Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
We were leaving the bakery site, when I heard someone shout, “Mom?”
I turned and saw Adele jogging toward me, her hair pulled up, a messenger bag banging against her hip.
She looked at me, then at Noah, then back at me. Her eyebrows shot up. “Wow. You look…different.”
I laughed, embarrassed. “Different how?”
She squinted. “You’re standing up straight. And you’re, like…glowing.”
Noah grinned, then made a polite excuse about a phone call and ducked away, giving us space.
Adele grabbed my hand, dragged me to the bench in front of the bakery.
“Okay, spill,” she said. “You’re dating him, aren’t you?”
I blushed so
Noah texted me just after sunset: “Come over. I’ll cook.”
The invitation felt different. Not casual, not just about food. It felt like a door swinging wide, inviting me in for good.
I put on the new navy dress from our shopping day, wore my hair down, and caught a ride to his building.
He met me at the elevator, sleeves rolled and tie already off. There was flour dusted on his shirt—proof he’d actually made the pasta himself—and a slow jazz record on the speakers.
He handed me a glass of wine and pulled me into the kitchen.
The table was set for two, candles everywhere, and bowls of fresh salad and bread that smelled like rosemary.
We moved together without thinking. I mixed the sauce while he rolled dough, and we talked about everything but the world outside.
After dinner, he cued up an old Sinatra record and held out his hand.
“Dance with me,” he said.
I kicked off my shoes. The kitchen floor was cold, but his hand on my back was warm. We spun, slow and awkward and perfect, his chest pressed to mine, cheek to my hair.
I forgot about the mess, the pasta drying on the counter, the darkness beyond the glass.
Just us, and the city, and the music.
When the record faded, he pressed his lips to my forehead and said, “You make this place feel like home.”
I wanted to laugh, or say something clever, but my heart was too full.
So I just kissed him.
He kissed back, soft at first, then more urgent.
He lifted me onto the counter, hands strong at my waist, and let the dress slip off my shoulders.
His mouth followed, kissing down the hollow of my throat, the soft curve of my collarbone, finally covering my breast with his palm. His thumb circled my nipple, gentle at first, then pinching hard enough to make me gasp.
He slid my panties down, baring me to the night. His fingers found my wetness, stroking in slow, teasing circles. I moaned into his mouth, needing more, needing everything.
He didn’t rush. He set me on the counter and knelt, spreading my thighs with his hands. He looked up, caught my eye, and smiled—a devil’s smile.
Then he put his mouth on my pulsing clit!
I moaned.
Holy freaking heck—
His tongue was hot, soft at first, then relentless, licking and sucking until I shattered, clutching his hair and sobbing his name.
He didn’t stop until I begged, only then standing to kiss me, slow and deep, letting me taste myself on his lips.
He lifted me again, carried me to the bedroom, and laid me on the sheets.
He undressed—shirt, pants, everything—his body hard and lean and beautiful.
When he slid inside, the thickness of him made me gasp. He held still, letting me adjust, kissing my cheek and whispering my name.
Then he moved, deep and sure, hands on my hips, pulling me to meet every thrust.
I came again, harder this time, and felt him pulse inside me, all tension and release.
After, he pulled me close, tucked my head under his chin, and stroked my hair until I drifted off.
I woke to the smell of coffee and the sun just starting to light the sky.
Noah was on the phone, voice low and sharp. Something about a meeting, a deadline, a problem that couldn’t wait.
He hung up, came back to bed, and kissed me softly.
“I have to go,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
I nodded, pulling the blankets to my chin.
He dressed, watching me from the doorway. “You’re safe here,” he promised.
And I believed him.
When the door closed behind him, I lay back on the pillow and let the memory of his mouth, his body, the way he held me, flood every part of me.
I didn’t know what was coming. But I knew I’d never felt this alive.
Not even close.