Stardust Valley (Firefly Hollow Book 9)

by T. L. Haddix

  She watched him somewhat warily for a moment then nodded. “Okay.”

  But Noah still wasn’t sure she believed him. Not fully. Not knowing what else to do to convince her, he kissed her.

  They were still kissing a minute later when the door opened and Eli came in.

  “Well, hell. We’re getting ready to work our butts off, and you two are in here having all the fun,” he teased.

  “Eli! Don’t be mean,” Haley said, coming in behind him.

  John, Owen, and Easton all followed her inside.

  “What’d we miss?” Rachel’s son asked.

  Noah wrapped Sophie in his arms and held on, relishing the feel of her. “Nothing, kid.”

  “Just some kissing.” Eli sniffed three times, lifting his nose. “And apparently… cinnamon rolls? Ah, man. That’s not fair.”

  Sophie laughed. “There are a few left over.”

  “Not for long,” Noah muttered. “I had plans for those.”

  “I’ll make you more,” she said, looking up at him.

  He smiled at her. “Yeah? Just for me?”

  “Just for you.”

  Despite half of his family’s presence in his house, despite the fact that he was incredibly uncomfortable with public displays of affection, Noah had no choice in what happened next. The warmth in her gaze as she laughed at him, the softness of her smile and her body against his, and the pure happiness he felt combined to drive him to distraction. There was absolutely nothing he could do but kiss her again, right there in front of God and everyone. So he did.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  As far as Sophie was concerned, she’d have been perfectly happy if the power at her house stayed off for the rest of the year. And maybe next year too. She and Noah had just finished supper, the dishes were in the dishwasher, and they were sitting on the couch. She was working on her laptop, all the while sneaking peeks at Noah, who was fiddling with the guitar his parents had given him for Christmas.

  Being with him felt like playing house, a dangerous proposition, she knew. The threat of getting used to being with Noah only to lose him versus the pure enjoyment of the last few days… well, the threat was easy to ignore, at least for now.

  As he strummed the guitar, tuning it, she smiled. “I’m surprised you don’t already have a guitar.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve wanted one for a while, but I never got around to it. This is perfect though. It’s a solid guitar, and I know it didn’t break the bank. With the game Eli got me for the console, I should be able to learn the basics easily enough.”

  “It’s a neat concept, a game that teaches you how to actually play.” Sophie rested her head against the back of the couch. “And that’s all you’ll need, just a little instruction. You’ll take off from there. Do you still play piano and violin?”

  “Yep. And I fiddle from time to time, depending on my mood.” He winked. “Different techniques of playing, you know.”

  “I remember,” she said softly. “I also recall that you were very, very good.”

  The look he sent her was warm but complicated. “I do okay.”

  With a sigh, she closed the lid on her laptop and set it on the coffee table, then she curled her feet up underneath her as she turned to face him. “I always thought that if you had more of a fondness for crowds, you’d have been a professional musician. You have the talent. I’m not just saying that.”

  “I considered it. There’s always the option of being a studio musician. But working with wood, that spoke to me. Plus, music’s a more personal thing. I haven’t even played for Eli yet.” He set the guitar in the recliner.

  “Does Fig like it when you play?” she asked as he gently tugged on one of her feet. She let him have it and settled back against the arm of the couch happily when he rubbed her heel.

  “She doesn’t mind so long as I don’t go on for too long,” he told her sheepishly. “When I do, she tends to nip at me.”

  Sophie laughed. “She’s something else. I really thought she’d be more hands-on.”

  “Nope.” He rose up and over her, sliding her down the couch so that she was lying flat. “She’s very much a loner, though she has her moments.”

  When he settled his hips between her thighs, Sophie sighed with pleasure and wound her arms and legs around him. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” The kiss he initiated was lazy, soft, teasing, and altogether irresistible.

  “Mmm, this reminds me of when we were kids,” she said when he lifted his mouth. She ran her hands over his shoulders with leisurely movements. “I lived for those evenings with you, you know.”

  Noah shifted so that all his weight wasn’t pinning her down, then he threaded his fingers into her hair, spreading it out over the edge of the couch. “So did I. It wasn’t nearly as much as I wanted, but at the same time, it was everything.”

  Several times they’d babysat Molly while John and Zanny went out to dinner or the movies. For the most part, those evenings had been spent innocently with soft touches and heated kisses. But on a few occasions, they’d found themselves wrapped around each other on the couch, sharing a toned-down intimacy. They’d been careful not to cross any real boundaries, but the time had been intimate in such a way that remembering it had tormented Sophie for over a decade.

  “I can hardly believe this is real,” she whispered.

  The firelight from the woodstove played over Noah’s face, gilding him and bringing out the warm browns that mostly stayed hidden in his dark hair.

  “Neither can I,” he responded, tracing her features with light fingers. “And last night… I’m still half-convinced I’m dreaming. I do not want to wake up if I am.” He rubbed his face against hers, his eyes closing as he nuzzled her.

  “What do you think would have happened to us if things hadn’t gone on the way they did?”

  He sighed softly. “I don’t know. I think prom night would have had repercussions. We were so young, so convinced we were invincible.”

  She searched his eyes. “Do you think it would have changed the way we felt about each other?”

  Noah swallowed, and he didn’t answer for a moment. “I think it would have deepened the way we felt. And there’s a real chance we would have ended up as parents, I think, as green as we were. Do you know, you were the first girl I ever kissed? Ever touched?”

  Sophie gave a little shake of her head, instinctively rejecting what he’d said. “What? I was not.”

  He nodded. “You were. You were the first person who didn’t look at me and see Noah the freak, even before the truth came out. I couldn’t believe you let me kiss you that first time or the second time or any time after that.”

  She touched his face with fingers that trembled slightly. “Noah…”

  “I guess that means you didn’t know.” He caught her hand and kissed the palm, nipping lightly at the heel.

  A shiver went through her, and she tightened her legs around him. “No, I didn’t know. I never would have guessed. I thought you’d had at least half a dozen girlfriends by the time I came along. You have to know how attractive you were… and are, for that matter. I can’t believe you didn’t have to beat the girls off with a stick.”

  He smiled then laughed, the sound somewhat rueful. “That’s only been in recent years. They tend to see me as a conquest, one with no intention of giving in and therefore irresistible. It’s annoying as hell because I just want to be left alone. But in high school? No.”

  Sophie shook her head, chuckling as she marveled at the stupidity of her fellow woman. But then the significance of his words sank in, and she froze. “Wait a minute. If you’d never been kissed when we were dating… that means you were a virgin when we were together.” She stared at him, unable to get her mind around that.

  But his cheeks were lighting up, and she kne
w it had to be true.

  “I was.”

  She stared at him. She didn’t mean to put him on the spot, but what he’d said was so astonishing it blew her mind. “Noah. I don’t… you’re not still, are you?”

  He laughed, genuinely amused. “Um, not unless I really did dream last night.” He winked at her as she groaned and hid her face in his chest. “And no, I wasn’t a virgin last night, silly.”

  “Shut up,” she muttered, tickling his sides. She hugged him before he could stop her though. “So not to get too nosy, but when did you… how many… um. Well. You know.”

  “Sophie, are you asking me what my number is?”

  This time she tickled him in earnest, not stopping until they were both breathless and he had her hands pinned above her head.

  “Yes,” she gasped. “I am.”

  “Why?”

  She struggled against his grasp, but he wasn’t giving an inch. “Why not?”

  He shrugged, grinning at her. “Because I’m bigger than you?”

  Sophie laughed helplessly. “That’s not an answer.”

  “Sure it is.” He blew a raspberry on her neck, sending her into shrieks of laughter. “Tell me your number since we’re going down this road. Though part of me doesn’t want to know. I’m too jealous.” He loosened his grasp on her hands and linked their fingers together.

  “So am I, but I need to know,” she admitted.

  “What if you have more experience than me?”

  She snorted. “I highly doubt that. My number isn’t that high.”

  “Neither is mine.” He shifted his weight so that he could prop himself up on his elbow again. “So…?”

  “Two, okay?” She goosed him then rubbed the spot. “It’s two. Now, your turn.”

  He grinned at her, though there was a little sadness in the expression. “Two before last night or after?”

  Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Before.”

  “Ah. Then we’re tied.” He placed a soft kiss on her jaw.

  “I didn’t realize it was a competition,” she said quietly, secretly relieved.

  “It isn’t.” He ran his hand over her belly, making her muscles jump. “But speaking of intimacy, something we didn’t discuss and that quite honestly didn’t even occur to me until late this morning… are you on anything? I didn’t even think to stop and get a condom while we were in the middle of things.”

  She swallowed and nodded. “I am. I’m on the pill. And I didn’t think either.”

  His thumb brushed back and forth over her belly button as the rest of his hand teased the curve her waist. “Do you want kids? Tell me if that’s a sore subject and we’ll change it.”

  She smiled at him sadly, tracing the lines of his chest. “It’s sore, but I don’t mind discussing it. I honestly don’t know. It’s been so long since I let myself go down that road I’d kind of shoved the idea aside. What about you? I know you were on the fence when we were in school.” She’d always figured she could change his mind.

  “I was. The thought of passing on my genes to someone as helpless as a child still terrifies me, but… I don’t know. Maybe it’s seeing Syd so excited to be pregnant or all those machinations Grandma and Grandpa have put me through over the last year or so, but I’m really warming up to the idea of seeing my wife’s body changing as she carries our child, holding that baby for the first time, seeing who he or she becomes. Seeing Mom and Dad meet their grandchild.” With a self-deprecating grin, he shrugged. “I could get used to the idea.”

  Sophie didn’t know if he was even aware that he’d moved his hand lower to brush her pelvis or that his voice and his face had softened. All she knew was that she was so choked up she was afraid if she opened her mouth, all her emotions would come pouring out in a garbled mess.

  “I can’t believe no woman has come along and snatched you up,” she finally whispered. She traced the curve of his ear as she pushed his hair back behind it. “You’re a very dangerous man, Noah Campbell.”

  He shook his head. “Nah. I’m harmless.” His hand moved under her shirt to cup her breast, making her arch into his touch. At the same time, he dipped his head and took her mouth in a searing kiss. “I didn’t believe you were real last night. Honest to God, Sophie, I didn’t,” he whispered against her lips. “You might have to prove it to me again, that I’m not dreaming.”

  “I’ll be more than happy to do just that.” She grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifting it.

  Noah obliged her by removing the garment, then he worked on the buttons of her shirt. He spread the two sides, revealing her bare breasts. “Did I happen to mention how stunning you are?” He kissed his way down to her nipple.

  “Mmm, no,” Sophie said on a moan as she worked at his belt. No way was she going to let the opportunity to finally get the man naked on a couch the way she’d dreamed of for years slip by.

  They loved each other thoroughly and slowly, as though they had all the time in the world. By the time they came together, Sophie was begging. And once they were both spent, gasping and sweating and holding on to each other for dear life, she knew she’d fallen back in love with Noah—heart, soul, mind, and body.

  A part of her had always belonged to him, but she’d hidden that away carefully, packed it up to keep it safe. To keep herself safe. She’d known intellectually that she was falling for him again, but she hadn’t felt it down to her toes until tonight. And now that she did feel that love again, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to turn off those emotions again, put them back in the safe box, not even if he never loved her back.

  Chapter Thirty

  Letting Sophie go home Sunday night was high on the list of the most unpleasant things Noah had endured. At least in the top twenty. But he knew they needed a little space, and he didn’t want to press his luck or appear to be a lovesick fool by begging her to let him go with her. Instead, he let the lingering kiss he gave her after he walked her to her car speak for him.

  Sophie pulled away with a whimper as a gust of wind teased their hands and faces, brushing cold against the exposed skin. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely,” he said, straightening. He forced his hands into the pockets of his coat. “Call me when you get home?”

  She didn’t tease him this time, just gave him a soft smile as she got in the car. “I will. Good night.”

  “Night.”

  Once she was gone and he was back inside, he felt as if he was bursting out of his skin with confused energy. Part of it was that he missed Sophie. The other part was his ability stirring. He expected to turn around in the kitchen and see Moira or his grandmother Molly, but when he looked, no one was there.

  “She’s gone?” Eli asked, coming out of his bedroom with a book.

  “Yeah.” Noah braced his hands on the counter and tried to figure out what to do with himself. “Do you mind if I play the guitar game? I don’t want to interrupt your reading, but I need to do something.”

  Eli didn’t try to hide his grin as he sat in the recliner. “I remember you teasing me about that kind of itchy tension a few weeks ago. Karma, big brother.”

  Noah made a face at him then grabbed a cold drink from the fridge. “Yeah, well.”

  “I’m glad things are working out between you two. And no, it won’t bother me at all. I’m just piddling.” He grunted as he stretched his legs out in front of him. “I’m trying to resist a trek to the bottom of the hill.” His voice held quiet tension, and his expression grew pensive. “Speaking of the bottom of the hill…”

  “Yeah?” Noah got the cable out of the packaging that had come with the game and hooked it up to the surround system. “What’s up? Is everything okay with Haley?”

  Eli nodded, his gaze on the book in his hands as he traced its shape with his fingers. “You know Uncle Ja
ck and Aunt Gilly want to sell their house now that they’ve decided to move to Georgia to be near Aunt Kathy and Uncle Charles?”

  Noah did. Sarah’s brother and his wife were approaching eighty, and the warm climate of the South had won them over.

  “It’s a good house,” Noah said carefully. He had an idea of where this was going.

  “It is. A good house for a family.” Eli lifted his eyes. “Haley and I are going to buy it.”

  The only sound in the room for several long moments was the quiet crackling of the fire in the woodstove and the ticking of the clock on the mantel. The brothers stared at each other, assessing and contemplating.

  “When?” Noah finally asked.

  Eli shrugged and laid the book aside. “Soon. Michelle and Rick are going to pack up all the personal belongings, and they’ll move them down to Jack and Gilly. It might take a little longer to close, but Michelle thinks they can get the packing done in a couple of weeks. I’ll probably move in not long after. They’re trying to beat the worst part of winter, and none of them want the house to sit empty that long.”

  “Oh. That makes sense.” Noah faced the TV, chiding himself for feeling disappointed. “It’s a good house. I worked on it a few years back, did some upgrades, mostly cosmetic. It’s as solid as they come. And it’s good that it’s staying in the family.”

  “I think so. It means a lot to Haley too, that it’s not some generic house. That it means something to the family. She lost that when Fred died, you know,” Eli said quietly. “It’s bothered her ever since.”