VAIN - Part Three (The VAIN Series Book 3)

by Deborah Bladon

  Chapter 18

  "I'm so good in bed…or in the bath," I correct myself. "I'm so good that I didn't even have to touch you and you came."

  He blushes slightly at the words. "The sounds you were making were so fucking hot."

  I raise my hips so he can pull the blanket down. "It feels incredible when you touch me there."

  "There?" He cocks a brow. "On your pussy, you mean?'

  I scratch the side of my nose. "Yes, there."

  "When the hell did you get so shy?" He pulls back the sheet to reveal my naked body. "Are you the same girl who stripped naked for me right after we met?"

  "I didn't love you then." I stop. My eyes fill with tears. I said it. Not the way I wanted to. It's not the romantic scenario that I envisioned but the words are out there now. He knows it.

  "You love me, Alexa." There's no hint of a question there. He's not asking me anything. He's simply stating the obvious.

  I pat the bed next to me, wanting him beside me. He quickly acquiesces. "When did you know?"

  I can't say the words again right now. I need for them to settle in the air between us before I do that.

  "When you came to get me to take me to New York."

  "You knew then?"

  "When we were in my office." He pulls his hand around my waist, his cock settling next to my thigh. "I knew then that you were in love with me."

  I was. I hadn't been able to admit it to him or myself, but he's right. I did love him then. "How did you know?"

  "You wanted to fight for me." His voice cracks slightly before he regains complete control. "You wanted to give me a life outside of my apartment."

  I pull my head down to the sheet, hoping to ward off all the conflicting emotions that are rushing through me. "I still want that."

  "It's hard for me."

  "I know." I do know. I know that he's scared of what people will think when they see the scar. I know venturing out to Axel NY tonight was a huge step for him. I know that if I push this too much, he's going to pull back so hard that I'll feel alone and miserable again.

  "Alexa." His hand cups my jaw. "I need to tell you something."

  "What?" I study his expression trying to find anything that might indicate what he's about to confess. "Is it about Ari?'

  "Ari?" Her name sounds as distasteful coming from his lips as it does in my own mind. I haven't thought about her since he's been in New York. He hasn't mentioned her at all, which seems misplaced given the fact that he's confessed in the past that they're close friends.

  "It's stupid, but there's something…" I stall. "I wanted to ask you about the woman that Bernie saw at your apartment."

  "When?" His eyes scan my face. "When did Bernie see a woman there?"

  "You called the restaurant there a few weeks ago and asked for me to bring you a sandwich and then Bernie did and he told Hunter there was a woman there." Christ, that sounds as stupid coming out of me as it has when it's been bouncing through my random thoughts for weeks.

  "That was Ari." Again with the no-holds-barred answers. "She was there picking up some shit she left there."

  "What kind of shit?"

  "Magazines, some picture she gave me that she took of herself. I kept it in a drawer because her selfies shouldn't see the light of day." He cocks a brow along with a grin. "She was leaving town and wanted her stuff so I told her to come get it."

  "She left town?"

  "Weeks ago." He shrugs his shoulders. "She hooked up with some guy and they took off for California. I haven't heard from her since."

  I don't know where the wash of relief that flows over me comes from, but it's welcomed. "I'm glad."

  "You're glad?" He jokes. "I'm fucking over the moon ecstatic."

  I laugh gently. "That’s not what you wanted to tell me, is it?"

  "No." His expression immediately shifts from carefree to stoic. "It's not about Ari."

  "It's not about Brighton, is it?"

  "Brighton went back to Paris days ago." Noah brushes his fingers through my hair. "He's giving it another shot with Liz. He was here visiting his newborn nephew."

  I feel even more relieved now knowing that Brighton isn't going to pop up without warning to derail everything. "Good."

  "Can I talk now?" he asks. "I want you to understand something. It's something I've never told anyone."

  I can feel the seriousness of his words bore into me. "Tell me, Noah. Tell me." I roll to my side so I'm facing him directly.

  "Alexa." He reaches for my hand, pulling it into his. My lips skirt over my palm. "I hate my scar."

  I nod. "I know." I pull my hand from his to cradle his cheek. I run my index finger over the jagged edge of the scar.

  "You don't know why." He pulls his brows together before his lip quivers. "I've never told anyone the reason why."

  "You said because it changed how you looked," I offer. That was what he told me. It's been the reason why he hasn't wanted to face the world.

  "No." He shakes his head softly. My hand follows the movement, never losing contact with his face. "It's more."

  "What?"

  "It reminds me of what I did." He bites his bottom lip, pulling strength from the pain. "I should have gone to prison for what I did."

  "No." I lean forward quickly brushing my lips against his. "No, Noah. You did it to protect yourself and Camilla."

  "I took a man's life." His body jerks forward with a sob. "I stole his life from him."

  I can't hold back the tears. Watching this beautiful, strong, resilient man break down is tearing at my own heart. "You had to."

  "I could have handled it differently." His voice changes pitch as he struggles to hold in his emotions. "I should have done something else."

  "Noah." I bolt to my knees now before I pull my body over his. "You couldn't have done anything differently."

  "Alexa." He looks into my eyes. His brown eyes clouded with a mask of tears. "I shouldn't have a life either. I took his, I don't deserve a life."

  I stare at his face. I can't take my eyes off the scar that has come to define the person he is. I suddenly see the mask of darkness fade away. The light that has been missing beneath his gaze is trickling through. "You deserve a beautiful, happy life with me."

  "I want that, Alexa." He nods through his tears. "I want to let go and live with you."

  "He would have killed you both, Noah," I say it with true conviction. "He would have taken your life and hers. Don't let him steal the rest of your life now."

  "I'm scared." He clings to my waist. "I'm scared of being happy."

  "Let me show you how, Noah." I rest my lips against his. "Please let me show you how."

  "I will." He pulls me into his arms. "I promise I will. Never let me go, Alexa."

  "Never, Noah." I wrap myself tightly around him. "Never in a million years."

  Epilogue – Six Months Later

  "I would have given you that ring months ago if I would have known you'd stare at it endlessly," he growls into my ear. "I love seeing you smile like that."

  I don't think I've stopped smiling since Noah proposed last night. I've hoped for months that he would ask me to be his wife. Now that it's happening I can't focus on anything, let alone the lesson plan I'm supposed to be preparing for tomorrow.

  "Do you want me to come by after school again?" He kneels down next to where I'm sitting by the desk in our office. "I picked up some photography books today that I want to share with the kids."

  "They'll love that, Noah." I graze my lips softly over his. "They love everything you bring to them."

  "I love everything they give to me." He taps his hand across his naked chest. "It's good practice for when we have a baby."

  "Noah." I pat my hand against his cheek. "I told you that I wanted to wait until after the wedding." I lift my hand in the air, allowing the light on the desk to catch the diamond's glare. "It's huge though. Why did you get me such a big ring?"

  "It's as big as my love for you." He pulls his hands together in fr
ont of his chest. "You like when I'm romantic."

  "I like when you're happy," I correct him. "Do you have any shoots tomorrow?"

  He pulls his smartphone from the pocket of his jeans. "I have a newborn baby at ten in the morning in Chelsea but that's negotiable. It's all about his schedule. Then I have four-year-old twins in Soho at one. They should have had lunch by then so hopefully they'll cooperate."

  "They'll be thrilled when you show up with that suitcase of toys you cart around with you." I nod towards the camera equipment that Noah has stored in the corner of his office. It's a constant reminder of his new business, photographing children. Settling into his father's place together had worked out beautifully after Kayla decided to leave New York to go back to Boston. Her old high school boyfriend had suddenly declared his undying love for her and her heart took her right back to his doorstep and his arms. When I talked to her yesterday, she sounded giddy.

  "It's a bag of tricks, Alexa." He playfully teases me. "What time are Sadie and her kids coming on Saturday?"

  I love the effortless ease that floats in the air between us now. He's an integral part of my life and I've woven myself into his in much the same way. We share everything now and his love of Sadie's stepson Cory and her new baby daughter, Olivia, is unmistakable. He cares for Sadie just as much as I do. The time we've spent with her in Boston after the arrival of baby Olivia has transformed our bond. We both know, without question, that we'll have a family together. We know that our destiny is each other.

  "They're flying here." I run my thumb over my smart phone. "Their flight arrives at ten in the morning at JFK. I'd really like…"

  "You'd really like if we could go to pick them up at the airport?" He finishes my sentence.

  "I'd really like if you fucked me right now." I slam the cover over my tablet. "I'd like if you showed me just how badly you want to marry me."

  "You want me as badly right now as you did that day you brought me a sandwich back in Boston." He scoops me up in his arms in one easy movement.

  "No. You wanted me then. I just wanted my tip." I slide my arms around his neck. "I couldn't believe that I'd landed in the apartment of the Noah Foster."

  "Christ, I was an arrogant son-of-a-bitch then." He lays me softly down on the blanket on our bed. "I remember you couldn't take your eyes off my dick."

  I pull myself up so I'm resting on my elbows. "That's because you had it on display. You knew I'd fall for you when you opened the door."

  He pushes his jeans down releasing his beautiful cock. "I fell for you, Alexa. So hard, so fast and so completely." His hands work quickly to undo the belt on my dress.

  "I'm still falling for you." I reach to help him, ridding myself of the dress, panties and bra. "I'll never stop. I love you so much."

  He crawls over me, pushing my hands above my head and into the soft fabric. "You're my everything, Alexa. My everything."

  A Special Surprise for VAIN Readers:

  Noah and Alexa have fought against many obstacles to find their happily-ever-after. I love both of these characters and I want to continue their journey in a very special way.

  You have all been very supportive and kind to me, as I've worked my way through the maze that is self-publishing. You've graciously understood each and every set back I've endured and you've encouraged me at the most important times.

  As a gift to all of you I'm going to be writing another novella that centers on Noah and Alexa. This will be a free gift to everyone who is a member of my mailing list. (This is the simplest way for me to share the file.) This will be released in late October. It will pick up Noah and Alexa's story a year after the epilogue. You'll be a guest at their wedding and you'll learn more about the past that haunts Noah and how it will impact his life with the love of his life.

  Alexa undergoes her own personal transformation and you'll see a side of her that Noah will fall even more in love with.

  This book will not be available for sale. It is strictly a free gift given to my readers.

  If you'd like to receive this novella, please join the mailing list here:

  Click here to subscribe now!

  I promise I won't send out emails about anything that is unrelated to my books.

  Noah and Alexa will be back at the end of October, in a story written just for you.

  Xo

  SOLO Preview

  "Have you fucked anyone in the chorus?"

  This is when I wish like hell I'd brought my ear buds with me. Listening to this guy try to pick up Claudia isn't my idea of the way to spend an elevator ride early on a Monday morning. You'd think that landing a part in a Broadway play would mean work, work, and more work. It wouldn't mean the incessant sexual undertones that drive through every rehearsal and meeting day-after-day.

  "No," she replies calmly.

  "I wasn't talking to you," he snaps. "You. I'm talking to you."

  Considering there are only three of us riding this slow ass elevator to the fourteenth floor I guess I need to address this. "Me?" I turn to face him and I feel an instant need to find my balance. I rest my hand against the chrome bar that stretches along the walls of the lift. He's hot. Like smoking hot as hell hot. Why didn't I notice him when I got on?

  "What's your name?"

  "Libby." This is one of those moments when I wish my parents would have given more thought to what I'd feel like being a twenty-two-year-old woman carrying around the name of a four-year-old. Libby? I've hated the name since I was in grade school. It screams sweetness and light.

  "Libby?" he repeats it back. "I like it."

  "What's your name?" I try to sound somewhat invested in this. I know his type. I've met dozens of guys just like this since I've moved to Manhattan. He's looking for a quick fuck. He's wearing an incredibly expensive three-piece suit and cuff links that cost more than my first, and only, car. I wouldn't be surprised if most women fall to their knees in his presence and give him and his dick exactly what they want. It can't hurt that he's got the most intense green eyes I've ever seen and jet black hair that is tousled enough to make him look that much more irresistible.

  "You didn't answer my question." He takes a heavy step towards me as more people enter the elevator on the third floor.

  I push back into the chrome bar, the coolness of it seeping through my thin t-shirt. I almost wish I would have worn something nicer to the rehearsal hall. Who knew I'd end up face-to-face with this? "What question?"

  "Have you fucked anyone in the chorus, Libby?" His voice is deep and intimate. It's too intimate for such a small, crowded place.

  "That's none of your business." I inhale the scent of his cologne. It's luxurious, subtle and intoxicating.

  His hand darts to my waist as more people join the most interesting elevator ride I've ever encountered. "It's more my business than you know."

  I roll my hips away from him. I can't want this man. I can't let any man tear my attention away from my work. "I doubt that," I whisper. "I really doubt that."

  "Don't doubt me, Libby." He pushes his body closer to mine, the unmistakable firm outline of his cock pressing against my stomach.

  I breathe a heavy sigh of relief as the elevator finally chimes its arrival on the fourteenth floor. "This is my stop." I try to push past him, but his hand holds firm to my waist.

  "It's mine too." His right hand jumps to the wall behind me, trapping me in place. "Allow me to formally introduce myself before you run off."

  My eyes dart over his shoulder to where Claudia is throwing me a confused look as she exits the lift. "I need to go," I say. "I can't be late."

  "Don't worry about being late. I'm Alec Hughes."

  "You're Alec Hughes?" I feel my breath catch. "You're the investor. You own my play."

  "Correction, Libby." He leans in closer until his lips are almost touching mine. "I own the play. You work for me."

  Arriving on September 26th, 2014

  Watch the trailer here.

  Thank You!

  Thank you
for purchasing and downloading my book. I can’t even begin to put to words what it means to me. If you enjoyed it, please remember to write a review for it on Amazon. Let me know your thoughts! I want to keep my readers happy.

  That’s the end of Noah and Alexa’s story. I decided to write this series on a whim, adding something different to the stories that I tell and I never anticipated the outcome to be as amazing as it has been. Thank you so much for making this series such a success.

  I have more exciting books on the way, such as standalone novels and more serials, so stay tuned to my website, www.deborahbladon.com. There are interactive forums and other goodies to check out, plus all of my book trailers!

  If you want to chat with me personally, please LIKE my page on Facebook. I love connecting with all of my readers because without you, none of this would be possible. www.facebook.com/authordeborahbladon

  Thank you, for everything. xo

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  About the Author

  Deborah Bladon has never read a romance hero she didn't like. Her love for romance novels began when she was old enough to board the bus, library card in hand to check out the newest Harlequin paperbacks. She's a Canadian by heart, and by passport, but you can often spot her in New York City sipping a latte and looking for inspiration for her next story. Manhattan is definitely her second home.

  She cherishes her family and believes that each day is a gift for writing, for reading, and for loving.