Chapter 12 #2
His gaze on mine, he says roughly, “I want you to know. This isn’t just sex.
Not to me. Yes, I want to feel you wrapped around me.
I want to hear your sexy little moans as you get close.
I want to look at your gorgeous face when you come.
But I also want to hold you after. I want to feed you and watch a movie you love and when we’re rested, I want to do this all over again.
Maybe next time, I’ll take you from behind, if you’re okay with that.
Or you can be on top. This isn’t a one-time thing, Noelle. Not even close.”
My heart melts.
“It’s not a one-time thing for me, either,” I tell him. “And all the things you said? I want them, too.”
Webb dips his head to kiss me. Rather than the hot and hungry ones of before, this one is soft. Tender. When he pulls away, an unreadable emotion works in his eyes. “Good,” he murmurs. “Good.”
And then he sinks deep inside me.
Filling me.
It’s uncomfortable for a few seconds as my body adjusts to his size, but as he rocks inside me, my muscles relax for him.
Once he’s certain I’m okay, Webb starts moving faster. Harder.
He pulls partly out, then slams back home as our bodies crash together.
Our skin slicks with perspiration.
My lungs squeeze.
Zips of electricity arc through my body.
While he moves inside me, he keeps telling me how gorgeous I am. How amazing I feel. He asks me how I like it, having him deep inside me. He says what a perfect fit we are, and how much he loves feeling my muscles clutching at him.
And when I’m balanced on the edge of ecstasy, Webb reaches between us to lightly pinch my sensitive bud. “You’re so damn amazing. And the way you take me… it’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
Unexpectedly, tears sting my eyes. “So are you,” I murmur. “You’re perfect, too.”
Then he pulls out and sinks deep again. “Come for me, gorgeous,” he growls. “Let me feel you come apart around me.”
Moments later, in a firework of stars, I do.
And it’s the most magical thing I’ve ever felt.
Webb making me come with his mouth was one thing. But having him inside me, feeling him go impossibly hard as he finishes, his erection jerking and pulsing…
It’s everything.
As the aftershocks ripple through us, Webb rolls over and clasps me to his chest. I lay my hand over his Night Stalker tattoo, feeling a tremendous surge of gratitude that, despite the danger he faced, he made it through.
When a shiver grips my body, Webb curses softly. “Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t think. Let me see if I can find another blanket for you.”
I glance over to see his discarded shirt on the floor beside us. “Or I could wear yours?”
He smiles, then grabs it for me. Once he’s pulled it over my head, I sigh with pleasure—not just at the warmth, but the scent of him wrapping around me.
“Is this better?” he asks. A pleased look crosses his face. “I like how it looks on you.”
I snuggle into his shirt. “It’s better. And I like how it feels.”
Webb stares at me for a second before kissing me. “You can wear any of my clothes you want.”
A mental image of me wearing one of his oversized Army sweatshirts comes to mind, making me smile. “Okay,” I reply with a smile. “I might take you up on that.”
He pulls me into his arms and kisses me again. His expression sobers. “I meant what I said, Noelle. Before. About this not being a one-time thing. I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you tell me to.”
Warmth that has nothing to do with Webb’s shirt blossoms inside me. “I’m not going anywhere, either.”
And as I look into his eyes, seeing something that looks a whole lot deeper than affection, I almost say the phrase that’s been spinning in my mind for days.
I love you.
I won’t say it. Not yet. But it’s there, just the same.
Breaking the silence between us, my stomach makes a quiet rumble.
Webb chuckles. “I guess we really did work up an appetite.”
“I guess so,” I agree.
“Stay there,” he says as he hops up and hurries into the kitchen. The oven beeps a few times before Webb calls over, “Just heating up the food. Do you think you’ll be okay for ten, fifteen minutes? Or should I get a snack now? I think I’ve got chips, cookies, cut vegetables—”
“I’ll be okay,” I reply. With a laugh, I add, “No risk of passing out from hunger yet.”
“There are chocolates, too. I got a variety—truffles, cordials, raspberry filled—I wasn’t sure which was your favorite.”
“They all sound amazing, but I think I’ll save them for after dinner. Maybe for while we’re watching the movie.” With a hopeful tone, I add, “And after the movie, maybe we could do this again?”
Webb grins at me from the kitchen. “We can definitely do it again.” As he heads back into the living room, he snags his phone from the kitchen island and taps the screen a few times. “Just setting the timer.”
“Okay.” I pat the blanket beside me. “Come sit with me while we wait. I think I might be getting cold again.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” he says solemnly. “I’ll—”
But the sound of his phone ringing interrupts him. Webb glances down at it and a moment later, frowns.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he replies. But from the tone of his voice, it doesn’t sound like it. “It’s Rafe. Probably just checking in. I’ll make this quick.”
I want to think it’s nothing—just Webb’s friend checking in, or maybe calling with a quick question about Blade and Arrow business. But I also know Indy went to my apartment today, and while I’ve been trying really hard not to think about it, I can’t forget the reason why he went.
Over in the kitchen, Webb talks quietly on the phone. As I watch him, his posture grows tense. His expression darkens. The hand that isn’t holding the phone tightens into a fist.
My stomach sinks.
After a minute or so, Webb ends the call. Then he sets the phone back on the counter and heads over to me. Though I can tell he’s trying to hide how he’s feeling, it’s impossible to ignore the anger banked in his gaze.
Chest squeezing, I ask, “Is everything okay?”
He sits back down beside me and lifts me onto his lap. After a long pause, he says, “We don’t have to talk about this now.”
“Is it about me?”
Webb hesitates again. “Yes. But—”
“Then I want to know.”
Except I don’t really. I want to stay in this perfect after-sex bubble, and eat Italian with Webb while we watch Phantom of the Opera. I don’t want real life to ruin everything.
Webb sighs heavily. His arms tighten around me. “Indy searched your apartment. What he found… Well. It’s not great.”
I shudder. “What did he find?”
“There was only one camera still there,” he replies slowly. “But there was evidence of others—scratches on the wood, tiny screw holes, and fingerprint smudges in the dust. I’m assuming you didn’t have anything installed up in the corners of your rooms that you took down, did you?”
“No,” I whisper. “Nothing.” Before he can continue, I ask, “How many?”
Webb’s jaw flexes. “Five. One in the living room, kitchen and each of the bedrooms, and then the one that wasn’t removed.”
“The one that wasn’t removed?”
“There was one camera still there. It was installed above the mirror, kind of behind the light fixture, so Indy thinks it got overlooked.”
A terrible, sickening feeling creeps through me. “A camera above the mirror? Where?”
Anger takes hold of his features. “The bathroom.”
My heart stops. “The bathroom? There was a camera in the bathroom?”
“Yeah.” Webb’s body tenses beneath me. “I’m sorry, Noelle. It’s so… Fuck. I’m sorry.”
Tears spring to my eyes. A cold ache expands inside me.
He was watching me. In my house. In my bathroom. When I was showering, naked—
A small, pained whimper escapes. “He was watching me.”
“I know, sweetheart.” Webb kisses my head again. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
As my tears burst free, I ask, “What… what if he puts up a video of me naked next time? What if he posts it online? God. He saw me naked. He was in my house. How many times? How often did he—”
A broken sob escapes, and I bury my face in Webb’s neck.
“Noelle.” Webb hugs me closer. “We’re going to stop him. I promise.”
“But…” My voice wobbles. “Is there any proof? Fingerprints? Anything?”
His voice dips dangerously as he replies, “It doesn’t matter, Noelle. I’m putting an end to this. No matter what. And he’ll never hurt you again.”