Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Vanessa
I was lying on something hard but surprisingly comfortable. It definitely wasn't my pillow, but for the life of me, I couldn't fathom what it could be. All I knew was it was something warm, and I wanted more of it, so I wiggled my body to capture more of the heat.
"You might want to stop wiggling like that." A husky voice filtered through my brain and had me tensing.
Oh shit. Memories from yesterday started to play behind my eyelids. My sister getting beaten up. The argument we had. Telling my father what was going on and then the plea that led to my current situation.
Asking Nolen to hold me.
Only I was no longer tucked into his side like I had been, but I was now lying across his body, my knee hiked up across his lap.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
"Just ignore that."
How the hell was I supposed to ignore the large bulge resting just under my knee? I was too damn afraid to move in fear that I would knee him straight in the balls.
"I don't think I can," I squeaked.
Yes, fucking squeaked like a teenager hitting puberty.
"It will go away soon enough."
I wasn't sure I believed him. I mean the thing was massive and definitely making itself known.
"Really?" I called his bluff.
"Yeah, probably not," Nolen replied with a chuckle. "Having you plastered to me most of the night hasn't helped."
"I'm sure it's just a case of morning wood. Studies have shown it's a sign of sexual health for men to wake up with an erection." I was starting to ramble due to the embarrassment coursing through my body.
Nolen used his fist to gently raise my chin so I was looking him in the yes. "I assure you this has nothing to do with the morning and everything to do with you."
My face was on fire. I could feel it, and I was positive it had to be glowing a bright shade of red.
"Ummmm." There was absolutely nothing to say to that.
Did I find Nolen attractive? One hundred percent.
Did I think he found me attractive? Before all this happened, I would've said no. Now I wasn't so sure.
"You're gorgeous when you wake up." It was like he could read my thoughts and knew exactly what to say.
"You're pretty handsome yourself."
Oh God. Could I be any more corny?
Thankfully Nolen gave me his crooked smile, and instantly my insides melted.
"We should probably get up." I had no idea what time it was, but some light filtered in through the living room window so, if I had to guess, early morning.
"I'm actually pretty comfortable right here."
So was I. I could stay like this all day if the world around me wasn't burning down.
"Me, too."
"But we have work to do." Nolen sighed.
"Correct."
Careful not to knee him, I slowly slid off Nolen until I was in a seated position and got my first look at his lap.
The damn bulge looked bigger than it felt.
"You staring at it isn't going to help."
My eyes snapped up to his, and I gave him my best oops face.
I knew he didn't believe me when he shook his head.
"I need to go take care of this before we can get started."
Now I was thinking about Nolen stroking himself in my bathroom, and it made me want to follow him to help. Too bad I was too much of a chicken to follow through on that plan.
Instead I sat on the couch like a weirdo waiting for him to return.
When one minute turned into two and so on, I realized how awkward it was to just wait for him and decided to make myself useful.
Taking a slow walk into the kitchen, I went in search of something to make. I was mentally going over what I had in the fridge and quickly realized it wasn't much because I had yet to make a call to Ivan at the One Stop Shop for groceries.
With a sigh, I opened the fridge anyway and was pleasantly surprised to find it full.
When the hell had that happened?
I was still standing there shocked when Nolen entered the kitchen.
"Did you do this?" I turned to look at him as I pointed back toward the open fridge door.
"Yeah, I had one of the guys deliver it while we were at the hospital."
I wanted to cry. No one ever took care of me. Growing up, it was on me to care for Hannah, and even though we had our father, I did most of the cooking and household chores. And then when I finally moved out, it was just me. There was never anyone around to take some of the burden off.
"I didn't mean to make you cry." In two large steps, Nolen was in front of me, swiping away the tears that I hadn't even realized had fallen.
"These aren't sad tears.”
"Then what are they?"
I nuzzled my face into the hand that came up to cradle the side of my face.
"I don't know what to call them, but I never had anyone care for me the way you do. I'm a little out of my element here."
"Well, I hope you can get used to it because I have no intention of going anywhere."
That caught me off guard. I knew bubbling under the surface was chemistry but I honestly was just chalking it up to the fact that the two of us hadn't had sex in a very long time, but now I was thinking I might be wrong.
"I'm going to kiss you, now."
I liked that he didn't ask for permission but instead told me what he planned to do. It gave me a couple seconds to prepare, but truth be told, there was no amount of preparation I could've done for when Nolen's lips touched mine.
They were soft at first. Almost hesitant to see how I would react, but when I leaned into him, things went from gentle to all consuming.
That was the only way to describe the way Nolen kissed me. He wasn't just some active participant. He took control and poured every emotion into the kiss. He showed me it wasn't just some kiss but true desire.
When he licked my lips, seeking me to open up to him, I gladly succumbed and gave him all of me. Body and soul. I was his in that moment and possibly for as long as he would have me because never before had I been kissed like this.
They say when you find the one, you know it. Well, I knew it in that moment, and I never wanted it to end.
So when the sound of a phone ringing cut through the haze that Nolen created, I couldn't help but whimper at the loss.
"I'll be right back," Nolen whispered, once again, brushing his lips across mine.
I leaned back into the fridge door and brought my hands up to my mouth. I could still feel his lips on mine, and I wanted to trap that feeling there forever.
I realized in that moment I was a goner. No one would ever be able to compare to how Nolen just made me feel. And I didn't want them to. All I wanted was him.