Chapter 8
Noah
I wake up from the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. There's nothing quite like a grueling thirteen-hour flight, sealing the biggest deal of my career, and then having the best fuck of my life to knock a guy out for a solid ten hours. Last night was unforgettable for multiple reasons, and I'm still thoroughly exhausted.
Emma’s soft breaths tickle my bare chest. Her arm is draped over me and her smooth legs tangled with mine. I watch her sleep and try to enjoy the moment before I’m forced to rebuild the wall I’ve so carelessly let crumble between us.
Slowly, I ease out of her embrace, careful not to disturb her. I take one last look at her, memorizing every little detail. The soft glow of the sun spills through the curtains, highlighting the soft curves of her face. Warmth fills my chest, quickly followed by pain. I knew she had feelings for me that I couldn’t return, and I still let things go too far. I was too weak to stop it at the time. Now I’ll have to hurt her in order to put us back in our places.
With a heavy sigh, I tread quietly back to my suite, wishing I could stay and sleep longer in her comfort, but knowing deep down, I will never let this happen again.
As soon as I step back into my own suite, I grip my hair in frustration and let out a long “fuuuuuuuck”.
“What did I FUCKING DO?” I shout out into the empty room, my voice echoing against the walls. The warmth I felt five minutes ago is now being replaced by a cold, hard, wave of reality. I just slept with my assistant—arguably the oldest cliché in the book. I was caught up in the thrill of the moment and had let the excitement cloud my judgment. I feel like a total pervert who just took advantage of someone who works for me.
Panic grips me like a vice as the horrifying realization hits me—I didn’t use a condom last night. The thought hits me like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, freezing me in place. I stare blankly at the floor, contemplating my options. She is a grown woman, Noah, surely she's on birth control. If she wasn’t, she would have stopped you, wouldn’t she? My mind reasons, before drifting to darker possibilities that knot my stomach. Unless she was purposely trying to trap me?
No, that's ridiculous. Emma isn't like that, she wouldn't do that. Shaking off the morbid thoughts, I know that I just need to confront this head-on. I’ll have to be a man and have a serious conversation with her, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. There's no way to skirt around this.
“Hey Emma, are you on birth control? Do you mind taking a plan B pill in front of me, just in case?” I practice the words aloud, the absurdity of it hits me like a slap in the face. Yeah, because that conversation will go so well.. I’m so fucked.
Rubbing a hand over my face, I can still smell the sweet scent of Emma's shampoo lingering on my skin and hear the echo of her laughter ringing in my ears. "What have I done?" I mutter, pacing the room like a caged animal, I can’t stop my thoughts from spiraling out of control. A shrill and panicked voice in my head screams that I’ve crossed a line that I should have never even approached. Sharing lingering glances in the office and flirty "good mornings" was harmless. But to transform that into something real, something physical? That’s an entirely different beast.
I’ve never felt so out of control before. I’m a CEO, a man known for his calculated decisions and strategic thinking. How could I have put myself in a situation like this? The rush of desire and adrenaline was so intense, so blinding, and now I’m left with the bitter taste of
regret. When I’m around her, I become reckless and do things that betray my nature. I’m under her spell and I have to snap out of it.