“You’re very welcome.” A sly grin spread across his lips. Noah pretended to be all confident and self-assured, but I knew it was just a front. He had a soft side, and I had made it my mission to uncover it. I had a feeling he would be one hell of a lover.
When I was steady on my feet, Noah stepped closer, pressing himself against me. “Have I told you how amazingly sexy you look tonight?” His gruff voice warmed my insides. I loved his deep, raspy tone. It had me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts.
“You have, a couple times, but please don’t feel like you can’t keep expressing your appreciation.” I placed my hand on his chest and slid it upward to rest just over his heart. “Tonight has been a perfect night. Everything about it.”
I ran my tongue over my dry lower lip to moisten it and caught his gaze as he followed the movement. A whimper left me as he mirrored me, wetting his own lips.
“It has been,” he agreed, not taking his gaze from my mouth. “Do you know what would make it that much better?”
I shook my head as my heart raced with anticipation.
He leaned in just a little closer, and his mouth hovered over mine. “This,” he whispered, just before covering my lips with his own.
My body sagged as he wrapped his arm around my waist and spread his palm out over my lower back. Our bodies molded together as I weaved my hands up his torso and linked them together behind his neck.
Our kiss started out innocent and sweet and quickly deepened. He swiped the tip of his tongue across my lips, and I immediately opened up to him and chased his tongue with my own.
Noah backed me up until he’d pinned me against the side of his truck. He moved his arms up, caging me against it.
“You’re making it really hard for me to be a gentleman,” he said before diving back in for more.
Pulling away from the kiss, I arched my neck, and he trailed kisses along its side to the base of my throat.
“God, then don’t,” I panted. “Stop thinking so much, Noah, and just react.”
He groaned as he pressed himself against me tighter, and I could feel just what I was doing to him. His hardness pushed against my stomach as he ground against me.
“You’ll regret saying that,” he assured me.
“No, I can safely say I won’t regret a moment of the time I spend with you.” I meant it too. Whether we spent it in a lust-filled state like we were now, or being playful like we were less than two hours ago, my time spent with Noah was nothing short of perfection.
His eyes were locked on mine, as if he could see what I was thinking. We were both so completely lost in one another, we didn’t notice anyone approaching until we heard a woman’s voice.
“Noah?”
Noah looked back over his shoulder, still shielding my body with his. When his body stiffened, I rose up on my toes to look over his shoulder.
A very attractive blonde stood five feet away, staring up at Noah. I couldn’t tell whether she looked scared or just shocked, but Noah didn’t look happy.
“It is you,” she responded, then looked over toward me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Sure you didn’t, because you aren’t conniving or manipulative.” Noah’s voice was instantly cold and distant. “No, not you, Stacey. You’re sweet and kind. You never have an ulterior motive.”
Stacey, as in his ex-fiancée. My throat tightened as I watched them in silence.
Stacey shifted nervously on her feet, and I saw movement toward her left.
“Momma? I thought we were getting ice cream.”
A small boy, maybe around three years old, walked up to her side and tugged on the hem of her shirt. Then he looked up at Noah, and in that moment everything shifted.
Things seemed to be moving in slow motion, as though I could see every little flicker of someone’s eyelashes, every little rise and fall of their chest. When I looked to my left, I instantly sensed that Noah was experiencing the same thing. His nostrils flared, and his cheeks reddened in anger.
“Is there something you need to tell me, Stacey?” he asked in a disgusted tone I had never heard from him and didn’t even realize he was capable of.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as her eyes filled with tears, and in that moment I knew. I slowly felt Noah fading away from me as he walked toward the little boy staring back at him with curiosity.
My heart ached, not just for Noah, but for myself. It may have been selfish, but I could feel what Noah and I had been building together over the last few weeks slowly slipping away.
I watched as he carefully knelt before the little boy and stared at him in amazement.
Chapter Two