by Ann Cory
Comfortable as the couch was, she liked the sound of his bedroom more. That way his smell would be everywhere. “Yes.”
He scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to his room and gently letting her down on the bed. She took off her skirt and lay naked, watching him fumble through his nightstand.
“This will suck if I don’t have any,” he said and chuckled nervously.
“If we have to go buy some, that’s okay,” she offered.
“Well we might, nope, we’re in business.”
Sophie laughed at his choice of words but quickly forgot them as he rolled on the condom and climbed over top her. She pulled his shirt free from his body and tossed it aside, wanting to feel his bare body against hers.
“You still sure,” he asked.
She moaned. “Shut up and fuck me.”
Noah’s eyes went wide. Sophie knew hers did too. She couldn’t believe she’d blurted the words right out like that, but they were true. Too many questions would only make her think and at the moment she only wanted to do.
Sophie spread her legs further, doing her best to remember to breathe. His cock pressed firm against her pubic bone and toyed for a brief moment along her pussy. She was wet and more than ready for him.
He entered her slow, each inch releasing a sigh from her lips. Her hands roamed along the muscles of his arms, and smoothed to his back. Within a few strokes of his cock she lost herself in the feel of him, in his magnificent body above her. His eyes stayed trained on her to the point she thought she’d drown in his gaze. It was safe there. Gentle yet lustful, a combination she didn’t expect from a man.
“You feel good,” he groaned.
Sophie smiled. She loved how he looked at her with hunger.
He thrust deeper and she spread her legs wider, wanting nothing to come between them.
This wasn’t the sex she’d been accustomed to. It was tender and beautiful and unrushed.
Noah dipped his head and took a nipple into his mouth. He took his time, suckling one and then moved to the other, drawing them in until they were hard and sensitive. His breath against them made her shiver in pleasure.
When he raised his head she noticed his eyes smoldered. She believed that when he looked at her, he actually saw her. Or maybe she just needed to tell herself that to justify this desire building inside her. To justify why she was in a man’s bed she didn’t know but wanted so very much.
Sophie raised her hips off the mattress and met each powerful stroke. The scintillating friction had her aching for release. Low in her belly she knew that release was near and damn if this time she’d stall it.
“I’m close,” she whispered.
As if her words gave him a boost of adrenaline, he rushed his pace. She looked on at him, dazed, but very much aware of the orgasm building at lightning speed. Her gaze fell across his chest and shoulders, his muscles flexing and bunching. Everything about him excited her, his words, his eyes, his voice, his hands, everything. For one night she knew what it meant to be made love to and she’d cherish the memory forever. What a way to usher in the year.
“How close,” he asked, his voice taut.
“Very.”
Again he quickened his pace. Her vision blurred.
“Yes, oh yes now, right now,” she sobbed.
He kept thrusting, each move bringing her closer and closer until her body broke in a rush. Sophie gripped him tight as she shuddered and felt his muscles tense. He curled his lips and then bellowed. She watched his face as he came. So masculine. So handsome.
“You okay,” he asked.
She nodded. “Fantastic.”
He shifted his weight and withdrew his cock. “I’ll be just a second, I need to take care of something.”
Sophie caught an eyeful of his chiseled behind as he moved into the bathroom. Her pulse pounded, drum-like and primitive. She’d barely come down from the bliss when he returned and slid beside her.
“I’d like it if you stayed in here, but if you’d feel more comfortable in one of the other bedrooms, I’ll understand.”
The fact he’d said anything at all made her decision simple. “I think here is good.” She didn’t want to be alone and she didn’t want to leave his side.
Noah kissed her forehead and brought her in close. His body warm and skin moist. Content filled her every pore. Sophie felt her eyes grow heavy. The effects of the jet-lag and emotion-filled day finally caught up with her. It had been a day she’d looked forward to, dreaded, hated, and then treasured.
Chapter Five
At some point the warm something Sophie had pressed her body against disappeared. She opened her eyes and caught the bathroom door closing, followed by the sound of water running. She looked around. Where was she? Oh right, cab driver, great kisser, excellent lover. She moved to lie on her stomach and the sparkle of her engagement ring brought her back to the real world. Her entire body tensed and her eyes watered. What the hell was she doing lounging around in another man’s bed? How had things escalated to sleeping with a guy she just met not even six hours after getting off the plane to come live with her now ex fiancé?
She wiped at her eyes and cringed at the streaks of mascara across her hand. Sheet clutched around her body she stood and went for her purse. She made quick work of fixing her face and finger combed out her hair. Lastly she fumbled around for her gloss and went to apply it when she looked at her lips in the tiny mirror attached to the tube. They were swollen and lush. Despite the inner turmoil inside, her cheeks were rosy. She exuded the face of a woman who had been satisfied. Noah had kissed with a fiery passion she only dreamed about before. The kind of kiss no man had ever given her.
Her first kiss of the year.
The memory left her with goose bumps along her skin.
In the moments where Noah’s mouth sealed hers, she ached for more. For more of his touch that made her want to sob, because the pinpricks of pleasure were off the charts compared to what she’d ever experienced. He’d revealed a softer side to lovemaking. She hated to even think of Kyle in the same breath, but it made her think. There’d been little foreplay with him. Little passion, if any at all. And she’d catered to his speed sex because they never had much time together to begin with. Granted he said he was working hard for them, so he could give her a dream house and dream life, but those weren’t her dreams.
She’d had a taste of passion now, and she didn’t ever want to settle for less. Even if nothing more happened between her and Noah, she had a better understanding of what she wanted, at least in the bedroom.
Sophie shuffled around the house and made the mistake of looking at the clock. She realized with alarm she was expected to give her presentation in three hours and her speech wasn’t even close to complete. If she couldn’t impress them with her knowledge of Greece and its culture, they’d find someone who could. She grabbed her rough draft of the speech and read it over. Her mind refused to concentrate and she knew the real reason behind it. She took a deep breath, took her phone out from her purse, and phoned Kyle.
*****
She’d just hung up when Noah stepped out of the shower, droplets of water taking their sweet time gliding down his smooth chest and well-defined abs. Her body quivered. She wished the towel would glide right off too.
“Shower’s all yours,” he said and then did a double take. “Hey, where’s the rock?”
She looked behind her and then back to him. “What?”
“Your engagement ring. I’m used to seeing you with it on.”
Her cheeks burned. “Oh, I took it off after I called Kyle. I’m going to mail it to him tomorrow morning.”
Concern streaked his handsome features. “You called him?”
“Yeah, I needed to.”
“What did you say? What did he say?”
She turned her attention to her toes and wished she’d painted them. “I told him it was over and to never contact me again. He tried to turn things around on me like I’d done something wrong, but I didn’t let him finish.
It felt good to hang up on him.”
“Good for you. You’re brave.”
“No, I’m stupid,” she rasped, and met his gaze. “In less than three hours I have a presentation to give or there won’t be the dream job.”
“Who schedules a presentation on New Year’s anyway?”
“People who don’t stay up all night partying. For the company there’s no such thing as a day off.” She waved the papers in the air. “I have a feeling I’m just going to waste their time.”
“You have to think positive.”
“Sure. I’m positive that I’ll blow this.” She’d spent months building up her courage to make this big move and now she felt like a scared little girl. Damn Kyle.
“Tell you what,” Noah started. “Why don’t you go and take a shower, to help wake you up. I’ll get some strong coffee going and you can practice your speech on me.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. I think I’ll call and cancel.” Before the words were out of her mouth they tasted bitter. She should want to go back to Oregon, back to her safe life and back to Olivia. If it weren’t for Noah she’d be at the airport right now.
“Don’t give up. You’re going to be great, trust me. You’ll hate yourself if you don’t try. Now get in the shower or I’ll put you in there myself.”
Sophie believed he would.
“Fine,” she said, giving in with reluctance. “But it’s not going to work. They want someone confident and strong. I’ll be going there unprepared and they’ll see right through me. I don’t belong here.”
“You’re a lot stronger than you realize. And you belong wherever you want to be. Give it a chance. Okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Sophie grabbed her bag, headed into the bathroom, and started the shower. Was he stroking her nonexistent ego, or did he want her to stay? If he wanted her to stay she could at least try, for him.
When the water turned warm she stepped in and slid the glass door shut behind her. How was this different than when Kyle asked her to live with him? He’d made a pretty good argument. Or maybe she’d just been too willing to follow him around like a puppy dog who couldn’t believe someone as rich and important as he was would have anything to do with her. Noah didn’t have an agenda far as she could tell. Ah hell, she didn’t know what to do anymore. Sophie closed her eyes. She wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of a room of judgmental people. And she sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to washing off the masculine scent of Noah from her body.
Noah hurried into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee and grabbed his phone along the way.
Tate answered in a rough sleepy voice.
“Man, did you unplug your clock or something?”
“Sorry,” Noah apologized. “I know it’s early but I’m calling in that favor you owe me.”
He explained the plan he’d concocted while in the shower. He could tell Tate hated the idea with all the groaning, but he let him say it all before making a comment.
Finally, when he’d finished spewing the plan, he paused. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think that you’re nuts.”
Good old Tate, he thought.
“I’m not nuts.”
“Man, walk away. You can’t be her hero. You already scored with her, so now’s the time to walk away.”
“I don’t want to walk away,” he argued.
“You slept together. It was a one-night stand. Don’t give me the girl moved mountains because the sex was so good spiel, it’s over used. It’s a radio song that plays every five minutes.”
“It’s not like that,” he retorted. “I don’t want to lose her because I sat back and did nothing. She’d have stayed up and worked on her presentation if I hadn’t talked her into going out. I feel responsible.”
“You’re not responsible for her or anything about her. Repeat that about ten times and then another hundred times.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know, that’s the problem. You’re doing exactly what I warned you about. Being too nice.”
Noah pulled down two mugs and set them on the counter. “I think you’re wrong about that. She’s had a jerk, I think nice is what she needs more than anything.”
“Man, you’re in deep. You’re the first guy she turned to after the big shock of seeing her fiancé in a lip lock. You have a short shelf life. You’re the rebound guy and it’s not a fun place to be.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve never met her and you’ve pegged her as some heartless bitch.”
“Hey, it happened before. Or did you forget?”
He winced. Leave it to his good buddy to bring up that page out of his history book. “Of course I didn’t, but that’s not what’s happening here.”
“Whatever, man. I thought you called me for advice.”
“No, I called you for a favor. Can I count on your help or are you going to bail on me?”
“You jerk, you know I’ll help. Tell me what time and where.”
Chapter Six
Sophie felt more human after a shower and fresh clothes, but the weight of pressure on her shoulders grew heavier. This wasn’t going to work. She might as well give up the dream now. It seemed easier.
Dressed in a tight A-line black skirt and an ivory blouse she at least looked the part of professional. She added her favorite pearls to complete the look. From her bag she pulled out her cosmetics case and applied her makeup with a slight hand. Her cheeks were still the color of pink rose petals, but the light had gone out of her eyes. A little more mascara and eyeliner helped her look passable.
When she walked out of the bedroom, Noah’s brows shot up, followed by a drawn out whistle. “You’re looking fine.”
She eyed his dark jeans and a charcoal long sleeve shirt and thought the same.
“The fact you’re hot is a given,” she said.
He paused in mid-step and she watched his eyes brighten. “I’m not used to flattery, but I’m not about to complain. I kind of like it.” Noah handed her a mug of steaming hot coffee and took a seat on the couch.
“I read over your speech and what you have is very good. Though all the scratch outs made it hard to read without squinting. I think if you’re serious about wanting to impress them, you need to work in some props and visuals. Something a little over the top that will escalate a regular presentation into one that will make them take notice.”
Sophie sighed. “I don’t have time to buy props or make posters.” Her stomach did another tumble and she realized again what a mistake she was making. Seemed she kept making them on a regular basis. She raised her hand to her head and kneaded her temples with her thumb and pointer finger. “No, you know what, it doesn’t matter anyhow. I’m not going through with it. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Oh come on. Your face, hell your whole body lights up when you talk about Greece. I hear the passion when you talk about Greek culture. It means more to you than you care to admit.”
How could this guy know her so well? She took a sip of coffee and hoped it would calm her nerves. “Maybe it is my passion, but I didn’t come all the way here to make a fool of myself, though it seems I’ve done that a few times already.” The whole idea was making her much too nervous. When she got like this it was difficult to convince herself to do anything but run away.
“In the cab you told me you were here to start over,” said Noah. “You mentioned a new place to live, a new job, and a new life. You can still have all that if you want it.”
“I do want those things.”
“Good. I’m going to help you and I promise you’ll be a big hit.”
She crossed her arms. “Why do you want to help me so bad?”
“I have my reasons.” Those words, the same ones Kyle had first used, rubbed her the wrong way. Her insides trembled.
“You already got me into your bed,” she said matter-of-factly. “What more do you want?”
He gave her a sharp look and she wished she could take
her words back.
“So you do think I have an agenda,” he challenged. “Someone can’t do something nice for you unless they have an agenda?”
“You’ve been pretty damn smooth,” she corrected. “Haven’t things played out the way you wanted? You probably have a list tucked away in your back pocket. Let’s see. Schmooze the girl. Show her a good time. Give her a kiss that sweeps her off her feet. Take her back home and fuck her. Later meet with your friends so they can give you high-fives and buy you a round of drinks. How many times has this scenario worked for you in the past, or is this your New Year’s ritual?”
The words were rushing out of her like some freaking geyser and she didn’t know why. They were laced with anger and accusations that were geared toward Kyle, not Noah. If she had a bagel or large pastry nearby she’d shove it in her mouth to keep anything else ugly and rude from spilling out. God, what was the matter with her? She needed to get out of his place, out of New York, and where? Would it ever sink in that she didn’t have a home to go to?
Sophie set the coffee down, nearly spilling it, and started to pace. Her pulse pounded and she imagined herself a rat in a cage unable to find the cheese. Running around in circles over and over, nowhere to go, no one to guide her. Ugh, she wanted to scream.
Noah stepped in front of her, barring her way. She took a step back and he reached out toward her, cupping her shoulders in his warm hands.
“I realize we don’t know each other very well,” he said, his jaw slightly tensed, “and that is part of the fun of meeting someone new. We can enjoy each other’s company without all the baggage. But through it all you’ve been quick to judge me and my intentions.”
Judged? The word almost made her laugh. She’d the one who has been judged. Poor little girl from Oregon gets played by millionaire boyfriend and local cabbie swoops in to save the day. To him she was nothing more than a charity case. He didn’t have to say it, she already knew. Noah pitied her, Tate considered her a hot mess, and Kyle thought her a jealous bitch.
Sophie frowned. “How have I judged you?”
