Chapter 22
They moved in gradually over the course of the week, a week during which Noah forbade her from leaving his side for all but the most important meetings.
And even then, he’d argued that she relocate them to his offices.
When she’d refused, Paddy’s gruff and stoic presence had become a fixture in her office, along with goodness knew how many other minders that she couldn’t see watching over her outside.
By mutual unspoken agreement, they didn’t talk about Warren. Or Ashley. Or her stepfather, although she knew Noah had several video conferences day and night with Tim and Harry.
Warren had extended his leave of absence after the board had reluctantly taken the decision to delay floating the company on the stock market.
Then he’d abruptly sold his stake in La Carezza and resigned. Paddy had informed them that the Palm Beach house had been put on the market.
The ripple of Warren’s sudden resignation had threatened to focus unwanted media attention on her, but Leia had put her foot down about delaying the launch of the new lingerie collection.
She refused to let Warren’s sudden disappearance or Stephen Willoughby’s black silence derail her life.
The auction website had stayed down. Its ominous threat worried her, but not enough to mar her happiness at having Noah close.
He’d hired a team of designers to deal with his condo, and at the times when the workmen got too loud, the two of them relocated to her apartment.
While Noah wanted his place ready to be lived in immediately, she was content to take her time shopping for the right accessories for the furniture she had.
Her only compromise had been a bed large and sturdy enough to accommodate her lover’s height and endless stamina. And seriously comfy and expensive bed linen that made her smile stupidly every time she burrowed into it.
Memories of cooking sausages and waffles with her father had triggered a visit to the grocery store, and she’d cooked her first meal in her new kitchen on their first weekend.
Noah had dutifully finished his plate of burnt waffles and overcooked sausages, then proceeded to express his “gratitude” by spreading her out on the teak countertop and making her scream through several mind-altering orgasms.
Two weeks later, she walked into Noah’s condo, excitement and a touch of anxiety bubbling in her chest.
He was in the kitchen, shirtless, stirring a bubbling pot on the stove. She paused in the doorway, completely arrested by the sight that never ceased to make her whole body quiver with delight.
“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” he threw over his shoulder.
She nodded and walked to where he stood.
Unable to resist, she placed a kiss between his shoulder blades, flicking her tongue out to taste his skin.
He tensed and gave a tiny hiss before turning around to catch her in his arms. Bending down, he buried his face in her throat, then drifted his mouth to the point between her shoulder and neck.
His teeth claimed her before he soothed the bite with his tongue.
Broad hands captured her ass and pulled her into his groin. “Hi,” he growled.
“Hi,” she answered. “I got you a house-warming present,” she forced out, unwilling to spoil the moment with the painful knowledge that once again he’d avoided her mouth.
Noah hadn’t kissed her in almost a month. Of all the punishments he’d delivered, this was the one that hurt the most. And the unshakeable certainty that it hurt him almost as much as it hurt her killed her. She lowered her gaze as he released his hold and turned back to the stove.
“No need, you already gave me one,” he said.
Leia frowned. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered that.”
Setting down the black cardboard wrapped package next to the counter, she leaned next to him. Watching him cook was another major turn-on. It really was bad for her heart that Noah King was so great at everything he did.
He shrugged, smiled, and offered her a taste of sauce from the ladle.
She tasted, groaned at the seriously good white wine sauce, and pursed her lips. “Don’t try and seduce me with your cooking, King. Where’s this present then? I want to see what I supposedly gave you.”
“It’s in the bedroom.”
Still frowning, she dropped her bag and walked down the hallway to the bedroom, which took up the whole east wall of the building. Opening the door, she stared at the huge emperor-size bed, the nightstands, and the dresser. Nothing.
Walking into the black-tiled bathroom, she peered on the shelves and in the drawers, then tried his walk-in closet. Striking out, she retraced her steps and found Noah in the middle of the room, an enigmatic smile on his face.
She threw out her arms. “Is it invisible?”
He laughed, and she tried not to dissolve into a puddle of hopeless need. He walked to his side of the bed and patted the middle. “Lie down.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m the present? I was kinda looking for something along more… inanimate lines…”
“Shut up and park yourself on the bed,” he growled playfully.
Tugging off her boots, she looked down at her short blue leather skirt and Chinese doll top. “Do I need to be naked?” she asked half-hopefully.
“Nudity is always appreciated but not necessary for this particular show.”
Curbing her disappointment, she did as instructed.
He opened his nightstand drawer and took out a small electronic square with a dented middle. Lying down next to her, he aimed it at the far wall and pressed down with his thumb.
A soft whine preceded movement on the wall opposite his bed. Two panels slid back and a painting rose slowly from below. It clicked into place and soft lights illuminated the large image.
Leaning on her elbows, Leia stared, open-mouthed.
“Ohmigod…” Chills chased up and down her body.
Stretching out next to her, he slid his arm around her and pulled her close. “I know how you felt about me having the picture on my phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to delete it. This way, it stays hidden and only comes out for me.”
“God, Noah, it’s… it’s…”
“Fucking beautiful. And for my eyes only,” he whispered gruffly. He slid his fingers into her hair and massaged her scalp, while his other hand drifted up and down her legs. “Do you like it?”
Struck dumb by the stunning piece, she could only nod.
Done in grey and red daguerreotype, the image of her welt-covered ass and thighs was sharply contrasted with the red garter belt in a breathtaking tableau. The strategically placed spotlights Noah had used to frame the picture created shadows and light that made the painting come alive.
It was unspeakably breathtaking. And the fact that he’d kept it private for his sole enjoyment made her heart swell. He moved against her, turning her head so he could read her expression.
Whatever he saw there made his mouth curve in a satisfied smile. She lifted her hand to caress his hair and he shifted even closer. Close enough for her to feel the iron-hard effect of his little exhibit. Moaning, she cupped his rigid length, sighing in delight when he thrust against her palm.
He slipped a hand between her legs and gave a loud groan when he encountered her wetness. “I knew we should’ve done this after dinner. Now my cock craves your tight little cunt more than my stomach wants food.”
“I’m… I’m not that hungry either,” she murmured.
When his fist tightened in her hair, her heart leapt.
But he put a hand over hers on his crotch and lifted it.
Kissing her palm, he moved away. “White wine sauce doesn’t keep.
Besides, I want to see my other present.
” He lunged out of bed and held out both hands to her.
She let him help her up and gasped when he tugged her close.
“But we come back here straight after dinner, and I get to fuck you long and hard with that picture for added stimulus.”
She tilted her head. “Oh, are you getting to the stage where you need help keeping it up, King?” she teased.
A hard slap on her ass brought sweet, sweet pain and added wetness between her legs.
“Just for that, I’ll make you sob for mercy.”
“You mean you haven’t noticed that I pretty much cry every time we have sex?”
His smile was steeped in wickedness. “Baby, tonight I want nothing short of ugly, clawing, head-banging tears. And no one will hear your excited screams when I whip your pretty little pussy because you’ll have a ball-gag in your mouth. Now, let’s go open my present.”
Noah bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing at Leia’s agitation.
He’d deliberately drawn out dinner, fed her some more when she said she was full and made the most intricate dessert just to keep her on the edge.
Scooping up another spoonful of freshly made chocolate mousse topped with lightly roasted shaved truffles and orange rinds, he held it to her lips.
Obediently, she closed her mouth over the decadent morsel. She looked at his untouched portion. “Aren’t you going to eat yours?”
“You can feed me after I’ve fed you.”
Eyes wide, she nodded. She ate another couple of mouthfuls, then cleared her throat. Again, he swallowed a smile.
“Noah… about the… umm… ball-gag?—”
“Shhh, we don’t talk about the ball-gag during dinner. ”
She lifted a trembling hand to the newly shaved space above her ear.
His stomach muscles quivered as he flashed back to this morning. He’d asked her last week whether she would keep or shave the patch of hair. She’d wanted to wait until her wrist fully healed to decide.
He’d forgotten about it until he walked into the bathroom this morning and seen her holding out his electric shaver to him.
Get over it, Noah . It was such a simple thing. And yet, every time he saw that newly shaved patch, something unfurled in his chest.
He captured her hand, kissed it and fed her another mouthful. With each bite, her spine grew stiffer and her breath puffed out.
God, was he a masochist to love her like this, all riled up and anticipating what he planned to do to her? Hell yeah. The hard-on he’d been unable to talk down since he’d shown her the painting throbbed harder.
Ten minutes later, he decided he would be better off not doing himself a permanent injury. He quickly fed her the last spoonful, tried to ignore the sexy little whimpers she’d been making for the last five minutes, and handed her his spoon.
Her hand trembled so badly he helped steady her first offered mouthful. He kept his eyes on her as the loaded spoon slid inside his mouth. Noah couldn’t breathe at the open hunger and utter surrender in her eyes.
He wanted to believe, right here and now, that she would do anything he wanted… Be anything he desired. And there was their problem. Outside of sex, he still wasn’t sure he could trust her to accept him and everything in his life.
Hell, he was chicken enough that he’d avoided the subjects that really mattered, subjects that would rear their ugly heads sooner rather than later and smash the intimacy happening right here to fucking smithereens.
She gave a distressed whimper, and he realized he’d squeezed her hand too tight. Slowly releasing her, he let her finish feeding him. By the time the spoon clattered to the countertop, her face was flushed and her thighs clenched and unclenched in uncontrollable spasms.
Reaching down to where she’d placed it earlier, he picked up the large wrapped package and propped it on his knees. “So what do we have here?”
Her beautiful eyes shifted nervously over the present. “O-open it.”
He pulled the strings apart and tore away the wrapping. For several seconds he stared at the painting, then he frowned at her.
Her face fell. “You don’t like it. I’m sorry… I just thought the color blocks would match the monochrome in the living room?—”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You buy me a Mondrian and are surprised that I’m lost for words?”
“I didn’t buy it exactly…”
His frown deepened. “You stole it?”
A tiny smile crept over her face. “Of course not. It belonged to my father. After he died, my mom packed up all his art and stored it at the bank. But he left everything to me and I thought… I thought…”
Beyond its blinding worth, the exquisite art was breathtaking enough to rob him of further words.
Knowing it had belonged to her father, a man she’d loved, made Noah’s insides shake.
He stared at the mostly white background, the precise lines, the blocks of blue, grey and red, and wondered when exactly he’d fallen in love with Leia Michaels.
He was still shaking when he hung the Mondrian over the white tiled fireplace in the living room.
He didn’t want to see her face, didn’t want to watch that luscious mouth and give in to the craving slashing through him.
When she curled her arms around her waist and smiled at the painting, Noah was sure he’d never wanted to kiss her more than at that moment.
She sighed. “It looks perfect there.”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Thank you.”
Her smile blew him away.
Turning her around and away from him, he clamped his arms around her waist and lifted her high. She curled her legs backward, hooked her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
Fuck. So trusting sexually. He would give his right arm to have her trust him with everything she cared about. And maybe she did, maybe she didn’t.
He was so confused right now, he couldn’t think straight.
Taking a deep breath, he reined in his feelings and headed down the hall toward the bedroom.
One fucking step at a time.
Starting with making her sob with ecstasy as promised.