet strands of it kept falling over his forehead. Every time it happened, he swatted it back in that careless way some guys had, as if they knew they were blistering hot no matter what their hair looked like.

What was also clear to me was that Noah and his bandmates were having fun up there. They interacted with one another quite a lot, laughing and winking, and even bending their heads together to talk when one of the others was singing.

It made me so curious to know what they were talking about. To find out what was so funny. Mostly though, I wanted to know what had gone through Noah’s head when he’d seen me.

For the longest moment, I had thought we would never stop staring at each other, but then he’d shot to the other side of the stage and the show had gone on, as I supposed it had to. As much as I wanted to speak to him again though, I decided that if it was meant to be, he’d find me.

Guys like Noah were probably chased all the time. I imagined he was used to having women throw themselves at him, and since I probably had a few years on most of them, I refused to be the pathetic older woman who was suddenly obsessed with him just because he’d kissed her on a plane.

Once the show was over, Mariam pouted at me. “I really think you should go find him, but if you insist on carrying on like nothing happened, then I can’t force you. I need some liquid courage for the networking we have to go do now, though, so while I go to the bar, why don’t you think about how you’re going to feel if you don’t go talk to Noah?”

I nodded, drifting away from our spot now that the show was over to take a look around the museum. I needed a few minutes to myself to wrap my head around the fact that I’d made out with a superstar. A boyband member, nonetheless.

Mariam would find me if she desperately needed to. She always did, but she also knew me well enough to know that I’d be back soon.

Wandering to a quieter exhibit down the hall from the main area, I tried to forget about Noah. Our time together on the plane had been fun, but obviously, that was where it had to end. When he’d asked for my number, a little part of me had hoped that we might make out again at some point, but now that I knew who he was, I also knew it was highly unlikely that he even remembered my name anymore.

I was certain that his phone was filled to the brim with numbers of women who wanted to make out with him—and more. Shaking my head at myself, I stopped to admire a sculpture of a woman on her knees, her head dropped back and her eyes pegged on the sky. It was hauntingly beautiful, tugging at my heartstrings as I wondered what she might be pondering.

“Did you follow me here from the airport?” a distinctive voice asked from behind me and I smiled, my heart skipping.

Turning slowly to face him, my eyebrows swept up a little as I planted my hand on my hip. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Noah chuckled. “Sure. Yeah. I absolutely did. I even got them to can the other band who was supposed to play so that we could have the stage instead.”

I smirked. “You could’ve just asked me out for coffee. I’m sure the other band was crushed when they found out they weren’t getting paid for tonight.”

He shrugged, blue eyes twinkling as he pushed his hair off his forehead again. “It’s a charity thing. They shouldn’t have been charging them for the performance anyway. Monsters.”

I laughed, cocking my head. I looked him up and down and made no secret of the fact that I was checking him out. “You could’ve told me who you are. You’re taller in person.”

“Thanks.” He walked up to my side, gaze falling upon the sculpture I’d been examining. “Wow. She’s really something, huh? I see why you stopped for her.”

“Yeah, I was just trying to work out what she might’ve been thinking,” I admitted. “So far though, I’m coming up empty.”

“I think she’s silently pleading with you to show me around the museum,” he joked.

I glanced at him, once again surprised by how easy he was to talk to. Now that I knew who he was, it was even more surprising than it had been before. Shouldn’t he be an insufferable asshole with an overinflated sense of self?

“Sorry, but you’re bang out of luck,” I said playfully. “I’ve never been here before, so I’m in no position to show you around.”

“Fine. I’ll show you around.” He offered me his arm like some kind of gallant gentleman, and my heart galloped off again. I wrapped my fingers around his arm, marveling at how hot his skin was to the touch—and how hard the muscles were underneath it. Then again, he’d just put on a show. It had to work up a sweat.

Noah grinned. “Follow me, madam. I’ll make sure you see all the best things there are to see in here. Now, which way was the bar?”

I laughed. “The best things to see are in the bar?”

“Always.” He pumped his eyebrows at me, but we ended up walking around a little bit before we found a drinks table set up in one of the halls adjacent to the main event.

People were milling around in here too, the lights turned down low and upbeat music flowing through large speakers that had been placed in the corners of the room. Since we were among events industry professionals and other artists, most people let Noah be.

A few called him over for a quick chat and almost everybody said hello, but for the most part, there were fewer squeals and requests for selfies than I had expected. I grinned at him when we finally found an available cocktail table.

“You’re less popular than I might’ve thought,” I teased.

He laughed, broad shoulders shaking as he took a quick sip of his beer. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Oh, I’m not disappointed. Pleasantly surprised is more accurate. I kind of expected panties to be thrown at you wherever you went.”

“Sometimes, they are, but underwear is expensive these days. People have to think twice before they just toss them at random people.”

I laughed, looking around at the vast array of designer clothing the guests were outfitted in, some wearing shoes that cost as much as my rent. “Somehow, I think these people can afford it.”

He snorted. “Nah. The richer the crowd, the more expensive the undies. Do you really think these people are going to let ordinary cotton or, God forbid, polyester touch their tushies? I think not. It’s all lace and silk out there, baby.”

My cheeks flushed. I, myself, was wearing lace under my dress. Polyester hadn’t touched my tushy for ages either. Noah burst out laughing when he noticed the blush.

“Is it lace or silk?” he asked, leaning in with the first flickers of flame sparking to life in his eyes.

My mouth went dry. “None of your business.”

He smirked. “I plan on making it my business. Where are you staying?”

“The Grand.” I pursed my lips. “Why?”

“Because it means you won’t have to get a cab if you want to come hang out with me after this. I’m at the Grand too. We’re on the top floor. I’m in the Royal Suite. No big deal.”

“Of course, you are,” I muttered, my heart fluttering at the thought of actually going to his room. I reached for my drink, desperately needing something to cool the fire igniting down south, but as I lifted my glass, Noah slid a hotel room keycard over to me.

“I hope you will come hang out with me,” he murmured. My eyes shot back to his. “I need to get going. We’ve got a lot of people expecting to talk to us tonight, but come up later.”

My fingers brushed against the plastic as I brought my hand down on the keycard. “How many of these do you carry around with you?”

He laughed as he straightened up to his full height, rapping his knuckles across the table before he winked. “Only one. I’m going to have to get another just to get in. I swear. If you do decide to come, it’ll only be us. You’re not about to walk into an orgy. I’m not a rock star.”

Leaving me flustered, giggling, and in shock, he waved and walked away, and I poured half of my drink down my throat before my thoughts finally cleared. Holy hell. How is it possible for someone to be that confident?

As I prepared to leave our table to go track down my friend, I slid his keycard into my purse. I hadn’t decided yet whether I would be using it, but I definitely wouldn’t leave it lying around.

Mariam was in the main room when I found her, chatting to some people from an events company here in New York that we’d coordinated with on occasion. She grinned when she saw me. “And? Did you talk to him?”

I glanced at her companions, saying hello before I excused us and led her away. “Yeah, I did, but I don’t really want the whole world to know about it.”

“Why not?” she asked. “He’s gorgeous and he seems sweet enough.”

“He is, but he’s also well on his way to becoming a mega-star. I don’t want people thinking I’m only talking to him because of that.”

“Who cares what people think? If I was you, I would simply own my relationship with him. It’s easier that way.”

I laughed. “Thankfully, there is no relationship to own. We’ve just met.”

“Yeah, right.” Mariam sighed but didn’t push the issue, instead leading me to another group of people we’d been trying to get a meeting with.

They were from an artist management company and we’d been wanting to take over the organization of their events in Austin for ages. The rest of the event was a blur of networking, small talk, and exchanging contact details, and by the time it came to an end, I was more than ready to leave. Mariam and I headed back to our hotel, with her grilling me over everything Noah had said when I’d seen him after the show.

Her questions made me wonder if she’d been right earlier. Noah had obviously been able to see that I was older, but he clearly hadn’t cared. Not when he’d kissed me on that plane, and certainly not when he’d slipped me his key.

“Go for it, Gem,” she urged me as we reached the door of her hotel room. Mine was right next to hers. As she swiped her card across the reader, she turned to look me in the eyes. “You’re the one who keeps talking about wanting to reinvent yourself. You kept this list for years and years, and you brought it out so that we’d all get the chance to do things a bit differently to how we always have. I’m heading to Idaho, for God’s sake. The least you can do is get on an elevator and go see a hot guy you’re into.”

With that, she strode into her room and left me in the hall to contemplate who I was and who I wanted to be. Good girl Gemma would not ever have used that keycard. In fact, she would’ve returned it to the front desk by now. And yet, I’d walked right past the desk without even considering handing it in.

My body suddenly felt like it was coming alive when I realized I was going to do this. It was like I could feel my skin tingling, my breasts feeling weirdly heavy and my nipples hardening. Quickly swiping myself into my own room before I lost my nerve, I changed into clean underwear and a slinky, short black dress I’d brought as an alternative for the event.

As soon as I was done changing, I fluffed my hair a little bit, added some fresh lipstick, and then headed for the elevator, not even looking at myself in the mirror for fear that I’d change my mind if I did. Nerves skittered around in my stomach as I ascended to his floor, and my hands were somewhat shaky as I made my way down a long, richly carpeted hall to his suite.

I didn’t even know if he was back from the event yet, but I banished my doubts and nervousness and decisively swiped the card across the reader, immediately pushing the door open when the green light flashed. As I walked into the suite, I swept my tongue across my lips, so nervous that my mouth had dried up completely, but it got even drier when I got a load of where he was staying.

The suite was huge. It had a bed on a raised platform with steps leading up to it on one side of the cavernous space and a little sitting area on the other. It turned out Noah was back already, his shirt halfway off when I turned the corner and his open-concept bathroom came into view.

He was standing in front of the vanity, a toothbrush in his mouth while one of his hands gripped the back of the vest he’d been wearing earlier. My feet slammed to an abrupt halt. What the hell am I doing? The guy is getting ready for bed. Give him a damn break already.

Before I could spin and run from his room, he caught sight of me. A slow grin spread on his face before he bent over to rinse his mouth. He pulled the vest the rest of the way off and turned to face me, his movements slow and deliberate and his gaze locked on mine.

“You came,” he said. “I honestly wasn’t sure you would.”

“Neither was I,” I admitted softly, lifting my hand to jerk my thumb vaguely in the direction of his door. “I can go, though. It kind of looks like you were?—”

“You’re staying.” He stalked toward me, his heated gaze roaming over the length of my body, dragging from the top of my head to the tips of my toes as he advanced on me. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here.”

I stood like I’d been planted on the spot, just watching with a racing heart as he closed the distance between us. When he reached me, his gaze was intent on mine and he didn’t hesitate to hook an arm around my hips, firmly tugging me into him. One of his hands rested right there on my hip while the other came up to caress my face. His fingertips brushed against my cheek as he brought his mouth to mine.

There was zero hesitation with this guy. He just went for it and I loved it. Towering over me, he made me feel so small and yet so desired, like I was some tiny little sex goddess he wanted to both protect and screw.

As his tongue swept into my mouth, hungry and confident, I let go of all my own hesitations. If he didn’t care about our ages or the fact that he was a super-hot celeb while I was just me, then I wouldn’t care about it either.

Melting into him, I looped my arms around his neck. I felt the hardness of him pressed against my stomach, and it sent a shiver through me. Noah groaned into my mouth, kissing me ravenously before he suddenly spun me around in his arms.

I squeaked in surprise, but then his lips moved to my throat and he kept me locked against him with one hand. The other traveled down to the hem of my dress, hiking it up. Trailing his fingertips across the inside of my thigh, he lifted the fabric.

Desire shot through me like a firework, making me tremble and moan. His fingers skated across my mound. I screwed my eyes shut, breathing heavily. I was totally unable to believe that things were moving so fast, but shit. It was the hottest thing that had ever happened to me, so I dropped my head against his shoulder and simply allowed myself to be swept away by the sensations.

Noah’s heart raced against my back, but his movements were firm and deliberate, his lips hot on my skin. As he kissed me, he worked his hand into my panties. Growling, he dragged his fingers through my slick folds.

“Shit, Gemma,” he murmured roughly against my ear. “We’re both really fucking lucky I didn’t know about this before or we never would have made it off that plane.”

Part of me wanted to make some witty remark about how I hadn’t been this needy on the plane, but that simply wasn’t true. Besides, wit could wait. Even I knew when to shut up, and this was a good time for it.

Instead, I moaned and writhed against him. Hooking an arm around the back of his neck, I turned my head. He read me like an open book, sealing his lips over mine. His fingers brushed against my clit. I bucked, stifling a cry, and he started painting circles around it.

Sparks of pleasure shot through me like golden bubbles of bliss, tension already starting to coil deep inside. Noah kissed like he was a man who had been deprived for years, his fingers working me into a wild frenzy before he pressed down on my clit.

“Come for me,” he issued the low command, and my body obliged instantly.

The orgasm rocked my world, making me forget even my own name as all-consuming pleasure swept through me. My muscles tightened and my knees went numb. I hung onto him, moaning his name between fervent kisses.

In the aftermath, Noah picked me up as if I weighed nothing, carrying me like a bride to his bed and gently laying me down. Without saying a word, he hooked his fingers into my panties and rolled them off, then worked on the clasps of my heels next.

Once he’d rid me of all that, he helped me sit up and lifted my dress over my head, leaving me stark naked before him. Another low groan rumbled out of him as his teeth sank into his lip. The sight was so erotic that it made the need course through me all over again.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he murmured as those blues raked all over me, but his pupils were so dilated that there was almost no color left in his eyes.

I sat up on my elbows, openly staring at him in turn. The guy was a work of art more exquisite than anything I’d seen in that museum, his tall frame carved with lean, defined muscle that spoke of hours spent working out.

Or maybe performing was just harder work than I’d ever realized. My hands went to his hips and I dipped my head back to look into his eyes, and I felt the need to let him know that I felt the same way. “I might be gorgeous, but you are a demigod, Noah Parks.”

He chuckled, but it quickly faded into a groan when I dipped my fingers into the elastic waistband of his sweats and pushed them off. Making sure his underwear went with them, I held his gaze and lifted the fabric over a genuinely impressive cock before sending all the garments to the floor.

Noah’s cheeks flushed, his jaw hardening as he climbed onto the bed with me. “Please tell me this is a yes.”

Surprised that he was bothering to check, I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck as I lay back down. “It’s the biggest yes ever.”

A low growl vibrated through him, but he pulled away from me for a moment to grab a condom from his nightstand before he came back. I felt his hands working between us to roll on the protection. He kissed me, finally settling between my legs when it was in place.

I was so wet that his broad tip slid easily though my folds, making me moan as it nudged against my entrance. Noah’s breathing stuttered, but then I felt him tense a second before he thrust inside, making me see stars.

He started moving. For a guy so young, he certainly knew what he was doing, and it didn’t take him long before I was a writhing, whimpering mess underneath him, meeting every one of his rhythmic thrusts with an urgency that threatened to undo me. Noah’s muscles flexed under my hands with every move he made, his kisses stealing the thoughts from my head and the breath from my lungs.

It felt like he was everywhere all at the same time, touching me inside and out in all the right ways. I contracted around his thick shaft, another climax rapidly approaching.

“Shit, Gemma,” he groaned into my mouth. “Don’t. I?—”

“Come with me,” I whispered. My brow furrowed as my toes curled, that delicious precipice only seconds away.

Noah trembled, and when I felt him swell inside me, I was done for. An earth-shattering climax crashed into me, the orgasm more intense and powerful than any I’d ever had. I even screamed with the release of it, which I’d never done before.

Slumping as the pleasure finally subsided, I stroked my fingers through his hair. He collapsed on top of me. Neither of us said much once the deed was done. We lay together letting the intimate feeling linger for a little while longer.

Once I’d caught my breath and relaxed a little bit, I got dressed and he walked me to the door.

“Good night, Gemma,” he murmured, blue eyes burning into mine before he gave me one last kiss. “Sleep well.”

“You too,” I replied, closing my eyes and relishing his nearness for one more moment before I left.

I texted Mariam on my way back to my room

Me: New York is the place where all dreams come true.

To my surprise, she was still awake, her reply coming only moments later.

Mimi: LOL. It was that good?!

I laughed but nodded to myself in the elevator.

Me: Absolutely. Thanks for encouraging me to go. I owe you one. Or two. Sleep tight. X

Personally, I was going to sleep like a drunken baby after that. As I walked into my room and got washed up for bed though, I couldn’t help but think that it would’ve been nice to have been cuddled up with him all night. I was sure he wouldn’t have liked it, but me?

I absolutely had not had enough of Noah Parks just yet. Even if I was sure I was just going to have to get over it.