Noel

by Madison Stevens

  A flash of metal caught his eye in the rear-view mirror. Noel watched as a woman pulled into the driveway with Haley. It was amazing how much she looked like her mother. Their hair was the same pretty copper red that reflected the light in such a way that it nearly blinded you. It was like staring at some sort of holy object.

  Her mother turned and seemed to catch his stare. Her mouth turned down a little, and he pulled out his phone as if he were just checking directions.

  From the corner of his eye, he watched as they unloaded bag after bag from the back of the car. Some sort of stuffed animal peeked out the top, and Noel couldn’t help but smile. Finn and Alyssa’s baby was the brightest spot in all of this. That something so amazing could come from so much shit just blew his mind, a ray of light carving through the thick darkness of their lives.

  The slam of a car door returned his attention to the women. They hugged, and Haley gave a sad smile to her mother.

  Something in him pulled at her expression. He ached. She wasn’t supposed to be sad. Life was supposed to give her everything. What was the point of hiding all this from her if there was still going to be hurt in the end?

  He jumped when someone tapped on his window.

  Riley stood on the other side, out of view of the women. Noel rolled down the window.

  “Nothing out there,” Riley said and nodded to the women. “They nearly bought out the baby store but not a sign of anyone.”

  Noel nodded and watched as the mother backed out of the drive and drove in the opposite direction.

  “New message?” Riley asked and picked up the card from inside the car.

  Noel sighed. They should really know, but it just pissed him off.

  “It was in the mail,” he said.

  Riley frowned. “No stamp.”

  Noel nodded his understanding. He doubted Anton had come personally, given how chickenshit the man was, but it still meant he was watching Noel’s place.

  Riley studied the card for a moment before dropping it in the seat.

  “He’s serious,” Riley said, a serious expression on his face. “It’s not just about torturing you. He wants to handle her. All this attention. I think he’s liking what he sees. This guy’s twisted, Noel.”

  Rage boiled inside Noel as the words set in.

  “Well, he can’t fucking have her,” Noel nearly shouted. “He’s going to have to kill me first.”

  Riley leaned down and folded his arms on the window. His chin rested comfortably on his arms. “We’ll keep watching her, but you know this place isn’t safe.”

  Noel did know. He’d been thinking about it this whole time. Hell, he’d bet that if someone knocked on the door in the middle of the night, she’d still open it because she was just that kind of naive. She wouldn’t be careful unless she knew what kind of danger she was in, but his hands were tied.

  “Finn doesn’t want her told,” Noel said with a sigh.

  Riley pulled back from the door and shrugged. “So take her back to your place for a different reason. It’s not like she’s going to say no, and you know it.”

  Despite what his brain was telling him, Noel’s heart leapt at the thought.

  “I can’t do that,” he said gruffly. “It’s not right. She can’t handle that.”

  Riley scoffed loudly.

  “She can’t or you can’t?” Riley said.

  Noel opened his mouth, shocked that he’d even step in this way.

  “We both know she isn’t safe here. And as much as you’d like to hide behind Finn here, it’s you, not him, deciding this woman’s fate. If you actually care about her, you know what you have to do.”

  Riley gave a firm nod and walked away from the car, leaving Noel with his own conflicted thoughts.

  Chapter Twelve

  Haley shifted her supplies in her arms and stared up the ladder at the now very tall roof. She swallowed a little and tried to regain the confidence she had when thought up the idea of climbing up on the roof and fixing it herself.

  When she was moving the bags of baby stuff into her room, the whole idea hadn’t seemed all that crazy. She spotted the yellowish spot on the ceiling in the hallway.

  The video had been very clear. It was a simple home repair. Heck, this was the kind of thing the average homeowner should be able to do as a point of pride, right?

  She swallowed again as she set down the supplies next to the ladder and grabbed the first rung. The journey of a thousand home repairs would begin with one step.

  “Tell me you don’t plan on climbing to the roof.”

  She jumped at the rough male voice coming from behind her and turned around.

  Noel stood just a few feet away from her, and despite everything she’d told herself, her heart kicked up at the sight of him. She blinked several times, even rubbing her eyes. After their last conversation, she couldn’t believe he was now in front of her.

  “Um,” she said, struggling to find something non-idiotic to say. “Yes?”

  Of all the people she’d expected to show up at her house, he was the last one. She wasn’t sure why he was there, but she was happy to see him. A desperate hope filled her. Maybe she actually was his type.

  He sighed loudly and stepped toward her. “Why? Do you have any idea what you’re doing up there?”

  Haley frowned. Of course she knew what she was doing.

  “I’m looking for the crack,” she said and stood a little taller. “The video looked pretty simple. Find the crack, clean it, put the roof cement on and then the mesh. Then you add more cement and that’s it.”

  She gave a firm nod, feeling more than a little confident about being able to do this. She wasn’t going up there to rebuild a transmission. She just needed to seal a crack.

  Noel eyed her, arms crossed over his wide chest. His hard gaze made her squirm a little, and her confidence began to fade.

  “How many times have you been on the roof?” he asked.

  Haley looked back to the ladder and swallowed. She was sure of everything but her ability to stay on the roof. It wasn’t exactly like she was the most surefooted person. It’s not like heights bothered her, but she wouldn’t have any guard rails or anything to protect her.

  “Zero times,” she said quietly, not really ready to meet his hard stare.

  She jumped when powerful hands landed on her shoulders and moved her to the side.

  “Hand me your brush,” he said near her ear. She jumped at the warmth of his breath on her neck.

  Haley pulled the brush from the loop on her pants and placed it in his big palm. She carefully examined him, slowly making his way to his rugged face and shaved head.

  It took her a moment to even register his scars. They weren’t exactly small marks, but his rugged handsomeness almost made them seem to disappear. She could see through them to the man underneath.

  It wasn’t often that he even stood near enough for her to see him like this. A chill passed over her as she paused at his wide, hard chest, his muscles clearly defined by his blue t-shirt.

  Something in the back of her mind wondered if he couldn’t find shirts that fit due to the size of his muscles. The idea excited her a little more than it should, and she bit her lip.

  She continued her path until she found his hazel eyes staring back at her. Normally, his eyes were so hard, but now their softness made her stomach flip.

  “I’ll take care of this,” he said, his voice as soft as she’d ever heard.

  Haley licked her lips and continued to stare at him. His eyes flicked down at the movement, and for a moment, she was sure he moved forward a little.

  “Do you know how to do this?” she asked. “I mean have you done this before?”

  For the first time since she’d met him, a genuine smile stretched out across his face.

  “Maybe a time or two,” he said with a chuckle.

  Haley blushed and looked back down at his hands. Calloused from hard work, she could only guess he knew how to do far more around the house than she
did. She looked back up to him.

  “Do you want to see where the leak is?” she asked.

  Her stomach fluttered at his odd expression. It didn’t seem all that crazy to her that she’d ask him to come in. It wasn’t exactly like she’d asked to show him her bedroom. Although she wouldn’t mind giving him a personal tour of that if he wanted.

  He nodded.

  Haley turned and made her way to the house, Noel close behind.

  She took a deep breath before opening the front door. All this time she’d just wanted a little more attention from him, and now that she had it, Haley wasn’t really sure she could act on it.

  What did it all mean? Suddenly, he was there when she’d all but decided to give him up. If he wasn’t such a serious guy, she might have suspected him of toying with her.

  The debate in her head could wait until later. All she knew was that he was there now and waiting on her to make the next step. She placed one foot in front of the other as they made their way inside the house.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Noel really didn’t know what he was doing there. One minute he was in the car. The next he was striding across her lawn, hell bent on keeping her off that roof. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that this might not be the best course of action for someone who wanted to remain emotionally unattached.

  He pushed through the warning bells that were going off in his head and followed her inside.

  The house was cute. The furniture arrangement made everything homey and warm. Haley had a different sort of style, not so much about matching as common colors. It reminded him of a sunset with the occasional blue tossed in.

  He liked it. The feeling she had created in the space soothed him in a way. It was like he was getting to see her infectious personality on display.

  He stopped to examine a large crack running up the length of one wall. The house wasn’t in the best shape, but overall it wasn’t bad for a teacher’s salary. With a little bit of work, he could really have this place in good shape.

  Noel pushed out those thoughts as they crept in. This wasn’t a long-term deal. He was just here to help for now, and then he’d be on his way. Thinking like that was only going to make it harder when this was all over.

  After all, the only reason he was here was because of Anton. And Anton was only interested in Haley because of Noel. He’d screwed up her life just by being near her, and she didn’t even know it.

  They stopped in the hall just past her living room. The door at the end of the hall stood open, and he could see her bed. More of that same blue from the living room. It was a paler shade, but still that same aqua-like color. Only this time, hints of light yellow from the accent pillows on her bed complemented the color scheme. Part of him half-expected to feel a sea breeze come floating from the door.

  Noel looked down at her pretty little face as she stared up at him. A blush had spread over her cheeks, and he knew she felt the urge to just keep right on walking until they found themselves tangled up in the pale blue sheets.

  He shook himself free of the hold she seemed to have on him and looked up at the ceiling. A small yellowish patch had formed right at the line where the wall met the ceiling. Or should have met ceiling, at least, but in this case, another crack ran along the line.

  He couldn’t stop a scowl from coming. Apparently, there were some pretty serious structural issues with the place.

  “How long has it been leaking?” he asked and looked back down to her.

  Haley worried her lip a little as she thought.

  “Maybe a week or two? I didn’t really notice it until we had rain last week. There was a puddle of water on the floor,” she said, pointing to the floor. “At first I thought it might be the bathroom since it’s right there, and I’ve had issues before, but then the yellow spot showed up.”

  Noel sighed. It wasn’t the end of the world, and it was good she was taking care of it now, but there would be issues down the line. Maybe if he just sent over a contractor, they would be able to take care of it. She couldn’t live in a place that could come crashing down on her.

  He frowned again. Apparently it was going to be harder than he thought to detach himself from her. Everything in him kept wanting to find a way to protect her from everything when his true objective should be Anton.

  His fist clenched at the thought of the man. He needed to stay focused on the true threat.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said gruffly before making his way back outside. He’d just deal with things as they came. And when Anton came, he’d deal with him as well.

  * * *

  Haley sat on her pale gray couch, listening to the sounds on the roof. She’d filled a glass pitcher with lemonade and grabbed two glasses with ice.

  She still didn’t quite know what the hell happened. One minute she was going to get on the roof, and the next, Noel’s climbing up a ladder. The fact that he’d even been there was short of amazing in her book. Had he come to see her? He hadn’t really explained why he was there, but then, she had been about to get on the roof.

  Footsteps passed overhead, and she listened to the ting of his feet against the metal ladder as he made his way down from the roof.

  She watched from the window as he made his way around the porch and up the stairs. When he stepped through the door, she was back to being like a tongue-tied teen again.

  How could she not though? A fine layer of sweat covered him, which only made him exude even more masculinity, something she didn’t know was possible. His hands were darkened from applying the thick, black cement to the roof. A pair of work gloves rested in his hand, and she wondered if he kept them in his car for those instances where he was going to have to climb on the roof of someone’s house and patch a crack.

  Noel nodded toward the kitchen. “Do you mind?”

  Haley hopped up from the couch and made her way quickly to the tiny kitchen. She could hear his heavy boots behind her, and her heart bounced around in her chest.

  She waved to the sink.

  “Help yourself,” she said with a smile.

  He tossed the sticky gloves into the trash and then turned to the sink. With one finger, he turned on the water.

  “Soap?” he asked over his shoulder.

  Haley moved over to the sink and opened the cabinet underneath. She bumped against his leg as she moved and nibbled her lip as she quickly pulled out the soap. Soap in hand, she shut the door and stood.

  Her insides wobbled at their nearness. She could now see the sweat up close and could only think of one thing: how much she’d like to wash it from him.

  Noel stared at her expectantly, and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Maybe he wanted her to wash him as well, to have her slick hands roaming over that powerful body, the one she’d already felt once and knew would be even better a second time.

  Her eyes closed half way as she leaned in a little.

  “Is that the soap?” he asked.

  She jumped at the question and blushed at being caught in a daydream.

  Haley popped the top and put a decent amount in his hands. She watched as he lathered up. The soap turned a dark gray. She glanced back up to his face and found a slight smudge on his forehead.

  Without thinking, she reached up and rubbed the spot slightly.

  Noel stopped scrubbing and turned to look at her.

  “Just a little spot,” she said. The dark stain didn’t move.

  Haley grabbed a paper towel from the roll and wet it a little. She swiped the wet towel over the top of the soap. Just enough to make it a little soapy. She squeezed out the excess water and then returned to the spot on his head.

  Noel squatted down a little, so their faces were now even with one another.

  She gently worked the spot, careful not to scrub too hard. The little smudge slowly disappeared. She turned the towel over and wiped the spot with the soap-free end.

  It was subtle. The change in the room shifted just enough, and she was now hyper-aware that she
was face-to-face with the man of her most passionate desires.

  Her gaze slid to his, and she could feel the fire that burned between them. The balance was so very close to being more than just an innocent cleaning. A few more inches, and she’d have what she’d been thinking about since she first laid eyes on him.

  Noel moved a fraction of an inch. The tension thickened.

  Her hand, which had been frozen to the spot on his head, moved away. She dropped the towel on the counter but didn’t step away. Instead, she brought her hand back up to the spot where the towel had just been.

  “There,” she said and swiped a finger over the clean spot. “I think I got it.”

  He inhaled sharply and moved just a little closer.

  “Thanks,” he rumbled. The sound made her nipples tighten and heat burn deep inside.

  Her eyes moved to where her finger rested. She slowly trailed down the side of his temple, just on the edge of a puckered scar. This was it. Her chance to show him that the scars didn’t matter to her, that he was desirable no matter what.

  The texture was smooth. She could feel the little ridges and pockets where the skin had all but melted.

  He shook a little. His breathing grew labored. Haley pulled back her hand, afraid she’d hurt him.

  “Are you—” she started.

  “I have to go,” Noel said and stepped away, creating the distance that she was so used to with him.

  “Are you sure?” she asked and took a step forward.

  He backed away from the sink, water still running and hands dripping. Without stopping, he wiped his hands on his pants.

  Haley turned the handle on the water and followed him as he took long steps to escape the house.

  “I have to go,” he said again when they reached the living room. He stopped at the door and gave a funny look as he stared at the mantel. “Where did you get that card?”

  A little spark of fear shot through her at the harshness in his voice.