Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
W as persuading a film star to have wild and abandoned sex with you reason enough to borrow a boat, she wondered, then decided it was. Maya eased the vessel from under her house and steered up the river past Bertha and towards Noah’s house. She didn’t use the boat often because it was expensive and not hers. This was an emergency though, and the owners had said she could use it whenever she liked.
She anchored by Noah’s jetty and stepped into his garden, only to come face to face with a half-naked Noah, who was pulling a t-shirt over his head. He'd obviously slept in the guesthouse again and his hair was mussed up and sexy. 'You set off the silent alarm,' he told her, pressing a button on the control panel in his hand. 'What are you doing here?' She stood looking at him and felt foolish now. She'd refused to be rushed away from the meal with Matt and Leah at first, but they had insisted and then she'd gone home with two huge slices of gooey chocolate cake and procrastinated for a bit. After imagining spoon-feeding Noah the chocolate cake and licking crumbs off of his chest, she finally shook off her funk and plucked up the courage to see if Noah was okay after bumping in to her and Matt. She knew she didn't have to explain herself, but she wanted him to trust her, which was a weird feeling.
'Can I come in?’ She gestured towards the guesthouse and felt the burn of humiliation as he paused and seemed unsure. 'I wanted to tell you about Matt and Leah , my dinner companions tonight,’ she said, stumbling over her words and cursing under her breath. ‘It literally devastated Leah that she'd missed you when she got back to the table. She’s the friend I told you about who runs the flower shop. She’s a bit of a fan and it’s her birthday,’ she looked under her lashes at him and he was observing her. ‘She sent you some birthday cake,’ she added as she held out the huge, now slightly squashed, slabs of cake in front of her, which made his eyes twinkle and the edges of his mouth tug upwards, but he still seemed wary. She put the cake on a nearby wrought iron garden table that had been left over from the garden party. ‘Matt and Leah are a couple and my best friends.' Noah's shoulders relaxed, and he held out his hand for her to join him, before leading her back inside, the cake instantly forgotten.
'I'm sorry,' he hung his head suddenly and turned to face her on the threshold, dropping her hand, which made her stall for a moment. 'I got jealous. That man looks like a bloody model!' He threw his hands up in disgust.
'He is a model,' she quipped, and they both grinned, locking eyes. She remembered the first time they had walked up to his guesthouse after being pulled out of the river and that was the day that things changed for her. She'd always had a hold on her emotions, but this man seemed to make her want to free them to run wild. Before they stepped into the guesthouse, she tugged on his arm to make him stop and pressed her body into his so that he sank back into the wall facing the house. Their lips met, and he groaned out loud and pulled her into his arms. She slid her hands into the back of his joggers, like she'd been dreaming of doing for ages, and he growled and sunk his hands into her hair, urging her closer still. He moved back slightly, looking into her eyes and she grinned and took his hand, leading him inside and up to bed.
Maya stretched her aching muscles the next morning and took a moment to enjoy the view... not of the river, but of the gorgeous man whose bed she was in. They'd spent hours touching and tasting each other's bodies and she’d trailed her nails along his thighs and made him groan and pull her body into contact with his own. They had finally taken that shower together, and he’d washed her hair while he stood behind her and lathered her body with scented suds while his slick hands roamed freely over her curves. She’d called out his name as he’d turned her around and pressed her back under the torrent of water with his firm body, making her gasp as the cool tiles touched her warm skin and her pulse pounded as he lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist and finally claim her as his own.
Noah’s energy surpassed hers and each time she'd tried to drift off to sleep, she'd felt him kissing his way up her thigh or his breath in the sensitive place at the base of her spine and his fingers and tongue urging her to ecstasy as he reached for another condom. She'd woken up to see the sun rising over the river and then Noah's hand had slipped around her waist and pressed their cores together and his lips had sought hers again and his hands had urged her closer as if he couldn’t get enough of her. The man was insatiable, and she was in heaven! She pushed away niggling worries about feelings for now - she was having too much fun. Leah had been right, and it was time for her to throw off the old habits and enjoy a casual relationship with a delicious man. If that meant having lots of sex with a red-hot passionate guy like Noah, then she was all in, for however long it lasted.
She kissed Noah's shoulder as he woke and smiled into her eyes, before kissing her stomach and working his way up to her breasts, stretching like a panther about to pounce as she squirmed in delight. Just then his phone rang and his expression changed instantly to one of dread.
'What is it?' she asked clutching the covers to her chest and sitting up.
'That was my housekeeper. My parents are here!' He was already getting up and looked around for clothes in a genuine panic. 'They never come here!'
Maya felt mortified that she was there and so were his parents. She was a complete mess! Could she hide and sidle out when they were busy? She touched his arm to regain his attention. 'Noah. It's okay. They are only your parents. They can't be that bad... I'll hide until I can get back to my boat. Just distract them.' His head whipped round, and he froze.
'You can't leave! I need you to meet them. The pact. Remember?' Maya's heart sank. She'd hoped that the night before might have obliterated that stupid fake date pact, but it seemed not. She let her hair fall over her eyes and her shoulders slumped.
'I'm not dressed for that!' she said, looking down at the flirty little green dress she'd worn out to dinner the night before, which was discarded on the floor with her underwear, where he'd slid it off of her and kissed his way down her body. 'I'm not doing the walk of shame in front of your parents the first time I meet them!'
'Please Maya,' his gave her a puppy dog look. 'You can grab anything out of the wardrobe. Just put a t-shirt over the dress. The dress looked amazing by the way,' he said, looking at her appreciatively and she flushed. They hadn't had a minute to discuss what had happened the night before, but then maybe that was actually for the best. Being with a man like Noah was unlike anything she'd experienced before and she just wanted to keep running her hands over his toned backside and abdomen and would have happily stayed in bed with him all day before they'd brought the pact up again. Now she didn't know how to feel.
The panicked look on Noah's face made her heart melt and she went and put a hand on his arm. 'It's okay. I'll stay if you really want me to.' He sighed in relief and captured her face in his hands to kiss her sweetly on the lips, before turning and hurrying down the stairs and into his house to greet his parents, pulling on clothes as he went. She bit her lip and thought back to if she'd ever been so stressed about seeing her own parents, but she'd always rushed into their arms whenever they turned up, announced or not. She couldn't imagine not being pleased to see them and hurried to the wardrobe to find something to get her out of this mess she found herself in. The last parents she’d met of a man she was 'dating' were Blake’s mum and dad, and she'd loved them dearly.
She pulled out a soft sage green cashmere sweater from the wardrobe and slipped it over her dress after swiftly stepping back into it. The sweater actually complimented the swishy soft fabric of the skirt of the dress and she puffed her cheeks out to regulate her breathing. This wasn't how she'd expected to have to spend her Saturday, but then she also hadn't expected to have mind-blowing sex with a guy like Noah, either.
He'd been gentle and caring and then passionate, hot and sexy. He’d brought her to the brink, made her wait and then touched her again until she’d begged him for release. It had been a revelation and he knew exactly how to please a woman, but everything she did seemed to bring him to his knees too. That could certainly become addictive. Maya hadn't gone there with the intention of a one-night stand, but he was hard to resist and she was trying to learn how to let go of her incessant need to control every aspect of her life and let her wilder side roam free. It had been caged for a while and she wondered if it would reflect in her work. Maya stopped and grinned suddenly. It felt good to do something out of the ordinary, and she squared her shoulders and headed down the stairs and up to the main house. She hadn't been in there before, so she didn't have a clue where to go.
As she drew closer, she felt some of the tension leave her as Noah had guided his parents out onto the terrace behind his house and sat them at the beautiful outdoor table and sofa set he had there that was surrounded by cream urns of light yellow roses. He caught sight of her and he smiled reassuringly, waving and calling for her to join them. His mum and dad politely stood up as she arrived and held out a hand to shake hers in greeting. His mum's inquisitive blue eyes looked at her, but they were friendly and didn't hold any suspicion who this strange girl was in her son’s house. Noah had taken hold of her other hand as he introduced them and Maya noticed his mother taking that in, too. They all sat down and Maya fiddled with the hem of her skirt and smiled a bit manically as Noah said he'd grab them all some coffee and croissants and his dad asked to see his new car. Maya sent him a pleading stare, but he just shrugged his shoulders, as there wasn't much he could do.
Noah's mum was wearing a beautiful deep blue dress that flowed over her knees and cute mid-heeled black boots. Her blonde hair was softly flowing around her face and Maya could see the resemblance to her son. She was a striking woman. She smiled reassuringly at Maya. ‘Sorry to drop in on you like this. It seems to be the only way we get to see our son these days. He's always so busy,' she sighed and leaned to smell one rose that was ambling over the low wall that separated this part of the garden from the lawn.
'I'm sure he's never too busy to see you?' Maya frowned. His mum smiled sadly and shrugged.
'His career takes precedent, and we worried he didn't make time for anything else, but we are glad to see that perhaps we were wrong?' his mum added and smiled cheekily at Maya who flushed, seeing so much of Noah in his mum.
'Does he know you feel that way?' asked Maya, intrigued.
His mum placed her hands in her lap and thought for a moment. 'He thinks we disapprove of his choice of career, but of course we’re so proud of him. It's all consuming, and it takes him away from his family, so we worry.'
'So you'd like to see him more?'
'Of course! We see his brother and his family all the time, even though he runs a successful business. Noah can't seem to make time for us in his world, or for a relationship, but again, maybe that's not so?' She regarded Maya with interest. Noah's mum wasn't as cold as Noah had built her up to be when they’d spoken about his family. She was a mother missing her son.
Noah came back with a tray stuffed full of big plump croissants, fresh jam, and coffee. Maya's mouth watered as they'd been too busy to eat breakfast this morning. He seemed tense, and he darted glances between his mother and Maya because their chairs were pulled closely together. Maya sent him a reassuring smile and stood up to help him with the food and drinks. He kissed her on the lips briefly in thanks and then froze as he realised what he'd done in front of his parents, but they were happily chatting about the boats on the water and Maya pinched his bottom when they weren't looking and he almost jumped out of his skin in shock and then grinned, touching her leg under the table as they sat down.
'What do you do Maya?' his dad asked with interest.
'I'm an artist,’ she replied. ‘I also help my grandad's best friend run his steamboat business on the river, when I can. You should visit for longer next time and come aboard for a ride.’ She glanced at Noah who was white with shock at her words, but she ignored him. 'Joe is the best tour guide on this stretch of the river,' she said proudly and Noah seemed at a loss for words that she'd just invited his parents back and to stay for longer.
'I'm sure mum and dad don't have time for that,' said Noah defensively. ‘They hardly ever visit me,’ he added and his mum looked crestfallen, but then a glint came into her eye that Maya recognised from Noah. Sheer force of will to get their own way.
'We'd love to!' said his mum, smiling happily and taking Maya's hand across the table, which almost made Noah fall off his chair. 'We are never sure when Noah’s home and hate to disturb his work, but took a chance today which I’m so grateful for, as you were here too Maya! Hopefully we will see you again when we come back?' Maya's skin warmed up, but she couldn't quite meet Noah's eye because who knew where they would be by then.
'She will if I have any say in it,' Noah said, smiling grudgingly now as he pushed her half-eaten croissant back in front of her and encouraged her to finish eating. She smiled as they had both worked up an appetite, but she was a bit too nervous to eat. Her stomach felt like it had shrunk in the last hour and she definitely needed more coffee after being thrown in at the deep end like this. Noah was gradually relaxing, and he seemed happy that his parents wanted to visit again. After an hour more of chat about Maya and her family, Noah's parents hugged them both goodbye and bid them farewell, mentioning how much they'd like to see them both again soon.
'What the hell was that!' asked Noah. 'They are never that nice to me usually.' He ran his hands through his hair and she wished she was confident enough to soothe the worry from his brow with kisses. He walked to the sideboard, pressed a button on a remote control and sultry soul music filled the air, which seemed to relax him a little as he wasn’t growling as much.
'I think you're getting mixed signals from each other, ' she said simply. 'They don't dislike your career - they're very proud of you. They just think this choice of work means they don't get to see their son, because the travelling to film locations means he doesn’t have time to visit his family. The want to see more of you!'
'Wow,' he seemed dazed and sat down, picking up the fresh coffee that his housekeeper had just brought out. 'You got all of that from a two-hour ambush?'
'Your parents are lovely. They just worry that you’re not making time for them, or for love,' she waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively and then looked round for somewhere to hide when his eyes darkened, his smile becoming predatory. He caught her hand and pulled her to him, making her gasp and her pulse speed up as he dipped his head and kissed her as she wound her hands into his hair, pulling him closer.
'Not making love enough?’ he ground out. ‘I think we can do something about that,' he laughed and swung her up into his arms, she giggled and hid her face in his shoulder as he carried her indoors and upstairs to his bedroom.
'Time for love…’ she reiterated. ‘They said nothing about making love!' she almost panted in anticipation as they reached a bedroom door.
'I need some practice,' he winked and then paused, growing serious suddenly. 'Stay with me today?’ he asked. ‘My staff have all just gone home for the day. We've got the place to ourselves.'
She nodded and kissed him full on the lips, linking her arms around his neck to pull him in close. He and growled in pleasure and slid her down his body onto her feet. He backed her up against the wall, holding her arms above her head while he trailed ardent kisses down the sensitive part of her neck, making her groan with pleasure. ‘I think you’ve just persuaded me,’ she grinned, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bed before placing her hands on his chest and pushing him back onto the soft, silky covers. She stood in front of him as his eyes darkened with arousal and, ever so slowly, eased layer after layer of clothing from her skin, until she stood before him, quivering with anticipation, wondering fleetingly when she’d become so daring.
He moved forward on the bed until he was sitting up and then captured her in his arms, his hand trailing down to touch her curves and pull her body into contact with his own, still fully clothed one as he stood up. His eyes were fixed on hers as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid his jeans from his hips and then swung her up so that her legs wound around his waist. Together they tumbled on the bed, Noah grabbing a condom from his nightstand and covering her body with his while he rained scorching kisses on her face, lips and breasts, that left a trail of fire, making her gasp in pleasure and arch her body towards his mouth. He ran his fingers along her spine, while she touched the firm muscles on his backside and thighs and urged him closer still. As his lean hips met hers, heat filled her body and her legs began to tremble with pleasure. The scent of his skin filled her senses, and she finally opened her eyes and looked at him. He was watching her as they moved together and he took her on a rollercoaster of pleasure that she’d never experienced before. Feelings she’d locked away broke free and she felt a deep connection growing between them, which scared and excited her at the same time. Fireworks exploded in her body, making her groan out loud and bite down on his shoulder. He linked their hands above their heads as he whispered seductive words in her ear, telling her how beautiful she was and that she was his, as he claimed her mouth for another searing kiss.