14. Hydrate
14
HYDRATE
One of the problems with taking a day off in the middle of a tour was that it lulled Hanna’s body into a false sense of relaxation.
She was used to making the most of every hour of the day, responding to emails when she was not with the group or finishing other work, the minute she slowed down, Hanna’s brain jumped at the chance to shut down for a few hours and unwind.
Her mind was sluggish after the high of spending an entire day with Noah.
They did not stay out late, joining the others for an early dinner before they all retired for the evening, but Hanna had difficulty falling asleep.
She kept replaying the day in her head, especially the moment he walked her back to her room, pressing her against the door in a kiss that left them both panting.
Thank goodness their private boat cruise along the Seine required minimal brain power on Hanna’s part, because she had little to spare.
Hanna was familiar with the captain and knew he liked to double as the tour guide on the boat, answering any questions the guests had and sharing his own version of Paris’ history.
Between him and several crew members staffed to help the group, Hanna had nothing to do during the four hour brunch-cruise.
For once, Hanna appreciated being redundant since it gave her more time to rest, the long days catching up to her.
Hanna blamed the fatigue for the way her ankle rolled as she got out of the car.
Pain flared up her leg and Hanna stumbled, clenching her teeth.
With the way she was positioned, Hanna was unable to stabilize herself, so she threw out her arms to catch herself before she fell.
Her right leg was tucked awkwardly beneath her, left leg braced against the ground, and arms framing both sides of the door, Hanna knew she looked ridiculous.
She would care more if she could focus on anything but the pain in her foot.
“Hanna.” Noah rushed forward to help, eyes wide with fear as he grasped her by the waist and lifted her back onto the seat.
“What happened?”
Turning at the commotion, Hazel and her friends hurried over to Hanna’s side of the car.
“Are you alright?”
“What’s going on?”
“Did you get hurt?”
“Do we need to call an ambulance, what’s the number for emergency services here?” Their questions tumbled over each other.
It was sweet of them to worry over such a minor injury, but Hanna felt a little silly being fussed over.
She held out both hands to stop them before they got an ambulance involved for no reason.
“I just slipped when getting out of the car, nothing major. The only thing injured is my ego.”
“Are you sure? Ignoring an injury is never a smart choice,” Daphne spoke from experience.
“Positive,” Hanna said with a smile.
“I grew up around doctors, so I know it's nothing serious.”
Accepting her answer, the women continued making their way to the dock, one of the crewmembers greeting them with glasses of champagne. Noah watched her like a hawk as Hanna pressed forward to get out of the car. Careful of her ankle, she stepped down with her left leg first, then her right.
A small whine slipped past her clenched teeth when Hanna put weight on her injured ankle. Cursing, Noah bent in front of her, hooking one arm under her knees and the other behind her back to lift her against his chest.
“Noah,” Hanna hissed, worried that the others would see. One of her stipulations to starting a relationship with Noah while on tour was no PDA during working hours. Supported by Hazel or not, Hanna had to maintain professional boundaries. “Put me down. I’ll be fine, I just need to walk it off.”
“No.” His voice was unyielding as he deposited her into the rear passenger seat. “Walking on a rolled ankle will only make it worse. You know that. I’m not letting you put yourself in danger of a worse injury. You have two choices.” Noah leaned into the car and braced himself on the armrests of Hanna’s chair, his face close enough that each breath fanned across her face.
“One, you let me take you back to the hotel so that I can check your ankle and make sure you rest. Or–” he cut off her protest. “–I take you to the hospital and have a doctor check your ankle.”
He met her defiant stare with steely resolve. They both knew he only threatened to take her to the hospital so that Hanna would let him take her back to the hotel. Unless the swelling and pain increased substantially, Hanna could treat the injury with ice, rest, and elevation. Noah was right that she would only make it worse by walking on it.
Noah arched his brow in question and Hanna let out a defeated sigh.
“Fine, you win. Take me back to the hotel.”
Sneaking a kiss, Noah smiled. “When it comes to your safety, I’ll always win.”
While Noah jogged over to his grandmother to explain the change in plans, Madeline checked on Hanna, laughing at her sulking friend.
“Only you would complain over a handsome man playing nurse for you.”
“T-that’s not…we aren’t…shut up.” Hanna threw a balled up napkin at Madeline’s head just as Noah reached the car.
He took one look at Hanna’s red face and wisely chose to remain silent, picking up her legs and placing them in his lap for the ride.
The door to Noah’s suite clicked shut behind them as he carried her into the room. From the moment they reached the hotel, Noah refused to set her down until they reached the bed covered in a decadent cream duvet and pillows. So intent on getting her comfortably settled, Noah brought her into the suite so quickly that Hanna was not able to enjoy the white and cream decorations or the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower outside the windows.
He left the room briefly to get ice and painkillers, bringing them back to Hanna with a glass of sparkling water. Watching her drink the entire glass, Noah rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Lie back,” he commanded. There was nothing salacious in the demand, the way he watched her ankle made it clear that Noah’s primary concern was checking the injury.
Hanna settled against the mountain of pillows, handing one to Noah so he could place it under her ankle. Her shoes were already gone, since Noah removed both their footwear in the entryway. Gently, he lifted her right foot, checking the swelling before taking the wrapped towel filled with ice and placing it against her skin. Hanna winced at the initial bite of cold.
“Does it hurt?” Noah asked.
“Not too bad.” Hanna sank further into the pillows as she shook her head.
“Can I check?”
Hanna nodded.
His touch was soft, feeling his way along her ankle with light pressure. Instead of feeling any dull pain from his touch, Hanna only felt streaks of pleasure. For the first time since they entered the room, it dawned on Hanna that she was in Noah’s bed and they were alone. As Noah finished with his inspection, he rocked back on his heels, the worry in his gaze slowly replaced with desire as he took in the sight of Hanna draped across the cream fabric.
“Will I live?” Hanna tried to joke around the thick tension in the room.
“With the right treatment, you’ll make a full recovery. But I should double check to be certain.”
Hanna was about to ask what the treatment was when Noah kissed the top of her foot, his warm lips misting over the skin. He looked up at her through hooded eyes, sending her a questioning glance, as the rough pads of his fingers tightened on her calves. A gasp of air left Hanna’s lungs. Just watching him kneeling before her turned Hanna on more than she thought possible. If he continued to touch her, it would destroy her crumbling resolve to keep their distance during the day.
“Noah.” His name was a sigh on her lips. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Why? I am just checking to make sure you are okay.” His head cocked to the side in a gesture that would be endearing if not for the sensual smile on his face. The stubble on his chin grazed her leg and Hanna shuddered. Pinpricks of pleasure danced across her skin, dissolving rational thought.
“Because I cannot think straight when you touch me. We agreed not to touch each other while I’m working.”
“Technically, you are not working right now. But, if it makes you feel better, I’ll stop touching you.”
His hands left her skin and Hanna had to clutch the covers to resist yanking them back. This was for the best. Despite how much she wanted to give in to the chemistry between them, she needed to stay strong. Looking at him invited naughty thoughts, so Hanna turned her head to look out the window and the gorgeous view that she struggled to focus on.
Something warm and soft pressed firmly against the inside of her ankle and Hanna turned her head so quickly she almost suffered from whiplash.
There was Noah. Kneeling on the floor, hands raised innocently. As she watched, his lips moved against her ankle, fluttering soft kisses along her calf.
“Noah,” she groaned.
“What?” He buried his laugh against her leg. “I’m not touching you. You never said anything about tasting you.”
“Semantics.” Still, Hanna pressed her leg into Noah’s cheek.
She felt his smile against her skin. “Do you want me to stop?”
To hell with her plans for professionalism, no one expected her to work after getting injured anyway.
“No,” Hanna whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. But Noah was watching her lips intently and saw the word leave her mouth. Desire blotted out the blue of his gaze, never wavering from her face as his sensual lips returned to her skin. The path his lips took was like a match dragging against flint, lighting Hanna up as a fire ignited under her skin.
Noah’s dark hair was soft underneath her fingers as Hanna alternated between tugging the strands and smoothing them out. Each time she tried to encourage him forward, Noah nipped at her skin and told her to relax and let him take care of her. In control of everything else, accustomed to making decisions for everyone, Hanna did not know what to do with herself. This man possessed the ability to unravel the core of her being, encouraging her to forget anything but this moment.
When his lips crested her knee, Noah nudged Hanna’s leg to the side with his lips, opening her to his hungry gaze.
“Where else does it hurt? Here?” Open mouthed kisses covered the surface of her knee.
Well, if she was going to pretend that what they were doing did not fall in the murky gray area, Hanna might as well go all in. She nodded.
Her inner thigh received a kiss.
“Here?”
Another kiss.
“Here?” The word whispered where the hem of her skirt had risen.
Another nod.
His nose nudged her skirt, rubbing along her inner thigh.
“In order for me to keep my promise, I am going to need you to help me,” Noah said with a caress of his lips. True to his word, Noah kept his hands to himself, bracing against the bed as he leaned forward, clenching the duvet when breathy sighs left her lips.
Fisting her hands in his hair one more time, Hanna let the smooth strands glide through her fingers. She followed the curve of his jaw, the scrape of his stubble rough against the pads of her fingers. Tracing the outline of Noah’s lips, the back of Hanna’s hand brushed against the fabric of her skirt, teasing the skin beneath. Her breath hitched when Noah followed the motion, nuzzling the newly exposed skin. Sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains, catching on the sheen along her inner thigh left by Noah’s tongue.
“More,” Noah groaned the word into her skin, biting down where the hem of her skirt lay.
Hanna tipped her head back on a moan. Need swirled beneath her skin, urging her to speed up and remove the remaining barriers between them. The warm press of his lips, and teeth, and tongue against her skin were explosions of light, the fireworks at Versailles a dull comparison to the bursts of color where Noah sucked her skin.
Her skirt lifted another centimeter.
Another.
Higher and higher the fabric slid up her skin, bunching where her thigh met her hip. Each scratch of Noah’s facial hair against her sensitive skin sent a shiver through Hanna’s body. There was no helping the wrinkles that were forming in the skirt from the flex and release of her fingers.
Noah’s breath fanned over the remaining cotton covering Hanna. She squirmed closer, letting her thighs fall open around Noah’s broad shoulders as he stretched over her.
“More?” This time the word was a question roughened by the gravel of Noah’s voice. His body was taught, muscles straining against his shirt with the effort to refrain from touching Hanna.
“Please,” Hanna pleaded as she released her skirt to touch Noah. When she was with him, everything else faded away. Any thought beyond what they were doing, where he would kiss her, disappeared, and Hanna loved it. She knew that she could leave the details to him and Noah would take care of her.
Her pleas morphed into a whine when Noah passed over her core and nipped at her other thigh.
“I know,” Noah soothed as he caressed her skin. “Waiting is so hard, but I promise I will make it good for you. Just let me taste you a little longer. You drive me wild, watching you in this skirt, knowing that you are mine but that I cannot touch you. Seeing you hurt yourself by trying to walk on an injured ankle, wanting to take care of you. Will you let me take care of you?”
Longing shone in the dark pools of his gaze, reflecting a matching need in Hanna’s soul. Most of her life felt like walking on a tightrope, each step precise, always aware her job was to dazzle others with impossible feats, while inside she panicked that one misstep would send her toppling. Every day with Noah showed her that he was there to catch her, boosting her confidence that she could walk the rope on her own, but providing a safe place for her to land. Leaping off the rope and into his arms was nothing like Hanna thought falling would feel like. Instead of her stomach dropping and terror gripping her heart, Hanna felt lighter, as if she could do anything, maybe even fly.
She was tired of taking care of everything herself so it felt good to let Noah take the lead. Still, Hanna could not let him think she capitulated too easily.
With a cocky grin, she tossed the skirt back over Noah’s head, laughing at the glimpse of surprise she caught on his face before the fabric covered him. Noah’s head was nothing more than an outline under the fabric, shifting as he laughed.
“So you want to play, huh? I can play.”
Hanna shrieked with delight as Noah hummed against her legs, finding places she never knew were ticklish. Tears leaked from her eyes as she laughed, gasping in lungfuls of air as Noah continued his playful assault. Her ribs hurt from laughing so hard and Hanna reached out to pull his head away.
Laughter flushed his cheeks and widened Noah’s smile. “Do you surrender?” He looked carefree as he stared at her, contentment relaxing his features.
“Never,” Hanna wheezed in her attempt to replenish the oxygen in her lungs.
Noah nodded as if that was the answer he expected. Then he dipped down for her skirt and stole Hanna’s breath again as he took the fabric between his teeth and pulled.
She slid forward on the bed with a gasp, the movement allowing him to lean forward enough to flip the material so that it landed on her chest. Exposed from the waist down, Hanna held her breath as Noah pressed his nose against her center and inhaled.
This time, when he hummed, it did not tickle.
Hanna moaned as the vibration traveled through her core. She was impatient, greedy for more as her hips rocked against Noah’s face. The wet heat of his mouth covered her, teasing her through the layer of cotton separating Hanna from the contact she craved.
Hooking her fingers around the waistband, Hanna shimmied her underwear down as far as she could reach. Noah took them between his teeth and slid them off the rest of the way before settling between her open thighs.
The first slow swipe of his tongue over her had Hanna arching off the bed with a cry.
“Noah!”
There was no part of her that Noah did not lavish with attention, never staying in the same place for long. He alternated between each side, gliding his tongue up and down, nipping at her tender flesh with his teeth, and sucking her between his lips to learn what she liked.
“You taste incredible.” He thrust his tongue inside her, following the motion of her rolling hips. “I could live right here. Let me hear how good you feel while I make you come.”
As if she could deny him anything while he was wreaking havoc on her body. Hanna was nothing but sensation, her thoughts obliterated by the curl and twist of Noah’s mouth. His name jumbled together with moans and incoherent words asking for more. Harder. Faster.
Higher and higher she rose on a current of pleasure. She was so close, yet never wanted it to stop.
“That’s it,” Noah said seductively. “Let go for me.”
Her head tipped back against the pillows as Noah honed in on the bundle of nerves desperate for attention. With languid flicks of his tongue, Noah brought her pleasure to a fever pitch, her hands pulling him closer.
Legs shaking, Hanna pumped her hips, straining for that final push over the edge.
She shouted when Noah closed his mouth around her, biting softly. Shockwaves of bliss pulsed under her skin as Hanna rode out the high. She collapsed under Noah, satiated and relaxed, nerves tingling with pleasant energy.
Noah rested his head against her sweat-covered skin, pressing kisses on her thighs. He looked pleased with himself, a smug smile on his face as he watched her through fond eyes.
Too tired to move, Hanna flopped back onto the bed after trying to get up. There was an amused glint in Noah’s eyes as he watched her.
“Going somewhere?”
“I wanted water, but someone turned my bones to jelly.” Not that Hanna was complaining. She felt more relaxed than she had in months.
Laughing, Noah got up and brought her some water, adjusting the bulge in his pants as he sat on the bed beside her.
“Well,” he said as he handed her the glass, “now I know the secret to keeping you off your feet when you’re injured.”
“Oh, yeah? And what’s the secret?”
“Orgasms.”
Hanna sipped the water to cool off her rapidly heating body. One word from Noah and Hanna was ready to go again. She eyed the hard length of him pressing against the zipper of his slacks. With one leg bent near her chest and the other propped on the ground to support him, Noah’s thighs were spread, open to her perusal. She wanted, needed, to see what he looked like. To touch him and bring him pleasure.
Leaning onto her side, Hanna placed her hand on Noah’s thigh, following the seam of his pants up. His muscle tensed beneath her and Noah inhaled sharply as her fingers trained along the shape of him.
The balance needed to reach him had Hanna tipping too far on her right side, forgetting about her tender ankle until it throbbed in pain.
Noah lifted her hand from his lap, kissing each of Hanna’s fingers before setting their joined hands on the bed.
“Believe me.” Noah kissed the pout off Hanna’s lips. “I want you. But the last thing I want is you hurting yourself more. I can wait.”
She knew Noah would not change his mind, so Hanna tugged on his shirt to pull him fully onto the bed. If she could not have him the way she wanted, at least they could cuddle while her ankle healed. Resting against Noah’s chest, Hanna dozed off and on while they watched a movie. They ate in his room, Hanna’s foot elevated on Noah’s lap at the table, while they watched the lights of the city slowly come to life as the orange rays of sunset faded in the sky. At her request, Noah carried Hanna back to her own room for the night, kissing her forehead and making her promise to elevate her ankle with ice.