Kanton.
I HADN’T SLEPT SINCE I woke at seven the previous morning. My body was screaming at me to find a comfortable place to crash and burn. I thought maybe I would get some rest on the plane.
Didn’t happen.
My mind was all over the place with how I would handle things with Noel. I refused to grant her the option of not hearing me out. I refused to allow her to accept that she and I weren’t meant to be. We were, and I was here offering a grand gesture to make sure she understood just how serious I was about proving my point.
I laughed to myself as I exited the car that brought me to her building. She loved those damn movies, and now we were right in the middle of a perfect plot for one. Guy fumbles girl and leaves without telling her how he really feels. Girl lets him go without doing the same. Girl flies to his city to make it right, and instead of finding him, finds a woman he would no sooner spend his future with than a stranger on the street, but she storms off, destroyed by a misunderstanding. All the elements were there.
Unexpected attraction. Passionate connection. Third act breakup over a misunderstanding, and then the happily ever after where love wins.
Love.
Did I love Noel?
Yes, I did. It was fast and unexpected and not easy, but I loved her.
It was possible she didn’t feel the same, but deep down inside, I thought she did. What I did know was that she was mine, and I was hers. Here I was, walking into her building, only to be hit with another gut punch with what I heard when I stepped inside the lobby.
“I’m well aware that she was supposed to be out of town. I talked to Noel. She’s expecting me.”
Lewis’s back was to me, so he hadn’t noticed I entered the lobby nor noticed when I bypassed him and the guy he was talking to. I almost considered tossing this guy the hell out of the lobby, but instead, I focused on my reason for being here. If she was expecting him, I needed to get to her first so that there wasn’t another barrier between us, forcing Noel to second-guess.
I quickly made it to the elevator, but it took too long to arrive, and whoever the hell this guy was, he managed to get on with me. I discreetly checked him out, and when I realized who he was, I wasn’t sure he would walk off the elevator. Expensive clothes and shoes, a hundred-thousand-dollar watch. Pretentious and entitled demeanor. He was annoyed, which meant that any interaction he had with Noel wouldn’t sit well with me.
I laughed to myself, shaking my head. How ironic. She showed up at my place to find my ex, and now, I was here at her place, on the elevator with hers. Only I refused to give a damn about this guy. He wouldn’t get anywhere near Noel. But still, a part of me needed to know why he was here and if she was, indeed, expecting him.
We got off the elevator on the same floor, en route to the same apartment, but he hadn’t cared enough to acknowledge me beyond a quick glance in the car when he first stepped on. I was seeing everything Noel and those closest to her told me about this dick, up close and personal. Seeing him made maintaining restraint, instead of knocking him on his ass and kicking him back into the elevator, a daunting task.
While he approached Noel’s door, I hung back, remaining slightly out of view at the corner, waiting. I heard the beep from him entering the wrong code, and my fists clenched. Was he expecting access? Had she granted him that? He did tell Lewis Noel was expecting him.
For what exactly?
After a few failed attempts, he knocked more aggressively than necessary, and as soon as I heard the door open, he wasted no time proving how much of a dick he truly was.
“I guess you did change the code. I’m glad to see you’re capable of successfully completing something. I was beginning to wonder if that were even possible.”
“As if you know what I’m capable of,” she shot back.
“It doesn’t matter. Are you going to pretend to have manners and invite me in or not?”
“No, but you already knew that, didn’t you? If I recall, you know everything except how to treat me.”
“Why are you being so childish? I see not much has changed.”
The muscles in my chest had tensed with the possibility that she wanted this jerk here loosened, but the tension in my arms and back coiled tightly, needing either to destroy or maim. I would deal with that in a minute, but for now . . .
“A lot has changed. Starting with you watching how the fuck you talk to her unless you want to deal with me not giving a damn how I handle you. I’m not much for talking to dumb fucks like you.”
“Kanton . . .”
Her eyes shot past the ex and landed on me. He spun on his heels, turning to see who had been so bold as to speak to him in that manner, and the glare in his eyes expressed just how much he didn’t appreciate my words or my presence.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Not you , which means I have the right to be here, but more importantly, a problem you don’t want. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Oh, this is interesting.” Another woman stepped up next to Noel, smiling smugly as her eyes moved between Evan and me.
She didn’t hold my attention long, however, because the dumbass thought it would be the right thing to do to further express how little Noel meant to him in the most disrespectful way possible.
“You can’t help me with a damn thing, but I can help you. Don’t waste your time. She’s not worth the effort you’ll have to invest, but if this is just you slumming it and having a little fun, then, by all means, enjoy. That’s about the only bonus to being with her. She’s a great fu—”
Before he could finish the sentence, I finished him. My fist hit his face, and he spun and hit the wall, landing so awkwardly that he stumbled to the floor.
“Well, damn.That was impressive,” the woman who was standing next to Noel said calmly, like I hadn’t just punched a guy. My eyes moved from her to Noel, who was staring at me with a scowl in place. I couldn’t tell if she was angry about me hitting the guy or just angry.
“You son of a bitch—” Evan growled, holding his face while scrambling to get off the floor, but he also backpedaled to be sure he wasn’t near me when he managed to get to his feet.
“I told you I wasn’t a problem you wanted. You didn’t listen. Now, again, is there something I can help you with? If not, you might want to leave now . You being here is not smart.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get what I came here for.” He turned to Noel. “Give me my gotdamn clubs.”
“Sure thing. If it gets you away from me, I’ll be glad to . . .”
I wanted to knock him on his ass again, but the idea of Noel moving when he said move had me following behind her. As soon as I found her in the hallway opening a closet I never paid much attention to, I grabbed her wrist.
“What clubs? What’s he talking about?”
The heat from her eyes seared me, but I stood my ground.
“None of your business, and what are you doing here?”
“You didn’t let him explain. Obviously, he’s here to explain and to punch your ex for being a dick,” the woman who was with Noel said in an amused tone.
“Simone . . .” was what she received in return.
“What? You’re the one who told me you didn’t let him explain. He’s here, giving Evan exactly what he deserves only a few hours after you left New York. My final assessment: Kanton is here to get his girl. And I approve.”
“He could have called,” Noel sneered and then delivered me a death stare like she was considering punching me the way that I punched Evan. I would have laughed because it was all quite amusing, but instead, I offered . . .
“I tried to call. You either blocked me or kept hitting ignore every time I called.”
“Problem solved. He called. Now, he’s here. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to give Evan his clubs and then head out.” Her eyes swept me from head to toe, lingering in certain areas as she did a full assessment and then added, “Now, it all makes sense.”
She smirked, moving past me to drag the clubs out of the closet. I reached for them, but she slapped my hand. “Nope. I got this. I can handle Evan. You two have some things to work out. I’ll take care of these, and then I’m leaving. You . . .” She narrowed her eyes on Noel. “Listen to whatever he has to say.” She turned in my direction. “And you better have something really good to say which will fix this.”
She dragged the golf bag behind her, bypassing me but stopping at the counter to lift a bottle of tequila. “And I’m taking this. As sexy as he is, he should be enough of a high. Call me tomorrow, Noel. And it was nice to meet you, We’ll do dinner when you two come up for air.”
I chuckled, watching her leave. I liked Simone. She and Noel made sense as friends. Speaking of her friend . . .
She glared at me a few feet away until something crashed, followed by Simone sticking her head in the door for the last time. “Clubs delivered on the floor . You kids behave now, or don’t . . .”
And then she was gone. I almost asked her to stay. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go to war with Noel alone, but I was here and not leaving like she had.
“You flew to see me and then left . . .” I stared at her, and she didn’t waste time getting to the point.
“You have a girlfriend. Who was at your apartment. Why would I stay?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend, but I’m here working on that.”
She narrowed her eyes more.
“Jordan was at your apartment. She used the key that you gave her, and answered the door wearing little to nothing, drinking wine. Didn’t look like much of an ex to me. At least not what I consider an ex.”
I stood grinning at her, and that only pissed her off more, which had her growling, “What?”
“How do you watch all those unrealistic movies, which all have the same storyline and plot, and not see what’s happening here?”
Her eyes narrowed more, and I moved closer, stating one word: “Misunderstanding.”
“Possibly, but it still proves that this won’t work. You’re there, and I’m here. None of this makes sense.”
“Because you don’t want it to. I’m not with Jordan. Right before my trip here, she got a job and had to fly to the UK at the last minute. She was supposed to be out of my apartment before I got home, but she called and asked if she could have more time while I was here. I agreed. What you saw was Jordan at my place packing up her things so that she could ship them to the UK, where she will be living for the next six weeks.”
“And where will she be living after those six weeks end?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Not my problem. She is my ex, Noel.”
“What else do you have?”
“Huh?”
I moved closer, and thankfully, she didn’t move back, but I didn’t touch her no matter how badly I wanted to. I wanted to do more than just touch her, but I had to be patient. “You know why I’m here.”
“Do I?” She lifted her chin, and I smirked.
“You do, but for argument’s sake, I’ll tell you so we don’t have any more misunderstandings. The past two weeks have taught me something very important.”
“Which is?”
“My life doesn’t work without you in it, and I’m willing to bet you would say the same if I asked and you answered honestly.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
“I always am when my gut tells me something is a sure thing, and that’s what it’s been telling me about you, about us , Noel.”
“You left . . .” she said quietly, like it pained her to get the words out.
I did, and that was a huge mistake.
“You let me . . .”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
I inched closer. Damn, I wanted to touch her so badly, but I also needed us to get this figured out, and sex would only temporarily distract Noel from doubting.
“Because you didn’t want me to go, that is why, but I did, and so here we are.”
“Now what?”
“Now, you give me your top three reasons why I shouldn’t stay, and if I can’t find a solution that eases your concerns, I’ll leave.”
“Only three? I have way more than that.”
I nodded. “I’m sure you do, but I’m only taking the top three.”
Her brows pinched, and she chewed the corner of her lip before doing what I asked. I didn’t expect she wouldn’t. “I live in Atlanta, and you live in New York, which I’ve only visited once, and I don’t like the place very much. It’s crowded, the people are pushy, self-absorbed, and no one smiles.”
I smirked. The no smiling thing likely ranked higher on her list of cons than the fact that the city was too crowded. Noel was a people person.
“I can’t force anyone to smile, but I can promise you that not all of New York is overcrowded. My apartment is actually very spacious.”
She glared at me, and I chuckled, knowing where her thoughts went. I wouldn’t make the mistake of getting stuck on the Jordan thing. She was about as relevant as Noel’s ex, who, at the moment, was likely trying to figure out who I was so that he could sue me. I doubted anyone here would help him figure that out.
“As spacious as your apartment might be, you’re proving my point. You live there . Your life is there, mine is here . . .”
“I like it here.”
“Kanton . . .” She frowned.
“Until we find a resolution to the location problem, we travel. We can both work remotely.”
“And what if we can’t solve the problem? I would never expect you to leave New York.”
“And I would never expect you to leave Atlanta . . .”
She opened her mouth to finish the argument, but I cut her off. “But being with you is important to me. You don’t have to expect or assume, Noel. I’ll be wherever you are if you’re willing to give this a real chance.”
“You have an entire company there.” She was breaking down, and I kept pushing.
“When I have to travel . . .”
Her face tensed. She was thinking about the asshole I just punched, so I asserted with confidence. “ When I have to travel, you can travel with me. If you can’t, I’ll make you come enough times before I go to ensure you don’t miss me too much, and then I’ll call, text, and FaceTime to make sure you know that I’ll be coming back to you because you are all that I want, Noel. I want you .” I closed what little space was left between us. “ You want me . There’s no reason why we can’t have each other.”
“I can’t afford to travel, and don’t you dare say you’ll pay for it.” She was trying her best not to give in to this. I refused to let her succeed.
I gripped her hips, pulling Noel into me. “I will pay for whatever I need to because I can, but I told you I would help with your business, and I have.”
“You built me a website. That only helps so much.”
So damn stubborn. She was going to go down fighting.
“And Brighton agreed to bring you on for his rebranding. It’s a $250,000 contract. One hundred grand up front. You can afford to travel to me and with me as well as wherever else you want to go, as long as I’m involved.”
I would never allow her to pay, but she could if she needed to feel satisfied. I’d let her have it for now.
She rolled her eyes, most likely at the “as long as I’m involved” part, before she asked, “Brighton is giving me a contract because you asked him to?”
Yes, basically, but ...
“He’s giving you the contract because he’s seen your work. Yes, he trusts me, but I didn’t ask him for this as a favor. Shelby sent him your designs, and he made the decision himself. If you want verification, you can ask whenever you want. Well, almost whenever. Not tonight. I have plans for you tonight.” I smirked and felt her body shiver against mine. “I know you wouldn’t want a handout. You would want to earn this, and you have.”
“Not all of it.”
“Noel . . .”
She stared at me and slowly smiled. “That’s a lot of money and a really big job.”
“You can’t handle it? If I recall, you handle really big things very well. With expert skill.” I pulled her harder against me, but she didn’t allow the closeness to distract her.
“I can do the job.”
“Then you don’t want it?”
“I do . . .”
“Then it’s a done deal. All you have to do is sign the contract when he sends it over. Now, what’s your last thing?”
I lowered my face into the curve of her neck, kissing and teasing her skin with my lips and tongue. She smelled so damn good. I missed her smell and the way she felt.
“Huh?”
“I asked you to give me three reasons. You only gave me two. Location and your job.”
“Oh . . . I don’t have a third.”
“Too bad because I have an argument for the third.”
“How can you have an argument when you don’t know what I was going to say?”
I pulled away, using one hand to grip the back of her neck. “I didn’t have to know what you were going to say. My argument would be the same regardless.”
“Okay, so let me hear it.”
“It’s more of a ‘let you feel it’ type of argument.”
Her smile grew incredibly slow when she realized what I meant.
“You were going to use sex?”
“ Am going to use sex. I worked really hard planning the details of how I would present my argument. It’s only fair that you allow me to do so. I have a very detailed list of places I want to put my mouth on your body.”
“ Or maybe we should talk some more.”
“There’s nothing else to talk about. We both want this.”
“We do, but—”
“Don’t say it’s too fast or doesn’t make sense because both are true, but it feels right.” I delivered a sequence of kisses along her jaw as I spoke. “We spent one week that was more meaningful, getting to know each other than most people have in years, but truthfully, I didn’t need the entire week.” By the time I reached her lips, she was leaning into me, which was a good sign. “I’m pretty sure you stole my heart the minute you rushed into the kitchen and tried to club me with a stuffed elf.”
Noel smiled against my lips. “You threatened to call the cops and have me thrown out of my own apartment.”
“But I didn’t, did I?”
Because I wanted you to stay.
“No.” She smiled wider.
“May I present my argument now?”
“You can, and we’ll deliberate further when you’re done.”
“Deal.”
I wouldn’t be done for a while, but I agreed, lifting Noel up. Her legs wrapped around my waist. She clung to me, snaking her arms around my neck while I carried her to the bedroom. My argument was about to be long and strong, so I hoped she was ready.