NOAH: AN ANDERSON BILLIONAIRES NOVEL

by Anne, Melody

  Some of the kids stopped and talked with Sarah as she gathered her materials. He sat up in his seat and waited for her to notice him. He no longer needed to hide. There wasn’t a chance he was leaving until the two of them talked . . . and hopefully more.

  After the final student had passed by him, and Sarah was at her desk putting the last of her items into a backpack, he stood up and stretched. The chairs weren’t exactly made for a guy his size, and since he’d been slouched on top of that, he felt a few aches through his legs and back.

  He didn’t make much noise, but she stopped what she was doing, and her head slowly came up until their gazes locked. For the briefest moment joy flashed in her eyes, and he knew in that unguarded moment she’d missed him as much as he’d missed her. She might have her guard in place, but at the end of the day, she craved him just as much as he did her.

  It wouldn’t be long until he was getting her to admit that to both of them. Being apart for less than a week had been hell on him. He couldn’t imagine going a lifetime. It had been good for him, though, because it told him that this was about so much more than an obsession or a fling. It was about lasting for a lifetime. Did a person know that about another in such a short time? His brother Finn had known in a few minutes that he’d met the woman he was going to marry. And Finn’s love for his wife had never wavered, had never changed, and had never dimmed. It had grown stronger each day that went by.

  Noah maintained eye contact with Sarah as he descended the lecture-room stairs until he was standing within a few feet of her. There was a myriad of emotions crossing her face, but she seemed more curious and a bit apprehensive than anything else. The last time they’d seen each other, they had just made love, and then she’d run away. He understood why. She was scared. He got it. He was a little scared, too. But together they could work through that.

  “What are you doing here, Noah?” she asked. Her voice was guarded but not necessarily unfriendly. That was a step in the right direction.

  “I wanted to take a class,” he said with a smile.

  Her brows rose. “Really?” she said; then her lip twitched the slightest bit. “Don’t you have enough diplomas on your wall? I’d think a community college was a bit past you now.”

  “Hey, I’m not a snob. No college is beneath me,” he told her. He wanted to reach for her, but he held back. “Let’s get some dinner. I’m starving.”

  “I’m not hungry,” she said. She shifted on her feet, as if she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep standing there or risk brushing past him. He wasn’t sure he could let her pass without reaching for her.

  “We haven’t spoken in nearly a week, and we have a lot of work to do. I see no reason not to eat while working. Many people have made the art of working dinners a thing . . . last I heard, at least,” he said with a wink. He was in a good mood, and he could see that was confusing her. Obviously she hadn’t known how he’d respond to their last parting. He’d been upset. But he wasn’t anymore.

  She broke their heated gaze and ran her finger along the strap of her bag as her lips turned down in a frown. “I don’t think this is working out for us, Noah. You and I both know the best thing I can do is step down so you can finish this project. Our personal problems shouldn’t affect the outcome of such a needed facility,” she told him.

  He didn’t take offense. He knew it was a great sacrifice for her to offer what she was offering. She cared enough about the veterans that she didn’t want her personal issues to affect them. That only made him love her that much more. He didn’t think this woman could do anything that would make him feel anything other than respect for her.

  “I refuse to work with anyone else on this project. So if you do step away, then I guess a lot of people won’t get to behold and utilize this beautiful campus. I guess you have to decide if you can work with me or not,” he said.

  Her head whipped back up, and there was fire in her eyes as she glared at him. He loved that fire. He’d much rather see that than sadness or defeat. Fire was good. Fire led to passion, and he knew Sarah was one of the most passionate women he’d ever met.

  “You’re being absolutely ridiculous, Noah. This project can go on without me. But we can’t seem to get along enough days in a row to complete it. Your uncle is going to fire both of us if we don’t make some sort of change,” she warned.

  “I’m really not worried about that because I know what you bring to the table, and I know we work better as a team than on our own or with other people.”

  Her eyes sparkled with tears that she quickly blinked away. He wondered if she’d had people discouraging her often in life. Was a lot of her bravado an act? That was a layer he’d definitely like to delve further into. Maybe she’d open the doors enough for him to understand more. Maybe it was just a matter of him opening up more so she could trust being vulnerable with him.

  “I love this project enough to know when it isn’t working,” she said with a sigh. “How can we make it better?” Her voice was slightly pleading, and he wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her, to assure her everything would be okay. But he had to be very careful at the moment. He was trying to judge her body language to know exactly what she needed right now.

  “I think I should be the one asking you how we can make it better. What can I do to make you want to stay?” he asked.

  He moved closer, leaving her with little room to retreat. She looked behind him as if she wanted to run, but he was impressed when she stood her ground. Her shoulders stiffened the slightest bit, but she didn’t flee.

  “I want to tell you what I need is for you to leave me alone,” she said with a sigh.

  “Would you mean that?” he asked. He took a step closer. They were only about two feet apart now. He could feel the electricity between them. It was euphoria.

  She sighed. “I don’t like lying,” she admitted.

  “Then let go, Sarah. We don’t have to plan an entire future; we can just get to know each other while we do this project. From the moment I met you, I haven’t so much as looked at another woman. That means something.”

  She looked at him again with more vulnerability than he’d ever seen before in her expression. Maybe she was beginning to believe him. That would go a long way in them both accepting what was right in front of them.

  “I’m not sure I can live in the heat of the moment,” she told him.

  He moved closer and ran his finger down her shoulder, then twined his fingers with hers. She didn’t pull away from him.

  “We’ve had some explosive moments together in the past year. We’ve had excitement and laughter, some thrills and scares. But we’re drawn to each other. Why can’t we just explore what we’re feeling? I think this relationship deserves a real chance. And before you argue more with me, you should know that I’ve never spoken to someone the way I’m speaking with you. This is all new to me.”

  His last words seemed to knock down her defenses, because the stiffness in her shoulders drained away as quickly as it had appeared. She gave him a slight smile and squeezed his fingers.

  “I don’t understand how you’re still around,” she said.

  “Because what you do to me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before in my life. Don’t you realize you’re worth it?” he asked. Her eyes widened as if she’d never heard anything like that. He couldn’t comprehend it. “You are a treasure, Sarah, an unbelievable treasure, and I’m so much better of a man to know you, no matter what happens at the end of the day.”

  She lifted her hand and ran it across his cheek. Then her thumb brushed his bottom lip, and he instantly hardened as he fought every instinct to not pull her tightly against him and take her mouth in a scorching kiss. But he was being vulnerable, being honest, and trying to give her time to come to the same conclusions he’d already come to.

  It wasn’t easy to wait to see what she had to say.

  Silence greeted him for the next couple minutes. It felt like hours. Questions flashed through her eyes, but she did
n’t say anything. He waited . . . and waited.

  Finally she smiled a bit, then stepped back.

  He let her, waiting to see what she was going to say.

  “I’ll think about what you’ve said,” she finally told him. She then grabbed her bag and walked around him. He desperately wanted to grab her, but instead he walked a couple steps behind.

  “For how long?” he asked after another minute or so. They left the classroom and went down a hallway, where she stopped at her temporary office. She moved inside, and he followed. She scowled at him.

  “I’m not sure,” she said. He could feel the restlessness in her. He was feeling it, too. “But I think we should discuss it later. There’s a lot I need to get done today.”

  “Nah,” he said with a cocky smile. He shut the door behind him when he was fully inside. Then he clicked the lock. Her eyes widened, but he saw the arousal in her eyes. He wondered if she had a few teacher’s fantasies of her own like he did.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I think you can figure that out, Professor,” he told her as he began to slowly move forward. She took a few steps back until she hit the desk.

  “This is a mistake,” she said, but he saw the desire in her eyes. It would be a win for both of them.

  “Then let’s make it a good one,” he told her. A shiver ran through her. She stopped talking as he pressed against her. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked, his lips less than an inch from hers.

  There definitely wasn’t a protest escaping her now. She was his—as much as he was hers. He had a feeling it was going to always be that way.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sarah stopped allowing herself to think and let it all go. It was always that way when she was in Noah’s arms. The moment his lips touched hers, she was his. It was her mind after it was over that was her biggest enemy. She didn’t want to let him in and then feel the pain of letting him go.

  But what if she didn’t have to let him go?

  She was too afraid to think that way—too afraid of the pain it could cause.

  Her doubts and fears were erased, though, as Noah’s lips sipped on hers. He pressed against her, nothing between them. Her body heated, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung on tight as he kissed his way across her jaw to the gap in her shirt. The cool air was heated by his hot breath before his tongue swept across her skin.

  He slowly, sexily undid the buttons on her blouse, exposing her flesh to his masterful touch. He took his time kissing and licking each new piece of skin that was exposed. She could barely do more than hold on as he melted her from the outside in.

  When he reached the top of her lacy bra, a shiver traveled down her spine as her fingers tangled in his hair to hold him tightly against her.

  “What do you want, Sarah?” he asked, his voice vibrating against her heated skin.

  “You. I want you,” she said without an ounce of hesitation.

  She felt his lips curl against her skin before he nuzzled the lace of her bra out of his way. The front clasp came undone, and he swept his tongue across her hard nipple before latching on and sucking. She arched against him and moaned.

  She barely felt movement as he walked her backward, and then she was falling forward as he sat and pulled her into his lap, never taking his mouth from her nipple. It tugged and strained as they fell, and she nearly orgasmed from the new sensation.

  “Noah, please,” she begged, not knowing what she was asking for.

  He broke away, and she whimpered, not wanting him to stop for even a second. When she finally opened her eyes, he was holding her cheeks, looking at her so intensely she felt the burn of his gaze—felt it so deep it scared her more than anything else had.

  “I will give you everything,” he said. She tried to look away, but he wouldn’t allow it. “I mean it, Sarah. My world is yours; all you need to do is accept it,” he said. She couldn’t say a word, didn’t know what to say. “It’s okay. I don’t need a response. I just want you to know that.”

  And then he stopped talking as his mouth pressed into hers in another heated kiss that left her breathless and aching. He pressed up, and she felt how aroused he was. She wasn’t sure who felt the intensity more, her or him, but she couldn’t get close enough. She wanted the clothes between them gone.

  He slid his tongue inside her mouth, and she pulled him closer as her breasts rubbed against his solid chest. There was too much space between them. She needed him buried inside her. She loved how skilled he was, loved their foreplay, but right now the only thing that could satisfy her was him buried deep inside her body.

  He might think he could promise the world, but he didn’t need to give her anything except exactly what he was giving her. If they could stay in this moment of bliss for all time, she wouldn’t have a care or worry in the world, wouldn’t have to think, wouldn’t have to feel anything other than pure pleasure. She wanted to freeze this moment and hold on to it forever.

  Noah was growing more impatient as his hands slid beneath her bottom, and he pulled her more tightly to him. She could have him inside her this very second if it wasn’t for the damn clothes. But he liked to draw it out, liked to make her beg him to take her. She was so close—so very close to giving him exactly what he wanted.

  One hand crept up the back of her shirt, and her flesh felt scorched as his fingers trailed their way up, kneading and touching every inch of her back. With his other hand, he pulled her shirt completely off, then gripped her breast and squeezed as his tongue circled her lips and dipped inside her mouth.

  She loved the torture he was putting her through but finally came to her senses enough to give some back. She slid away a couple of inches on his lap and reached between them, easily finding his solid bulge and squeezing it as he’d been gripping her. This time it was Noah’s turn to cry out as she kneaded his pulsing, hard flesh. She felt the tremble of his mouth against hers before she bit down on his bottom lip and then sucked it hard.

  He moaned again before pulling back and looking at her with a hooded gaze full of heat and admiration, making her feel as if she was the only woman in the world for him. It was the most euphoric feeling she’d ever experienced. She wanted to keep putting that look into his eyes, wanted to please him as much as he was pleasing her.

  “What you do to me . . . ,” he said on a gasp before grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her forward again, kissing her hard enough to bruise them both. She was so lost in this man’s arms.

  They continued to kiss and touch as they undid one another’s clothes. She wasn’t sure who was doing what as buttons ripped and zippers came undone. They were so lost in each other she wasn’t sure which way was up or down. It was the hottest experience she’d ever had, and that was saying a lot, since their lovemaking was always great.

  She traced her fingers over the hard planes of his chest, fully satisfied at his beauty and hardness and the solid lines he worked so hard for and the slight sprinkling of hair that added to his manliness.

  She broke away from his lips so she could kiss her way across his salty neck and suck on that corner of his shoulder that always made him squirm. Her fingers moved up and down his chest, his abs, and his sides, and she couldn’t get enough of his heated skin.

  She moved farther down, flicking her tongue across his hard nipple, making him tense as she nibbled his flesh. His fingers gripped her hair tightly, holding her close to his chest. She was just as turned on touching him as she was while he touched her. It was pure heaven.

  The heat of him, the smell of him, the touch of him—all of it was intoxicating. She purred as she kissed and sucked her way across his chest and down the lined V of his abs. He shook beneath her warm mouth and wet tongue.

  His pants were already undone, so she slid off of him and used her teeth to tug at the edges, making his legs tense. She looked up from her knees, her face inches from the bulge that was now barely covered. Keeping her eyes on his, she blew hot air against his covered aro
usal before leaning forward and gently biting him through the denim.

  “Come here,” he growled, his fingers tangling hard in her hair.

  She shook her head and smiled as she licked her lips before bending forward and biting down, a little harder, enough to get his attention.

  “Behave,” she said, feeling sexy and powerful.

  She tugged his pants away, and he broke free, his thick hardness springing up, the head beaded with pleasure, his flesh hot and begging for her touch. She wrapped her fingers around him, making him whimper as she flexed her fingers while moving them slowly up and down and letting her thumb brush softly over the head.

  He was velvet and steel, hot and slick—perfect, utterly flawless.

  He pulsed against her shaking fingers, making her quicken her movements as she squeezed a bit harder. His breathing grew more shallow, and his body was tense as she played with him, her mouth just above his flesh, her hot breath blowing across him.

  He’d tortured her like this many times before, and she was greatly enjoying giving back to him. There was a bit of a backfire, though, because she was aching so badly for him it was making her squirm in her submissive position.

  Though Sarah wanted to draw this out forever, she could no longer stand not tasting him. She leaned forward and took him into her mouth, sucking his hot flesh and moaning at the pure pleasure of his taste. She moved down, taking him deep as she moved her tongue in a circle. His thighs tensed beneath her chest as his fingers tightened in her hair, and a guttural cry of pleasure was ripped from him.

  She stopped for a second, his head touching the back of her throat. She swallowed, and he jumped as he let out another moan. Then she moved back as she squeezed the root of him and sucked hard on his dripping head. She didn’t give him a chance to recover before she did the entire process again—then did it over and over again until he was shaking beneath her touch.