Chapter 22
22
Hours later, Noel walked down the stairs quietly, fatigue pulling at her. The past two days had been exhausting. God, was it actually only about forty hours ago that my boss called me to tell me about coming here for Tad and Penny? She had experienced bizarre cases and had exhausting workdays, but she’d never experienced all that had been packed into these hours.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was met by Landon. She offered him what she thought was a smile, but as his gaze dropped to her mouth, she felt it was more of a grimace than a genuine smile.
His eyes lifted, and he jerked his chin upward. “How are they?”
"They’re both finally asleep. Penny was exhausted, and after eating and taking a hot bath, she quickly fell asleep. I hope that she doesn't wake up until the morning."
"And Tad?"
"Pretty much the same. The trauma, the drama, and then the grief finally knocked him out."
She stood on the bottom step, bringing her height closer to his face. His hands reached out and gently rested on her waist. In a movement so natural to her, she lifted her hands to his forearms and slid them upward to his shoulders, her fingers curling around the back of his neck. It was an intimate gesture, one easily found between friends or lovers. They certainly weren’t lovers, but after what they'd been through, she hoped they were friends.
Staring into his stormy gray eyes, the idea of them being lovers moved through her in a way that caused her fingers to grip a little tighter. She wondered if he picked up on the same feeling when his fingers dug in tighter to her waist.
She dragged her gaze beyond his shoulder to see who else was near. Not seeing or hearing anyone, she asked, "Where is everybody?"
“Cole has a room near the airport. He doesn't want to have any problem with the plane for tomorrow.”
She nodded. “Where are Frazier and Devil sleeping?”
“A two-bedroom guesthouse over the garage has a small kitchen and a large bathroom. Devil and Frazier will sleep there and be ready to leave first thing in the morning. Plus, that keeps them close by in case we need them. No one has seen Roger since he left, but the police are watching for him at the airports.”
She snorted and shook her head. "And Pamela?"
Landon grinned. "While you were upstairs with the kids, Pamela finally went into her room with the vodka. She’s halfway to being stinking drunk by now."
"I get the feeling a lot happened while I was upstairs with the kids for the past couple of hours." After the kids had eaten, Pamela had tried to cozy up to them, but she couldn't keep her mouth shut without making snide comments about Mike. The kids, still deep in the fresh throes of grief, were not in the mood to listen to their mom. Noel had encouraged them to walk outside with her for the fresh air and a little exercise. And even though it was early evening when they came back in, she encouraged the kids to try to get some sleep.
She sat with each of them and encouraged them to think of their good memories of Mike. They had questions about how his body would get back to the States, and she answered them honestly. They both video-chatted with their dad and grandparents, and while she didn't hover, she stayed close in case they needed her. By the time all that was over, the kids had finally fallen into their beds, sleep coming quickly.
"I'm not sure what it says about me," she said, still hanging on to his shoulders. “But I honestly couldn't care less if Pamela continues to drink through the night and isn't even around for goodbye in the morning."
Landon grinned and leaned in closer. “I think it says that you're tired of her bullshit, you've done everything in your power to help the kids, and you're ready to go home.”
Her lips curved, and she also leaned closer. “I think you're right.”
He slid his hands from the sides of her waist to her back. “What about you, Noel? You’ve spent the day taking care of others. What do you need?”
She sucked in a quick breath, her eyes never leaving his. After two days of being surrounded by people, they were suddenly alone. And as tired as she was, she had no desire to squander the opportunity to spend more time with Landon. Especially alone time. With his body so close. And his hands on her. And their lips?—
She erased the scant distance, her lips landing on his. The kiss was light. Just a whisper, giving him plenty of opportunity to pull back if kissing wasn’t on his agenda of things he wanted to do.
But he didn’t move away. Instead, his tongue licked over her bottom lip, and she opened eagerly for him. He didn’t waste a second as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Her fingers clutched the back of his head as his velvet tongue swept over hers.
As a child, when Noel ate icing off a cupcake, she would say that the sugary sweetness made her mouth tingle, and her sister, Joy, would always laugh. Now, as his tongue danced over the roof of her mouth, the movement gave her the same tingles. Only this time, they shot straight to her core.
Angling her head to gain better access, she quickly realized he had taken charge of the kiss and used the new angle to draw her closer. His tongue now explored as it tangled with hers. Her knees felt weak, and she was glad his hands offered support.
As though he could anticipate her every need, his arms banded tighter around her waist, taking her weight while giving her his strength.
Just when she wanted the kiss to keep going, he began nibbling at her lips, offering sweet little kisses before leaning back. The kicking mewl she heard came from her own lungs. For the moment they'd kissed, she needed him more than her next breath. And now that he'd lifted his mouth away from hers, she thought breathing was overrated.
He smiled, and his handsome face morphed into what she'd come to think of as drop-dead gorgeous territory.
“You asked me what I needed,” she said with a return smile. “I think you've already got the right idea.”
“I have a lot of good ideas for you and me,” he admitted, angling his head to kiss the corner of her mouth. “But if you want to keep doing nothing more than just this, that's fine with me.”
Her hands tightened on him again, and she leaned forward, giving all her weight to him. “This is great, but I'd like to hear your other ideas. It's good to give a girl some choices, you know.”
He kissed the other corner of her mouth and mumbled, “It is?”
“Oh yeah. Especially after a day like today, a girl needs to know what her options are to relax and forget.”
He leaned back, and their gazes held, and she could've sworn time stood still. There were no sounds in the house other than her heart pounding in her chest, which she felt sure he could hear.
“Roger's room is empty, and so was the one Mike used. Believe it or not, Horticia had already cleaned the bathrooms and hung fresh towels. That was, of course, before she was hauled off to be questioned by the police.”
A giggle slipped out, and Noel shook her head. “At least she was a good housekeeper, even if she was a kidnapping instigator.”
Landon grinned, then continued. "I stripped the beds and put clean sheets on. I set your bag in one of the rooms and mine in the other. And if all we’ve done is get to know each other and share these kisses, I’m good with that, Noel. But if you want more, just let me know because I'm really interested in spending time with you. I just don't want to wake up in the morning and see regret in your eyes."
“The only way that would happen is if we woke up in separate bedrooms.” She winced and shook her head. “I realize that was presumptuous. A lot of people only want sex and then not share a bed. And that's okay, too, if?—”
“I can't think of a better way to spend the night than with you, doing whatever you want and then curling around you all night. So if you’d regret not waking up to me in the morning, just know I would, too.”
Her heart felt lighter than it had all day, and her smile widened. “Then I guess I'll let you choose,” she said.
“Choose?”
“Yeah. Which room we stay in.”
His arms tightened, and she gave a little hop. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and with one hand under her ass and the other banded around her back, he turned and started down the hall.
She was impressed that he was able to carry her down the hall and into the bedroom, and managed to do it with his mouth sealed over hers.
Everything about Landon had captured her since the moment she'd met him, but right now, in his arms, she gave over to the notion that he was the most impressive man she'd ever been with. And we've only kissed! She couldn't wait to find out what else he could do with his impressive mouth and body.
She had no idea which bedroom they were in, but as she loosened her feet from around his waist, and he continued to hold on until her feet were steady on the floor, she glanced around.
“This is the room that Mike would have slept in last night. I figured it might be cleaner than Roger's room since I’m fairly certain he’s entertained Horticia when Pamela wasn't in the house.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Probably a good choice. She might not have cleaned their cooties from the room.”
He chuckled just before his hands cupped her face, and his fingers danced along the edge of her hairline. She closed her eyes as the slight pressure massaged her temples.
“I finally got you to eat. Would you like a shower?”
Her eyes opened as a smile played about her lips. “Is that your polite way of saying I stink?”
He barked out laughter and shook his head. “You made sure the kids had a chance to get clean and relaxed, but neither of us has done that. I just thought maybe you'd like to take a shower.”
“Thank you.” She nodded. “Since you haven't showered either, would you like to share?”
“Well, it would save on water, wouldn't it?”
“Oh, absolutely,” she said, still nodding. “I'm all about conservation.”
“Me too. Whatever I can do to save the planet.”
Unable to contain her laughter, she dropped her forehead to his chest and giggled, feeling her shoulders shake with the mirth. It felt good to have that release of pent-up emotions.
When she lifted her head, he slowly dragged his fingers down her arms and then, linking hands with her, guided her into the bathroom.
She looked around, and her eyes widened. “Oh wow. This is bigger than I thought it would be.”
The bathroom was well appointed, with a single sink but a wide granite countertop. The toilet was hidden in a small closet, and the shower was huge. “For a guest room, this is really nice. But then the whole resort is impressive.”
When she turned her head back to stare at Landon, she found his gaze pinned on her.
He bent and kissed her lightly, then turned toward the shower and flipped on the water.
Noel stepped back, and her hands moved to the bottom of her shirt. Without hesitation, she pulled it up over her head and dropped it to the side. His gaze now landed on her satin bra, and she watched his eyes grow stormy. She unbuckled her pants and shoved them down, kicking them to the side after toeing off her shoes.
Standing proudly in front of him in just her underwear, she stepped closer and grabbed the bottom of his shirt. “You're not shy, are you?”
“Not at all,” he said with a smile. He quickly jerked his shirt over his head, and it soon joined hers on the floor.
“Good, because I hate the idea of all this gorgeousness hidden from view.” And what a view it was—long, lean muscles, not overly bulked, but ropey and strong.
“I might not be an exhibitionist, but I have no problem with you viewing whatever you want to.”
With that, she laughed as her hands moved to his belt. Once again, he took over and soon shucked his pants and boxers after he ditched his boots and socks. She allowed her gaze to roam from head to toe, finding every inch of him as though sculpted from marble.
He stepped under the water as she finished stripping. Then wrapping her fingers around his, she followed him. She groaned as the spray from the side pounded her tired muscles, and the rainwater faucet above soothed and warmed her.
She placed her hands on his waist, shifted them so the water hit his back, and then dropped slowly to her knees. His erection bobbed in front of her, and she dragged her tongue from base to tip, keeping her eyes on his face. She watched his eyes roll back in his head, and a deep groan left his lips. She loved seeing this very controlled man as he handed the control to her.
Now, she slid her mouth over the tip and then down the shaft. She sucked and licked, both hands caressing his balls and gripping his shaft firmly. His hands were on her head, his fingers massaging her scalp, occasionally gripping her hair. The slight sting only drove her to take him harder and faster.
“I’m going to come,” he warned, bending slightly to place his hands on her biceps as though to pull her up.
She continued, and with a few more thrusts, he threw his head back and roared his release. Water was dripping down her face, but she kept her eyes on him as she sucked him dry.
When his chin dropped to his chest, and his eyes bore straight into hers, his hands now cupped her cheeks. He assisted her up, pulling her close. Their naked bodies were pressed tightly together, and with her ear against his chest, his heartbeat was strong.
“Christ, babe,” he murmured. “Damn, Noel. I never expected you to do that.”
She smiled as she leaned back and held his gaze. Before she could think of anything to say in response, he licked her lips, then pressed her back against the tile.
This kiss was wild, with noses bumping, lips melding, and occasional teeth scraping. She had wondered if the blow job would exhaust him, but it seemed to have given him new energy, for which she was glad. She wanted to keep experiencing this man. She wasn’t ready to walk away without having shared and tasted everything he had to offer.