He kisses my thumb and I lean down to press my lips to his. “Don’t ever doubt yourself, Noah. Okay?”
He nods in agreement before helping me off of the island and onto the seat beside him. Quietly he picks up his fork to start eating; relief floods me.
He remains silent as I force myself to eat what I made for him. It’s not that I didn’t do a good job—I just hate meatloaf. But it’s his favorite, so he says. He’s too absorbed in thinking about his exam to even notice that I haven’t really eaten. I decide that I can’t eat any more than my carrots and potatoes and get up to scrape my plate. I’m cleaning the kitchen up to give him time to eat and when I turn back around, he’s gone.
His drink is still there and his food is barely touched. I look down the hall and see the light on upstairs. “How in the heck . . . ?” I trail off to myself. I make my way quietly upstairs and find him sitting at the desk. My professor has his glasses on and is back into study mode. He’s thumbing through his books—looking up what, I have no idea. I lean against the doorframe and watch him in the dim light. My heart breaks for this man as I watch him push himself harder and harder. I cannot watch him do this to himself any longer.
I push off from the doorframe and walk over, gently rubbing my hands up his back and over his shoulders. He stops what he’s doing and drops his head in defeat. He doesn’t say the words, but I know his mind has finally given up on him tonight.
“Come to bed, baby,” I say softly in his ear.
His hand comes up and rests on top of mine while he takes his glasses off with the other. I watch with a heavy heart as he drops his glasses onto his open books and pinches the bridge of his nose. He reaches over and turns the lamp off and just like that, my professor has retired for the evening.
I tug at his shirt and lift it off of his rigid chest. He pulls it up over his head the rest of the way before undoing his jeans and stepping out of them. “I want you naked in my arms, ballerina.”
I nod and watch him crawl into our bed. “Okay, baby, I’ll be right back.”
The last thing I see of him before I walk out of the room are his boxer briefs sliding down to his ankles and his muscular tush getting under the comforter.
I know this isn’t the time to think dirty thoughts, but dang it.
I tiptoe downstairs to finish cleaning up the kitchen before turning the lights off. I find myself hoping that he can hang in there for one more day. I don’t know what to do for him in this situation.
When I make my way back upstairs and into our room, he’s sound asleep. He’s on his stomach with one of his muscular arms outstretched onto my side of the bed. I can’t stand the thought of waking him so I can lie in my spot, so instead I get undressed and crawl in beside him. I snuggle into his side and drape my arm over his lower back, doing my absolute best to hold my tired Greek god, my exhausted professor.
When I woke up this morning, I was in bed alone. I never felt him get up nor did I hear him get ready. After my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked over at his desk and saw almost every book opened and piled high on top of each other. He must have been furiously trying to cram the every bit of extra information into his head before he left. It’s been seven hours now—seven long, excruciating hours. There isn’t a thing out of place in this apartment. I know that pacing doesn’t help my nerves, so I decide to sit down and text Dani:
Hey big sister, I miss you.
I type out and hit send. It takes her just a few minutes to reply back as I sit down on the couch and wait for my Greek god to walk in through the front door.
Hi sissy. I miss you too! Brannon is reading over my shoulder and told me to tell you that he’s jealous that you don’t miss him.
I giggle and reply:
Awww! I do miss him too! He’s just a butthead and trying to start trouble, though.
She replies shortly after I hit send:
He said you better watch out because the next time he sees you, he’s going to show you just how much trouble he can be. Okay, I don’t even want to know what he has planned. So tell me, how you have been? Also, I think I want to move back to New York City. I miss you too much.
I gasp and sit up straighter, my fingers having trouble typing fast enough.
What! Are you serious? I would pee my pants if you did.
My phone buzzes in my hand before I have the chance to set it down:
I just pouted so hard at Brannon that I think he’s going to try and make it work. I won’t have a problem transferring to my PR agency’s NYC division, but it’s just his company here. I’m so giving him until the end of the week. I want to be able to hug my sister whenever the fuck I feel like it.
My fingers dance across the screen as I type out my reply to her:
And I so want to rinse your mouth out with soap whenever I feel like it. Tell Brannon I will love him forever and ever if he makes it work.
I’m glancing back and forth between my phone and the front door.
Oh he’ll make it work all right because he’s not getting my mouth around his big ole’ dick until he tells me we’re moving. And yes, he’s still reading over my shoulder.
I gasp.
DANI OMG STOP! I don’t want to think about his penis. Gahhh!
I’m about to toss my phone across the couch when the front door opens, and my Greek god fills the frame. My phone goes off again, but I drop it and leap off of the couch hurriedly to jump into his open arms.
“Baby! You’re all done.” I pepper his face with kisses as he holds onto me. His chuckle makes me smile, and I feel like my boyfriend is back.
“Thank fuck that is done. I sure as hell better pass that shit too. Mmm, I missed you, my ballerina,” he says with a smile on his face before he holds onto my butt and lifts me off of my feet to kiss me as if he hasn’t been able to kiss me in months.
I squeeze him as tight as I can while we kiss, pouring all my love into it. “I’ve missed you. Even though you’ve been here, you’ve been distant.”
“I’m sorry, baby, I know it’s been hard on you, but I’m all yours, and I’m damn ready to get our first vacation started.”
I’m smiling so big that my cheeks hurt. “I can’t wait! Can we go pack now?”
He steps further into the room and kisses me slowly before moving his lips down my neck, “Definitely, but first we need to call our realtor.”
My head falls to the side, and I get chills. His lips are so soft and the way he breathes against my skin is such a turn-on that I have a hard time concentrating on much else. “Uh-huh . . .” I say, but I’m not quite sure what I’m responding to.
He continues biting at my neck playfully while he pulls out his phone and dials. It rings on speaker, and I’m lost to him.
I have no idea what’s being said. All I feel are lips and hands and teeth. My fingers grip his t-shirt and pull.
Noah talks to her between nips, and I’m too lost to even realize that he’s already hung up the phone until his lips find mine again. “What do you think?”
“So good . . .” I breathe out with my eyes closed.
His arms are around me again as he pulls his lips away from mine. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing, sweetheart.”
My eyes open, and I’m saddened at the loss of his lips on mine.
He runs his hand into the side of my hair and smiles. “What’s wrong, baby?”
I smile and shake my head. “Nothing, why?”
“You’re not excited that we got it?”
I stare at him for a moment before his words register. “Wait, what?”
“Mmm, you were too preoccupied with my lips to realize what she said, weren’t you?”
I nod and stare at him, impatiently waiting. “Well? What did she say?”
“She said they accepted our final offer on the house and then proceeded to congratulate us while my lips were on your porcelain skin.”
“WE GOT IT?” I shriek.
“We got it, baby. It’s ours.”
I don’t know what to do. I want to scream, and jump up and down, and kiss him all over, “Ahhh! Oh my God, don’t mess with me, Noah Bradley Ryan.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it; I’m serious.”
I smack his hard chest and squeal with excitement. “Noahhh! Oh my God, we bought a house!”
“Damn right we did. I need to drop off a check in the morning before we head out on our road trip.”
I plaster my lips to his and jump up, wrapping my legs around his torso. “I love you, my professor.”
He chuckles and smacks my butt playfully. “The professor is gone for a while, sweetheart. I’m not picking up another book until I have to.”
“I think I like the sound of that. I’m ready to be selfish and hog you to myself for however long we’re going for.”
“Well,” he says, “it’s going to take a minimum of three days to drive up there, depending on the route you want to take. We can either drive through the US and stop in Chicago and then enter into Canada from North Dakota, or we can enter through Buffalo, New York, and drive through Canada for the majority of the way.”
I pretend to think on it, but I already know my answer. “Let’s go through Buffalo and on up. I’ve already seen most of the US.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, ballerina. Let me get you pregnant, we’ll pack, and then we’ll be ready to go in the morning.”
I laugh hysterically at his flippancy over getting me pregnant and bite at his neck before squirming out of his grip. “Deal. Come on, lover boy . . .” I make sure to sway my hips as I walk in front of him. As I walk up the stairs, for the first time ever, I’m battling between sleeping with this man and doing something else. I want him to get me pregnant, but I am so stinking excited for this trip.
It’s the morning of our road trip and I’m elated. Noah woke up an hour before I did to go pick up a rental SUV from the airport. I kind of hope it’s similar to the one in which he had his sweet way with me.
I’ve had the most fun packing for this trip. I can’t be sure, but I think my lingerie pile far exceeds my clothing. I am currently sitting on my bag, trying to zip it closed when I hear his deep voice call out for me after the front door shuts. “Sweetheart? You better be up and ready. We’ve gotta hit the road.”
“I’m up and I’m ready, but I can’t get this thing to shut,” I yell out, and I hear his footsteps come up the stairs. I can’t wait to see him; no matter how many times I watch him enter a room, he still makes me forget to breathe.
He walks in with that confidant strut, and his sexy grin knocks the air out of me. “Well, hello, gorgeous.” His cool voice reverberates through my chest and he leans over to zip my bag up effortlessly.
I wallow in my appreciation of this gift to women that belongs to me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get that gorgeous ass downstairs, so we can drop off the check for our house.”
“Eeek!” I squeal and hop up, smacking him hard on his tush. “Meet you downstairs.”
“Move that ass, sweetheart,” he says as he picks up our bags and follows me down the flight of stairs. I grab my purse and iPad before holding the front door open for him.
“Did you get your snack bag?” he asks as he stops to let me through the door first.
I scoff and hold my hand up to show him the large Victoria’s Secret duffel that is filled to the brim. “You seriously think I would leave home without it?”
He laughs and we walk to my garage spot. I stop dead in my tracks when I see an identical SUV to the one we had a while back.
“Fond memories, Miss Lane?” he whispers sexily into my ear.
“Yes, indeed, Mr. Ryan.”
Once the SUV is loaded and we’re both in our seats, I dig inside my duffel and pull out a blue raspberry sucker, unwrap it, and pop it in my mouth.
I look over and he’s watching me with a cocked eyebrow. “Really? Are you going to tease me with it before we even leave the building?”
I push the sucker to one side of my mouth so he can see it pressing hard against my cheek, “Yup.”
His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, and I grin. “This trip is going to be so much fun!” I tease and pull the sucker from my mouth to place a loud kiss on his lips. “Get moving, honey!”
I watch him lick his lips as he pulls out of the garage and into Manhattan traffic to meet with our realtor.
It took us just over an hour to sign paperwork for the house and hand over the deposit check to our realtor. We still have the closing next month, when the final contracts are signed. To my surprise, my name was on all of the paperwork too. He’s made sure that this house is ours and not his alone, and I love him all the more for it.
We’re finally on our road trip, and I’m elated. I hold my hand over my chest and feel my rapid heartbeat. “Oh my God, Noah, I’m freaking out. We’re going to live together, like, officially,” I squeal excitedly and clap my hands in quick succession. I’m so happy I’m having a hard time containing it.
He reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together before bringing my hand up to his lips. “You’re all mine, ballerina. I’m incredibly excited to officially move in with you.”
My heart melts, and I’m smiling from ear to ear, but then a thought suddenly crashes into my mind. Oh crap. My smile falls and I try to think about how to broach this with him. He must notice the change in my body language because he glances over at me questioningly.
“Can we make a deal?” I ask as I chew on my lip nervously.
“That depends . . .”
I scowl and sit back. “Okay fine, I’m not moving in.”
“Hey,” he prods gently, “of course we can make a deal, sweetheart. What’s on your mind?”
I snap my head back around and look at him with a hopeful expression. “I can’t pee in front of you. What the heck am I going to do if we live together?” I throw my hands up and am quite animated when I speak.
“We pretty much live together now. Do you have a problem peeing while I’m around?” I can tell he’s holding in a laugh as he waits for my response.
“Yes. Yes I do.” I throw my arm over my eyes and lay my head back against the headrest. “Oh my God, what if . . . ugh . . . kill me now.”
I can feel his hand on my inner thigh before he speaks. “I love you. There are no what-ifs. I don’t like those two words side by side: they challenge everything they are put in front of. It’s time to let go of what you can’t change, ballerina. We both want this to happen, correct? And it’s happening.”
I stop and hold my breath. Okay, this is happening.
“But what if I have to poop? And you’re there? Then what?” My voice raises in panic as I throw my arm off my eyes to look at him.
“Would you like your own bathroom?” he asks sweetly because I think he realizes that I’m serious about this, but then his smile cracks and he tries to swallow his laugh.
My nostrils flare, and my eyes widen as I watch him laugh. I start smacking his bicep and shoulder repeatedly while he drives. “I’m serious, Ryan!”
“Whoa, I think you might need a fucking. Heather, I love you, and with everything we’ve been through, there is no way in hell you are going to scare me off.”
“What if I puke in front of you? That’s so unattractive,” I prod, testing him.
“I’ll still love you, Heather. Are you trying to test my love for you? Is that what is going on?”
“No. I’m just checking.” I stubbornly look away and out the window. “What if I need you to get me ladies’ days stuff?”
“Then I’ll get it with a six-count box of cupcakes.”
I can’t help it when a smile breaks out on my face, and I look at him, rolling my eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Possibly, but I couldn’t care less if you see me taking a piss.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mumble and dig through my purse.
He chuckles and watches me as he drives, looking back and forth between me and the highway
in front of him. “Do you want to stay in Buffalo tonight?”
“No.” I shake my head and slip my shoes off, curling my feet up in my seat. “I want to road-trip and drive until we’re too tired to continue. Then we’ll stop to sleep. That’s the fun of these adventures. And I plan on making this unforgettable.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, gorgeous. I’m glad I put you down as a driver too.”
I pout. “Heyyy. I’m not driving, I’m a copilot.”
He winks and gives me that sexy smile before kissing my fingertips. “Oh and Heather?” he prods as I look dreamily out the window.
“Hmm?”
“You better get over this aversion to going to the bathroom in front of me. If I’m going to get you pregnant, you bet your ass I’m watching my baby being born,” he says matter of factly, and my mouth drops open.
“Uhm no. That’s not happening, Noah.”
The look that he gives me is deadly and I instantly feel like cowering into my seat.
“Excuse me?” His voice is dark and cold.
“Why would you want to see that?”
I feel like he has a slight grasp on his sanity by the look in his eyes as he looks from me to the road and back again. “You’re serious? I’ve seen you in every intimate way possible already.”
I scrunch my nose up at the thought of him seeing things at the end of the bed whenever I do give birth. “I don’t know.”
I watch his fingers grip the steering wheel as he looks forward. “Heather Lane, you will not deny me that opportunity.”
Oh.
His dominance radiates off of him, and I can physically feel it wash over me. I reach my hand out and splay my fingers on his bicep. “I think you’re right. I don’t like the thought of you seeing all of that, but if you want to . . .” I sigh heavily. “Can we just have fun, please?”
I know that what I’ve said bothered him, but if I’m being honest, his dominance is such a turn-on.
“Yeah, we can. Now come over here and make it up to me.”
I smile because his storm is gone for the moment. “Mmm, I’d love to.” I lean over and start kissing his neck, nuzzling him, and breathing in his cologne.
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