TWENTY-EIGHT
Charlotte
Off in the distance, a lawn mower rumbled to life, jarring me awake. I sighed loudly and flopped over in the bed, making my arm connect with Noah’s bare chest.
“Hey, watch it,” he teased.
“Sorry.” I mashed my pillow under my head as I gazed at him. His focus returned to the iPad he’d been reading, some tech blog or stock market thing, but I knew I still had his attention. The lawnmower’s engine grew louder, sounding like it was just beneath his window, and I groaned. “It’s too early.”
He chuckled. “It’s after nine.”
This time when I sighed, it was overly dramatic. “What? No.” I pulled the covers up over my head and burrowed deeper into his bed. “That means I need to leave soon, and I don’t want to. We haven’t even had morning sex yet.”
Noah pulled the covers down, exposing his confused expression. “What are you talking about? We had sex this morning.”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t count. The sun was barely up.”
He laughed. “Oh, right. Of course.”
I’d gone out drinking last night before coming over, so I’d had to get up early this morning to use the bathroom. After I’d finished and climbed back in Noah’s bed, I’d decided to surprise him with a very early morning BJ. Naturally, it had led to sex, and he’d gotten me to come so hard, I’d fallen right back asleep afterward.
I’d had a bunch of cocktails last night because it had been Brianna’s bachelorette party and we’d gone for the full cliché. Pink cowboy hats and boots for the bridesmaids, all white for the bride, and we hit the tourist bars downtown on Broadway.
There had only been a hundred other bachelorette parties out last night, but Brianna had said she’d felt special and had a blast and didn’t mind that I was spending the night at my boyfriend’s place rather than the Airbnb with the rest of the girls.
I worried she was lying and just being polite, so I triple-checked with Sasha to see that this was okay, and she confirmed it was. I was determined to be a better person than I’d been in the past. I wasn’t going to be the kind of friend who vanished when they got in a new relationship...
Like I’d done to them when I was with Zach.
It softened the blow of not crashing with them when I promised Brianna she’d have my full attention at the wedding. I’d be attending it solo, after all.
I walked my fingers across Noah’s naked chest, distracting him from whatever he was reading, and his tone was mock irritation. “Did you need something?”
I grinned. “Maybe some attention.”
The iPad was chucked aside in a pretend huff. “Fine.”
He jerked the covers out of his way and climbed on top of me so fast, I laughed. Then he nuzzled into the crook of my neck, kissing me there.
Damn. It was so nice sleeping in his bed and getting to wake up next to him. It had only happened a few times since we officially started dating. These last three weeks, we’d both been incredibly busy.
Plus, I could tell my parents I was going out and spending the night at a friend’s house only so many times without them getting suspicious I was seeing someone. God, I hated that I had to lie to them. And I hated even more how Noah and I had to keep our relationship a secret from everyone but a few of my friends who’d promised to keep it under wraps.
As he kissed me, his short beard tickled my neck and distracted me. “I wish I could take you as my date to Brianna’s wedding.”
He paused his kisses. “Aren’t your parents going to that?”
“They are.” Because they’d known her since we’d become friends in the third grade. I was closer with Sasha these days, but for a long time, Brianna and I had been inseparable, and she would always be a bonus daughter to my mom.
Noah put his hands on the bed on either side of my head and rose onto extended arms, so I had a clear view of his disapproving look. “You know we can’t.”
“Of course I know,” I grumbled. “I’m just whining, okay? It’d be nice if we didn’t have to sneak around.”
His expression softened. “Yeah, it would.”
But he didn’t say anything else, because we didn’t talk about the future. He’d been resistant to us becoming more than friends, and now that we were, I sensed I needed to be patient about anything else.
I knew better than to press and ask him directly when we were going to tell my parents about us. And if I asked him where he saw this thing between us going, there was a chance I wouldn’t like his answer.
I decided ignorance was bliss. We’d only been together a few weeks, and he’d probably argue that wasn’t long enough to claim things were serious.
Why did it feel so serious, then?
I pushed the thought away, hooked a hand on the back of his neck, and pulled him down to me. “Forget I said anything.”
His mouth against mine was a drug, making everything else drift away—
Until the lawnmower outside made another pass by the window and reality intruded back into my mind. There wasn’t time for this kiss to lead into round two of morning sex. Noah had said it was after nine, and I needed to be seated at my laptop in my room, with hair and makeup camera-ready by ten forty-five.
This was because he’d booked me an Instagram Live interview with another influencer, one who had a huge following, at eleven. And after lunch, I had a Zoom call with a web designer to discuss my needs so they could provide a quote.
Noah was adamant I needed a website, because my little brand was really taking off.
Last week , Hot Girl Cleans had surpassed fifteen thousand subscribers on YouTube, and with monetization, I was earning money. Sure, sometimes it was less than ten dollars a day, but others it was more, and... everyone had to start somewhere, right?
“Okay, stop distracting me.” I pretended to be annoyed. “I have to go.”
“I’m distracting you?” He grinned and shook his head. “You’re the one who asked for attention.”
It took an enormous amount of self-control to climb out of his bed and get dressed. I had to make an even bigger effort to leave his house, because he didn’t bother getting dressed before walking me to his front door. He was wearing only a pair of short, red boxer briefs as he kissed me goodbye, and he looked so damn good, it should have been criminal.
I hurried down his front path toward my car, but couldn’t stop myself from glaring at the next-door neighbor and his loud lawnmower, like me being out of time was his fault and not my own. Really, the guy had done me a favor by waking me up.
With all the times I’d been over at Noah’s, I’d only seen his neighbors on that side of his house twice. The man was a few years older than Noah, and I’d been told he was a surgeon, which explained why he rarely seemed to be home. The girl who lived with him was probably my age, so I had assumed she was his daughter.
Girlfriend , Noah had told me.
I’d been so fucking curious about them, but I hadn’t seen them since. Their age gap was bigger than mine and Noah’s, and yet they made it work.
I squinted against the bright morning sunlight to make out the man riding on the lawnmower that was steadily approaching. He wore a shirt with the sleeves cut off, a ragged baseball hat, and sunglasses. It made him look young, and sort of familiar, and—
“What the fuck?” I said.
Was that Preston ?
We hadn’t seen each other since he’d abandoned me on our date, so I half expected him not to recognize me, but as he drew closer, his shoulders snapped back. He jerked the machine to a stop, and the engine had barely finished shutting down when he spoke. “Charlotte?”
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
He dismounted and strode forward, looking at me with the same disbelief I had about seeing him. His tone was unsure, like he’d thought it should be obvious. “I’m mowing the yard.”
My gaze flitted to the house beside Noah’s. “You live here?”
He nodded, and I held in the curse I wanted to make. What dumb fucking luck was this? Whatever face I was making, it must have said I wasn’t happy about it, because he seemed eager to ease my anxiety.
“Not for much longer,” he said. “I signed a lease on a new place last week.” Even with his sunglasses on, I could tell by the tilt of his head he was looking up at Noah’s house. “Are you visiting Noah for a Warbler thing?”
My brain struggled to come up with a plausible reason. “Uh... I’m his house cleaner.”
His face contorted with skepticism. “You’re cleaning his house at nine thirty on a Sunday?”
Fuck it, my mind said. He owes you.
I stepped closer and lowered my voice, even when there was no one else around to hear. “Listen, we’re seeing each other, but we’re, like, keeping it on the downlow.” Troy Osbourne’s release party had been more than a month ago and was a big success, so it stood to reason Warbler might hire Preston’s planning company for other events. “I need you to do us a solid and not mention it to anyone at Warbler. Especially my dad.”
His posture stiffened with surprise. Or maybe awareness?
There was the slightest tilt of his head in acknowledgment, before he abruptly turned and headed back toward his lawn. He lobbed it over his shoulder in a tone that was so casual, it nearly had me convinced he was clueless. “Mention what?”
I stood there in silence, watching him go, but when I reached for my car’s door handle, he abruptly stopped and reversed course.
“Wait, hold up.” Preston marched back across the grass and tugged off his sunglasses, giving me a full look at his concerned expression. “I know I’m the last person you probably want it from, but can I give you some advice?”
When I was too stunned to say anything, that seemed to be answer enough for him.
“I have experience,” he looked weirdly bashful, “with relationships being kept in the dark. A lot of experience, actually. I’ve been on both sides of a secret and let me tell you, it fucking sucks. Each time that secret got out, it blew up in everyone’s face.” There was a sadness in his eyes I couldn’t look away from. “Just tell him. Don’t wait for the right time, because it’s never going to be the right time.”
“I can’t tell him.” I scowled, and anger heated my body. I was mad because deep down, part of me worried he was right, but that was scary. It was easier to lash out, rather than deal with it. Plus, he didn’t understand what was at stake. “You don’t know my situation.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But if you don’t tell him and he finds out? Believe me. It fucks everything up and makes things a lot harder.”
Did I make him feel like his advice was wasted? Because he lifted his hands in surrender.
“Okay.” He began to walk backward toward the lawnmower. “I said my piece. Good luck, Charlotte.”
His tone made it sound like he wanted to tack it on the end but barely held it back.
Good luck, because you’re going to need it.
Preston’s warning weighed heavy on me the next few days.
Every time I saw my father, I had that same terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach I’d had when I’d lied about my grades. Last time, I’d pretended the issue didn’t exist, and I’d avoided thinking about it, but I didn’t want to make that same mistake.
If my relationship with Noah had any chance of going somewhere, we were going to have to face this thing. Was it really that big of a deal we were dating? We were both adults, and I barely worked for Warbler.
I tried to bring it up with Noah when we’d been texting yesterday, but he’d been distracted with a work emergency, and I chickened out at the last second. I promised myself next time I saw him, we’d have to talk about it.
Face to face would be better, anyway.
And I missed that face—we were long overdue to see each other. He hadn’t been home on Tuesday when I cleaned because he’d gone with his parents to his dad’s doctor’s appointment and it had, according to him, lasted forever.
Since we’d started sleeping together, my feelings for him had intensified, and now he seemed to dominate every moment of my thoughts, whether we were together or not.
Maybe once I was done cleaning Warbler, I’d see if he wanted some company and invite myself over to his place. I climbed the front steps of the office, carrying my cleaning caddy and filming equipment, and made my way through the door.
It was after six, so the office was closed, but I wasn’t surprised the place wasn’t locked or that the alarm was off. I knew my father was still here because the light was on in his office and I’d seen his car was parked on the street out front, instead of the back parking lot.
I set my things down on the reception desk, headed to my dad’s office, and knocked on the doorframe since his door was open.
“Hey,” I said. “Were you waiting on me?”
I found him standing behind his desk and in the process of putting his laptop in his backpack, and when he saw me in his doorway, he smiled. “No, I had a last-minute thing to wrap up, but it’s done now, and I’m heading home. Are you joining us for dinner?”
“Probably not. By the time I finish up here, it’ll be after eight, so I might see what my friends are up to.”
He finished zipping his bag closed and gave me a direct, knowing look. “Friends? Or friend ?”
My pulse lurched forward. “What?”
“Your mother and I are wondering when you’re going to tell us about him.”
All the air drained from the room. “What?” I asked again. “Who are you talking about?”
“The boy you’re seeing.”
He looked so amused, so pleased with himself, while I felt like everything was falling apart inside me. I was in such a panic, it took me a long moment to process that he’d said boy and not man . My father had a habit of calling anyone younger than him kid , but there was no way he’d refer to Noah as a boy.
He wouldn’t be standing there looking smug if he had any inkling of who my boyfriend was.
He mistook my fear for simple surprise and smiled warmly. “You think we haven’t noticed how many nights you’re going out, or how happy you’ve been recently?” He lifted his bag onto his shoulder. “When you came back home, things were different, and you weren’t yourself. But they seem better now, and it’s nice having you back.”
I swallowed thickly.
What the fuck was I supposed to say to that? My gaze shifted away from my dad and to the bookshelf behind him that was decorated with awards I’d need to dust after he left.
My silence was the confirmation he needed.
“When do we get to meet him?” he asked.
My eyes went so wide they nearly fell out of my head. “Uh... I don’t know. It’s sort of new, and I’m not”— ready , my brain screamed—“sure that’s a good idea right now.”
Disappointment splashed on his face. “All right. He got a name?”
“Yes.”
He tilted his head. “Are you going to tell it to me?”
“No,” I said quickly, which was clearly an unsatisfactory answer, because he frowned. Shit, I needed to give him something. “Can we hold off on talking about him? Just for a little while. Like I said, it’s new, and it might not even be anything.”
Of all the lies I’d told so far, this one was the worst.
My father wasn’t happy, but he must have sensed not to push and chose to respect this boundary. “Okay, Charlotte.” He strode toward me in the doorway, and I moved to the side, giving him room to pass. “Don’t forget to set the alarm when you’re done.”
Relief crashed over me. “You got it.”
He only made it another step before a thought caused him to stop. “By the way, Noah was working late in the back office, so he might still be here.” His tone was light. “Thought I’d give you a heads-up, so he doesn’t accidentally startle you.”
This time, when my pulse jumped, it was for an entirely different reason.
“Oh, okay.” Excitement tightened my voice, so the pitch was higher than I wanted it to be.
But, thankfully, my dad didn’t notice.
We said our goodbyes, he went out the front door, and my gaze landed on the equipment I’d brought in. The agenda for the evening had been to create content on deep cleaning a coffee maker, since there were two types here. The regular one with a pot and filters that made multiple cups at a time, and a fancy, newer one for individual servings that used pods.
Except now that I knew Noah might be here, my agenda was revised, and I practically skipped down the hall to the back office.
The space had once been the den of the house, so it was cozy and homey, even with the corporate-looking office furniture. My boyfriend was seated at the desk, and when he looked up to discover me in the doorway, a sexy smile split his lips.
“Hi,” I breathed.
He shut the laptop in front of him and leaned back in his swivel chair, looking at me like he wanted to take it all in.
“Hi,” he said finally. “Your dad still here?”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head. And then I catapulted forward into the room, rushed over to him, and crawled right into his lap.
Noah had zero issues with this. His arms were around me and his mouth latched on to mine in a kiss that announced he had missed me as much as I’d missed him.
“Working late?” I asked when we finally came up for air.
He laughed, and it sounded sheepish. “Not really. I stayed because I wanted to see you.”
God, I loved that and snuggled deeper into his arms. “I wanted to see you too.”
“You did, huh?” He threaded a hand into my hair and peered at me with electric eyes, leaning in to kiss me again—
“We need to talk,” I said.
The second my words registered, he went wooden, and his expression blanked.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “I said that wrong. What I mean is, I have something I want to talk to you about.”
He let out a breath like he’d narrowly dodged a bullet. “Oh.” He chuckled, maybe needing it to release the tension in his body. “You know that phrase strikes fear in the heart of anyone who hears it.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
He showed me all was forgiven when he kissed me.
But his lush mouth was addictive and distracting, and when his tongue stroked against mine, the heat it caused was so intense, it burned away all thought. I gripped fistfuls of his shirt when he lifted me, rising onto his feet so suddenly that the chair beneath him rolled away.
My backside hit the desktop with a solid thump as he seated me on it, and our kiss deepened further. It was aggressive. Urgent. I wasn’t the only one swept away by it, either.
Noah seemed just as consumed.
I tore my mouth away from his, just long enough to utter it. “We can talk later.” I found a better option. “After.”
“After.” The repeated word from him was half question, half agreement.
I sat on the edge of the desk with my legs parted around his hips and had one hand on the back of his neck, and the other clenched on his ass. He ground his lower body against me, sending sparks skittering up my spine, and I went breathless in an instant.
His hand worked itself under the hem of my t-shirt, fingertips sliding over my bare stomach, moving up until he gripped one of my bra-covered breasts. I sighed into his mouth and squeezed his ass in encouragement.
“After what, baby girl?” His tone was sinful, pure seduction. “After you let me get you naked, bend you over this desk, and fuck you senseless?”
The room was hazy with lust. It felt like it had been weeks since we’d been together, and not days, and it was difficult to keep my mind coherent enough to answer.
But when I opened my mouth to speak, Noah’s body solidified into cold stone.
We’d been too intoxicated with each other to hear the footsteps coming down the hall. It was why I flinched when my father’s booming voice flooded the room.
“What the fuck ?”