Heartstrings: The Complete Collection

8. Noah

Chapter 8

Noah

I wake to find Elli gone, but the bed is still slightly warm from her body. Going in search of her, I find a note on the kitchen counter.

Noah. Didn’t want to wake you. Went to the house to grab my stuff. Back soon. Elli.

Shit! A sense of dread settles over me. We agreed last night that Elli would stay in the cabin with me until our return to New York, and we’d go to the house together this morning to grab her stuff. Why the hell did she go without me?

Throwing on jeans and a t-shirt, I tear out the door and jump in the car before realizing I don’t know her address. I head straight for reception, determined to bribe someone for the information if I have to. As luck would have it, I pass Simone on the way, and after briefly explaining the situation, she gives me Elli’s address and tells me to go get my girl.

This isn’t how I imagined the morning would go. I planned to make Elli breakfast in bed and then wash every inch of her gorgeous body in the shower. Pin her against the wall, and slide inside her tight heat until she screamed my name like last night. Shit, the memory alone has my cock lengthening painfully in my jeans. She gave herself to me freely and without reservation. It’s a night I’ll remember for the rest of my life, no matter how many more nights we have together.

My life has been all work and no play for years, first as a professional athlete and now as an agent, but simply being with Elli fills me with joy and contentment and anticipation for the future.

Ten minutes later, I pull up outside the small, two-story house to see Elli arguing with a guy I assume is one of her stepbrothers. My blood boils as he grabs her, but a second later, Elli smashes her suitcase against his head. My girl is a wildcat, and pride flares briefly in my chest until I see her stumble and fall. The asshole grabs her legs and winds up to punch her as she lies on the ground. A mist of red descends in front of my eyes. I’m going to break things, namely this guy’s face.

I’m out of the car in a flash, the element of surprise on my side as I plow into him and pin him against the wall. My competitive days flash before my eyes, a reminder of all the times I had a player from the opposing team pinned against the protective glass of the arena. I was a fiery bastard back then. Seems I still am, particularly when it comes to protecting my woman.

I press my elbow into the asshole’s throat, and his eyes bulge as he makes horrific choking noises. He’s a big guy, but I’m bigger. His muscles are for show, no doubt the result of hours spent pumping iron at the gym. I may not be a professional athlete anymore, but my strength is borne of hours and hours of functional training.

My voice is deadly calm as I get up in his face. “You ever come within six feet of my woman again, and I swear to God I will cut your balls off and stuff them down your throat before I haul your pathetic ass to the nearest police station and have you charged with assault. Do you understand?”

His eyes spit hatred at me.

“Do you understand?” I ask again, jamming my elbow harder into his throat.

He gurgles, and his face is now an interesting shade of purple with mottled highlights. The asshole chokes an unintelligible reply, which I take as a “yes.” He slides down the wall as I release him, clutching his throat and gasping for air.

“What the hell is going on out here?” an older man appears in the open doorway, with a younger guy hiding behind him: the stepfather and the other stepbrother.

“Nothing that concerns you,” I say coolly, striding toward Elli and helping her to her feet. “We’re leaving.”

“Leaving? Leaving to go where?” the older man blusters.

“Somewhere you’ll never be able to take advantage of your stepdaughter again,” I toss over my shoulder, scooping up Elli’s suitcase and ushering her toward my car.

I toss the suitcase on the back seat and get her in the passenger seat with her belt fastened before walking back to the house.

I come to a halt in front of Elli’s stepfather, my expression icy. “We’re leaving now. You won’t see your stepdaughter again. If you ever try to find Elli, if I so much as hear a whisper that you’ve tried to make contact or extract money from her, I promise your pathetic lives won’t be worth living. And just to be clear,” I narrow my eyes on each of them in turn, “I don’t make idle threats, so if you want to test me, go ahead. It won’t end well for you.”

Turning, I stride back to the car, climb behind the wheel, and roar off without a backward glance.

“Are you okay?” I ask roughly once I’ve put some distance between us and the house.

“I’m fine,” Elli whispers, keeping her eyes on her lap. “How did you know where I lived?”

“I was on my way to reception when I ran into Simone. What the hell were you thinking, going there alone?” I demand, trying to calm down. “I thought we agreed we’d go together?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be awake and thought I’d be in and out in no time. I was wrong.” She gives a jerky shrug and dashes a hand across her eyes.

The silence is oppressive as I make the journey back to the resort. Visions of the guy bending over Elli with his fist poised to strike her haunt me, and I take deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down.

I park outside the cabin and cross to the passenger side before Elli can get out, plucking her from her seat and carrying her inside. Placing her on the sofa, I grab a bag of ice from the freezer and wrap it in a dish towel. Returning to her, I place it gently on her wrist, gritting my teeth as I see the bruising and swelling from that fucker’s hand.

“Hold the ice on your wrist. It’ll help with the swelling,” I tell her, my voice harsher than I intended.

I stride to the bathroom, turn on the faucet over the bath, and pour some bath soak into the water. When I return to the sofa a few minutes later, Elli is sitting where I left her, tears pouring down her cheeks. My heart throbs, and every ounce of anger drains through my feet. I sit next to her and scoop her up, pulling her into my lap.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I murmur, tucking her against me and kissing her head as she cries. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I saw red when that piece of shit put his hands on you. All that mattered was making sure you were safe and making that fucker pay for hurting you.”

Elli’s hands bunch in my shirt. “I’m sorry. Part of me was ashamed for you to see what my life looks like. I didn’t realize how shitty things were until I met you, and I guess I’m ashamed I allowed the situation with my stepfather and brothers to go on for so long.”

I tilt her face to mine, aching as I see her red-rimmed eyes. “You have nothing to feel ashamed of, Elli. You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. Selfless, kind, beautiful, and you’re all mine. One look at you, and my heart didn’t stand a chance. I’ve never been in love before. This is all new to me, so you’re gonna have to bear with me because I turn into a caveman when it comes to you and your safety. I can’t help it. I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you.”

Elli gives me a watery smile. “I love the sound of that, so long as I get to take care of you too.”

“Sweetheart, you can take care of me as often as you like,” I say with a smirk, kissing the tip of her nose.

She beams, bathing me in her light. “Sounds like a win-win.” She squeals as I surge to my feet with her in my arms and carry her to the bathroom. “What are you doing?”

“Making a start on the ‘taking care of you’ part,” I say, lowering her to her feet.

She stands there as I make quick work of her clothes until she’s naked before me, all smooth skin and hard-tipped breasts. I bend, pulling a nipple into my mouth and sucking hard, and Elli’s head falls back on a moan.

“You taste like coconut and lime,” I mutter, trailing my lips along her collarbone and up her neck. I back her up to the bath. “In you get.”

Elli does as I ask, moaning as she lowers herself into the hot water. She lies back in the suds and closes her eyes. Grabbing a sponge, I dip my hand into the water and gently wash her body.

My eyes slip to her chest, and my cock throbs as her nipples poke up between the bubbles. I circle them with the sponge before swiping my thumb over one hardened nub. Elli moans and bites her lip, arching her back to prolong the contact.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Elli,” I mutter, pressing my thumb against the hard peak.

Her gasp bounces off the walls as she moves restlessly in the water. “Please,” she whispers, grabbing my hand and guiding it down her body.

I fall to my knees, capturing her mouth in a kiss and thrusting my tongue past the barrier of her lips. Elli’s tongue greets mine, her legs dropping open as my hand glides between her legs to part her folds. I press the pad of my thumb against her clit, and she jerks and gasps, moving her hips instinctively to prolong the contact.

“You like that, sweetheart?” I ask gruffly, drinking in the pleasure on her face.

“God, yes,” she pants, mewling as I pinch her bundle of nerves between my thumb and forefinger.

“Like this?” I roll my thumb in circles over her clit.

“Mmm-hmm… I… Oh, God… yes, like that… I love it when you touch me… makes me tingle all over, and… oh!”

She gasps as I bend to suckle her nipples, moving from one to the other while sliding my fingers through her slick heat. “You gonna come for me, sweetheart?”

She nods, soaking me as she writhes in the water, but I don’t give a fuck. I flex my fingers, giving her the pressure she craves, and she rides my hand like a wild thing, chasing her orgasm.

“That’s it, sweet girl. Use my hand to get off.”

She tenses, and her body bows as her climax grips her hard. “Noah! I’m coming, so hard. Oh… I?—"

I don’t let up, coaxing her through her orgasm and pulling every drop of pleasure from her until she slumps into the bathwater, breathing hard.

Elli opens her eyes slowly, a satisfied smile pulling at her mouth. “I like this ‘taking care of me’ thing.”

Her gaze is full of everything she feels for me, bringing a lump to my throat. This amazing, beautiful woman has stirred something deep in my soul. “I’ll always take care of you, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispers, her beautiful hazel eyes welling with tears.

Encouraging her to sit up, I spend the next ten minutes washing and conditioning her hair, relishing in the sweet intimacy and the sounds of her contented sighs. Once I’m done, I help her from the tub, wrapping her in a fluffy white towel. I carry her back to the bedroom, placing her on the seat at the vanity dresser, and grab the courtesy hairdryer from the drawer. By the time I’ve finished drying her hair, she’s practically purring like a kitten.

I quickly strip off my damp clothes and tug Elli’s towel from her body. We climb into bed, and I pull the duvet over us as she snuggles into my arms, our naked bodies pressed together. I could stay like this forever, wrapped in our private slice of heaven.

I tip her head up to mine. “How are you feeling?”

“Happy. Like a weight’s gone from my shoulders because I’ll never have to see them again.” She smiles at me, cupping my face and rubbing her thumbs over my beard before tugging my face down for a sweet kiss. “Thank you for loving me. For giving me the strength and courage to walk away,” she murmurs against my lips.

“Thank you for bringing me back to life. My world was black and white before you kicked me in the nuts and made me see colors I never knew existed.”

Elli bursts out laughing. “Everything still seems to be functioning very well in that department,” she teases, sliding a hand between us to grasp my swollen shaft.

I hiss a breath between my teeth. “Only for you, sweet thing. Only ever for you.”

“Show me,” she demands.

“With pleasure.” I roll her onto her back, sliding inside her tight pussy with one powerful thrust of my hips.

Elli moans and wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper. I’m right where I want to be, balls-deep in my woman, surrounded by her love and vitality.

Long may it last.

The woman standing in the lane a little way from the cabin smiles, sensing the love inside. The sun breaks through the clouds, bathing her tawny skin in an ethereal light, and her smile broadens.

Her work here was done, and two more souls destined for each other now had their happily ever after.

Time to move on to the next.