Lessons from a Tour Guide

16. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for What You are Worth

16

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR WHAT YOU ARE WORTH

With only a few days left of the tour, Hanna struggled to manage the worry over what would happen to her and Noah once he returned home.

Combined with the melancholy at not wanting to end her time with Hazel and the others, Hanna found herself struggling to sleep, leading to another evening in the business center, distracting herself with more work.

A text from Noah interrupted her as she read an email.

Where are you?

Hanna glanced away from her laptop as she typed her response.

The business center, why?

Hanna waited for the three dots to appear, indicating that Noah was typing, but they never appeared.

Glancing back at her message, she saw the words ‘Read at 10:02 p.m.’ but no new message appeared beneath hers.

She waited for a minute.

Two.

The blue light of the screen mocked her.

She set aside her phone with a sigh, disappointed and confused.

Why would Noah ask where she was and then not reply?

Did he need something?

Frowning at the lack of answers coming from the device, Hanna turned back to her laptop.

A referral from an unknown source, the Delgado family booked a tour with Hanna for a few days after Hazel's group ended. Almost too convenient, they were travelling through France and wanted Hanna to accompany them through Paris. Despite the last minute nature of the request, Hanna was able to reuse the majority of the itinerary from this trip for the Deglados and they sent the final payment weeks ago.

Her stomach dropped when she saw the email from Patricia Degaldo, cancelling the trip. Patricia’s message was brief, letting Hanna know that due to unforeseen circumstances, their family would no longer need Luxe Travel’s services. Perplexed, Hanna wondered what caused the change so close to the trip. The cancellation impacted her own travel arrangements. Hanna planned on staying in France between the trips, but now that would be a waste. Without another trip lined up, the responsible thing was to ask Sarah if her room was still available and return to California while she worked on booking more trips.

Drafting a to-do list, heart heavy with worry, Hanna jolted when the door to the business center slid open with a whoosh. There, holding onto the door frame with one hand, was Noah. Slightly flushed and blue eyes blazing, he watched her from the doorway like a predator locked onto its prey. Pulse ratcheting up at his heated gaze, Hanna swallowed, worry pushed aside by desire.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was thick and honey-sweet.

“You weren’t in your room,” Noah bit out as he prowled towards her.

Sitting up straight in her chair, Hanna tipped her head back to stare at him defiantly. “So?”

“It’s 10 p.m.”

The low rumble of his voice set her on fire, his voice and heated look caressing her skin like he had never touched her before. She wanted him to touch her like they had all the time in the world, with nothing to interrupt them.

“And? If you needed something from me, you could have messaged me. Oh, that’s right, you didn’t.” She pulled her hair over one shoulder to bring cool air to her flushed skin. The intent behind the gesture was not flirtatious, but the way Noah tracked the movement and parted his lips had Hanna making a mental note to do it again later. On purpose.

Noah’s arms braced on either side of the chair, leaning forward so that their mouths were a breath apart. “I needed to see you.”

Pointedly looking up and down his body, Hanna followed the lines of his muscles, coiled tightly under the fabric of his dress shirt and pants. Always so dressed up and put together. How she loved to make him disheveled.

“Why,” she teased.

“It’s after 10 p.m.,” he growled with a nip to her ear.

Hanna moaned, forcing herself not to arch her back to chase his mouth. It was exquisite torment, this back and forth between them. Not giving in, prolonging the suspense was its own kind of foreplay. “You already said that. What does 10 p.m. have to do with it?”

“Because you are off the clock now. Now, you’re mine.” Noah punctuated the statement by closing the distance between them and molding their lips together.

The dam between them opened and they frantically pulled each other closer. Together they managed to lift Hanna into an upright position, Noah’s hands grasping her waist and Hanna’s clenching around his shoulders. She felt the soft strands of his hair under her fingers as she gripped his neck.

Noah groaned into her mouth and fisted Hanna’s hair in his hands, tugging gently, causing Hanna to moan in response. She felt feverish, head foggy and vision tunneled so that Noah was all she saw. Their chests brushed against each other with every breath, sending tingles through Hanna with every pass.

With his hands in her hair, Noah separated their lips and kept Hanna’s head still when she tried to turn and recapture them. Her whimper of disappointment transformed into a moan as the warm press of his lips traced a path across her jaw. Licking and biting his way down one side of her neck, along her collarbone, and up the opposite side. A shiver went down Hanna’s spine when Noah discovered the sensitive skin over her pulse.

He lingered on the spot, massaging it with the wet pull of his mouth. Knees weakened by the onslaught of pleasure, Hanna’s one functioning brain cell reminded her that she wanted to drive Noah out of his mind with pleasure too. Leaning into him, Hanna wrapped her arms around him and lightly dragged her nails down his back. Noah’s body tightened and his hips thrust forward.

Encouraged by his response, Hanna repeated the motion, dragging her hands up and down, up and down while he panted in her ear. She could feel the thick length of him against her stomach and she arched against it.

“Hanna,” he moaned into her ear. “If you do not want me to bend you over this desk and take you where anyone could walk in, I suggest we go somewhere private.”

It took Hanna a moment to drift out of her brain fog and remember where they were. The sharp ping of an email pulled her attention back to the computer and the work that waited for her.

With a gentle tug on her hair, Noah brought her dilated eyes back to him. “If you need to stay and finish.” He gestured with his head to the laptop. “I can wait. But when I finally get you alone, I don’t plan on sharing. My entire focus will be on you and your pleasure, and I want you right there with me. No work, no distractions. Just you and me.”

“I have a hard time closing all the tabs in my brain and focusing on one thing,” Hanna admitted.

“I can help with that.” Noah trailed a hand down her side, brushing against the side of her breast and wiping any thoughts from her brain. “Anytime you start getting distracted, I’ll give you something to focus on. Just tell me what you want.”

There was a brief debate in her mind over the choice to continue working or leave with Noah. Practically humming with her need for him, the decision was an easy one. Nothing major would get accomplished by continuing to work, all the tasks could wait, but her yearning for Noah? That could not wait. The fabric of her being felt like it was unraveling with the intense desire to be close to him in any way possible.

And the attractive proposition Noah presented, added to the realization that she liked the firm way he directed her, had Hanna decisively reaching out to click the laptop shut, never breaking eye contact.

“Good girl.”

Her brain short-circuited at his words as her legs clenched together at the rush of desire.

Well, apparently there were still things Hanna could learn about herself.

Scooping up the laptop with one hand, the other so low on her back that his fingers grazed the top of her pants, Noah guided Hanna out of the room. His fingers were the only part of his body touching hers, and while Hanna craved more, she appreciated his thoughtfulness when they passed other hotel guests in the hallway and elevator.

“Which floor?” A middle-aged man with silver streaked hair stood by the buttons. Noah looked at Hanna for the answer, leaving the choice with her.

She gave her floor number.

Noah’s hand rubbed circles on her lower back, each rotation slower and stretching a wider path. Teasing the space where her shirt tucked into her pants, slipping under to graze her skin before pulling back up. Each brush of skin on skin sent a zap of pleasure up her spine until every cell was vibrating with unquenched need.

When the panel lit with her floor number, Hanna and Noah rushed out of the elevator with a brisk, “ Bonne nuit ” to the gentleman. In front of her door, Hanna fumbled to pull the keycard out her pocket. Her fingers shook with excitement. This was it.

They were finally alone without any injuries or work to interrupt them.

Noah pressed into her back, holding her hand steady as they brought the key to the lock. He paused just before the plastic touched the pad.

“Only if you’re sure.”

Twisting in his arms, Hanna drowned in his blue stare. “Yes, no regrets.” The lock chirped with the blink of a green light. “Now get in here and keep your promise.”

They fell through the door, Noah tangling their legs as he fused their lips together and stepped into the room. Hanna tugged his shirt free as Noah kicked the door shut. Trapped between Noah and the wall, his weight pressing into her, Hanna felt delirious. Every place they touched burned for more and she hooked one leg around his, seeking friction.

Noah ground against her, using his free hand to lift her knee higher, spreading her as wide as the cotton fabric allowed, notching his hips between hers. Hanna threw her head back with a moan, the glide of fabric between her legs heightening the pleasure.

“Noah.” She pressed kisses to his collarbone. “Please.”

“Tell me what you need.”

Stretching on her toes to try and fit their hips closer, Hanna sighed. “You. More.”

Pinching his eyes shut as he absorbed the words, Noah bent his knees, curling his arm under her legs to scoop her into the air. Hanna clung to him as he crossed to the bed, touching the soft strands of his hair before Noah set her down. Her body slid along his, pulling the rest of her shirt free and teasing the skin of her stomach.

Watching the fabric flutter back into place, Noah slid one hand under the shirt to trace the line of her hips before grabbing the hem. When his attempt to pull it over her head was thwarted by the hand still holding Hanna’s laptop, Noah stepped back.

“Don’t move,” he said when Hanna reached for the edge of her shirt. “I want to undress you.”

Another alert pinged while Noah walked toward the desk. Arching his brow in question, Noah opened the lid to turn off the device, placing his wallet and phone on top of it in a small pile.

Hanna watched the flex of his muscles as Noah bent to remove his shoes. When he caught her gaze, Noah smirked and began unrolling his sleeves and unbuttoning his shirt, playing up the motions for her watchful eyes. Lamplight highlighted the dark hair between his pectorals, dusting along his stomach before narrowing below his pants. Hanna felt like a computer creating a 3-D model, scanning every inch of his naked chest, greedily absorbing the sight of his toned flesh.

Obeying Noah’s request, her feet were rooted to the floor despite the curiosity over what he tasted like and how soon his pants would join the shirt on her floor. She ached for his touch, her bra chafing against her heaving chest. Yet, he remained frustratingly composed. Slowly drawing out his belt, rolling it into a coil that sent Hanna’s heart pounding. The slide of metal as he undid the snap and zipper of his slacks was sharp in the quiet of the room.

Finally, clothing a heap on the floor, Noah was nearly naked. Tight black briefs hid nothing, the fabric stretched over every hard part of him. Taking mercy on her, Noah cleared the distance between them with two long strides. Close enough to nuzzle into his chest, Hanna took advantage of their proximity by trailing her fingers through the coarse hair there. Noah sucked in a breath when her hands followed the hair down, fingers tapping over his stomach. Groaning, Noah pressed an open-mouth kiss to her lips, sucking her lower lip between his.

In a flash, Hanna’s shirt was over her head, the blurry stripes momentarily blocking her view of Noah’s glowing skin. Once her vision cleared, Hanna blinked to process the image of Noah on his knees before her, curving his long fingers into the waistband of her pants.

Looking up at her under thick lashes, Noah leaned forward. “I’ve dreamed about these legs.” He ran his tongue along her hip bone. “Watching you walk around in those skirts swirling around your thighs, imagining inching the fabric up until I found you bare and ready for me. Remembering the way you tasted.”

His tongue left a damp trail from one hip to the other, pausing to suck on the skin above the button his fingers were currently sliding free. Hanna’s head was too heavy for her neck, overcome with the need to watch his every movement, her hands restless in his hair, drawing the strands through her fingers. She pulled in a sharp breath when Noah lowered the zipper, skimming one knuckle along the newly exposed fabric.

“Teasing you until there was no thought in your head except for me.” The slow, methodical cadence of his voice matched the motions of his fingers freeing her legs from each pant leg. “My touch. Bringing you to climax over and over again before finally pressing inside you. Once wasn’t enough. I want to make you come until we are both too exhausted to move. Until I don’t know where I stop and you begin.”

“Please.” Hanna swayed forward on unsteady legs, Noah’s grip firm on her thighs.

“You like the idea of that, Anna ?” It was the first time he used the French pronunciation of her name, marking the occasion as something special, unique to them in this moment. With his soft accent, her name sounded sexier than it ever had before. Hanna felt her blood rushing faster through her body, needing to be touched, to ease some of the pressure building inside her from their prolonged foreplay.

Kissing his way up her thigh, paying special attention to the curves of her hips and only grazing the lace still covering her, Noah squeezed her bottom between his hands.

“Condom?” he asked, and Hanna was glad he thought of it before they were drowning in pleasure and could still make rational decisions.

“I bought some earlier.” Hanna gestured to the bathroom.

Noah smiled at her with undisguised pride. “Always prepared. I adore that about you.” He pressed a kiss on her covered mound. “I bought some too. Just in case we run out of yours.”

Standing, Noah went to retrieve the strip of condoms from his pocket before walking into the bathroom.

Without his touch to distract her, Hanna’s thoughts wandered. Was she supposed to stay in place again, or would it look better for her to lie down on the bed? Her pants would wrinkle if they stayed on the floor and she would rather get one more wear out of them before having to wash and iron them again. Should she take off her bra, or would Noah do that?

From the open door to the bathroom, Hanna could see Noah looking at the box she purchased. Were they the right size? What if he was having second thoughts?

Thoughts swirling like a stormcloud, Hanna missed Noah’s return. He was only gone for a minute or two, but Hanna’s brain was wired to think five steps ahead, using any pause between activities to strategize, plan, and run through her never ending to-do list. The sound of plastic packets hitting the soft duvet reached Hanna’s ears before she registered Noah’s proximity, his hands cradling her face and tilting it up to look at him.

“Where did you go?” Black eclipsed blue as he examined her.

“Sorry.” Hanna kissed him softly. “Just got lost in thought for a moment. I still want this–want you. My brain is just having a hard time turning off.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. It just means that I need to do a better job of keeping your focus on feeling, not thinking. You spend all your time thinking of how you can take care of everyone else.” He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks, looking lost in thought himself for a beat.

Hanna knew the exact moment an idea came to him, eyes landing on something behind her and brightening. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl.” His words reignited the heat in her belly. Noah coaxed her lips open against his, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth. His hands gripped her waist and hips, massaging their way up her torso.

When the pads of his fingers skated along the undersides of her breasts, Hanna moaned, arching forward for more contact. Teasing her, Noah continued the featherlight touches along the lower band of her bra, occasionally dipping underneath before switching to the edge of the cups. Her groans of frustration were met with the curve of his smile against her lips.

He enjoyed drawing out each touch, keeping her on edge. In retaliation, Hanna pulled his lower lip between her teeth, satisfied with the tortured groan that fell from his mouth. They lost themselves in the kiss, lips and tongues and teeth provoking each other further. Finally, after an eternity where Hanna felt like her breasts were so sensitive they would burst free of their confines, Noah unsnapped her bra, done with his slow torture as he ripped the fabric away and tossed it across the room. Hanna knew she would need to search for it later, but that thought was quickly wiped from her mind as Noah sucked on one peaked tip.

“Yes!” Hanna gripped Noah’s head, holding him prisoner against her.

As he nipped and soothed one side, his hand crept up to tease the other, pulling and twisting as he learned what she liked best. With his free arm, Noah supported her back, leaning into Hanna until she felt gravity tip her onto the bed. Kicking herself up the fabric, Hanna used Noah’s biceps as leverage to pull him up with her, letting his hips settle between hers.

Their mouths met and separated, kissing along jaws, necks, and the upper contours of chests. Hanna wrapped her legs around Noah’s hips, squirming with unmet need.

Noah reached for something over her head, the pull of his chest and arm muscles distracting her. Something soft touched Hanna’s forehead and Noah’s fingers fanned along the sides of her head. Trying to tilt her head up to see what it was, Hanna stopped when Noah spoke.

“You know what I think, Hanna?” His voice was thick with need.

“What?”

“To get you to stop thinking, I need you to focus on feeling.” Fabric lowered over Hanna’s eyes, the familiar weight and texture of her sleep mask casting the room into darkness. “Without sight, I want you to focus on my touch. How I make you feel. Can you do that for me?”

His words were punctuated by featherlight brushes against her skin. One sweep against her inner arms. Another along her soft stomach. The back of Hanna’s eyelids swirled with bright pulses of color, each touch bringing a gasp of surprise to her lips. Her focus honed in on Noah, sharpening the sensations of touch and sound as she tried to predict where he was.

“Noah,” she pleaded for more.

She could hear the smile in his voice. “I need you to say it, Hanna.”

“Touch me. Please. I need to feel you. Make me forget anything but you.”

No part of their bodies were touching and Hanna twisted on the bed to try and find him. Her pulse pounded in her ears and she felt like a live wire. Surely they would burn the place to the ground when they came together, if this was what it felt like when they separated.

Acclimating to the lack of one sense, Hanna swore she could tell when Noah opened his mouth to speak again. That she could feel his inhale as he kneeled between her legs.

“Good. Girl.” His tongue ran up the seam of her lace underwear, creating such a sharp bolt of pleasure that Hanna screamed.

A series of slow licks followed the creases where her thighs met her hips, ending above her mound. Hanna arched her hips, trying to direct Noah where she wanted him. Continuing his slow torture, Noah hooked his fingers under the band of her underwear, dragging it down her legs. Picking up one foot, Noah kissed her ankle before setting it over his shoulder. The skin was soft beneath her calf and Hanna hinged her leg back and forth to drag against him.

He surprised her with each touch, kissing a path along her skin before lifting away from her and moving to another patch of bare skin. Getting closer, ever closer, to her core. Warm air blew across her center, and Hanna pressed against Noah’s shoulder, using leverage to bring herself closer.

“Do you need something, Hanna?” Noah’s tongue skimmed the outer rim of her core. Sparks danced behind Hanna’s mask. She was already so close, tiptoeing closer to the peak with every brush of skin.

Tired of waiting, Hanna grasped the soft strands of Noah’s hair and tried to yank him closer. “No more teasing.”

A chuckle vibrated against her inner thigh. “Never let it be said that I denied you anything you wanted.”

Wet heat engulfed her. Hanna moaned at the pleasant sensation and cried out Noah’s name. He focused his attention on stoking the fire in her, no longer switching targets to keep her attention. There was nothing else on her mind besides Noah, beyond them, together. He knew what she liked, focusing on the pace and friction that earned him moans with every exhale.

Close, so very close.

Fingers gripped her thighs open, one hand tracing a path lower to ease a finger inside her, while he continued to consume her. Hanna threw her head back on the pillow, opening her mouth to pant.

A second finger joined the first and Hanna erupted.

Noah groaned as Hanna came down from the high, thighs quaking around his head.

Tugging the sleep mask off her face, Hanna gave Noah a satisfied smile. Her limbs felt like melted butter, soft and malleable. Coming around Noah’s fingers and mouth took the edge off, but she wanted more. Wanted to feel his body on top of hers, inside her, moving together.

Noah fluttered his fingers inside her when she clenched around them. “Again?”

Her grin split her face. “Only if you join me this time.”

Noah reflexively clenched her thighs, kissing the top of her mound before drawing his lips up her stomach. “It feels like I’ve waited forever for you.”

Pulling down his briefs as he prowled up the bed, Noah kicked off the black fabric. Hanna watched as he sprang free, jutting forward with a slight curve, the ruddy base covered in wiry, trimmed hair. She wanted to touch him, but he was out of reach.

Noah kissed above her heart. “You drive me insane, working yourself to exhaustion, taunting me with your wit, and mesmerizing me with your brilliance. Every thought is consumed by you. When awake, I watch how you are always three steps ahead of me, dizzy to catch up, in charge wherever you go.” He softly bit a path up her neck. “At night, you haunt me. Chasing your laugh and flirtatious glances. I’ve imagined you in every way. Over me, under me, against those desks you spend hours at. Laying down in a bed so I can worship every inch of you. Just as you are now.”

Large thighs settled between hers and Hanna widened her legs to accommodate him. Reaching above her, Noah grabbed a pillow and wedged it beneath her hips.

“Tell me how you want me, Hanna. Tender.” A kiss to her jaw. “Rough.” A bite to her lower lip. “Anything you want.”

Hanna felt the hot press of him against her core. He was solid, pulsing against her. Core clenching in want, Hanna dragged her fingernails down Noah’s back. “I want everything. All of you. Don’t hold back.”

“Your wish is my command.”

Ripping open the condom packet, Noah slid it over his length, gripping at the base to nudge her opening. Hanna tilted her hips to find the angle that allowed her body to accept him more easily. They groaned together as Noah slid inside her centimeter by centimeter, Hanna’s body greedily pulling him in. Her nerves sang with each stroke.

Their bodies moved together, retreating and coming back together again and again, finding patterns that sent their heartbeats racing. Taking cues from the increased pitch of her moans and the frantic way she pulled at his shoulders, Noah snapped his hips forward before slowly pulling out. Hanna watched his face twist with pleasure, eyes darkening as they fixated on her face. Trying to get closer, Hanna hooked her knees around Noah’s waist, flexing to help push him deeper.

“More.” Hanna pulled him down for a kiss, opening her mouth so that she could stroke his tongue with her own.

Noah groaned as his control snapped. With one arm banded around her shoulder to hold her steady, Noah stretched to grip the headboard with the other, balancing himself against the furniture. Flexing above her, Hanna watched as the muscles of his arm tightened as he pushed them closer to the edge of desire.

Watching him was nearly enough to set off her own orgasm, the tight planes of his chest and stomach hypnotically sexual as they flexed. Next time, Hanna promised herself she would touch and kiss those muscles. For now, she was too close to spiraling into the haze of pleasure to stop and pay those muscles the attention they deserved.

“Hanna,” Noah said her name like a plea. “Tell me you’re close. I need you to come with me.”

“I’m close,” she cried out. “So close. Just…a little… yes. ”

Her body pulled in on itself just before she came, spooling tighter and tighter before releasing. Energy burst like starlight under her skin, pulsing in time with her heartbeat as she came. Noah moaned as he felt her come around him, rocking his hips into her twice more before groaning into her open mouth and joining her in the fall over the cliff.

La petite mort, indeed.

Tucking her against his chest, Noah rolled them onto their sides, burrowing his face in Hanna’s hair. Drawing in deep lungfuls of air, Hanna smiled to herself at how adorable Noah was after sex. He clung to her like a vine, wrapping their legs together and keeping their naked bodies pressed as close as they could get.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That was incredible. Just like I knew we would be.”

“That confident, huh?” Hanna gently bit his collarbone.

He twitched against her hip. Giving Hanna another squeeze, Noah got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. The sound of running water reached Hanna, so relaxed that she refused to lift her head to see what Noah was doing. Probably disposing of the condom. On his way back, Noah turned off the overhead lights, illuminating the room in the golden glow of the bedside lamps.

The bed dipped when Noah kneeled on it. “Open for me, sweetheart.” He tapped her thigh.

“Ready for round two already?” Hanna mumbled into the pillow. Her bones were still pleasantly jellied, but after Noah’s last performance, a few strategic touches could motivate her to find the energy for more.

A slap to her ass sent a pleasant zing up her body.

“As much as I like your attitude, I need more time to recover. We’ll get to round two later. For now, just let me take care of you.”

Noah used a warm washcloth to clean her off, pulling the covers over them when he came back to the bed. Facing each other on the pillows, Hanna struggled to suppress a yawn. She would not have pegged Noah as a snuggler after sex, but he continued stroking his fingers along her arms and hips as they lay together.

Her eyelids drooped lower and Hanna wanted to give in to the urge to sleep, but she had not brushed her teeth yet. How much time was appropriate to wait until she could go clean off her makeup?

One side of his mouth ticked up as Noah watched her face. He reached up to tuck Hanna’s hair behind her ear. “What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours?”

“That obvious?”

She did not realize that she was that easy to read. Before Noah, no one paid close enough attention to notice the small idiosyncrasies in her expressions. As happy as it made her that he noticed, Hanna was nervous to ask how long he planned on staying. It would devastate her if he wanted to leave.

“I was just thinking about brushing my teeth and washing off my makeup. You don’t have to stay if you will be bored. It’s a rather involved process.”

“Trying to get rid of me already.” Noah’s tone was joking, but she could see the hidden worry in his eyes.

Maybe she was not the only one dancing around what she really wanted to say in order to protect the fragile parts of herself that feared rejection. Another piece of the armor around her heart broke off at the vulnerable look on Noah’s face. She did not want him to worry about her interest in him. For him, she could be the brave one.

“I don’t ever want to get rid of you. I want to fall asleep next to you and wake up beside you. For as long as you’ll have me. I just didn’t want you to feel pressured to stay if you don’t want to. You have your own room, so I understand if you want to sleep there.” Her fingers twined around the dusting of hair on his chest to settle the nervous fluttering in her stomach.

“Wherever you are is where I want to be.” Noah lifted her hands and kissed the tip of each finger. “If I didn’t think it was too soon and would scare you off, I would move my stuff into your room, or bring yours to mine.”

Hanna’s heart thudded against her chest. Another protective layer of her guard melted with Noah’s earnest statement. It terrified Hanna how happy it made her, cautiously opening herself up to the possibility of getting to keep Noah. Worry whispered into her ear like smoke. Sure, Noah wanted to stay with her now, but what about when the relationship was tested with distance? In Hanna’s experience, people lost interest when more effort was required to maintain the relationship.

“Hey.” Noah rubbed at the furrow in Hanna’s brow. “Where did you go?”

She did not want to worry him with her concerns, not when their relationship was so new. Giving him a small smile, Hanna stretched up to kiss Noah’s jaw. “Just wondering if I had a spare toothbrush for you.”

He saw through the blatant distraction technique and let Hanna get away with it. “Let’s go find out.”

Using the packaged toothbrush from the hotel, Noah brushed his teeth with Hanna before returning to the bed while she washed her face. Hanna climbed into bed naked. Honestly, what was the point of pajamas when they limited her access to Noah? Noah waited until she turned off her side lamp before curling an arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. He buried his face into her hair and Hanna threaded her fingers through his.

Her back moved in cadence with Noah’s chest, slowing as they drifted into sleep.