Chapter 19 #2
Our hotel comes up on the right, the entrance all sleek marble and gleaming brass with the logo illuminated in light on the sidewalk in front of it.
Two doormen stand on either side, dressed all in black.
As Noelle and I near them, one of the doormen rushes to open the glass door for us, smiling brightly as he says, “Good evening, Mr. Anders. Ms. Snow. Enjoying your evening, I hope?”
Noelle beams at him. “Absolutely. We just saw Wicked. It was wonderful.”
The doorman, whose name is Reginald, according to his nametag, nods in approval. “Oh, Wicked is fantastic. It’s my daughter’s favorite, actually. I took her for her tenth birthday last month.”
Noelle’s hand slips into mine. She hesitates before replying, “I remember going to the theater with my dad. That’s what made me fall in love with theater.
Something about it… it’s different from a movie.
With a play or a musical, you’re right there.
Seeing the actors in person. The props. It just feels… magical.”
He looks at her for a long moment. Then he nods. “Yes. It is.”
“Thank you,” I tell him as we walk into the building. I’m about to hand him a twenty when Noelle stops me.
Then she reaches into her purse and pulls out two hundred-dollar bills. As she hands Reginald the money, she says softly, “Maybe you can use this to take her to another show.”
He blinks in surprise. “Ms. Snow? Are you sure?”
She nods. “I’m sure.”
Once we’re alone in the elevator, I turn to Noelle and say, “I could have given him the money. You didn’t have to pay for it yourself.”
“I know. But you’re already paying for the hotel. Which I know is expensive. And the musical, and all our meals…”
“Noelle.” I tug her into my arms. Now that we’re back in the hotel, I feel slightly more at ease.
Not as much as I will in our hotel room, where I’ve added supplemental security on top of what’s already there, but I’ll take an elevator over the crowded city streets.
“I know we haven’t talked much about money.
But I don’t want you worrying about it. Okay?
When I served, my expenses weren’t much, so I was able to save a lot.
And working for Blade and Arrow, I get paid well, plus there’s no rent.
So I can afford to take you to a nice hotel.
Or Europe. Or Antarctica. Wherever you want to go. ”
“Antarctica?”
“If you wanted.”
Noelle gazes at me, a small smile teasing her lips. “I’m not sure about Antarctica. But Europe might be nice one day. I’ve always wanted to experience London theater.”
I make a mental note to look into trips to London right away. “Sounds good to me.”
As the elevator rises, Noelle leans against me. Her hand slides into my pocket. “I’m really looking forward to meeting your friends after this,” she says. “First Jackson in Sleepy Hollow, then Gage in Vermont. I bet they have lots of great stories about you.”
Chuckling, I reply, “They’ve got stories alright. Not sure they’re ones I want you to hear, though.”
“About playboy Webb?” she teases.
Maybe five years ago, Jackson and Gage would have. But they’re both in serious relationships now, so they should know what’s appropriate to say to my girlfriend.
Still. Maybe I’ll text them. Just to be safe.
“Embarrassing stories, more likely. It’s kind of a tradition whenever one of us finally settles down. You should have heard the stories Rafe told Bea about Indy.”
“Like Windy Indy?”
I chuckle. “Worse. And when you meet my mom…” I shake my head. “Expect to see naked baby pictures. I’m sure she’s got them all ready for our visit.”
When we leave New York two days from now, the plan is to head north to Sleepy Hollow to visit with the Blade and Arrow team there, then up to Vermont to introduce Noelle to Gage and his security team, and after that, we’re driving down to Scranton to visit my mom and brother.
And even though I already talked to my mom about what kinds of photos are appropriate to show Noelle, I have a suspicion some of the naked baby pictures will sneak in.
“Oh, I can’t wait to see all your baby pictures. I bet you were so cute. This little towheaded boy with a cowlick on top of his head—”
“Hey. I don’t have a cowlick.” I smooth my hair. “Do I?”
“No.” Noelle stretches up to kiss me. “No cowlicks.”
Then she wriggles her hand in my pocket, nudging the side of my dick. It jerks. Throbs. Her lids lower, so she’s looking up at me through her lashes. Her voice goes husky. “You know what I’d rather see right now, though?”
I glance at the elevator control pad, checking to see how close we are to our floor. “What?”
“You. Naked.” Noelle moves in front of me. Then she takes her hand from my pocket and cups my erection. “I’d really like to see you naked. On that giant bed the size of Alaska. And you know what else I’d like?”
Splaying my hand across her back, I pull her close. “What?”
Her voice dips to a husky whisper. “I’d like to try something… different.”
My body jumps to high alert, but it’s not from the threat of danger. As Noelle lightly strokes my erection through my pants, desire surges. Lowering my mouth to the sensitive skin just beneath her ear, I ask huskily, “What kind of different?”
She gives my dick a gentle squeeze. “Well. I thought…”
I glance up at her face. Her cheeks are flushed pink, and it’s not from the cold. “We’ve tried a lot of things,” Noelle explains, “but I was reading this book—Zada recommended it—and in it, the guy is kind of… dominant.”
My dick jumps to full attention. “Dominant? How so?”
“Not like BDSM. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but I’m not sure how I feel about calling you sir and using whips and stuff. I was thinking, you could tell me what to do? And you’d be in control? In the book, it seemed pretty… hot.”
I yank Noelle flush against me. My erection juts into her belly. “You want me to tell you what to do?”
Her chin lifts. In her eyes, uncertainty wars with desire. “Yes? If you’d like to try it?”
Would I like to try it?
Would I like to bring Noelle pleasure while she grants me her unconditional trust to do it?
“Yes,” I growl. “Yes. I would definitely like to try it.”
Just as my hand comes to Noelle’s breast, the elevator comes to a stop. A second later, a chime sounds as the doors slide open. Noelle makes a startled little eeep and tries to pull away from me, but I hold her still. “There’s no one out there,” I tell her.
Then I lean forward to glance up and down the hallway, happy to see we’re the only ones around. So I lift Noelle into my arms and wrap her legs around my waist. “Webb!” she exclaims. “Someone could see.”
“You said you want me to take control, right?” I nuzzle her neck again. When she nods, I add, “Well, the first part is carrying you to our room so I can have my way with you.”
“Oh.” She tightens her legs around me. “Okay, then.”
With that decided, I stride down the hallway to our room, my need to be inside Noelle growing more intense with each step.
By the time we reach our door, I’m not entirely sure I can wait the time it takes to unlock it.
Reluctantly, I slide Noelle down to the ground so I can reach my key card.
Once I have it in hand, I shove it desperately at the key reader, desire throbbing in unrelenting waves as I wait for the stupid thing to disarm.
And that’s not all. Once we’re inside, I have to do a sweep of the room, checking all the motion sensors and cameras I installed when we got here, because there was no way I was leaving Noelle’s safety solely in the hands of hotel security.
Once I triple-lock the door, I look at Noelle and say in a low, commanding tone, “Take off your clothes. I want you to be naked by the time I get back.”
Her eyes flare with heat. Twin spots of pink reappear on her cheeks. “Okay, Webb.” She grabs the hem of her sweater and starts to pull it up. “I will be.”
And oh, shit, does that make a lot harder to focus on security, knowing Noelle is stripping down naked for me. That she’s waiting for me to tell her what to do.
By the time I finish all my checks, my hunger for her is a living thing.
To save time, I yank off my clothes on my way back to her, leaving them in discarded piles across the hotel room as I go.
Then I return to the living room area of our suite—no standard room for Noelle, only the nicest suite will do—to find her still standing by the door, now fully naked and waiting for me.
Despite the ravenous desire burning inside me, the sight of Noelle brings me to a halt.
She’s so damn gorgeous. Her long red hair tumbles down her shoulders and drapes over her full breasts, tipped with rosy pink nipples the perfect size to take into my mouth.
Her skin is still lightly freckled from the stretch of sunny days we had the week before we left.
Trimmed red curls at her center beckon to me, inviting me in.
And her eyes.
They tell me everything.
I love you.
I trust you.
I want you.
Moving forward again, I close the distance between us and sweep Noelle into my arms. I kiss her hard, my tongue plunging deep as I lift her against my chest. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back with the same ferocity, making sexy humming noises in the back of her throat.
“Noelle,” I say between kisses, “you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world. And I still can’t believe you’re mine.”
Her gaze meets mine. A smile teases her lips. “Oh, am I yours, then?”
I lay her on the bed, then brace myself above her before answering, “As long as you’ll let me keep you.”
Her features soften. A moment passes before she answers softly, “Forever. That’s how long I’ll be yours. And just so you know, you’re mine, too.”
My heart actually stops for a second.
Despite all the reminders I’ve given myself that it’s far too soon to propose, that Noelle needs more time to recover, that there’s no rush when things are already so good between us… the words almost spill out, anyway.
Almost.