by Judy Corry
I would just hang out inside where it was warm. Maybe I could bake something in the kitchen. There was the perfect window that could give me a view of Noah from here.
Not that I was going to be creepy—that was so me three years ago. I did have some pride.
Noah did like to eat... Hmm. Maybe I could find my way into his heart through his stomach. That usually worked in the girly movies, right?
But first I needed to get out of this ridiculous band polo. I went to my closet next. When I opened the door, I was greeted with Noah's gray shirt on my closet floor. He must have left it there this morning. Would it be so bad if I kept it as a souvenir if this plan of mine didn't work out?
I shook that thought away. This would work. It had to.
But first, I needed something to wear.
I fingered my way through the clothes hanging inside. I had to have at least one thing that said, hey, remember me? I pulled outfit after outfit off the rack, holding them against myself and looking in the mirror before ultimately tossing them to the floor. I stopped when I found something that might work. It was a white and teal striped knee-length dress that I had worn to one of the few parties I'd let Juliette drag me to last summer. Noah had been there, and I had noticed him take a second glance when he'd seen me. I hadn't really thought anything of it at the time since he had just broken up with Ashlyn. But maybe he had liked the dress. It was worth a shot, anyway.
Once I was ready and I had touched up my makeup once again, I went downstairs, feeling a fluttering of nervousness in my chest.
When I walked into the kitchen it was empty. But a quick peek out the window above the sink showed me that Easton and Noah were already in the hot tub. And my memory did not do his physique the justice that it deserved. He was a very nice specimen of a man, if I didn't say so myself. Now if only I had a reason to just stand here and stare without looking too obvious.
That's right, baking. I pulled out a cake mix from the cupboard, deciding I would make some chocolate cupcakes with the peanut butter frosting that I loved.
I grabbed what I needed from the cupboard and then got to work mixing the batter together.
As I stood at the counter stirring, my gaze wandered out the window again. What were they talking about? Could they possibly be talking about me?
I shook my head. Of course not. Noah wouldn't talk to Easton about me.
But when I checked again, I was surprised to find Noah looking at the window. Heat prickled across my skin as I held his stare. He was just talking to Easton and staring at me. Had the dress actually worked?
I was pouring batter into the cupcake liners when the sliding door opened and Noah walked in.
"It's cold out there," he said, shivering as he grabbed a towel off the chair and started drying off his arms and chest, and then his hair. I just stood there in a daze, with my mouth hanging open until he looked back at me, snapping me back to reality.
"A-are you done already?" I asked.
"Yeah, Easton's just covering it up. We were thinking about making ourselves a snack."
"I'll have cupcakes ready in about twenty minutes if you want one," I offered, concentrating hard to keep my tone from sounding too eager. I realized too late that I had been pouring the batter into the cupcake paper for too long and it had spilled over the side.
Noah stepped closer, his chest rubbing across my shoulder. "A little distracted?" He winked.
My whole body flushed with heat. Noah had just winked at me. And his bare chest had just brushed against my shoulder. I tried to even my breathing. "Um...just a little."
He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "I'll try not to be so distracting."
Chills ran down my spine. He was definitely flirting with me.
With shaky hands, I grabbed a spoon from the drawer and tried to scoop the excess batter off the side of the pan and into a new cupcake paper. Noah just watched me. I tried to come up with some sort of witty response to his flirtatious whisperings, but my brain apparently had stopped working with the overload.
He took a seat on the stool next to me. "So, what kind of cupcakes are you making?"
I focused on what I was doing, not allowing myself to take a look at him even though I really wanted to. "Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting."
"My favorite?" he asked.
I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "Yeah." I guess they were his favorite, too.
The sliding door opened again, and Easton stepped inside with his towel wrapped around his shoulders.
"Remind me not to try that until it's at least twenty degrees outside."
Noah laughed. "Will do."
"Do you want a sandwich or something?" Easton asked, going to the fridge.
"Sure, I could eat." Noah stood and grabbed the sandwich makings that Easton handed to him.
I tried not to watch Noah too much as he made his food. But I caught myself sneaking glances at him.
And when he talked about how he wished he knew how to make a sandwich the same as the one he'd had earlier this week, I couldn't help but remember last night.
They finished their food quicker than I'd wanted, and Easton took their plates to the sink. "I think I'll go take a shower real quick before we start our gaming again," he said to Noah.
Noah leaned over the counter next to me, his shoulder blade standing out. He really needed to go and put a shirt on. He was making me so uncomfortable...in a good way. Making me want to see if his muscles felt as good as they looked.
"Yeah, go ahead. Mind if I wash the chlorine off in the shower up here?" he asked.
His gaze slid to mine, and it was like he was trying to tell me about how this wouldn't be the first shower he'd taken at our house this week.
"Go ahead," Easton said as he walked out of the room. "There should be clean towels in the closet. I'm sure Lexi could help you."
"I'm sure she could," Noah said under his breath. Then he looked back to me. "Or I could just take one in your bathroom, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.
I shook my head and couldn't keep the blush from rising on my cheeks. "You are going to get us caught if you keep that up," I whispered in a hushed tone.
He laughed. "You know what? After this afternoon, I kind of don't care."
What did he mean by that?
As if he could read my thoughts, he leaned closer, his hot breath on my cheek. "I think we broke up too soon."
And then before I could say anything, he grabbed his towel off the back of the chair he'd set it on earlier, threw it over his shoulder, and walked out of the room.
I was in so much trouble.
But I was really hoping it would be good trouble this time.
28
Noah
I locked myself in the Stevens' bathroom before I could do anything more. I didn't know what was coming over me. Maybe it was the fact that I had already gone through the last few hours without Lexi by my side and knew what it was like and didn't want that anymore. But if I wasn't careful, Easton was going to find out that I wanted his sister.
Wanted.
I showered off the chlorine and changed as quickly as I could. If I hurried, I might be able to get back to Lexi before Easton was ready to play games.
"Done already?" Lexi asked. "I'm pretty sure that's the fastest shower I've ever seen you take."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Not watched you take, but noticed you take." she waved her hand. "You know what I mean."
I did know what she meant, but it was fun seeing her get so flustered. She went back to mixing her frosting with the beaters. It was too loud to talk, so I took the opportunity to just stare unabashedly at her. She was gorgeous. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair again—it looked so long and soft and silky.
And she looked great in that dress she was wearing. She had always looked good in teal; it made her skin glow.
She glanced at me as she finished beating the frosting, and it seemed like we were having some kind of unsp
oken conversation. Had she missed me as much as I had missed her over the last ten hours?
"You want to test it? Make sure it's sweet enough?" Lexi gestured to the bowl of creamy brown frosting.
"Sure." I dipped my finger in and sucked the frosting off. It was delicious.
"Was it good?"
I nodded. "Very good."
She dipped her finger in the bowl as well and licked off the frosting, the gesture more seductive than it probably should have been.
"It is good," she said. "I could probably eat an entire bowl of this."
I noticed she had a little smidge of frosting on the corner of her lips.
"You got a little something right there." I pointed to the spot.
She looked down for a second before looking back at me through her long lashes. "Maybe you should get it for me."
My heart jolted to a stop. Was she flirting with me? Who was this girl?
But I was not about to pass up the opportunity. So I rubbed my thumb across her lip and slowly licked the excess frosting off it.
She watched me in a dazed sort of way, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was feeling the same desire I felt crashing over me.
We may have broken up today, but I had a feeling this wasn't over.
29
Lexi
Easton walked back into the room just after Noah had finished removing the frosting from my lips. What was coming over us? We were not being careful. Was the fact that we were no longer fake-dating somehow making it possible for us to finally be more open with our feelings?
Whatever it was, I didn't know if I could handle being alone with Noah anymore. He was so good-looking. So amazing. And I kind of wanted to throw myself at his feet like all the other girls I'd made fun of in the past. This was ridiculous.
"You ready?" Easton asked from where he was standing about three steps down.
"Sure," Noah said. "I'll be right down."
When Noah left and I was alone in the kitchen, I somehow pulled myself together again. I put the last batch of cupcakes in the oven and let the others cool on the counter. Then I stored the frosting in the fridge.
I looked around at the messy kitchen. I could clean it all up right now...or I could go downstairs. The cupcakes still had twenty-two minutes left. I tapped my fingers on the counter, internally debating with myself. I wanted to be with Noah. But would it look too obvious if I went downstairs?
But there was an even better question than that. Should I care if it looked obvious anymore? I had liked Noah for six stinking years, and in those years, I’d never really done anything about it. And where had that gotten me? Nowhere. I had simply wanted something and always wondered if I was going to ever have a chance at it.
I shook my head. This had to stop. I needed to listen to Juliette for once. Seize the day. And if I came out of this looking like a huge fool, at least I'd know that I tried instead of always wondering what if.
I’d always put Noah on a pedestal because he was older than me and more popular. But I needed to stop that too. I was a great catch. I might not be the same as all the girls he’d dated in the past, but I had my own set of qualities going for me. I was smart and spunky. And I may not look exactly like a supermodel, but I wasn’t ugly either. I had caught Noah checking me out enough times this week to know that he was attracted to me.
I needed to stop making excuses to push my feelings for him away.
So I folded up my apron, stuck it in the drawer, and went downstairs. Easton was sitting in a gaming chair in the middle of the floor while Noah was sprawled out on the couch, watching him play.
When Noah saw me, he quickly sat up. "You joining us?" he asked. And I couldn't help but detect a slight hint of hopefulness in his tone.
I shrugged, hoping to come off as nonchalant. "I'm just waiting for the cupcakes. Figured I'd come and see what all the hullabaloo is about this game of yours."
Noah moved to the end of the sectional and patted the spot beside him quietly.
I hesitated for just a moment before taking the seat beside him.
We sat in silence as Easton played the video game. And I was all too aware of Noah. He was only inches away. I watched his chest rise and fall with his steady breathing. He seemed as calm as could be while I felt like I had hundreds of bouncy balls flying around in my chest.
He sighed loudly, and I peeked at him through the corner of my eye. And it was then that I noticed his hand resting on his knee. It was just sitting there, like he was waiting for me to grab it.
I'd held his hand so many times this week, but if it happened again, it would be different. This time it would actually mean something.
So I set my hand on my leg, hoping he'd see the signal and take it easy on my heart. My pulse started racing when his hand slowly slid off his leg and onto the space between us. I held my breath. If he held my hand now, it was over. I'd be his.
It took all my courage to let my hand slide off my leg to the space next to his. And in just a couple of seconds, my whole world tilted on its side because Noah Taylor ran his pinky slowly along mine. It felt amazing. Then, he gently took my hand in his.
I couldn't keep the huge smile from creeping up my lips. Noah Taylor was holding my hand. And for the first time, it was real.
He shifted in his seat until our arms were pressed against each other. Warmth radiated from everywhere we touched, and that blissful feeling that I was having more frequently around Noah swept over me.
"Regis is supposed to be hidden in that cavern," Easton said, breaking me out of my foggy daze. "Do you want a turn?" His thumbs were still going crazy all over the buttons, so he didn't take the time to look back at us—which I was thankful for.
Noah cleared his throat. "No, I'm good."
Then in a quieter voice that only I could hear, he said, "Real good."
We watched Easton play for a little longer, and I let myself settle more firmly against his side, loving being so close to him—and actually being awake this time. Before long, Noah placed my hand onto his leg so he could draw slow circles along the back. My nerve endings shot to life. I just loved the way he was touching me. It was so gentle, and slow, and it made me feel cherished.
"I like that," I whispered, daring to look at him again.
His big brown eyes were soft when I met his gaze, and he lifted my hand slowly to his lips, gently kissing the back of my hand. "I like this too." His voice was even more gravelly than usual.
I almost swooned—finally understood why all those girls in the old-fashioned movies fainted around men. It was a real possibility for me if Noah kept treating me like I was some sort of treasure.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, he leaned closer and kissed me on the forehead and then on the cheek. My heart beat like crazy when he let his head rest against mine. We were being so dangerous right now. My brother was just sitting right there in front of us. But for the life of me, I couldn't pull myself away. I was officially addicted to Noah.
We just sat there for the next few minutes—so close, but ready to pull apart the instant Easton looked back. Too soon the timer went off on my phone, signaling that I needed to take the cupcakes out of the oven.
I groaned, and the sound seemed to bring Easton out of his gaming trance.
"What's that for?" he asked.
I sat up straighter, pulling myself away from Noah just before he could see us. It took a moment for me to find my voice. "It's the timer for the cupcakes. They're done."
I didn't want to get up. Not when the last twenty minutes had been so perfect. But I forced myself to stand, and when I did, I immediately felt cold without Noah right beside me.
"Do you want any help?" Noah asked when I was at the base of the staircase.
I darted my gaze to Easton. He was back in his game, so I said, "That would be nice." And then I turned around and headed up the stairs, listening to the sound of Noah coming up right behind me.
I pulled the cupcakes out of the oven and set them on the stove to cool.
"Did you want to help me frost these ones?" I gestured to the cupcakes that had already cooled.
He leaned against the counter with a half-smile on his lips. "I think I'll just watch."
I shook my head and smiled. "You didn't really want to help, did you?"
He chuckled. "No, I just wanted to be with you."
My smile grew bigger at his words. He just wanted to be with me. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't just dreaming.
Nope, this was really happening right now.
I pulled the frosting out of the fridge and grabbed a small spatula. As I worked at the counter, Noah stepped behind me—the warmth of his body against my back made it really hard to concentrate on my work. I slowly spread the frosting on the cupcake with a shaky hand. Noah pressed his lips to the top of my head, taking my shoulders in his hands and massaging them.
"I really like you, Lexi," he whispered. "Even though I shouldn't."
He brushed the hair off my neck and kissed me there, too. Chills raced down my spine. I tried to draw in a decent breath, but his closeness and the way I was feeling was making it impossible.
"Tell me you want me, too?" His voice was low and husky. He kissed the skin near the neckline of my dress.
I released a shaky breath. "I do," I whispered as his hands ran down my shoulders, along my arms, and up again, and it felt so amazing.
I couldn't concentrate on frosting the cupcakes anymore. I set the spatula back in the frosting bowl and the half-frosted cupcake on the counter. "You're making it really hard to work, you know." I peeked over my shoulder at him.
"And you're making it really hard for me to get you out of my head," he whispered in my ear before spinning me around to face him. He stepped closer, trapping me between the counter and his strong body. My heart, which was already racing, catapulted to new speeds that I was sure would put me at risk for a heart attack.
And before I could register what was happening, he tilted his face down and pressed his lips to mine. His warm lips moved slowly as he kissed me tentatively—giving me a chance to move away. But I didn't. I leaned closer, sliding my hands up his neck until they could tangle in his hair—the hair I'd been dying to touch all week. It was even softer than I'd imagined.
