Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
GRACIE
I’m surrounded by warmth, and I blink my eyes open to find myself basically lying on top of Noah. The events of the last few days wash over me, including the fact that when I couldn’t sleep last night, I headed over here and broke in since Noah has done it so many times to me.
Well, I didn’t exactly break in since I have a key, but considering I’ve had a key since I started at Blackwater and never once used it, I figure the sentiment is the same.
I was always worried about what I would walk in on if I did use it, but my need to see Noah was greater than any other worry I had.
I look up, only to jolt when I find him staring down at me.
“Were you watching me sleep?” I mutter, my voice raspy and he chuckles.
“Of course I was.”
I grunt before muttering, “Morning.”
He smiles down at me, a look so full of love and contentment that is has my heart aching and my cheeks warming. “Good morning, love.”
“How long have you been awake?” I ask with a groan and bury my head in his chest. He’s far too freaking cheery to have just woken up.
His arms tighten around me before I’m suddenly rolling, and I open my eyes to find us both lying to face to face.
Well, my face to his chest, but he shuffles down until we’re eye to eye.
“I woke up around an hour ago, but you were so peaceful, I didn’t wanna wake you.”
I offer him a small smile before rolling onto my back and staring up at the ceiling.
“So, did Cole lose his shit?” I ask, not really wanting to know the answer but needing to all the same.
He huffs out a laugh. “Not really. I expected it to be a lot worse, but I think Lana, Logan and Harley managed to talk some sense into him. He did give me the whole if you hurt her, I’ll kill you speech, but that was always going to happen.”
I turn to look at him. “So, it’s gonna be okay?” I ask and he nods slowly.
“I think so,” he murmurs and reaches out, stroking a finger against my cheek. “You look so fucking pretty in the mornings.”
I roll my eyes. “I probably look half dead, I’m surprised the sight of me didn’t scare you away.”
“Never. I love everything about you, Gracie. Including how grumpy and adorable you get first thing in the mornings.”
My heart pounds as his words register and my breath halts.
I knew he was in love with me, it’s obvious in everything he does, but he’s never actually said the words before.
Until now.
He must pick up on my silence because he asks, “What’s wrong?”
“You love me,” I state, and his brows wrinkle in confusion.
“Was that not obvious?”
I slowly shake my head. “I knew you did, but you’ve never said the words.”
His eyes widen, and he cups my cheek. “I love you, Gracie. Fuck, I love you so damn much that my heart could burst from it. You’re my love, my obsession, my life, my fucking everything.”
A tear slips out, and he uses his thumb to swipe it away. The gesture is so damn sweet, so freaking him that I have to swallow the knot in my throat.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, the words barely loud enough to be audible but he must hear them because his eyes widen comically before he slams his mouth to mine.
We’re a mess of tongues and lips and teeth as our body gravitate towards each other like they always seem to do. When I came in last night, I stripped down to just my panties and tank top—thank God—so Noah has easy access when his hand grips my ass and tugs me even closer to him.
Our mouths don’t separate as we quickly strip off from the waist down. I don’t think about things like morning breath, though I am conscious to be quiet, since the last thing we need or want is to be overheard.
Noah slips inside me with ease, and we fuck with a slow, leisurely pace as we lose ourselves in each other and just feel.
We move against each other, neither of us speaking a word as we both race towards the edge of the abyss, and then we’re both freefalling, finding our climax together in unison and panting as we fight to catch out breaths whilst clinging to each other.
“I love you,” I murmur once my breathing has finally returned to normal.
“Love you,” he murmurs back and I pull away from him and stand from the bed.
He frowns on me. “Where are you going?”
I tsk. “Well first, I’m going to the bathroom, and then I need coffee,” I say, making him chuckle.
“Of course, I’m sorry for making you wait so long,” he says with a wink as I head towards his ensuite.
Once I’m dressed—or kind of dressed—in one of Noah’s shirts that reaches mid-thigh, since I really don’t feel like wearing my jeans from yesterday right now, I glare at Noah to hurry up.
I really need coffee, but I also don’t want to leave this room without him.
It’s going to be bad enough to face the others, but to do it alone? Fuck that.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he mutters before opening the door for me.
I lead us both out, and we enter the kitchen side by side, where Logan and Harley are both sitting at the kitchen island eating breakfast.
“This is weird,” Harley mutters when he spots us. Logan just nods before returning to his food.
I take a seat as Noah busies himself with making the both of us a cup of coffee before placing mine in front of me. Rather than sit next to me, he opts to stand, leaning his hip against my side as though he can’t bear to not be touching me in some capacity.
I turn to look up at him and he grins before placing a quick kiss to my lips. Harley makes a noise that sounds kind of like a squeak just as a throat clears from the doorway. I look up to see Cole and Lana standing there, their eyes fixated on us.
Lana is wearing a mischievous grin while my brother looks physically pained.
“Seriously?” he groans. “I don’t need to see that shit.”
“Oh, be quiet. I’ve seen you and Lana do a lot worse, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”
“Yeah, and she’s gonna be here a lot more often,” Noah adds. “So, you’re gonna need to find a way to deal with it.”
I’m about to chide Noah for purposely aggravating my brother when Cole’s gaze snaps towards me but he has a twinkle in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “You’ll be here more often, huh? Does that mean you’re finally gonna agree to move in?”
I open my mouth to object, but Logan beats me to it. “Are you sure you want that? You do realize that if G was to move in, it would no doubt be into Noah’s room… which is right next to yours.”
That has Cole freezing, a look of utter disgust marring his face before he dejectedly takes a seat opposite me. Noah’s arm wraps around my shoulder and I lean into his touch before taking a sip of my coffee.
These guys are my family, and nothing has ever felt more right than they do now as I sit with them, listening to them bicker back and forth. I send up a silent thank you to whoever it was that made me realize exactly what I have.
I don’t know how I didn’t see Noah in the way that I do now for so long, but I don’t regret the actions we both took that brought us together.
Noah’s right, we’re perfect for one another, and I think things worked out exactly as they were meant to.
With him and I together.