Chapter 29
Noah
I s she joking? Fucking running from me again. I’m not ready to give up, I’m following her this time. What we had is worth fighting for. I’ve tried to play nice, let her come around on her own and see the truth that’s in front of her. But she’s too blinded by her hate to see what’s really going on. The threat of her father has been dealt with, now it’s time she knew the truth.
When she reaches the service elevator, she quickly glances back toward me, her eyes panicked, before pressing the down button aggressively. The doors open as I catch up with her. “Paisley, wait,” I call to her, desperate for her to stop. She’s driving me insane.
With wide, scared eyes, she glances back at me. She hits the close door button right as I slide through the open door.
Panting, I try to catch my breath. “Why did you take off? I needed to talk to you,” I ask, irritated.
She glares daggers at me. “Pfft, that wasn’t talking, that was mauling me in a public place.”
“You won’t let me get close enough to talk to you unless…” My words trail off because I know how bad it sounds.
Her glare intensifies. “Unless what? Unless I’m so pathetic that even though you ripped my heart out and tore it to shreds, I will still let you fuck me because it’s the only time I feel anything anymore. Is that what you’re trying to say?” Angry tears roll down her cheeks, and I’m not sure if it’s me or herself that she’s more upset with.
“Hey, that’s not what I think of you at all.” I try to reach for her, but she pushes me away.
The elevator comes to an abrupt halt with a creak, and both of us stare at the doors, but they don’t slide open. She hits the door open button a few times in panic. “Dang it. The damn thing must be stuck again,” she mutters under her breath. Picking up her cell, she dials someone. “Emerson, the elevator has stopped again, I’m stuck in here with Noah.” She practically growls out my name. “Can you call the same repair guy who came last week?”
She nods in response to whatever Emerson says on the other end of the line. “Please hurry,” she whispers, sounding desperate, then disconnects the call before sliding down the wall to the floor where she buries her head in her hands.
“What did Em say?” I ask softly.
“Sit tight, they will get the problem fixed ASAP,” she mumbles into her hands, not bothering to look up at me.
I lean into the wall. “Well, that’s good then.”
Her brows knit together as she glares up at me. “It took them six hours to get it sorted last week,” she snaps, unimpressed. “Hope you don’t need to use the bathroom, because we’re going to be here a while.”
I run a hand through my hair as I watch her growing increasingly more agitated by the second. This could all be so easy if she would just hear me out. Paisley hugs her legs closer to her chest, rocking a little back and forth. She looks like a crazy person in a straitjacket just trying to keep her shit together. “Are you alright?” I ask, wondering if she’s one of those people who hate confined spaces and this is her worst nightmare.
“Just dandy,” she replies, the tone of her voice anything but.
“You’re not about to have a panic attack on me, are you?” I ask, a little more concerned.
That forces her to glare up at me angrily. “No. I’m not claustrophobic. Just trying to block you out so I don’t have to deal with this messed-up situation.”
“Real mature,” I mutter under my breath, seeing we’re not going to get anywhere.
She gets to her feet in a rush. “Oh, you’re one to talk. Who dumped who in a fucking text message? You didn’t even have the guts to say it to my face. Then you left me and went back to your cushy life. All your adoring fans swooning over the big football star, while I was left here to pick up the pieces. I’m trying to block you out so I don’t have to deal with the way you destroyed me. Have a little self-preservation. But you can’t even let me have that. You have to follow me around and rub in my face the fact you’re back. Why did you even come back? This town meant nothing to you anymore anyway.”
“I came back for you.”
“No, you didn’t.” She stomps her foot.
I take her hand, sliding my fingers all the way up her arm then down her side till my hand lands on her lower back, then I pull her into me. “You have no idea the things I have done for you, baby. The sacrifices I’ve made. What I would still do. I know I hurt you when I left, but I came back to make things right.”
She huffs out a breath. “You came back for you, not me. You knew this town would accept you with open arms, you’re their hero.”
I shake my head. “Deep down, you know that’s not true.”
She blinks up at me, her hand pressing on my shirt to allow her some distance. Her fingers curl into the fabric.
“Earlier you asked me if I would have come home if I didn’t get injured, and I couldn’t answer you. Until three years ago, my entire life was about football. That all changed the summer I fell for you. I didn’t leave town and go back to my old life because I wanted to. I was forced out of town by your father.” I feel her flinch at the mention of him. He was a pathetic excuse for a father, but she has no idea who he really is. “Our last night together, he followed us. He was waiting for me and had some thugs kick the shit out of me, then he told me if I didn’t leave town, he would make sure I never played football again. But that wasn’t the worst part. He said he would make sure your life was made just as difficult. And after the threat you told me about, I didn’t want to risk it. I had no idea what your father was capable of. All I knew was his friend wasn’t messing around. So I left, hoping it would save you from any further hurt.”
Her eyes go wide as they settle on me. “He threatened you?”
“Your father is a very powerful man, Paisley. Not because he’s the town doctor but because of who he chose to associate himself with. You paid dearly for one of his fuck-ups. That’s why you were threatened by Lucca that night. He was sending a warning to your father.”
“How do you know that?”
“When my father went to jail, he had a friend compile every bit of evidence he had been collecting of his time in office. I’m still going through it all, there was so much to read and listen to, but from what I can make out, your father is heavily involved with the Rebel Raiders motorcycle gang. He was falsifying scripts for them, performing operations, doing whatever jobs they required his services for. The night you were attacked was the day after their leader died on his operating table.”
She sucks in a shaky breath, and I hold her tighter.
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
“That’s why you went to see him.”
“Someone had to make him pay for what he let happen to you. I’m just sorry it wasn’t fifteen years ago.”
“The police are holding him without bail because there’s more to this than just the assault charges on you?”
I nod.
“You’re scaring me, Noah. I knew there was something not right with him, but this, this is a lot.”
“I don’t want to scare you. But you need to know what we’re up against. Why I left in the first place.” My hand comes to her chin, forcing her to look back at me. “I would never have just walked away from you by choice, I cared about you way too much. Please, Paisley, give me another chance.”
She stares up at me, tears in her eyes. “We both know that’s a bad idea for so many reasons.”
“Why?” I demand. I’ve told her the truth, she has to know we belong together.
“Because I’m literally working for the man who’s trying to beat you. You’re the enemy.”
I look deep into her eyes, and I know she wants this. She misses me just as much as I do her, but she’s trying to protect herself. Things are different this time, though, and I won’t hurt her. I move closer to her, our lips nearly touching. “I’ve never been your enemy, baby. All this anger you have toward me is just misdirected sexual tension because of a huge misunderstanding. Let me take away your pain and make up for our time apart.”
“We tried that already, remember?” she whispers, her eyes darting from my lips to my eyes. “Noah.” She says my name as a plea, for what, I don’t know. Mercy? Or is it a plea to take her right here in this elevator.
The air is thick with sexual tension, there is no avoiding it when we’re stuck so close together. I close the gap, cupping her face in my hands. Our lips meet as I try to erase years of pain the only way I know how, by kissing her sweet lips. Our hands find each other, intertwining. This kiss is different from all the ones in the past. She has to know this is about more than the undeniable chemistry between us.
Before too long, she jerks back from me, breathless and panting, her pretty blue eyes searching mine. “Noah, we shouldn’t.”
“I know, baby.” I cuddle her back into me, kissing her again. And even though she’s fighting to do the right thing, she returns the kiss passionately, melting into me, just like she used to. I play with her curls and hold her close to me, needing the closeness every bit as much as I know she does. As our kiss grows more intense, her fingers glide up my arms and into my hair, her nails digging in.
My hands roam hungrily over her, caressing her breasts through her dress, feeling the hard metal of her nipple ring against the soft fabric. I want to rip this thin strip of fabric off her so I can really get my hands on her. But I need to know she’s alright first. What I told her tonight was a lot.
“If you hurt me again,” she warns, her expression deadly serious.
I grasp her face, and she gazes at me, lips swollen, cheeks pink. “I promise you I won’t. I’m not going anywhere this time. This is my town, and you’re my girl. I will never leave you, okay?”
“What if you lose the election?”
“I’ll find something else to occupy my time with. But you don’t need to worry, I don’t plan on losing.” I grin playfully so she knows exactly what I’m talking about.
She rises on her toes to kiss me desperately, as if she couldn’t breathe without my lips for her life support. “You might need to start working on some new hobbies.” A kiss lands on my neck, beneath my ear. “Because you’re going to lose. I’m going to make sure of it.” She leans into the wall of the elevator, looking back at me with a challenging expression on her sassy lips.
“Maybe you could be my new hobby.” Slowly I run my fingers along the hemline of her dress, tugging it up a little higher as she watches me, eyes hooded with desire. My hand slips under her dress, feeling over her ass. She’s wearing a silky thong, and I trace the line of it, provoking her.
Sharply she inhales, trying to compose herself, but I know she’s melting for me. “I could live with that,” she agrees, and I’m sure she could. Nothing would make me happier than to spend my days pleasuring her. But I have a score to settle, and I intend to beat her so I can do just that.
Our lips come together as I slip a finger inside her panties and stroke over her soft mound of hair. My thigh moves between her legs, and they spread open for me instinctively, giving me better access to her center. She’s right where I want her, needy and frantic for me. I drop my head to the crook of her neck and place soft kisses right to her ear. “Tell me what you want.”
“You,” she whispers, all breathy.
“What do you want me to do, baby?” I chuckle playfully.
She places her hand over mine and shoves it down. “Touch me, Noah. I want your fingers inside of me, stop teasing.”
That’s all I need to hear. I push a finger inside of her creamy wetness. “Just like this?” I ask, wanting her to guide me. Needing to know I’m doing the right thing with her this time.
“More,” she pants, her voice barely a whisper.
I stare down at her. “More what, Paisley? More fingers?”
Her eyes meet mine, and she blinks back at me, her cheeks flushing a dark crimson. “Please. Fill me up. I want you to make me cum right here in this fucking elevator.”
My lips curl into a smile. Her dirty words are music to my ears and my cock that’s now straining against my pants, desperate to be buried deep inside of her. I push in a second digit, thrusting back and forth as I stretch her. Her hands fumble with my waistband, and she slips her delicate hand inside, stroking me. A shudder runs through me at her delicate touch. I love having her hands on me. Her touch only encourages me to play with her more. Tracing over her clit with my thumb, I massage while my other fingers move inside of her. She’s dripping wet, and her moans fill the empty elevator. I’m working her into a frenzy, and I’m not going to stop until she’s calling my name.
“I want you to fuck me, Noah.” Her hand squeezes round my cock, pumping back and forth in a way that’s driving me wild, and fuck, that’s what I want too.
“Cum for me first, baby, then I’ll do whatever you want.” My lips meet hers again, filling her mouth with my tongue because I just can’t get enough of her, I need to feel her everywhere.
She rides my hand shamelessly, letting me bring her undone with each thrust, each flick of my wrist. Until she goes floppy in my arms and her pussy tightens around my fingers as she cries out my name. I swallow her cries until she stills and her pussy stops pulsating around my fingers.
“Condom’s in my pocket,” I breathe into her lips, giving her all control.
She moves her free hand, finding the foil packet I stashed in there. Tearing it open ferociously, she rolls it on. “It’s hot in here.” She laughs as I lift her, pressing her back into the wall of the elevator. Her cheeks are flushed, and little curls cling to her forehead, damp with perspiration. She’s perfection.
“It’s about to get hotter.” I push inside her in one thrust, so desperate to fill her up. She’s tight and warm and everything I need. I inhale her sweet coconut shampoo, getting swept away in the moment. My lips find hers again as I move inside of her. I could never have enough of her, no matter how many times we fight or how messed up this current situation is we find ourselves in. I know she’s it for me, and I will do whatever I can to keep her this time.
Our lips part, our eyes locking as I keep moving inside of her. “I’m never letting you go, Paisley. You understand? You’re mine and I’m yours, forever.”
I see the relief washing over her, and I know she’s right here with me. “Yes, Noah.”
I can’t help the smirk that breaks out over my face. I pull out of her. “Turn around,” I tell her.
She does as I say, and I move her dress up and over her ass. Palming her cheeks, I pull her back on to me, impaling her so deep this time that she cries out louder. “Fuck, Noah. Yes, yes.”
I can’t help the chuckle that rumbles through me as I grip her tightly, finding her neck with my lips and kissing her wherever I can make contact.
She pants and groans, her adorable cries for more filling my ears and sending me crazy. I give her everything she’s asking for, pumping deeper and harder with every cry. I can tell she is already close to falling apart all over again, and I need her to. I need to feel her pussy clench around my cock, milking my orgasm right out of me.
Moving with more determination, my hips rock forward. “That’s it, baby, cum for me.” My voice rumbles out of me as I bite her earlobe.
Her tight little pussy convulses around my cock, pulling my release from me in a blur of euphoria. We stand like this for some time, me holding her so close I can feel her racing heart. Eventually I pull out of her, tie the condom off and slip it inside my pocket, and do my pants back up. She spins back around so we’re back in each other’s arms, our foreheads pressed together. “I love you, Paisley,” I murmur, not able to keep the words inside any longer.
She fixes up her dress and takes my hand, staring up at me. “I love you too, Noah.” She snuggles into me closer. “Do you think we’re ever getting out of here?”
“Why don’t you call Em again and check.”
She dials Emerson’s number again, but as she waits for the call to connect, the door suddenly opens on the ground floor, and Emerson, Brody, and Gisele are standing in the opening. Paisley pulls back from me, but I tug her back to my side. No more sneaking around. This girl is mine, and I’m ready for the world to know it. She looks at me, puzzled by my possessive reaction to her trying to distance herself. But what did she expect after the moment we just shared?
“You guys alright?” Gisele asks, eyes wide when she sees us in each other’s arms.
“Yeah, just hot.” Paisley fans her face, trying to play it cool, but there is no hiding what we were up to. The small space smells of sex, and I for one couldn’t give a fuck if they all know. It’s about time our friends know who she is to me.
“Thanks for coming to our rescue, Em,” I say to Emerson, and she smiles slyly. She played her part tonight perfectly, giving us just enough time to fuck and make up.
“So, you two finally got your stuff together?” Emerson laughs. “Well, it’s about time.”
“Don’t go spreading rumors just yet, Em, we still need to keep this quiet. I’m working for the opposition, remember? And somehow, I don’t think he will be impressed,” Paisley says, looking over her shoulder at me. Her eyes are filled with guilt, but there is nothing to be guilty over. Beckett will just have to deal with this new complication.
“Yeah, you might have to quit,” Brody grumbles.
I laugh, agreeing with him. “That’s exactly what she should do.”
She pulls back from me, mortified. “I’m not doing anything of the sort. Em, can you tell Parker I’ll meet him in the parking lot,” she snips, taking off in that direction.
“Mae’s giving him a lift home,” Gisele calls after her, but she doesn’t turn back.
“I’ll make sure she gets home safely.” I wink in their direction before taking off after her.
“You better, looks like she’s pissed with you again already.” Emerson laughs, knowing how difficult her little friend is. But she’s not pissed, she’s just scared, and when I get her home, I’ll make sure she’s okay with all of this, because I’m not letting her go. Campaign to win or not.