by Hannah Ford
***
A few hours later, I was allowed to leave the hospital. I was groggy and my legs felt wobbly and sore, but other than that, I was okay.
Noah, however, had to stay an extra twenty-four hours for observation.
He’d needed more than fifty stitches in his side, and he’d lost so much blood that the doctors wanted to make sure his pain and injuries were under control before they let him leave.
But he was going to be okay.
And that was the all that mattered.
I spent the night at his apartment and then returned to the hospital in the morning.
Jared had offered to drive me, but I’d insisted on going by myself, then insisted on being there while Noah’s discharge papers were signed and instructions on pain meds and wound care were given.
Once we were out of the hospital and settled into the car, Noah looked at me skeptically from the passenger seat.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked as I adjusted the rearview mirror and turned the key in the ignition. Noah owned multiple cars, but I’d made sure to pick the least expensive-looking one, a sleek black Lexus that seemed as if it had never been driven. It smelled of leather and new car, and I was terrified I was going to crash it. Luckily there was a spot in front of the hospital that had been designated for patient pickup, and I’d been able to snag it.
“Do you drive, Charlotte?” Noah asked.
“I have a license,” I said haughtily.
“That wasn’t the question. I would assume you have a license based on the fact that you are sitting behind the wheel of my very expensive car, a car that you have no experience driving, in a city that is known for its tough driving conditions.”
“I drive.”
“Where?”
“Where?”
“Yes, where and when have you driven?”
“Lots of places,” I said.
“Lots of suburban places?”
“Don’t be a snob, Noah,” I said, sliding the gear shift into drive.
I turned on my blinker and began to pull out into traffic. It was supposed to be the perfect way to cap my declaration, for me to call him a traffic snob and then pull smoothly out into the busy New York City streets.
Instead, I almost got sideswiped by a cab and had to slam on the brakes a millimeter before swerving into a parked car.
“Jared?” Noah called, pretending to look in the backseat. “Jared, please, where are you?”
I giggled and tried again. This time, there were no missteps or near-accidents.
I got us back to Noah’s apartment safely, pulling into the garage and cutting the engine with a satisfied turn of the key.
“See?” I said. “No sweat.”
“The doctor said I’m not supposed to have any undue stress,” Noah said as he stepped out of the car. “So next time we’ll bring the driver.”
“Are you saying my driving is causing you undue stress?” I asked as we walked toward the door that would lead us into Noah’s building.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
I puffed my lip out, pouting. “My driving is topnotch,” I said. “If you’re getting undue stress from my driving, maybe you’re being too sensitive. Or maybe you’re really stressed about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you had to give up control for a moment, and you didn’t like the way it felt.”
We stepped into his apartment, the air-conditioning hitting my warm skin, a welcome relief after the air outside, which was muggy and hot. It was one of those days that hinted at what was to come, the first day that made it clear that summer wasn’t just an idea, but a promise.
“Maybe it’s because of what you’re wearing,” Noah said huskily.
A blush rose through my body. I’d put on a sexy little dress that morning, black and low cut, made of a soft material that clung to my ass and my breasts. I usually didn’t dress so provocatively. But I’d been excited to pick up Noah, and I’d wanted to look nice for him.
“I didn’t know you’d noticed,” I said, heat pooling in my belly.
“Are you kidding?” he breathed, pressing his body up against mine until my ass pushed into the marble countertop behind me. “You are so fucking sexy.” His eyes drunk me in, taking his time, his gaze roaming over my curves as my blush deepened. He pushed my hair back from my face with his palm, and shook his head in wonder. “How the hell am I going to keep my hands off you?”
His fingers grabbed the thin fabric of my dress, pulled it up just the slightest bit as he rubbed his hands along the back of my thighs. Fireworks exploded through my body, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
He pulled me closer against him, pushing his erection against me as he claimed with me with his kiss, his tongue sliding past my lips and into my mouth. He kissed me until I was breathless, until my knees were weak and my body was ready to surrender to his want. His hand moved from my thighs to my hip, dipping further up under my dress, stroking the small of my back, his fingers skittering over the top of my tailbone.
His tongue rubbed against mine, and I hooked my hands up and over his shoulders. He felt so broad, so strong, and I reveled in the familiar feeling of him, of his body, of his presence, his kiss, the way he was able to make me feel delicate and beautiful.
The thought that I’d almost lost him was too much to bear, and I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the tears in between our lips, mixing with our kisses.
“What is it?” Noah asked, pulling back and looking at me. He took his hands out from under my dress, put one on each side of my face, his eyes searching mine. “Charlotte, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”
“What?” I asked, confused for a moment. And then I realized he was nervous that he was pushing me too fast, that perhaps I didn’t want to be touched and kissed like this after what had happened with Professor Worthington. But nothing could have been further from the truth.
I wanted to be touched and kissed by Noah. His touches, his kisses, they reminded me of the good in the world, of the good in him. They soothed my soul after what had happened to me, they made me feel like things could be normal again.
“I need to be sure you’re okay,” he said. “I need to make sure I don’t…” He swallowed hard and shook his head. “I cannot push you to do things you’re not ready for.”
“You mean like the control stuff?”
He nodded.
I shook my head. “Noah, it’s not about that.”
“But the things he did to you…”
“This isn’t the same,” I said, a shot of panic shooting up my spine as he took a step away from me. “The things you and I do, those things are about love and trust, about giving and taking control, pushing boundaries and exploring the line between pleasure and pain. The things Professor Worthington did, those things were depraved.” I shivered. “Those things have nothing to do with you and me. Nothing.”
The side of Noah’s mouth twitched into a grin. “Well, well, well. Look who’s giving who a lesson on the finer points of the Dom/sub relationship.”
“Yeah, well, I had a good teacher.”
“God, you are so beautiful,” he said. “Come. We need to do this properly.”
He took my hand and led me to his bedroom.
I paused for a second outside the door, remembering the first night I’d been here with him, the way he’d carried me to his bed, how I’d had the feeling that something was about to shift, that I was about to cross some invisible line that I could never turn back from.
It had all been true.
My life had shifted completely and totally, all of it for the better.
I had found Noah, and he had changed everything.
He laid me down on the bed and stared down at me, the lust and want in his eyes burning bright.
He inched my dress up off over my body, taking in the tiny cream-colored push-up bra and panty set I was wearing.
“Very nice, Ms. Holl
oway,” he said, grinning at me as his hands roamed over the expanse of my cleavage.
He stood and pulled his t-shirt off in one quick movement, exposing his gorgeous chest, his ripped biceps, the ridges of his muscles all taut and tan.
He laid down next to me, and I reached out and traced the outline of his bandage, running my finger over where it was taped to his skin. “Does it hurt?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“It was well worth it.”
“What was?”
“Even the most excruciating physical pain could never have come close to the amount of pain I would have felt if I’d lost you.”
A lump rose in my throat as I remembered the things he’d said to me, about how he wanted to spend his life with me, about how I was everything to him. Did he still feel those things?
He certainly seemed different.
I couldn’t explain it, but it was like something had shifted between us. It wasn’t just that things were more real because we’d gone through something together, had traversed a dangerous canyon that could have killed us both. No, it was more than that. There was a lightness between us, subtle but there, chasing away the normal heaviness that seemed to cloud our every interaction.
I wondered if perhaps this was the real Noah, the way he usually was, if maybe the stress of being accused of murder had taken more of a toll on him then I’d even realized.
“You saved me,” I breathed, pulling my gaze from his taped up wound to his dark eyes.
“No,” he said, pulling me toward him. “No, Charlotte. You saved me.”
He kissed me, his hands cradling my face, his lips and tongue moving expertly, making my skin burn and my body feel as if fireworks were being set off in every one of my cells. Noah slid his hand down, skimming it over my waist, pulling my leg up over his hip.
He kissed me until I was breathless and dizzy, until every single moment of the past few days had been erased from my memory, until all I could think about, all I could see, taste, touch, was his mouth, his kiss, his hunger for me.
His fingers dipped into the front of my panties, probing my folds, rubbing against my clit. I groaned as a surge of wetness pooled between my legs.
“You feel so good, baby,” he murmured.
But he took his fingers away, reaching up and sliding the straps of my bra down slowly. The fabric brushed against my skin, and he grinned at me wickedly as his mouth found my cleavage, his tongue sliding against my bare skin, dipping underneath the cups of my bra, getting dangerously close to my nipple.
Searing heat flooded my body.
Even when he was being soft and romantic with me, it was abundantly clear that he was in charge, that he was in control of everything that was happening.
“Please,” I gasped.
“Please what?” he asked.
“Noah, I need to feel you inside me.”
He stood up and undid his belt, shucked off his jeans and boxers until he was standing there completely naked. I laid there and took him in, admiring the smoothness of his six-pack, the V of his hips, the planes of his chest, the soft line of hair that started at his belly button and slid down to his cock.
His cock was rock hard already, thick and rigid, and I groaned.
I hadn’t realized I’d put my hand on the outside of my panties until I felt him pull it away.
“No,” he said. “I will be the only one touching you.”
He sat down on the bed, then picked me up and gathered me in his arms, pulling me toward him until I was sitting on his lap, straddling him.
His lips found mine, his hands kneading my breasts through the lacy cups of my bra.
He tugged gently on my hair, forcing my head back a bit, then brushed his other hand over my cleavage before skating it around to my back and expertly unhooking my bra.
His mouth found my nipples, his tongue probing them gently, sucking them between his lips and nibbling on them with his teeth.
I groaned.
“Charlotte,” he said. “Fuck, baby, you feel good.”
Then his fingers were back at the crotch of my panties, pushing the fabric over to the side before spreading the lips of my pussy apart and sliding one, no two, fingers inside of me. He moved them in and out, fucking me with his fingers while he sucked on my breasts.
My body was so hot I felt feverish, felt like his touch was almost melting me. I relaxed into his body as he varied the pressure, sucking harder on my nipple while going softer on my pussy, his thumb making little crescent moon swirls over my clit. The whole time I could feel his cock under me, pushing against my pussy and ass, hard and ready.
I tried to tilt my pelvis up into his fingers, but he moved his other hand from my hair and held my hip tight under him, holding me still. All it did was make the pleasure more intense, the feeling that he was in control of me heightening the pleasure of the work of his mouth, his tongue, his fingers.
“I’m going to come,” I gasped.
“No, baby,” he said. “Not yet. I need to feel you.”
“Please,” I begged.
He pulled away from me, taking his fingers from my pussy and his mouth from my breast. He looked me in the eye, his chest heaving, his eyes heavy with emotion.
“Charlotte,” he breathed. He shook his head in wonderment. He gathered my hair softly in his hands and pushed it back over my bare shoulders. I shivered as it brushed against my skin, goose bumps breaking out all over my body and a rush of heat radiating through my core.
“Noah,” I said, putting my palm against his chest so I could feel his heart beating. I buried my face in his neck for a moment inhaling the scent of him, something primal and male and Noah.
Then I reached up and touched his face. The gesture was intimate, the kind of gesture he would have shied away from in the past, the kind of thing that would have made him shut down and immediately turn the tables on me, flipping me over and dominating me even more than he already was.
But now he let me touch him, his eyes locked on mine as something so powerful passed between us it felt like the earth was moving underneath me. He bent my leg gently and slid my panties down and off my foot, then did the same with my other leg, leaving us both completely naked.
He grabbed my ass cheeks and lifted me slightly until he was poised at my opening, then slid me down on him, soft and slow, letting me get used to the feeling of him being inside of me.
I was so wet and ready for him, but his shaft was thick, and I felt myself spreading around him, felt him pushing deeply inside of me. I’d never been on him like this before, never felt his balls nestled against the crack of my ass, his cock skimming against my clit with every slight movement.
I moaned with pleasure.
He drew a finger down over my lips and then kissed me again, hard and wanting, his desire invading my mouth.
Softly, slowly, his mouth never leaving mine, he gripped my hips and rocked me back and forth on his cock. I may have been straddling him, but he was the one in charge, his grip strong. He kept the pace steady, my clit grazing against the hard ridges of his cock with every soft, slow, thrust.
The whole time his lips were on mine, my hands wrapped around his shoulders, holding onto him like my life depended on it.
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself not to cry.
But it didn’t work.
“Charlotte,” Noah said, pulling back immediately, his face lined with concern. “What’s wrong? I knew shouldn’t have done this. You’re not ready.” He began to pull me off of him gently, but I wrapped my legs around his waist, resisting.
“No,” I said. “No, Noah, it’s fine, it’s good. I’m crying because I’m happy.”
“What?”
“Yes. I didn’t… I thought we’d never be like this again, I thought you were gone.”
“I’m right here, baby.”
“I know,” I said, running my hands over him again, enjoying the hard, rugged feel of his body. “I know.”
He rested hi
s forehead against mine as he began to fuck me again. “I love you,” he whispered huskily. “I love you so much. I will never let anything like that happen to you again.”
He kissed me, his teeth biting at my bottom lip, his tongue swirling with mine. I moaned into his mouth, and his words and his touch and his cock sliding into me, making us one, filled me with a pleasure unlike anything I’d ever known. It transcended sexual intensity, it transcended anything that should have been possible on this planet.
It felt as if everything good and amazing in the world was right here, between us, love and lust and desire and want and protection.
We came at the same time, the walls of my pussy constricting on his hard dick as he unloaded inside of me, making me his.
We stayed connected for a long moment, waiting for our breathing to slow, our foreheads still pushed together as we gazed into each other’s eyes.
After a moment, Noah put a strong hand on each of my ass cheeks and pulled me down onto the bed next to him. He was still inside of me, and we stayed like that for another quick moment, our hearts beating in tandem.
This is love, I thought as he stroked my hair. This is real, true love.
There was no doubt in my mind.
Not now.
Not ever.
***
We dozed a little, both of us tumbling into sleep with our legs intertwined and our arms wrapped around each other. My sleep was light, but it wasn’t because I was anxious or afraid – it was because I didn’t want to sleep too deeply and wake up to find I’d missed anything.
After about an hour, Noah stretched his arms over his head and kissed me on the forehead.
“You awake?” he mumbled gruffly, his voice heavy with sleep.
“Yes.”
He sat up slightly and glanced at the alarm clock. “You need to eat something.”
I grinned, sitting up and propping my chin on my elbow. My hair spilled onto his bare chest. His hair was mussed from sleep and the five o’clock shadow on his face had darkened, making his jaw look even stronger than usual.
“You’re the patient,” I teased. “I’m supposed to be feeding you.”
