Chapter 22 Noelle
Noelle
Hours go by and Nick and I are still hanging out in the lobby waiting for our guests to arrive.
They called to let me know their flight was delayed again and apologized profusely for keeping me.
As the night went on, the less I cared that they weren’t here.
I had plenty of entertainment to keep me company which made staying late a lot more bearable.
“Do you have a nine?”
“Go fish.”
“You little liar!” I gasp then slap my hand over my mouth after almost shouting at him. It’s past ten and the inn is completely quiet as all of our guests have gone to bed. I bring my face closer to him and whisper, “I know you have a nine, give it to me.”
“No, I won’t give it to you because then you’ll win,” he whispers back.
I gasp. “So you do have a nine!”
“Yeah and you’ll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands to get it from me.”
“What if I show you my boobs? Then will you give it to me?” I tease.
Without pause he immediately tosses me the card and waits. My head falls behind me as I laugh.
“You’re a child,” I joke, throwing my cards down on the top of the desk.
“No, I’m a man who finds his wife wildly attractive. Can you blame me? Look at you.” He picks up his hands and waves them at me.
Shaking my head at him, I stand and stretch, looking around to make sure there aren’t any stray guests lingering in the halls. He follows behind me as I move into the library, looking around and taking in the space as if I’m seeing it for the very first time.
“Twenty-five years I’ve called this place my home,” I reflect, not really speaking to him directly. “And in a few weeks I’ll be able to call it mine.”
He moves towards the bookshelf where an old record table sits.
Opening it, he places a vinyl on it and turns it on only loud enough for us to hear.
Even though the artist has long since passed away, it’s my favorite album and I listen to it on repeat year after year.
The old-timey sound of their voice makes me smile.
He comes up beside me and takes my hand, placing his free one on my waist.
“This place has always belonged to you, Noelle. You are as much a part of it as it’s a part of you.”
Spinning me around, we begin to slow dance to the music. My free hand falls to his shoulder to steady myself and I take a step closer so my chin rests on top of it. The fireplace crackles as the wooden logs start to fade into ashes and ember.
“You, this place,” he says into my ear as we sway back and forth. “They hold some of my favorite memories of growing up in Evergreen.”
“Yeah, me too,” I murmur. The hand he has on my waist snakes around and holds me by my lower back. We spin around slower than the beat of the music, holding one another as the vinyl switches over to a new song.
“Nick?” I start hesitantly.
“Yeah?”
“The other night…when we were…”
“I know what night you’re talking about.”
We share a laugh. Finding my courage, I ask what I’ve been dying to ask all week.
“You—you said you love me. And then today you said you’ve meant everything you’ve said since coming home so—” My words get caught in my throat when he pulls away and looks at me. The green in his eyes steals my breath away and I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.
“I meant what I said, Noelle. I do love you. I’ve never stopped loving you.” His hand comes to frame my cheek.
“Then why—why did you leave? Why did you end things?” My throat gets tight and I hate that I’m dredging up the past while we were sharing probably the single most romantic moment I’ve ever had in my life. But I have to know. I have to ask.
His sigh is so heavy it’s as if he’s finally dropped the last twelve years of guilt he’s been carrying around with him. Leaning in, he presses his lips to my forehead before looking at me.
“Because I was scared. And stupid. And way too young to believe that I had found my soulmate. But I had, Noelle, and it’s you. It’s always been you.”
Unable to blink it back, a stray tear rolls down my cheek which he wipes away with the pad of his thumb.
“I’m sorry for hurting you and I’m sorry for leaving you. But I promise, I’m not going to do that again. You’re it for me, Noelle. And while I can’t make up for the last twelve years, I know I can do everything in my power to make the next twelve, twenty, hell, sixty years the best ones yet.”
I want to believe him. I want to know that he means what he says but we’ve been here before. And I’m the one stupid enough to let myself get here again. He holds my face with both hands and hovers his lips close to mine.
“Let me show you how much I love you,” he whispers before pressing his lips to mine.
He kisses me so fiercely that I have to take a step back and catch myself. Holding onto his wrists, I lean into him to counterbalance us until he pushes against me harder, walking me back until my back hits the wall. Knocking into it, a loud thud rings out through the nearly silent inn.
“Jesus, Nick. Do you want someone to come down here and see us?” I say between heated exchanges.
“I don’t know, would you be into that?” he hums, smirking against my lips.
Bringing his hands to my waist, he walks me back across the small hallway, lips still on mine, and guides us towards the small office behind the check-in desk.
He closes the door behind him and flips on the light.
Quickly taking in the space, I catch a flash of a smile on his lips when he sees the desk.
Grabbing me again, he picks me up and sets me down on top of it.
With my arms wrapped around his neck, I let him press his tongue into my mouth, savoring every single bit of his need that I can.
When his hands start to reach for the bottom of my sweater, I stop him.
“We can’t do this here,” I breathlessly protest.
“Why? Scared you’ll like it if we get caught? That’s a thing for some people, you know.” Every time he presses his lips to my throat my brain becomes a little more fuzzy.
“We can’t do this here because it’s where I work. Someone could come down, the phone could ring, our party could arrive.” I list off all the very valid reasons why we definitely shouldn’t have sex right now.
“Come on, sugar,” he mumbles. The vibration of his voice sends a wave of desire straight to the center of my legs. “What’s one time?”
The sound of the question breaks something in me and I’m scrambling to get his clothes off.
He’s doing the same, making quick work of my skirt and lifting it above my knees.
His hands move with precision as he slides my underwear down my legs and drops them to the floor.
I gasp when his fingers find my center and discover that I’m already wet and needy for him.
“Christ, Noelle,” he groans as he starts to play with me. “Are you always this wet or is this all for me?”
Smirking, I pull him in by his neck and whisper against his lips. “What can I say, my husband really does it for me.”
“Such a good wife,” he murmurs before sinking his fingers inside of me. I suck in a breath as the feeling of his fingers makes every nerve ending in my body feel like it’s caught fire. While I’d love nothing more than a double feature, we might not have time for that.
“I want you to fuck me,” I demand, pushing his hand away to undo his belt.
“You never have to ask me twice,” he replies, reaching into his back pocket. He takes his wallet out and pulls a condom from it. “Made sure I came prepared.”
“You came here thinking I was going to sleep with you?” I scoff.
“I didn’t come here thinking you were going to sleep with me tonight,” he explains. “But I was kinda hoping something might happen tomorrow. A man should be prepared for whenever his wife may ask him to fuck her.”
“I hate you.”
“Try to say that to my face once I’m done with you, sugar. I dare you.”
After slipping the condom on, he takes my face in his hands and kisses me again. Leaning forward, I feel his hard length bump into me and reach for it. Using it like my own personal toy, I tease myself with it and love how he shudders when I do.
“That feels so fucking good,” he groans, looking between us. “Use me, sugar. Use me however you need.”
“I want you to use it to make me finish. Think you can do that?” I challenge, moving the tip of his cock to edge me even further.
“I promise you I will.”
Pushing his hips forward, he sinks himself into me and holds me in place on the edge of the desk. His hands grip my hips so I can’t move and to give himself more leverage. Holding onto his shoulders, I watch as he fucks me right there on the tiny antique desk that I once did my homework at.
“So. Fucking. Good.” He grunts with each thrust. When he reaches a hand between us and starts to flick my clit, I almost lose it.
“You can only do that if you’re about to finish too,” I warn. I drop my head behind me and he takes the opportunity to sink his teeth into my neck sending a fresh wave of ecstasy through me.
“Then we’ll fucking finish together.”
Continuing to push and pull away from me, he continues the work his fingers were doing before I stopped him.
Our breath is short and needy and the only sound filling the small room we’re in.
Before long, his fingers are digging into the top of my leg and I feel him reaching his peak.
Following close behind him, I take his hand in mine and squeeze the life out of it as an orgasm wracks my body.
Our lips meet as we both hit our finish line, breathing one another in while we do.
Taking a second to catch his breath, he finally pulls away, resting his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Noelle Holly. I have since we were just a couple of kids figuring out life and I haven’t stopped loving you since.”
There’s a sincerity to his voice that makes my heart do a flip.
One that I remember so clearly from when he told me he loved me the first time.
One that I want to believe is real even though he’s hurt me in the past. I understand why Eve is so concerned about our arrangement because as much as I know I shouldn’t, I say those four little words no woman should ever say to a man who’s broken her heart before.
“I love you too.”