Noah (7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Book 6)(13)

The corner of his soft brown eyes tightened. "You wouldn't be half the woman you are if you didn't protect those kids."         

     



 

It wasn't just his compliment but how he said it. Earnest and soft.  Thoughtful, as if each word cast a net around her, pulling her closer to  hear more. "Thanks."

"And, I can scale any wall." There wasn't a hint of innocence behind  that SEAL's smile. "Now that I know the history behind it? Doesn't worry  me at all."

The air in the kitchen thinned. He stood, rugged and charming, laying on  the line far more than she understood, and he was forward. Aggressive  and charming, unlike Spence, who was just a charmer. But forward how?  Noah hadn't said a thing. Hadn't made a move. She couldn't breathe as  fireworks threatened to ignite the air around them, and Noah hadn't even  hugged her. Not so much as a kiss, and nowhere near an inappropriate  suggestion.

"You know the right things to say." A fever smoldered under her skin.

His face searched hers. "How so?"

"I'm not sure. But … " They were two grown adults in the midst of a  full-fledged moment where her breaths didn't feel deep enough and her  mind swam in warm circles. "I really like talking to you."

"I … "

Did his skin feel hot like hers? Would his fingers grip her as tightly  as his eyes promised he might hold her? She stepped closer, her hair  falling across her face, and he didn't move. His jaw tensed. His  shoulders shifted back as his nostrils flared with a deep inhale.

What was she doing? She was too close! Her words were too intimate!  Teagan's cheeks blazed almost as hot as the sea of embarrassed tears  that taunted her eyelids.

She was a helper. He needed help. Simple!

They had a friendly connection, and now she'd taken advantage of that.

"I am so sorry." Teagan turned to the sink, hating the realization that  she'd disclosed too much and the cold sweep rushing through her chest  with the new space between them. "That was inappropriate."

In all her years as a counselor, she had never taken advantage of a  situation, and that was what she had just done. Humiliated, Teagan  didn't know what was worse. Rejection tonight, having to face Noah time  and time again in the future, or knowing that she'd poured her heart out  about the kids as her priority then almost made a move on Noah on his  first day as Bella's primary caretaker.

The dishwasher chugged. Teagan counted its rotations instead of focusing  on the man who didn't move from beside her. They both waited until the  dishwater changed to a different cycle, and he gripped her bicep, gently  swinging her in front of him. "Stop apologizing to me. We haven't done  anything wrong."

We haven't.

Not her or him but we, and that was because of him.

"Fine." She forced a half smile onto her face, though her embarrassment  was no less. Her gratitude, however, soared. She should have known the  moment he walked up and shook her hand. Noah Coleman was a gentleman.





CHAPTER EIGHT



If Noah could survive BUD/S when he was naïve and too young to know how  hard life could be, then he could survive an innocent evening with  Teagan Shaw while she was wearing what had to be the cutest, comfiest,  most form-fitting outfit known to man. He didn't even have a foot  fetish, but he'd already spent too much time focusing on how he'd pull  those damn fuzzy socks off her feet.

Every part of him ached, and not in a way that he might've thought when  it came to a woman he wanted and didn't know if he should touch.

Scratch that. He'd never met a woman he didn't know if he should touch.  Noah had high standards. He wasn't anywhere close to sainthood, but he  made picky guys look as if they'd dive into an all-you-can-handle buffet  of debauchery. So he knew quickly who might interest him. Looks played a  role, but the number one quality for someone driving him wild was  heart. Passion. A dedication to whatever made their world rock.

Teagan had that in droves, and she had that about something he cared about too. Bella. Will. The children she worked with.

There was no question that they had a mutual attraction, but she'd  easily set that aside to make sure Bella was taken care of. He'd never  met a woman like her before, and Noah didn't know what he should do.

Now he questioned everything, and that was an unfamiliar situation.  Uncertainty wasn't acceptable. A measure of risk was allowed, but not  unexpected uncertainty, and he'd pulled back hard and fast, needing to  reassess his motives.

But with that half-appeased grin and ambiguous eyes on a woman he needed  to kiss, Noah could've kicked his own butt from here back to  Washington, DC.

Kissing Teagan in the middle of her kitchen …  He inhaled again, wanting  to calm the need racing through him. But breathing wouldn't do anything  when he wanted the taste of her tongue on his. He couldn't help grinding  his molars now that he'd blown his chance to slide his hands along her  back.         

     



 

"The kids are quiet," she said, punting the subject far away from his sexy thoughts of her in that sweater and those jeans.

He shifted his weight. "Must be a good movie."

"They've only seen it a hundred times."

Noah would have moved a mountain to take away her awkward blush and replace the color with cheeks aflush from kissing.

Maybe she needed a minute. "I'll go check on the kids."

Then Teagan could do whatever women did when they wanted to ignore a man  and recalibrate. His fingers were crossed that she couldn't see he  needed a five-minute reprieve as well. His arousal might be poisoning  his objectivity when it came to her.

"Sounds good." She didn't glance his way, reaching for Will's lunch box.

Hell, who could blame her? He'd just spent the night hitting on her.  There was crossing the line, then there was how he did life-big and  bold. Not smart when there were two uncommonly quiet kids to take into  account.

He left Teagan and her lunch making then headed toward the sound of the  movie. He rounded the corner of the living room and stopped short,  cracking a smile. Will and Bella were conked out and propped against  each other in front of the television.

He crept a few inches into the living room, taking advantage of their  stillness, and stood to study the kids. Amazing how both looked so much  younger. How could these two tiny people produce so much noise and  energy? He focused on Bella and her soft brown hair and angel's skin.

If he screwed this up, the consequences would be epic-and tragic. The  calamity of screwing up was much bigger than any parenting blogger could  articulate in the crash-course of blog posts he read on flights  overseas and links that his family had sent him.

Little strands of Bella's brown hair lifted when she sneezed, and she  scrubbed them off her face, not waking up or falling from the precarious  position where she and Will balanced.

"Hey." Teagan brushed his forearm. "Oh," she whispered then nodded back to the hall after an exchange of silent looks.

He leaned against a bar area on the cedar wall across from the living  room's entryway, and she remained straight as an arrow. Noah sighed.  "I'll scoop her up and be out-"

"Sure." Teagan gave a smile that must have made a thousand PTA meeting  appearances. It was welcoming, safe, and surface level. He hated it.  "Unless you have questions on school or kid stuff. Then let the kids  sleep, and I can answer your questions."

Her voice was firm and even. Helpful. He wished that he could feel the  texture and pause that she put into every heartfelt thought. Noah licked  his lips, looking away, understanding why she'd gone formal and wanted  to reestablish their boundaries. That didn't mean he liked it.

"Mm-hmm," he grunted and ground his back into the cedar planks.

Teagan watched him for a second longer than he guessed she might've.  Then, posture perfect-even in her casual clothes-she pivoted to face the  kids, a picture of unmoved beauty. He held in a laugh. Here he was  grunting and moping, and she could pull off being a smarmy teacher in  fuzzy socks.

Fuzzy socks and an oversized sweater that taunted him with a bare  shoulder. Add thick brown hair that could've passed for red in the right  light, and he could've grumbled too.

Teagan turned, casting her amber eyes on him-him, but not his eyes.  Barely his face, and he was tired of this already. Not fifteen minutes  had passed.

"Teagan?"

Her eyes lifted to his. Finally.

"Back in the kitchen-" He lost her eyes, and no, that wasn't how this  was going to happen. Noah pushed off the wall, and her gaze jumped back  to his as he stepped close. "I made you feel uncomfortable, and I'm  kicking my ass for that."

Those beautiful golden eyes widened. "What? No."

"I did. You don't have to be polite." He gave his most earnest smile. "I  said too much, and you've gone above and beyond. Not just Bella. But  me." He let the fake smile melt away and leaned close. "I'd really like  to not screw that up on my first day."