Chapter 34

An hour later, we were in the living room. Noah carried over the pizza we'd just had delivered while I poured us both a glass of red wine. I was wearing one of his dressing gowns and he was in a t-shirt and jogging bottoms.

‘You're smiling,' Noah said when he placed the pizza box down and handed me a plate.

‘I was just thinking this is all very cosy,' I said, curling my legs up on the sofa. The fire in the living room was lit and as Noah opened the box, the smell of pizza mingled with the fireside fragrance in the room. The sex had been amazing but this was bringing me very close to that same feeling of bliss.

I took out a slice of pizza and put it on my plate as Noah joined me on the sofa.

‘You look very cosy in my dressing gown,' he agreed, reaching out to stroke the material that covered my thigh. ‘I like it.' He watched as I took a bite of pizza then put a slice on his plate. ‘I missed evenings like this with you.'

‘Don't get serious on me,' I said as I chewed. I didn't want to come down from this high.

‘I promise I won't,' he replied, flashing me his dimple. He saw my phone light up on the coffee table. ‘You're popular tonight.'

‘There's a reason you shouldn't introduce friends to one another,' I said with a sigh. ‘Emily told Liv she thought I'd gone home with you and now they are all in a WhatsApp group demanding to know what's going on.' I grabbed my phone and showed him the messages coming through. ‘I don't have to tell them anything. I mean, is it even allowed?' I pointed between us. ‘You are my boss,' I said, biting back a laugh.

Noah rolled his eyes. ‘So you keep reminding me. We might need to give HR a heads up but only if…' He trailed off and didn't finish his sentence.

I looked at my phone and not at him. Only if what? We actually became a couple again? I was dying to know if that's what he wanted but I needed him to ask me.

‘You better tell them something, I think they're starting to worry,' Noah said then, frowning at the messages now turning into capital letters with a lot of exclamation points and question marks.

I nodded and quickly typed.

Guys, chill please! I'm fine! Yes, I'm with Noah. And no, I'm not telling you nosey gossips anything.

And then I added…

Unless you buy me something nice and tell me I'm pretty ;)

‘You're very pretty,' Noah murmured in my ear when he saw what I'd written. ‘Actually, you're beautiful. Inside and out.'

I felt myself flush at his words. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere,' I said lightly, putting my phone down. I wasn't sure why I suddenly felt nervous. We'd been so caught up in lust that I'd pushed all my worries aside and gone with what my body wanted. But now my heart was longing to know what Noah thought.

I carried on eating my pizza and gave myself an internal stern talking to. Yes, I still wanted Noah. Yes, I still had feelings for him. But I wasn't still in love with him. That would take time to come again. Because of how hurt I'd been when he left, I needed this to move slowly. I wouldn't give my heart away to him again unless I was 100 per cent sure what he'd said when we were in bed was actually true. That I was his, and he was mine. But things said right before orgasm weren't admissible in a court of law, I knew that.

Noah was watching me. I could tell he was wondering what I was thinking and I kind of liked the fact he didn't know.

‘You are still staying, right?' he said eventually.

‘Yes, but I better leave early to get ready for work. It's bad enough I'll have to do the walk of shame in my Barbie outfit; I'm not rocking up to work in it. HR would definitely have a field day then.'

‘You can borrow something from me to go home in.' He held out his arm and I leaned against him. I liked how strong his chest felt. I could lean against him with all my weight and he'd hold me steady.

We finished our pizza in a comfortable silence. Noah put his plate down then kissed me on the top of my head, before coming back to the same position beside me.

‘It's official publication day tomorrow for Bitten. How are you feeling about it?'

I put my plate down too and snuggled against him. ‘Nervous. I hope we did enough to make some dent on the charts. I hope Deborah will stay with us. And I hope the company won't be so quick to dismiss a romance again.'

Noah rubbed my arm. ‘The world would be a better place if everyone read romance,' he said into my hair, giving me goosebumps. ‘Okay, I have to ask… Did you read my emails? The one where I went into a bookshop and bought that love story that reminded me of you? That is your fault.' He pointed to his bookshelf and the pastel books there. ‘And the fact I bought a bookshop.'

I laughed against him. ‘I can't believe you did that. Yes, I read your emails. I've read them all now. I really am so sorry about your mum, Noah. I wish I had met her. I bet she was so proud of you.'

‘I don't know about that. My father isn't.'

‘I don't believe that.' I sat up and touched his chin so he would look at me. ‘He made you CEO. He must believe in you. And he loves you. You're his son. And your mum loved you. And they made you together. You're part of them both. That must give him comfort.'

Noah reached out and took my hand in his. ‘You always see the best in everyone. How can you say all that when I let you believe I didn't love you? That's what made me the craziest about it all. That maybe you didn't know how head over heels I was for you back then.'

‘I know it now,' I said softly. ‘You had a lot to deal with. And you regretted it as soon as you left. And tried to make it right. I'm sorry I didn't let you.'

‘You have nothing to apologise for. You were right to shut me out. That's what I deserved. I still don't…' He let go of my hand. ‘I still don't deserve you, Stevie. I'm trying hard to make it up to you but I don't think I ever will.'

I leaned in and kissed him. ‘It's okay. I'm okay. I was okay. And I will be okay.'

He searched my eyes. ‘You'll be okay if what?'

I looked down at my lap. ‘If you leave again.'

He let out a growl in the back of his throat. I looked up in surprise and he pulled me onto his lap, my legs draped across him, his hands around my waist.

‘I will never, ever leave you again unless you tell me to,' Noah said, his voice still fierce. He pushed back my hair from my face and put his fingers under my chin, tilting my face up to his. ‘I swear it, Stevie.'

I wanted to beg him not to make promises he couldn't keep but when I looked into his eyes, I saw the sincerity in them. I swallowed hard.

‘Stevie, do you hear me? Do you understand? Say you believe me. Unless you tell me to, I won't leave you again. I promise.'

He had barely finished his sentence when I pressed my lips against his. He murmured as I slid closer, my arms wrapping round him as our mouths met to seal the vow he just made. My body hummed with happiness. He wasn't going to leave. I could relax. I could let him in again. That's what I wanted. It wasn't going to be easy, I knew that, but when his arms were around me, it felt like the right thing to do. The only thing I could do. I melted into him and when he reached for the dressing gown cord and pulled it away, letting the gown open fully, my body naked in front of him again, I gasped out ‘yes.'

Noah kissed down my neck and across my collarbone and lifted me so my legs were astride him. I reached for the waistband of his joggers and he broke away from me to pull them down.

As I lifted myself on top of him, Noah whispered my name reverently.

‘Slowly,' he said, watching me as I moved up and down on his lap, his hands sliding to my hips then up to my breast then into my hair. ‘Lean back.'

We both gasped when I did, Noah filling me deeply.

‘Say it again,' I said.

He didn't need to ask what.

‘I won't leave you, Stevie,' he said. ‘Ever again.' He reached for me, touching me as I moved slowly, enjoying how we seemed to fit together perfectly.

Our eyes locked and I knew any second now, we'd both collapse over the edge again. I let bliss wash over me as Noah repeated his vow over and over again. When our release came, I clung to him and he held me tightly, shuddering beneath me, and I felt the part of me that had been holding back, holding Noah at arm's length, snap into two parts.