Round & Ravishing

by Mary E Thompson

  I left his boxer briefs on, and Noah led us to the bed. We laid down next to each other. His fingers danced over my skin, raising goosebumps in their wake. My breathing picked up, my heart pounding beneath my breast.

  “Sit up,” Noah commanded me softly. I did and he unclasped my bra, slowly guiding the straps down my arms until it was free of me. He nudged me to lie back down and traced circles around my nipples. Peaks rose in the center, reaching out to him. His thumb brushed over one and my back arched. A moan slipped from my throat.

  His fingers moved lower, gliding over my belly until my muscles clenched in anticipation. They drifted over my legs and back up to my breasts, making me throb. I needed him to touch me, but he was teasing me.

  “Noah,” I said softly.

  “I know, baby. I want to watch you. To see your body tremble.”

  “Please, Noah.”

  “Tell me what you want, Tara.”

  “I want you.”

  “How do you want me?” He brushed hair from my neck and trailed his fingers down my throat, between my breasts, and around my belly button. My whole body shook, an orgasm building in my core.

  “Touch me. Make me come.”

  His hand slipped under the edge of my panties, the heel of his hand, brushing against me when his finger dipped inside me. Just that quickly, the first orgasm tore through me.

  He moved to the edge of the bed and slid my panties down with him. He kneeled between my thighs and looked up at me. “You’re beautiful, Tara. I love being with you.”

  Before I could answer, he put his lips to me. A gentle kiss. Then he parted his lips and ran his tongue over me. My fingers dug into the bed, searching for something to hold on to. Something to ground me. They connected with something solid.

  Noah.

  He wrapped his fingers through mine and drove me wild with only his tongue. He made love to me with his tongue, then swiped up to my clit, circling it. When he sucked hard, drawing me into his mouth, I went flying again.

  He was right there kissing my thighs and holding my hands when I could breathe again. He crawled up my body slowly, kissing me the whole way, our hands locked together. When he settled on top of me, he lifted our hands to his lips. “Thank you.”

  I tilted my head. “For what?”

  “For letting me love you like that.”

  “You seem to be using that word a lot tonight,” I said, my orgasms still pumping through my body and handing me courage.

  “Love?”

  I nodded.

  He smiled but didn’t explain. He didn’t have to. I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it in the way he touched me. And when he slid into me, I knew I was right there with him.

  Chapter 16

  Monday afternoon I was daydreaming about a future with Noah when my phone rang. I’d spent the rest of the weekend with him, something we hadn’t done before, and I knew everything had changed. We didn’t talk about the future, but I knew I wanted to stay in Winterville.

  With Noah.

  “Hi, this is Megan Cahill. I’m returning a call about the property for lease on Winter Way.”

  “Yes, hi. My name is Tara Fisher. Can you tell me some more about the property?”

  “Of course. The space is 7,000 square feet. It used to be a photography studio and actually goes back much further than what you see at the street. There is a possibility of splitting up the space, but the owner would prefer to lease it all as one unit.”

  I listened patiently as she described every detail, talking up the space and making me want it even more. I took a deep breath and said the words that would solidify my move. “Is the owner willing to sell?”

  “Oh, um, I think so, but it’s been sitting so long he was going to try to lease the space. Are you on a timeline?”

  “Not really. I can be flexible.”

  “Okay, great. Let me get in touch with him and I’ll be back in touch with you shortly. Is that okay?”

  “Definitely. That sounds great. Thank you so much for your help.”

  “You’ve very welcome, Ms. Fisher. I’ll be in touch shortly.”

  “I look forward to it.”

  I hung up the phone and did a little dance around my room. “Yes!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. If she was surprised by my request to buy the place, and was willing to talk to me, then it meant no one else was interested.

  And I had a chance at opening my acting studio. And making a difference.

  My phone rang again while I was celebrating. I glanced at the screen, but it was Abby that time. “Hey Abs. What’s up?”

  “Hey. I just got a call from Vicki. Carrie is heading to the hospital. I don’t know if you were planning to go, but I wanted to let you know.”

  “Yay! Another baby! That’s so exciting. Um, what are you doing? I don’t want to overwhelm her, but I also want to be there.”

  “Yeah, that’s kind of how I feel. I was thinking of going in a couple hours. Want me to call you before I go?”

  “Sounds good. Thanks Abby.”

  We hang up and I realize I have plenty of time to dig into real estate, both residential and commercial.

  When Abby calls back to let me know she’s heading to the hospital, I’ve not only researched what I feel is a reasonable price to offer for the studio, but also a few options for places to live. Because I am not living with my parents forever.

  I also don’t want to be too presumptuous and assume Noah would want me to move in with him.

  I make it to the hospital just after Abby and Graham. The others are all there already, talking and laughing in the waiting room.

  “We were wondering when you would show up,” Mandy said in greeting.

  I hugged everyone and asked, “How’s Carrie?”

  Everyone turned to Riley. “She’s doing really well. Last I heard from Drew, she was going to start pushing soon. I’m guessing we’ll hear something soon.”

  I took a seat with Abby and Graham near Vicki and Olivia. “Is Carrie’s family here?” I asked.

  Vicki nodded. “Yeah. Her mom and sister are both in the delivery room. Drew’s mom is back there too, but Carrie didn’t want her in the room. She’s close though.”

  “Where are the kids?” Abby asked Olivia.

  “They’re still at school. I’ll have to leave soon to get them, but I didn’t want to pull them out of class.”

  “Wyatt let you come?” Wyatt was Olivia’s boss and the Winterville mayor. Abby met Olivia when she was baking for the Memorial Day picnic.

  Olivia nodded. “Yeah, he didn’t have a problem with it. Things are pretty quiet right now.”

  “That’s nice sometimes.”

  “It is. After how busy the summer was, it’s nice to have a little bit of a break. Of course, Wyatt is talking about a Christmas party or something for next year.”

  “He has a lot of plans for Winterville, doesn’t he?” Abby asked with a laugh.

  “He really loves this town. He said anything that can bring everyone together is a good thing.”

  “I can’t understand how he’s still single,” Vicki said. “He’s so cute.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that. He’s single because he’s a workaholic. He’s in before me and leaves after me every day. There are times I’ve wondered if he actually went home at night. I think if he could get a Murphy bed into his office, he’d sleep there.”

  “I couldn’t handle a guy like that,” Vicki said. “My sister is the same way. I tell her she needs to relax, but she loves her patients and is always on call for them.”

  “You should bring her to girls’ night sometime,” Abby suggested. “Then she’ll at least get out once a week.”

  “I’ve asked,” Vicki said with a smirk. “She has late office hours on Monday and Wednesday and keeps telling me she’s exhausted Tuesday nights.”

  “I don’t know how she does that,” Abby said. “I work long hours, but I have to have my days off, especia
lly my girls’ night.”

  “Me, too,” the rest of us agreed.

  “Hey everyone!” Riley said, looking down at her phone and standing. “Carrie had a boy. Joel Benjamin.” She looked up at all of us with tears in her eyes. “Joel was her dad’s name.”

  “Benjamin is Drew’s middle name,” Xander added. “They named the baby for Drew and her dad.”

  We all stood and hugged each other, tears filling our eyes. Even though none of us had any part in it, it felt like a victory for everyone. When we all sat down again, the guys took the kids and went to the cafeteria to get coffee for everyone.

  “I’m so happy they’re doing well,” Riley said softly. “I was worried the entire time she was pregnant.”

  The others nodded with her. “After last time, I think we all were. She was always in such a great mood though,” Mandy said.

  “She just wanted a baby. Once they got past the first trimester, it was all smooth for them. I remember that fear. And I hadn’t even lost one,” Sam said.

  “Yeah, but Carrie just had,” Addi said. “It was on everyone’s mind even with you.”

  “I was so oblivious,” Mandy said. “I had no idea the risk was so high when I got pregnant with Elise. We didn’t tell anyone outside family for a few months because I felt so horrible I didn’t want to deal with it.”

  “Morning sickness sucks, doesn’t it?” Sam said with a laugh. “Brady threatened to take me to the hospital more than once. I know he thought I was dying.”

  “I’ve been lucky so far,” Riley said. “A little nausea, but nothing bad. I haven’t been sick.”

  “My sister says morning sickness is actually a good thing. They don’t know why, but women who have morning sickness have a lower incidence of miscarriage,” Vicki said.

  “I didn’t know that,” Olivia jumped in. “I was like Riley with both of mine. A little queasiness, but nothing too bad. I had pretty easy pregnancies.”

  I expected the baby talk, but something about it was getting to me. Maybe the thought that I wasn’t sure I’d ever have kids. Or maybe it was sitting there with all of them so happy and complete. Olivia was single, but she had her kids. Vicki was seeing someone. I like Noah a lot, maybe loved him, but I still felt so distanced from everything that it was hard to sit and have a conversation about kids.

  “I’m going to check out the gift shop,” I whispered to Abby. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  She gave me a look that said she knew I wasn’t telling her the truth and nodded. I walked away before anyone could ask where I was going. I just needed to be alone for a few minutes.

  The gift shop, right near the maternity waiting room, was cute. There were stuffed animals and balloons and food. I scanned the cards, but nothing felt quite right. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to get them something from the hospital. I had a few things at home, and had gotten them a monitor for the baby shower, but I wanted to have something if I saw the baby.

  “There’s another gift shop on the ground floor,” the woman behind the counter said. “I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but that one is a lot bigger. It might give you some more ideas.”

  “I didn’t know that. Thanks. I’ll check it out.”

  If nothing else, it would give me a few extra minutes to collect my thoughts.

  I couldn’t deny that hearing all the baby news lately had made me want kids even more. I’d always wanted kids. Even when I was in California, I imagined myself with kids one day. Pushing one of those fancy strollers down the street in my heels. A fancy diaper bag. And a kid who never did anything wrong.

  I knew none of that was reality, but that was the way things were in California. In Winterville, life was real. Babies cried. Moms got stressed. Dads got frustrated.

  But it was real. And it was beautiful.

  I wanted a piece of that. And it scared the hell out of me to want it with a man I’d only known a few weeks.

  Patrick and I never talked about kids. He never asked me if I wanted kids, and I never asked him. We were both too focused on our careers to worry about a family. We never mentioned marriage either. It was like we knew our relationship wouldn’t last forever.

  None ever did in Hollywood.

  But in Winterville that wasn’t the case.

  I stepped out of the elevator onto the ground floor and looked around. Couples rushed around, holding hands. A woman was at the desk with a man, her in a wheelchair and breathing heavily, clearly in labor. The ER was off to the left and I saw families and groups of friends sitting together, worried looks on their faces.

  I wanted that. I wanted someone to hold my hand when I was in labor. Someone to sit with me when my parents got sick. Someone to offer a shoulder to cry on when I needed it.

  Had I found that in Noah? Or was it the rush and excitement of a new relationship that had me thinking we were more than we really were?

  I turned to find the gift shop the woman mentioned and plowed straight into someone. Strong hands cupped my arms and steadied me. “I’m sorry,” his voice said, different, but unmistakable.

  “Noah?”

  He lifted his eyes to mine and flinched. “Tara? What are you doing here?” His tone was suspicious, almost accusatory.

  “My friend just had a baby. The woman in the gift shop upstairs said there’s one down here that’s bigger.”

  He nodded and pointed behind himself, the direction I was trying to go. I saw the glass walls of the shop and nodded.

  “Thanks. I didn’t mean to run into you.” I ducked past him, hurt that he seemed so upset to see me.

  “Tara, wait,” he called.

  I stopped but didn’t turn around. I took a deep breath and called on all my training to push my emotions down so he only saw what I wanted him to see when he walked around and faced me.

  “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough day. I didn’t mean to sound like I didn’t want you here.”

  “I didn’t come to see you. I’m not trying to out our relationship or whatever. If you’re seeing someone else, I wish you’d told me though.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not seeing someone else. I can’t handle the distraction at work.”

  “I’m here to see my friend. I wasn’t going to come looking for you. I kind of forgot you worked here, but even if I thought of it, I wouldn’t bother you at work.”

  He nodded but didn’t look any happier. “Can I call you later?”

  I shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  “Don’t be like this, Tara. Please.”

  I threw my hands in the air, unable to control my emotions any longer. “I’m not being like anything, Noah. I never thought I’d see you here, but now you’re giving me an attitude like I’m stalking you. We’ve been seeing each other for weeks and bumping into you is an issue. I don’t know how I’m supposed to act.”

  He slid his arm around my waist and yanked me against him before I had a chance to protest. His lips came down on mine, his tongue snaking into my mouth and stroking mine. My hands went up to his shoulders and held on. He felt like my Noah, tasted like him, smelled like him. He was entitled to a rough day. Maybe that’s all it was.

  He kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him from sinking. His hand stayed on my waist and the other cupped my jaw, his thumb brushing gently across my skin. His head tilted just slightly to the right, giving him easy access to my lips, but not deepening the kiss beyond what it already was. I could feel him hardening between us and wished we could go to his house and work out whatever else was between us.

  Then he pulled back, just far enough to disengage from my lips. “I’m sorry. I’m being an ass for no reason. I promise. It’s not because of you. Do you remember the kid I was telling you about?”

  I nodded.

  He swallowed roughly. “He hasn’t been healthy enough to do the trial, even though he’s approved to be part of it. I don’t think he’s going to last another week.”

  “I’m sorry, Noah.”

  He closed his
eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “Thank you. It’s no excuse for treating you like this though.” He took a deep breath. “Do you need to get back to your friends? I was going to take a walk outside to clear my head. I’m on a break.”

  I shook my head. “They’ll be okay. I’ll go with you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Chapter 17

  “I’m sorry I acted like that,” Noah said when we got outside. It was chilly, but his hand was warm in mine.

  “It’s okay. I was pretty horrible to you when we met.”

  He glanced at me with a smirk. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t believe you when you said you were a pediatric oncology nurse and asked you about it a few times.”

  He laughed softly. “Most people don’t believe me.”

  “Yeah, but I was kind of nasty about it. Especially when you came in to order flowers for your mom. I really thought you were playing me.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “If I’d known you worked there, I would have come in a lot sooner. I didn’t want you to leave that first night.”

  I smiled. “I didn’t want to leave either, but my life is kind of complicated. I was… in a bad place that night. I didn’t want to bring you in to my drama.”

  “And your life is less complicated now?”

  I shook my head with a smile. “No, but it’s complicated for a different reason.”

  “What reason is that?”

  “You,” I said softly.

  He pulled me to a stop and faced me. “I’m not trying to complicate your life, Tara.”

  I nodded. “I know. It’s not a bad complicated. I’ve just had a lot of things to think about lately, and it’s hard not to think about you when I make decisions.”

  “What kind of decisions?”

  “Staying in Winterville?”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re staying?”

  I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one when he asked me like that. “I’m thinking about it.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  I shrugged and tried to push down the fear that was rising in my throat. “I think so. You don’t sound like you want me to stay though.”