8. Lizzy
Chapter 8
Lizzy
“ I ’ll maul you anytime you want,” Noah says, something wild and untamed glittering in his eyes. He’s stretched over me. Even though he’s supporting his weight on his arms, I can still feel our bodies brush every time I take a deep breath. My nipples are hard points in my bra, and I can feel that big bulge against my stomach. The knowledge that he’s turned on causes moisture to gush into my panties.
“Now,” I breathe the word like a desperate prayer.
It’s all he needs. He drops his head, pressing his lips against mine. His kiss is slow and exploratory at first. Then I whimper and clutch at his shoulders.
He uses the noise to sweep his tongue into my mouth. He strokes me softly while making growls deep in his throat. The contrast of his gentleness mixed with feral need has me growing even hotter.
I arch into his body, trying desperately to get the friction I need. He angles his leg, so his thigh is pressed against my aching core.
“Good girl, take what you need from my body,” he whispers as he trails hot kisses down the column of my throat.
I writhe against the steady press of his muscled thigh. I’ve never had this. I’ve had orgasms but never shared them with another person. I had no idea it could be this good with someone else, but it’s Noah. This cowboy that has been showing up at the bookshop every day and leaving with a little more of my heart each time.
“Eyes open,” he whispers. “You look me in the eye when I make you come.”
I snap my eyes opened to find him staring down at me with lust and affection and something bigger. Something I can’t even begin to process.
The first rain drops fall, landing on his bald head and running down his face. I’m dry, completely sheltered under his body but I pause when I see the rain.
“Don’t you stop,” he growls as he shoves his hand between our two bodies. He rubs me through the thin material of my skirt, and I want more. I want his hand on my pussy as I soak his fingers. I want his big, blunt digits inside of me, driving me wild.
I gasp as the first wave of pleasure surges over me. Noah senses it somehow, seaming our mouths together and absorbing my cries of pleasure. When my taut body finally relaxes, I’m still shaking and shuddering.
He holds me in his arms, pressing kisses to my face. Through the haze of satisfaction, I realize he’s calling me his good girl.
“I want to do that for you,” I whisper, feeling shy. I want to give him what he just gave me. I want to watch the big, strong man above me lose control and know that I drove him to the brink of ecstasy.
He smirks down at me. “If my cock comes out, I’m sinking nine deep in you and not stopping until you’re screaming louder than the thunder.”
I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. I want that. I want Noah thrusting deep in my pussy and calling my name. My voice is breathy when I ask, “How roomy would you say your truck is?”
He chuckles and cups my face. The gesture is surprisingly sweet. “We’re not doing that yet. We have all the time in the world.”
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting him to say but it wasn’t that. “Then we should go. You’re getting wet.”
“I’m not the only one,” he says with a wink that has me blushing. Even though I just came, I already want him touching me again.
He grabs a blanket and holds it over me. He somehow manages to keep me dry. That’s the thing about being with Noah. He keeps me safe. He makes me feel protected and cherished, like I’m someone precious.
When we pull up to the farmhouse, the rain has stopped though there are muddy puddles all over the lawn. The air smells fresh and clean, like the world has been renewed.
Noah walks me up the steps. He doesn’t want to leave my side any sooner than he has to, and I love that about him. I love that he wants to spend as much time as possible with me.
I turn to him on the porch, feeling my heart pound. “Walt is still at the bookstore. He keeps it open late on Fridays.”
He searches my face for a long moment. I’m not sure what he’s looking for but eventually he shakes his head. “My heart is yours. It beats for you now, and I want that with you, Lizzy. More than you know. But you’re not ready yet and in our relationship, your needs will always matter most to me.”
I blink, not prepared for his speech. No one has ever worried about my needs and to imagine that this handsome cowboy cares so much for me is making it hard for me to think clearly. “Then what next?”
His eyes blaze with intensity as he holds my gaze. “Another date. I’m here for this, Lizzy. For as long as you need me to prove myself, I’m here.”
“OK,” I whisper even though I promised myself I’d just see him the one time. “One more date.”
“So let me get this straight: he took you to a Janeite festival—” Sadie starts. Yesterday after Noah drove me home from our date, I spent the rest of the day thinking about him. I even texted him to thank him for our date and tell him I was looking forward to the next one.
“Which is most definitely a girl thing,” Dotty points out.
“And he didn’t try to maul you when you gave him the all-clear?” Sadie finishes.
“I don’t understand him,” I admit as I stand in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room of Sew Cute. Mallory Scott runs the plus-size boutique here in Courage County. She always has the cutest designs in stock. She makes them herself. “He said I wasn’t ready. Whatever that means.”
“Take it from me,” Evie offers from the other side of my dressing room. “The Maple Men are crazy.”
“Completely,” I agree, giving a dreamy sigh at the same time she does. I step out of the dressing room in the yellow sundress. It clings tightly to my curves. I’d never have the guts to try it out for myself, but Evie insisted it would look great on me. “What do y’all think?”
“I think Noah is going to lose his mind,” Sadie says.
“That’s the plan,” I tell her. I need a dress that’s going to knock Noah out of his boots and make him desperate to get his hands on me.
Sadie’s phone dings with a new message, and she pulls it from the pocket of her yoga pants. She glances at the screen and grimaces.
“What’s wrong?” I ask as Evie and Dotty wander toward the back of the store. They’re laughing and discussing their favorite dirty phrases their book boyfriends say.
“Supply chain issue. I’ll get it worked out,” she answers as we head toward the shoe section. “You need something to pair with the dress. I’m thinking something just as bright.”
She holds up a pair of teal sandals that are cute and elegant. She smiles as she shows me them, her expression wistful. “It seems you’ve found one of the good ones.”
“That’s why I’m scared,” I admit. It’s not that I’m worried that Noah will break my heart. It’s that he’s so good to me. What if he sees all of me one day and decides he doesn’t want me? What if I’m left with nothing but memories of a cowboy who made me feel safe and cared for?
She passes me the sandals. “Then tell him. Don’t keep your fears to yourself.”