Chapter 42

‘Did you just ask me to be your girlfriend?' I asked with a grin. I climbed onto his lap, hanging my legs over his. His hands brushed my thigh.

‘I did,' Noah said, smiling, but then he looked at me earnestly. ‘I want to make sure that you know I'm serious. That this time around, I'm all in. I see my future with you, if you'll have me.'

He was saying everything I wanted him to say, but there was still a tiny speck of doubt deep in my heart. I was only human, after all, and I hadn't forgotten how hard I'd fallen before and how tough it had been when he left.

‘I want that too,' I said.

‘I will gain your trust again,' Noah said fiercely, reading my hesitation without me saying anything. ‘I will love you like you deserve. Like you always deserved.'

‘I know you will,' I whispered, touching his lips with my fingertips. ‘This is only the beginning for us.'

It had been a whirlwind the past few weeks meeting Noah again and connecting with him. It was on a whole other level to what we had in the past. Our connection was so much deeper now. I knew we were different people and this would be a different relationship to the one we'd had before.

‘Exactly. I love you, Stevie. And we will take this at your pace. I want you to be ready before we do anything more.'

‘Like?' I asked him playfully, moving so my legs were astride his lap.

Noah smiled. ‘Like you living with me. You moving into my flat or I can come here.'

‘I don't think we'd fit,' I said with a laugh.

He reached up to tuck my hair over my shoulder. ‘I always saw us in my flat but I know you love living here. I wouldn't care as long as I woke up with you every morning and went to sleep beside you every night.' He leaned in to drop a kiss on the side of my neck.

I loved my flat but Noah's had always felt like home. I suddenly saw us there together and God, I wanted it so badly. Islington had been the place I'd found myself, but I was ready to go home.

‘I'll build you a bookcase for your books,' he said softly. ‘As big as you want.'

My breath hitched as his lips moved to my collarbone. ‘A bookcase? Tell me more.'

Noah laughed. ‘I should have known books were the way to get you to commit.' He lifted his head and put his hand on my cheek. ‘My bookworm girlfriend.'

He pulled me closer and our lips met. I sighed against him as we kissed, scooting even closer. Noah shivered beneath me as I moved.

I pulled back. ‘You haven't had the full flat tour yet.' I climbed off him, earning a protesting noise from Noah. I held my hand out. ‘Come on.'

He took my hand and I led him into my bedroom.

‘You kept it,' he said, his eyes falling onto the plushie that sat on the windowsill.

It was a bookworm – a squishy green worm with glasses, holding a book. Noah had bought it for me from a bookshop we'd gone to together, both of us giggling at how cute and silly it was. Noah came over to me and tilted my chin up.

‘You kept it,' he said again in wonder. ‘Even after what I did?'

‘It was my one reminder of the good times,' I said softly. ‘I had to keep something. So I knew I hadn't imagined it all. That I hadn't imagined you.'

‘I thought that so often walking around New York,' Noah said. ‘That maybe I'd made you up in my mind or something, but you're more wonderful than I could ever have imagined.'

‘Noah,' I groaned. What was it with this man and his words? I pulled him in for a long, lingering kiss before kneeling on the bed. I reached up on my knees to unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders. ‘Just to check…' I said, looking up at him. ‘How many bookcases am I allowed if I do move in?'

Noah leaned down to undo my buttons too.

‘Hmmm… I'll have to think about that,' he said, slipping my blouse off and onto the floor on top of his discarded shirt. I reached for the belt on his trousers and undid it. ‘Right now, you can fill the flat with bookcases.'

I then reached for my trousers zip. Noah watched as I pulled them off. He took in my black lace matching underwear set.

‘So much better than I ever imagined,' he said again. ‘Lie down, Stevie.'

I backed up and lay down on the pillow as Noah shed his trousers too.

‘I might need that in writing. About the bookcases,' I said, my eyes closing as Noah dropped kisses along my collarbone.

‘You can have whatever you want in writing or otherwise,' he said, undoing my bra and letting it fall off me. ‘You are so sexy, Stevie. I am a very, very lucky man.'

His hand cupped my breast as he leaned down to draw my nipple into his mouth.

‘Yes, yes you are,' I replied, wrapping my leg around him, pulling him closer, wriggling against him to create the friction I was craving. ‘You're also being far too slow,' I complained as he moved to my other breast.

Noah lifted himself off me and raised an eyebrow. ‘I think I need to go even slower than this. Make sure you are really ready…'

‘I'm ready,' I protested as he returned to kiss down the centre of my breasts towards my belly button. I fisted the sheets in my hand as his lips moved lower. ‘But you're right, you better be sure,' I said, arching my back as Noah's lips brushed the edge of my lace underwear.

Noah laughed against me and then he slowly slid my knickers down my legs. I lifted my bum and he pulled them off, tossing them onto the floor. Settling between my legs, his arms hooked under my knees as he continued his kiss, lower and lower, until he brushed his tongue against me and I gasped with pleasure. I gripped the sheets harder and as he'd promised, he took his time, leaving me breathless.

‘Noah,' I breathed as my legs trembled. ‘I… oh my God, yes… wow,' I mumbled incoherently as his tongue did things to me I hadn't known I needed. I cried out seconds later and my legs fell down onto the bed as he sat up. ‘Okay, going slow can be good,' I said, my whole body trembling from how good that had been. ‘But I need you inside me now.'

‘Hmmm… I could make you wait longer…' He leaned down to touch my face. I shook my head beneath him. His lips curved into a smile, showing me that delicious dimple. I reached out to touch it with my finger. ‘So lucky,' he repeated as he slid his underwear off and lay down beside me. ‘Come here,' he said, his voice husky.

‘Oh, hang on, I just need to do something…' Smiling, I reached for my phone on the bedside table.

‘If you tell me you're texting someone right now, I might die.'

‘I thought you said slower was better,' I said, typing onto my phone, my back to him.

‘That's before I was this hard,' he replied.

I bit back a giggle. I sent the email then put my phone down and turned back to face him.

‘Okay, check your inbox,' I said. ‘Does that sound like an innuendo?' I grinned at him.

Noah shook his head but reached for his trousers, pulling his phone out of the pocket.

I smiled as I watched him read the email I had just sent him, his eyes lighting up.

Yes, I want to move in with you. And yes, I'll have a giant bookcase please. I never stopped loving you. And I never willxxx

He threw his phone down and pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me, holding me close on top of the covers.

‘Stevie, I'm yours for however long you want me,' he said, kissing me gently. ‘I'll call someone to build you the bookcase of your dreams, starting tomorrow.' He pulled back. ‘And Annie Leon to beg forgiveness for making her redundant and to see if she wants to run sales and marketing. I hated every minute of letting the former staff go. Asking her back might make up for that a tiny bit. I should have pushed back to my father long before now.'

‘That's a great idea,' I said. ‘But can we stop talking? Tell me what to do.'

His dimple flashed. ‘Roll on to your side,' he said, his voice full of need.

I turned over as he settled behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and asked me to move my leg forwards. When I did, he slipped inside me.

‘Oh,' I said as I felt his thrust through my whole body.

‘Push back,' he said into my ear softly. He held me tightly as he moved and I pushed back against him. ‘Jesus, just like that, darling.'

My heart lifted. Noah hadn't called me ‘darling' since we broke up.

‘This is so good,' I managed to gasp as we moved faster together.

‘It can be better.' Noah's arm came around my body and when he touched me exactly where I needed him, I moaned loudly. ‘God, your moans drive me crazy.'

‘Noah, it's too good,' I cried. I moved my hand on top of his and entwined my fingers with his as a delicious burst of pleasure rolled through me. ‘Oh wow.'

Noah turned my head so we were looking at one another.

‘Fuck,' he said as our eyes met and he came inside me.

I pulled his lips to mine, marvelling at how we'd made our way back to each other. My hesitation, that tiny remaining slither of doubt, disappeared as we kissed breathlessly. My body went limp against his and he held me tightly.

Outside my window, the last of the autumn leaves were falling. My heart took the final leap and I let myself fall for Noah again.

But this time, it was sweeter and harder.

This time, I knew how much he loved me.

How he'd always loved me.

This time, we were for keeps.