Finding You

by Kelly Elliott

  Parking, Noah jumped out of the car and ran to my side. Jesus H. Christ, why is my heart pounding so hard? Calm the hell down, Grace.

  Holding his hand out for me, I gently placed my hand in his as he helped me out of the car. Pulling my hand up to his lips, he smiled as he placed a gentle kiss against my skin. Fire exploded with the touch and I wanted to beg him to kiss my lips. I wanted to feel him against my body. His hands exploring what clearly belonged to him.

  Noah guided me to the trail in silence as he held onto my hand tightly. The fear of him walking into my life only to walk out again was an overwhelming feeling I was trying to keep under control.

  After a few minutes, Noah started talking. “My mother found out almost two years ago she had cancer. The news devastated our family. My mother is the rock—the center of all of us. She fought like hell and we thought she had won. The cancer came back last year. My father claimed he couldn’t take watching his wife slowly die and he took off.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and in that moment I felt Noah’s pain. “What?” I whispered in disbelief. “He left her?”

  Slowly shaking his head, Noah said, “He left all three of us. My sister had been planning her wedding in the middle of all of this, and I honestly don’t know how she did it all. Good ole daddy left both of us what I like to call his going away gifts. A car for me and he paid for Em’s honeymoon.”

  Placing my hand over my mouth, I tried to imagine my father doing that to my mother and I couldn’t. “Your poor mother,” I said as Noah squeezed my hand.

  Stopping, Noah looked out over the river. “When the doctors told us she only had four to six months to live, I lost it.”

  Placing my hand on his arm, I asked, “What do you mean?”

  Swallowing hard, Noah closed his eyes. “I went out and got drunk. For days I drank myself numb and popped anxiety pills. Anything to make me forget. My poor mother and sister had no idea where I was. It was like I was losing everything . . . you . . . my father . . . my mother. My sister was getting married and moving across the country. My world fell apart. Then I realized my sister and mother needed me. I pulled myself out the slump and got my shit together.”

  Guilt immediately swarmed my body as I let Noah’s words sink in. “Noah, I didn’t know, and looking back I realize how stupid I acted by pushing you away. I was falling so in love with you and that scared me. I’ve been hurt before and when I saw you with your sister, I let my imagination get the better of me.”

  Turning his body to me, Noah smiled. “When I saw you at the hospital, I knew.”

  Tilting my head and giving him a questioning look, I asked, “You knew what?”

  “I knew I couldn’t ever let you go, Grace. Seeing what my mother was going through, I needed to tell you I loved you. I want us to be together, Grace. I don’t want hook-ups and text messages. I want to wake up every morning with you wrapped in my arms. I want to see your beautiful smile each night when I lay my head on the pillow. Hear you breathing next to me.”

  Tears burned my eyes as my head spun. “I want that too.” Looking down, I closed my eyes. “But . . . I’m here and you’re in Austin, and then when I graduate . . . I . . . well I was . . . um . . .”

  Jesus H. Christ, how do I tell him I want him and my dreams?

  Placing his hands on my arms, Noah gazed into my eyes with so much love it felt as if my heart was going to combust at any moment. “Grace, I would never ask you to walk away from your dreams. I only ask you let me be a part of them.”

  “Noah,” I whispered as he gently brushed his lips across mine.

  Pulling back slightly, Noah’s eyes searched my face. “I’m not going to lie to you, Grace. I’m not sure where I am in this world right now.”

  Smiling, I said, “You’re with me.”

  Closing his eyes, Noah spoke softly as he opened his eyes and looked at me. “Please don’t leave me again, Grace. Please.” This thing between us was real. I could see it in his eyes, and I knew Noah would never hurt me.

  Placing my hand on the side of Noah’s face, I made a promise to him that scared the piss out of me. “Never. I’ll never leave you again, Noah.”

  “Do you know what I really want to do right now?” Noah asked.

  Giving him a naughty grin, I said, “Have sex in your sports car?”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “Eat. I haven’t had a real meal in I don’t know how long.”

  “I’m going to take that as a challenge. Come on, let’s go back to my place and I’ll cook you up something good.”

  Noah gave me a loving smile and said, “That sounds like a plan.”

  Giving Noah a wink, I said, “First thing we need to do is go to HEB . . . I need frosted corn flakes.”

  Noah’s face dropped. “Wow, sounds like you’re going all out with this dinner, Grace.”

  Chuckling, I turned and looked over my shoulder. “Oh, I promise you won’t be disappointed, Mr. Bennet.”

  Standing in the kitchen, I watched as Noah flattened the chicken breasts and cut them up for the chicken picatta I was making.

  Biting on my lip, I fought the urge to jump on top of him and demand he make love to me that very moment. Turning away from him, I started to heat the oil in the pan.

  “Dip the chicken in the milk mixture and then the cornflake mixture, right?” Noah asked.

  Feeling the throbbing increase between my legs, I said, “Yep.” The sound of his sexy voice was killing me.

  Quickly glancing over to the steamer, I smiled as my freshly-picked squash and zucchini steamed to perfection. Alex and I had built a small, raised flowerbed in the backyard and had tons of tomatoes and vegetables growing. I dare say, even Grams would be proud of our makeshift garden.

  I added the butter and the garlic as I inhaled deeply through my nose to get the full effect of the smells.

  “Are Alex and Will going to be joining us?” Noah asked as he handed me a plate full of coated chicken.

  “No, I texted Alex when we were in HEB, and she said tonight was dinner and movie night for them.”

  Noah walked up next to me and leaned against the counter as I put the chicken into the skillet.

  “Damn, that already smells good.”

  Smiling, I said, “It’s the garlic. I love garlic.”

  Leaning closer to me, Noah whispered, “Will you still kiss me with garlic breath?”

  Swallowing hard, I looked into Noah’s eyes as my breathing increased tenfold. “Um . . . I sure will.”

  Oh Jesus. I sure will? What in the hell is wrong with me? I’m like a nervous girl waiting to have sex for the first time. Maybe I just needed Noah to bend me over the counter and fuck me.

  Oh hell. I just turned myself on even more. Yes. Right here in the kitchen. A good hard—

  “So, Alex is pregnant, huh? That’s crazy. I bet Will is beyond happy to be a father.”

  Mention pregnancy and bam, the bubble I was just floating in instantly popped.

  Nodding, I said, “Yes. They’re both really happy. Alex is worried about us starting a new business and her having a newborn, but I think we can make it happen.”

  “I have no doubt you’ll make it happen, Grace.”

  Looking back at the chicken, I moved it around in the pan. “Will you hand me a plate and turn on the oven warming drawer?”

  Noah raised his eyebrows and smiled a smile so brilliant, I about dropped to the floor.

  “Sure,” he said as he pushed off the counter and stood in the middle of the kitchen. “Where are the plates?”

  Turning the heat down, I walked over and reached up to open the cabinet door for a plate. Noah came up behind me and pinned me against the counter. My libido kicked into overdrive as I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.

  “Grace . . . I want you more than I want food right now.”

  Dropping my head back against his chest, Noah’s lips moved across my neck.

  “Noah,” I whispered in a heavy breath.

  Taking me by
the arms, Noah spun me around and pressed his lips to mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck, he lifted me up and set me on the counter.

  His hands moved over my legs as we kissed passionately. “Will it burn?” Noah asked against my lips.

  With a breathy voice, I said, “Yes, and you worked so hard flattening the chicken.”

  Letting out a chuckle, Noah lifted me off the counter and set me on the floor as my knees shook.

  “Let me do one thing,” I said as I quickly took the cooked chicken out of the pan and placed it on the plate. Opening the warming drawer, I slid the plate in and stood. Turning to Noah, I couldn’t help but notice the hungry look in his eyes.

  “Grace,” he said as he quickly rushed to me and pulled me to him. Our kisses were frantic as our hands explored each other.

  “Are you sure Will and Alex won’t be home soon?” Noah asked between pants.

  “Positive. Noah, I need you to fuck me . . . now.”

  Turning me, Noah pushed me against the counter as I braced myself with my hands. Slipping my shorts off, Noah pushed my thong out of the way. Glancing over my shoulder I watched him open his jeans and push down to expose his long, hard dick.

  Licking my lips, I moaned. My body was shaking with anticipation. I hadn’t been with anyone since the last time I was with Noah. Pushing my legs apart with his foot, I dropped my head and pulled in deep breath after deep breath. When his fingers touched my sensitive clit, I about let out a scream.

  Slowly slipping his fingers inside of me, Noah let out what sounded like a growl. “You’re so wet, Grace. God I want to make love to you, but I don’t have a condom.”

  Feeling my heart slam in my chest, I looked back at him. “What? How in hell did you not think to bring a condom, Noah! I’m desperate here! Desperate!”

  “Um . . . fuck I don’t know. What if you didn’t want to talk to me or something? I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

  Looking at his dick in his hand, I closed my eyes. “Have you been with anyone since . . . since our last time?”

  Shaking his head, Noah said, “No! Grace, you’re the only girl I’ve been with in almost two years.”

  My mouth dropped open. “W-what? Why?”

  Smiling he said, “I haven’t met anyone I wanted to be with.”

  My heartbeat picked up more and I fell a little bit more in love with Noah. I knew he had only been with one other girl before me, his high school sweetheart who he dated all through high school and his freshman year of college. I’d only been with Noah and Michael.

  “I haven’t been with anyone either.”

  “Grace, I’ve never had sex without a condom, and I won’t risk the chance of getting you pregnant.”

  My body felt as if it was floating on a cloud. How I loved this man.

  “I’m on birth control, Noah.”

  “Grace, the idea of being inside you without a condom makes me want to come now.”

  Letting out a giggle, I gave him a wink. “Then we better move quickly.”

  With that, Noah pushed himself into me as we both let out a moan. My body needed to adjust to him as he stood there buried balls deep inside of me. More than a minute passed by and Noah was still perfectly still inside of me. I could feel his dick twitching and it was driving me insane.

  “Noah . . . move! You have to move.”

  “Can’t.”

  Looking back at him, he had his eyes closed. “What do you meant you can’t?”

  “I’m going to come the moment I move. It’s been so long.”

  Biting on my lip, I let out a giggle. “Your dinner is going to get cold if you don’t start moving.”

  Shaking his head, Noah said, “Lies! It’s in the warming oven.”

  Dropping my head, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands. Slowly beginning to move so Noah’s dick slid in and out of me in a painfully slow manner, I gripped harder onto the counter.

  Holy hell. It was not going to take long before I exploded into an orgasm.

  Noah grabbed onto my hips. “Too. Slow.”

  “Then fuck me, Noah! Now!”

  Noah pulled out and pushed back into me relentlessly as my orgasm started to build. I could feel my body beginning to quiver as the orgasm rolled through me.

  “Oh my God, yes!” I screamed. “Harder, Noah. Harder.”

  Letting out a groan, Noah moved faster and harder as I saw stars dancing behind my eyes.

  “Grace, oh God.”

  Noah pulled out of me and I instantly felt his warm cum hitting my back. Closing my eyes, I tried to settle my breathing.

  When Noah’s breathing returned to normal, he softly said, “Hold on, baby, let me clean you up.” I closed my eyes and smiled. This is what I had been missing. Not sex with Noah; okay that was a lie, because I missed sex with Noah like hell. What I had missed was just being with him. He made me feel safe. Like nothing in the world could happen to me as long as he was by my side.

  Noah gently wiped his cum off my back. “Got it all,” he said as he reached for my shorts and pulled them up. Turning around, I leaned against the counter as I fixed my shirt and smiled.

  Frowning, Noah said, “That was not how I wanted our first time back with each other to go down.”

  Placing my hand on his chest, I let out a breath. “I’m certainly not going to complain. But, I’d like to take things a little slower later if you can stay all night.”

  Something quickly moved across Noah’s face, but before I could read it, it was gone. “I’d love to stay with you tonight.”

  Smiling, I reached up and kissed his lips. “Good. Now let’s get you fed.

  Noah

  Leaning back in the chair, I let out a breath. “Man oh man was that good, Grace.”

  Grace sat across the table from me with a huge smile on her face. It was clear she loved being in the kitchen, and she was a wonderful cook. “I’m glad you liked it. I’m a woman of many . . . many talents.”

  Feeling my dick twitch in my pants, I raised my eyebrows and said, “When do I get to see them all?”

  Letting out a laugh, Grace stood up and collected my plate along with hers. “Why, Mr. Bennet, if I showed you all my talents right up front, you’d get bored and move on.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Never going to happen.”

  Watching Grace walk into the kitchen, I was overcome with emotion. This was what I wanted. I wanted to make a life with this woman.

  Standing, I followed Grace into the kitchen. “What’s for dessert?” I purred into Grace’s ear as I wrapped my arms around her. Dropping her head back against my chest, Grace let out a contented sigh.

  “Tell me I’m not dreaming. Because if I wake up and this all a dream, I’m going to be one horny, pissed off woman.”

  Letting out a chuckle, I turned Grace to face me. “I don’t want to leave tomorrow.”

  Grace’s eyes turned sad and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. After tomorrow, I’d be back in Austin and she’d be here in College Station.

  Grace opened her mouth to talk when the front door opened.

  “Grace!” Alex called out before seeing us in the kitchen. “Oh hey, Noah!”

  Smiling, I nodded and said, “Hey, Alex.”

  Will came walking in, talking on the phone to someone. “If you update the server, we’re sure to be able to . . . um . . . we ah . . . hey, Luke, I’m gonna have to call you back.”

  Will swiped his phone and I knew by the way he was looking at me, he wasn’t all that thrilled to see me standing in his kitchen. Alex must have kept it to herself that I was here.

  “Will, how are you doing?” I asked.

  Will looked at Grace and then back to me. “I’m doing good. What are you doing here, Noah?”

  Feeling Grace begin to pull away, I dropped my arms and followed her out of the kitchen.

  “Down, cowboy. Stow the daggers you’re shooting Noah,” Grace said as she made her way over to Alex and Will.

  Will relaxed some as he l
ooked at Grace. “Want to explain?”

  Grace stopped and Alex whispered, “Oh hell.”

  Placing her hands on her hips, I fought to keep my smile back. Grace was spit and fire wrapped up in a sweet and beautiful package. I wasn’t sure where this was going to lead.

  “Do I care to explain what, Will?”

  Will swallowed hard, but stood firm as he looked at me. “I thought he was married?”

  Clearing my throat, I walked up next to Grace and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Misunderstanding. It was my sister Grace saw me with. The reason I left A&M is my mother is . . . um . . . well she has cancer and I needed to be back home in Austin.”

  Alex looked into my eyes with sympathy. I had told her about my mother, but asked her not to tell anyone. I wanted to be the one to tell Grace myself. I wasn’t surprised to see she had kept that promise, so much so, she didn’t even tell her husband.

  “Shit, Noah, I’m sorry. I didn’t . . . I didn’t know,” Will said.

  Giving him a weak smile, I nodded slightly. “Don’t worry about it, Will. I wouldn’t have expected you to know. I came as soon as I could to talk to Grace and well . . . she was kind enough to make me a home-cooked meal.”

  “Uh-huh,” Alex and Will said at once as Grace smacked Alex on the arm.

  “Why are you both home so soon? I thought it was dinner and a movie?”

  Alex chewed on her lip as Will lifted his eyebrows and pushed his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to be allowed back into Joey’s Pizza anytime soon,” Will said as Alex glared at him.

  “Why?” Grace asked as she leaned her body into me. God, I loved the feeling of being with her. It allowed me to forget everything else going on in my life.

  “Do you want to tell them, Will? Or should I?” Alex asked, hands snapping to her hips as she narrowed her eyes at Will.

  Will walked to the kitchen as he lifted his hand and said, “You go right ahead, I’m getting a beer. Noah, want one?”

  As much as I wanted one, I had given up drinking after I went on the drunken binge a few months back.