Chapter 5 Noah #2
She poked my side. “Well, I’m definitely not now.”
“Say iiiiiit,” I urged. “Say it, say it, say it, I’m the youngest child, I can keep this up all night, say it, say it, say it, say—”
“I was going to ask you to hold me.”
I shut up.
She dropped her head back, closing her eyes. “Go ahead. Tell me how sad and desperate I am.”
“I would never.”
She rolled her head sideways, looking at me in the darkness, her damp hair spilling around her, full lips quirked in a rueful grin.
“No one’s touched me in almost a year. Not anything more than a brief hug, at least, and I just .
. . I think I’m touch starved. I must be, because after everything that happened tonight, all I can think about right now was how good it felt to be in your arms.”
“Come here,” I said, voice rougher than I intended.
I slid an arm under her neck and rolled her into my side.
Her leg slid between mine. My other hand snaked around her waist, pulling her close.
She buried her face into my chest and dragged in a deep breath, a shudder running through her.
As she exhaled, she relaxed farther into me, her body molding to mine like we were made to fit together.
I kept my eyes on the comets, willing my body not to react. Every part of her was soft, warm.
Shit, I needed to calm down.
Traumatized, I reminded myself. She’d just been deeply traumatized. Her husband had tried to kill her. I’d dug her out of the ground.
Yup, that did the trick. The threat of getting turned on disappeared in the face of my fury.
Goddamn piece-of-shit Beau Broadturn. If Emma was serious about breaking into their house, I was more than happy to help her.
Beau needed to pay for what he’d done. From what I knew, he was still working night shifts, and I doubted he’d take any time off to grieve.
Hell, maybe he wasn’t as smart as I’d given him credit for, because so far, he was doing a piss-poor job of making it look like he didn’t have something to do with his wife’s death.
Emma’s hand flattened over my stomach.
My thoughts snapped back to her.
Her fingers spread, bumping over my abs.
Um . . . whatcha doing? I wondered. Because there was no way she was copping a feel right now, right? She was just rubbing her hand over me in a nice, friendly gesture of comfort.
She lifted up a little, looking down at me. My heart kicked against my ribs, pulse speeding up at the heat in her gaze, and I forced myself to remain still beneath her, sure I was misinterpreting the look of longing on her face.
“Emma?”
She froze. “I’m being pervy again, aren’t I?”
Yeah, but I like it, I almost blurted.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just almost died, and you’re . . . Noah, you’re so handsome, and nice, and . . .” Her hand slid to my bicep, squeezing it, pupils blown wide.
“And you really like my tattoo,” I finished for her, unable to suppress my inner smart-ass any longer.
She made a pained noise and dropped her forehead to my chest. “I’m sorry.”
Emma Miller was horny and half on top of me. It was going to take all my willpower to do the right thing.
“Don’t be sorry,” I told her. “Death, or near death, does this to people. I’ve gotten hit on more at funerals than anywhere else. This is just your body’s natural response, craving a way to feel alive instead.”
“And it’s probably worse for me than most since I haven’t come in so long.”
I tipped her chin up enough to meet her eyes. “You didn’t even make yourself?”
She shook her head, looking sad and embarrassed. “No. I was sick, and not feeling very good about myself. Like I said, Beau had opinions about my weight gain, and they started to mess with my self-image.”
I growled and sat up, her arms falling away.
“Noah?”
“I meant what I said earlier. Beau should have been begging for it. Followed you around on his knees, just hoping you’d give him a taste.” I glanced at her, unable to keep the rough edge out of my voice. “He should have spent night and day praying you’d spread those beautiful thighs for him.”
She let out a low, breathy noise, half gasp, half moan.
I turned, planting my hands on either side of her waist, looming over her as I fought the urge to close the distance between us. “Because that’s how I would have treated you if you were mine.”
She grabbed me and, with surprising strength, yanked me down. I had just enough time to wonder if maybe she really was a vampire before she rolled her hips, dragging her pussy over the entire length of my stiffening cock. Despite the layer of clothing between us, it felt fucking incredible.
I had to stop this before things got out of hand.
“Emma, we can’t,” I said.
She froze. “Oh no. Oh, I’m so sorry. You’re probably seeing someone, aren’t you?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Um . . . you literally just woke up from a coma?”
She licked her lips, and my traitorous gaze dropped to them. “Is that all that’s stopping you?”
Mesmerized by her mouth, I nodded.
“I’m fine, please fuck me,” she said, punctuating the words with another tug. And then her lips were on mine, sweet but feverish.
I wrenched my head back. “Emma, you’re killing me, darlin’. I’m trying to do the right thing here. You’ve just been through one of the most fucked-up weeks I’ve ever even heard of. You need rest, recovery. I’m worried you’re not in your right mind, and I’d be taking advantage of you.”
She grabbed my chin, looking deeply into my eyes.
“I feel more like myself than I have in years. Like I’ve woken up from a decade-long coma instead of a few days.
My marriage has been over for a long time, and I just didn’t want to admit it because I was scared of starting over in my thirties.
I was scared no one would want me, that I wasn’t smart enough to go back to school. ”
“You were valedictorian,” I reminded her.
Her smile was forced. “Because the principal wanted to sleep with me.”
I reared back.
“At least that’s what Beau always said.” Her expression hardened.
“That man belittled me, lied to me, gaslit me, and manipulated me until I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.
He had me so convinced that he was my only option.
That, without him, I was nothing. Because he saw me as nothing.
I finally understand that. It took him trying to kill me for me to remember who I really am.
And the real me?” Her eyes dropped to my lips, her grip on my chin softening.
“She desperately wants to kiss you. She desperately wishes she could go back to high school and find the courage to say hi to you. To tell you she thought you were sweet, and funny, and so hot for always standing up for other people.”
My head spun at her words. “Do you really mean that?”
She nodded, running the pad of her thumb over my lower lip, and it was all over for me.