Chapter 14 #2
And a second later, as I skim the message on the screen, I let out a relieved breath to discover I’m right. “It’s just Jaz,” I say with a smile. “She wants to know when she gets to meet my sexy pilot. Her words. She wants us to come for a visit soon.”
A beat later, nerves hit me again. We haven’t exactly talked about meeting family and friends yet, though I’ve been kind of hoping it was assumed. “Unless you don’t think you’ll have time,” I quickly amend. “With catching up with work and all. I can always visit her on my own.”
I finally broke down and told Jaz everything two days ago.
She was pissed at first, which I kind of figured she’d be, but it didn’t last long.
“I get why you didn’t tell me,” she said, “even though I wish you had. But I’m glad you had Webb supporting you.
You’re right, he really does sound like a great guy. ”
“Of course I want to meet Jaz,” Webb replies.
“I’ll talk to the team about taking some vacation time.
Maybe September or October, if that works for you.
” He pauses. An almost shy smile curves his lips.
“And if you’re up for it, we could make a few other stops, too.
Head up to Vermont to see Gage. Sleepy Hollow to meet Jackson and the Alpha team.
On the way back, we could detour to New Mexico to visit a couple of my other Night Stalker buddies, Owl and Spike. ”
“That would be great.” I beam at him. “I’d love to meet your friends.”
Webb strokes his thumb across the back of my hand. His cheeks go slightly pink. “Also… maybe we could stop in Scranton? So you can meet my mom and brother?”
The vulnerable look in his eyes makes my heart turn to mush. “I would definitely love to meet them.”
He beams at me. “Good.” A beat, and then, “That’s really good.”
Before I can put my phone back down, the screen lights up again. This time, it’s Doug. And he wants to know when I’m coming back to work.
Take as much time as you need, he says. But we miss you. Whenever you’re ready, just let me know.
I glance up from my phone to look at Webb. “Doug wants to know when I’m coming back to work.” My heart skitters before settling. “I think… I’m going to tell him next week.”
Webb frowns. “Are you sure, Noelle? That seems soon. Maybe you should take some more time to just… decompress. There’s no rush, really, is there?”
“Well, if I’d like to pay the rent on my apartment, there is,” I reply lightly. “And even though it’s scary, I want things to get back to normal again.”
“I don’t want anyone bothering you, though.” He thinks for a second. “I guess… if you really want to go back, I can move my schedule around so I can go with you. I can sit at the counter, bring my laptop… and if I can’t go, I’m sure one of the guys would be happy to.”
“Webb. I don’t need protection to wait tables. Ken’s—” My pulse skitters again. “He’s gone. The only thing I have to worry about are some rude comments. And—”
“I won’t allow it,” he interrupts. “Anyone who says anything inappropriate shouldn’t be allowed in the diner.” His forehead pinches. “I’ll speak to Doug about it.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I protest. “I can handle it.”
“But I want to.”
Looking at Webb’s determined expression, my heart goes all oozy again. Is he being overly protective? Yes. But I know why. And I love him for it.
Which is why my tongue suddenly loosens, and I blurt, “I love you.”
Webb’s face jerks in surprise. “What?”
“I love you. Not falling, but all the way there.” Threading my fingers between his, I add, “I love how you’re so protective of me.
I love how thoughtful you are. I love how I feel when I’m with you, like I’ve finally found my other half.
And I even love this little crease on your cheek—” With my free hand, I trace my finger down it.
“I love all of you, Webb. It’s okay if you’re not there yet—”
He stands abruptly, then lifts me off the stool and into his embrace.
His mouth crashes down on mine and he kisses me hard.
When he lifts his head to look at me, fire sparks in his eyes.
“I love you, Noelle. Every single thing about you. I love you so much, sometimes I don’t know if I have room for all of it. ”
Then he sets me on the edge of the counter, so my face is level with his. “Now it makes sense why I never wanted a relationship before. Somehow, my heart knew you were out there. I just needed to wait to find you.”
“Webb.”
“It’s true.” Intensity burns in his gaze. “I love you so damn much, Noelle. I might not be the most romantic, and I know I can get overprotective—”
“I like it. Because I know it’s because you care.”
“I do.” Webb drags me to the edge of the counter, and I spread my legs so there’s room for him between them. He dips his mouth to mine. “I care. With all my heart.”
“So do I.” Then I kiss him back.
As the kiss deepens, I feel Webb’s erection prodding at my core. It’s hard. Thick. Insistent.
My body opens for him, the inner muscles squeezing in anticipation. My panties grow damp. Desire coils deep inside me, then unfurls, its heat spreading through my body.
Webb reaches beneath my sleep shirt to plump my bare breast in his hand. He rolls my nipple between his fingers, then plucks at it lightly. I arch my back, thrusting my body towards him.
His other hand splays across the small of my back, pulling me flush against him. My hips thrust instinctively, seeking him out, desperate to feel him inside me.
“Noelle,” Webb groans. He switches to my other breast, playing with my nipple until I’m moaning with pleasure.
My inner walls convulse around nothing. I rub myself against his length, already feeling myself getting close to the edge.
I hit that spot, the one that sends electric sparks shooting through my body.
“Webb.” My voice hardly sounds like me. It’s hoarse. Throaty. Needy. “I want you. Now.”
Webb lifts his head from my neck, where he’s been nibbling at the sensitive spot just beneath my jaw. His eyes flare with heat. “That can be arranged.”
When he starts to lift me, I push against his shoulders to stop him. He freezes, then looks at me in confusion. “Noelle?”
“Here,” I say. “Right here. Right now.”
His gaze sweeps across the island. The cutting board is at least several feet away, leaving us plenty of room. “You want me to take you here?” he asks. “On the counter?” A corner of his mouth lifts. “It’ll be hard. And cold.”
My core clenches again. “I know. I want it like that.”
A few seconds go by while he stares at me. His body is completely still.
Desire turns his eyes almost black.
And then he moves.
He pulls my shirt off, exposing my bare chest. His mouth dips to one breast, then the other, pulling my nipples into his mouth and lapping at them. My hands tangle in his hair, holding his head to me. My heart beats so hard, I’m sure he can feel it.
Then he lays me back on the smooth counter, and as Webb warned, the marble is cold. But it’s the perfect counterbalance to the heat searing across my skin. Tugging my hips forward, he pulls off my shorts, then my panties. “Fuck, Noelle,” he groans. “You’re so damn… Shit. How did I get so lucky?”
His hand drags possessively down my chest to my stomach as his gaze devours me. As his fingers dip lower, they tease at my opening, using the dampness to ease their way in. He plunges one finger inside me, then a second, then starts pumping them as my inner walls quiver around him.
Feeling his fingers—and his mouth—is always amazing. But this time, I want his hard length inside me. Going so deep I can feel him bottoming out. So deep it hurts in the most exquisite way.
“Webb. I need you,” I moan. “Inside me. Now.”
“Now?” he asks with a smirk while his fingers keep pumping inside me. “Right now?”
My hips jerk. “Yes. Now.”
Desire heats his gaze. “You want me to fill you up, gorgeous?” He pulls his shorts down and kicks them to the side, letting his erection spring free. “You want to feel me deep inside you?” His hand comes to my lower belly. “Here?”
My breath catches. “As deep as you can go.”
“Ah,” he breathes. Then he takes his erection in his hand and lines it up at my center. “Do you want me to go slow? Or fast?”
Anticipation is an inferno inside me. “Fast. Just—” I gasp as the tip of him slips in. “Oh. I want—”
“You want me to just—” he inches forward a little more. “Fill you up in one stroke?”
“Yes. Please.”
A moment later, Webb’s expression freezes. “Shit. Condom.”
I almost howl in frustration. “I’ve been tested. And I have the implant.”
“Noelle.” His eyes go dark with emotion. “Are you sure?”
“I am. If you’re—”
“I am. I get tested every six months. For B and A health screening. And I’ve never—” He leans over to kiss me. “I’ve never been with anyone without.”
“Then we don’t need it,” I reply huskily. “I just need you.”
“Shit,” Webb murmurs. “I love you.”
Then he positions himself at my center again. His gaze burns into mine. And as he plunges deep, he repeats, “I love you, Noelle. So damn much.”
And as he fills me, so completely I’m not sure where he stops and I begin, I look into the eyes of the man who captured my heart and say, “I love you, too.”