5. Elli
Chapter 5
Elli
Noah’s eyes narrow on me. “When you kissed me?”
I nod, my cheeks heating at the admission. “Or more to the point, when you kissed me back. If a man like you wants to kiss me, I must be worth something.”
Noah looks at me in disbelief. “Sweetheart, you don’t need me or anyone else to prove you’re worth something. No one has that power but you.”
I grimace. “Maybe, but it’s hard to have any kind of self-belief when you’re told you’re useless on a daily basis. But I’m working on an escape plan.”
I look around me to check no one is listening before pulling my phone from my pocket. Tapping it several times, I hand it to Noah. “This is my hobby, which I’m trying to turn into a small business.”
Noah swipes through the photos, looking at the intricate jewelry designs. “You did these?”
“Yeah, and they’re starting to sell online. I’m saving the money in a separate account. It’s nowhere near enough to afford my own place yet, but one day it will be.”
“I’m no jewelry connoisseur, but these are good. You’re talented,” Noah says, impressed.
His praise warms me. “Thank you. It’s one of the few things I can focus on for any length of time. I start working on a new design, and before I know it, hours have passed.”
“You remind me of my cousin.”
“Your cousin?” I ask, confused.
“Nelson was diagnosed with ADHD when he was twelve.”
I press my lips together. “Is it that obvious?”
I know the answer before he replies. Of course, it’s obvious. He caught me dancing around his cabin like a whack job before I kicked him in the unmentionables and then hit him with some spectacular verbal diarrhea about the bionic woman. Oh, and then I kissed him after knowing him for all of ten minutes.
“Only because I’ve seen Nelson go through it. He says it’s like he can’t switch his brain off, even when he’s sleeping. He had night terrors when he was a kid and still has vivid dreams. Certain foods can make things worse, like additives or colorings, or if he has too much sugar in his diet. He found school particularly difficult because he had a short attention span for most subjects.” Noah pauses, capturing my gaze. “Sound familiar?”
“Very,” I whisper. “I never got a medical diagnosis, but I’ve always known I’m too much for most people. Too energetic, too chatty, too ‘Elli.’ Even Mom struggled with me. I could see it in her eyes sometimes. She loved me. I never doubted that, but she told me I was a handful when I was little. Maybe that’s why she married Harold. Maybe she thought it would be easier to share the parenting. But Harold wasn’t interested in being a parent, not even to his own sons.” She pauses, smiling wistfully. “But I was never too much for Harmony. She calls me her little energizer bunny. She says there’s always a part of me on the go, even when I’m asleep.”
Noah leans forward, cupping my face in one hand and smoothing his thumb across my cheek. “You’ll never be too much for me, Elli Dancer.”
“Easy for you to say when you’re only here for two weeks,” I tease, unable to resist pressing a kiss to his warm palm.
His eyes darken at the small caress, and he rubs his thumb over my lips. “What have you done to me? Did you perform some witchy magic on me when you kicked me in the balls?”
“No witchy magic here,” I say breathlessly, darting my tongue out to taste the pad of his thumb.
Noah’s eyes darken further, kindling with desire. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, so I can make good on the second part of my promise.”
He stands and tosses a bunch of bills on the table. Grabbing my hand, he tugs me from the Tavern and out into the night.
I turn to face him as we reach my car, but before I can say anything, Noah presses me against the driver’s door. I look up at him shyly, and his gaze drops to my lips as I wet them with my tongue.
Slowly, he lowers his head, brushing his mouth against mine. I release a little moan and loop my arms around his neck, urging him closer. With an answering groan, he tunnels his hands through my hair, tilting my head where he wants it and sealing his mouth to mine.
I sigh as he flicks his tongue against my bottom lip, opening up so he can lick into my mouth. He tastes like beer and mint and Noah, and I’m instantly addicted. No, I was addicted after our first kiss earlier today.
I melt in his arms as he continues to kiss me for endless minutes, his strong hands keeping me upright as he licks and strokes inside my mouth.
Finally, he pulls back, looking at my swollen lips as my breath comes in sharp pants. “Fuck, Elli. You’re so goddamned sexy.”
I lift onto my toes, pressing my lips to his in a rough, inexperienced kiss. Noah smiles against my mouth and dives back in, taking his time as he tastes every inch of me, devouring me. I whimper as he presses his hips to mine, rubbing his hard cock against my core.
“Feel how much I want you, Elli?” he mutters, tearing his mouth from mine and biting my earlobe. “I want to slide inside you, deep and hard, feel you come around my cock. Wanna make you mine, sweet thing.”
His voice is low and demanding, turning my insides to mush. He claims my mouth in another searing, claiming kiss, sliding his hands down to squeeze my ass.
“Come to the wedding with me tomorrow,” he says, pulling back an inch to look down at me, his eyes glowing in the moonlight.
It takes a minute for my brain to catch up. “I-I can’t. I’m working.”
“On a Saturday?”
“I work a double shift on a Saturday. It’s changeover day and always extra busy when there’s a wedding. But… I could meet you for the evening reception. If you want?”
“Oh, I want, Elli,” he growls, leaning in to nip at my mouth.
“I-I should go,” I say reluctantly, resting my forehead against his.
Noah gives me one last, hard kiss that steals my breath before releasing me.
He watches as I unlock the car door and slide behind the wheel, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his hair messy from my hands. I bite my lip. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever met, not to mention caring and sexy as hell. I give him a small wave as I drive away, my stomach swirling with anticipation at seeing him tomorrow.
Thankfully, my stepfather is asleep in his chair, and there’s no sign of my stepbrothers as I sneak into the house. One look at my flushed cheeks, tangled hair, and swollen lips, and they’d know exactly what I’ve been up to. Not that it’s something to be ashamed of—I’m a grown-ass woman, and I can kiss any man I want. Only I don’t want to kiss any man—I want Noah. And I want to do a whole lot more than kiss him. Not that I know how, but I’m sure I’d figure it out.
I close my bedroom door behind me and lean against it, running my fingers over my swollen lips. I can still taste Noah, his body pressing against mine, the hard length of his shaft rubbing my core. My body throbs with new and exciting sensations I want to explore with him.
I sneak to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before pulling on my pajamas and sliding into bed. I shared my past with Noah tonight, and he didn’t balk or judge me. He accepts me as I am, which means more than anything. Apart from Mom and Harmony, I’ve never felt so close to anyone. It seems hard to believe I didn’t even know him this morning.
Eventually, I drift off to sleep with visions of our heated kisses playing on repeat.
I wake at 4.30 AM the following morning and grab a quick breakfast of toast and coffee before I head to the resort. My stepfather and brothers won’t rise much before noon. Pulling a double shift means they’ll have to cook for themselves, which, of course, they don’t, ordering in take-out instead. On my dime.
Meeting Noah has changed everything for me. It’s as if he’s woken me from slumber, ripped the veil from my eyes, and allowed me to see the reality of my life.
Have you considered that your mom was asking you to look out for them rather than literally keeping a roof over their heads and catering to their every whim?
Noah’s words from last night come back to me. Is he right? Is it possible that’s what Mom meant? I know I tend to take everything literally. I struggle to interpret the subtleties of language. Have I allowed a promise to dictate the course of my life?
I head toward the first cabin on my schedule for the day and let myself in, getting to work stripping the bed and exchanging towels. I’m halfway through cleaning the kitchen when I suddenly realize I have nothing suitable to wear tonight. I’ve been so caught up in anticipation of spending more time with Noah that I haven’t even thought about the dress code.
“Shit!” I curse into the empty cabin, pressing my hands to my cheeks in frustration. I’ll have to cancel. There’s nothing else for it. I can’t go to a wedding reception looking like a sack of shit.
A knock at the door distracts me from my troubled thoughts, and I look up to see Simone standing in the doorway, carrying a bag.
“Simone?” I say, shocked to see her here.
“Big date with Noah tonight, huh?” She gives me her signature warm smile.
“I…How did you know?”
“Ah, you know, the walls have ears,” she says, waving a hand dismissively as she walks toward me. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but I wondered if you had something to wear tonight?”
I gape at her. Has she somehow read my mind?
“Elli?” Simone prompts at my vacant expression, coming to stand in front of me.
“I… As a matter of fact, no, I don’t. The only dress I own is ten years old and the hem is fraying so there’s no way I can wear that to a wedding function plus I don’t want to embarrass Noah by turning up in a pile of rags but I don’t have the money or the time to go buy a new dr?—"
Simone presses a finger to my mouth to silence me. “That’s what I thought.”
She unzips the bag she’s carrying, which I suddenly realize is a folded dress bag. I gasp as she removes a beautiful royal-blue off-the-shoulder gown with long gauzy sleeves studded with tiny sequins which catch the light. The dress nips in at the waist, and the skirt falls in drapes of silk with a weighted hem.
Simone holds it against my body, her lips pursed. “I thought so,” she mutters to herself. “What is your shoe size?”
“Um, a nine.”
“Perfect. You’re the same size as my daughter,” Simone beams.
“This is your daughter’s dress?” I ask, trying to keep up.
Simone nods. “She’s off traveling in Peru, and most of her clothes are still hanging in her closet at home. I know she’d want you to wear this, and there’s a pair of shoes to match.”
“But—”
“Ah, ah! No ‘buts.’ A proper date deserves a proper dress,” Simone insists.
I’m flabbergasted. “Why are you doing this?”
“I’ve seen how hard you work to keep yourself afloat, no thanks to those lazy good-for-nothings who leech off you. You deserve this, Elli. You deserve to be swept off your feet by someone, and something tells me Noah is the one,” she says with a cheeky wink.
I bite my lip. “It’s like I’ve known him forever, but… we only met twenty-four hours ago. It’s all happening so fast.”
“I knew my husband was my soul mate the second I laid eyes on him. We were married within a month of meeting, and we just celebrated thirty years together.” Simone winks. “If you know, you know, and if the way Noah was looking at you last night was any indication, he knows too.”
I throw my arms around Simone, hugging her impulsively. “Thank you. You’re my real-life fairy godmother.”
“No thanks necessary,” she murmurs, returning my hug. She pulls back to look at me with a grin. “And you shall go to the ball.”