by Frank, Ella
Noah moved up to his position on the mound, and as he eyed Jake, I wondered what was going through his head. I didn’t have long to think about it, though, as the ball left his hand and shot through the air at breakneck speed, and the cracking sound of a bat meeting a fastball jolted me out of my head.
Jake tossed the bat to the ground and made a run for first base, and Betty’s Braves cheered like lunatics as he flew by first and made like hell for second. My attention then shifted back to Noah, who was watching the play with a stunned expression, and I knew right then what had to be done.
I would go to dinner tonight, enjoy what might’ve been, then I’d lock the memory away and that would be the end of that.
20
Laurel
I LOOKED AT my reflection for the millionth time and wondered what the hell I thought I was doing. This wasn’t a good idea on any level. I knew that as well as I knew the sun would come up tomorrow. Yet here I stood in the most expensive dress I owned an hour before I was due to meet with Noah.
I needed to get it together. It wasn’t like this was the first date I’d ever been on. It wasn’t even my first date with Noah. But all afternoon I’d been second-guessing myself, and it didn’t appear that that was going to stop.
Not wanting to sit or spill anything on the silky fabric of the dress, I slipped out of it and pulled my robe on. There, now I could relax a little, or at least try. Maybe I could read a book while I waited. The house was quiet, Jake having gone to Caleb’s as planned. But I had a feeling that even if he was here, the silence would’ve been deafening.
What had happened earlier was still rattling around inside my head. It had been a glaring reminder that Jake was no longer a child and that the two of us needed to have a long-overdue talk. But since that seemed to be the last thing he wanted to do right now, I would wait him out and approach when he seemed ready.
I slipped my UGGs on and scooped up one of the books I’d borrowed from the library earlier this week, then I headed outside to the porch swing at the front of my house.
I settled in and toed the ground, and as the swing began a gentle back-and-forth motion, I curled my legs in under me and opened the book to chapter one. This was better. Much better than obsessing over my upcoming date. But around about ten pages in, the day caught up with me, and my eyes began to flutter shut…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The jarring sound of the hotel alarm clock came much quicker than I expected. But considering Noah and I hadn’t fallen asleep until three in the morning, it hardly seemed a surprise that nine o’clock had snuck up on me.
I reached out and hit the snooze button, silencing the damn thing. With the room still dark, I smiled to myself as I thought back to last night’s graduation party and what had happened after, here in this bed.
I stretched beneath the cool sheets, my arms and legs experiencing a brand-new kind of ache this morning, then snuggled in a little longer, determined to live in this moment for as long as I possibly could.
Last night had been the best night of my life. Noah had been sweet, gentle, and made me feel like I’d never felt before. He’d made our first time together one I’d never forget. And when I rolled over to wake him, I was shocked to find the bed beside me…empty. Noah had agreed to drop me back at Mary’s this morning so Mom would be none the wiser, but he hadn’t needed to get up at the crack of dawn. Where was he?
“Noah?”
I scanned the room, but the curtains were still drawn and I couldn’t see him anywhere, so I rolled over and flicked the light on. His cleared-off nightstand caught my attention in an instant, and as the silence in the room became increasingly louder, my heart began to thump a little harder.
“Noah?” I called out again, and when all that met me was absolutely nothing, the hair on the back of my neck rose. “Noah?”
Trying not to think the worst, I racked my brain for a logical reason he wouldn’t be here. But nothing made any sense. His wallet, phone, and clothes were gone. The only thing I could see was his varsity jacket, which I’d thrown over one of the chairs after dancing in it the night before. It was like he’d up and vanished. Never even been here. But my body told me otherwise.
This was not like him. There was no way Noah would just up and leave me here. It was nine o’clock in the morning and he was my way home. So where was he?
Stop it. Stop thinking the worst. But how was I supposed to do that when nothing else made any sense?
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I all but jumped out of my skin as the alarm cycled around a second time. I reached over to hit it again, and wasn’t at all shocked to hear the plastic crack. My pulse was racing now, my hands shaking, as every possible scenario—all bad—flashed before my eyes.
I quickly threw the covers off and grabbed one of the robes we’d thrown across the end of the bed, then I made a beeline for the bathroom just to double-check.
Empty. Shit.
I ran back to my bag and pulled my cell free.
Maybe he’d called?
Maybe he’d left a text?
But when I swiped at the screen and no notifications appeared, I started to really panic.
I closed my eyes, counted back from ten, and willed myself not to cry.
What was going on? I didn’t understand. Had I been drugged? Had something happened to Noah? He wasn’t the kind of guy who’d sleep with a girl and then leave her to wake up in a hotel room alone.
That wasn’t him. So that could only mean…what? I hit his number and waited. And waited. And waited. When the call finally went to voicemail, I ended it and tried again. Sinking down on the end of the bed, I could feel my head starting to spin and brought my hands up to my face. I was starting to overheat and my hands were all clammy.
I took in several breaths, trying to calm myself, but it was no use. There was absolutely no good reason as to why Noah was gone. Not one. But then the phone finally connected and I shot to my feet. “Hello? Noah?”
“Is this Laurel?” The gruff voice at the other end was definitely not Noah’s, and I was so shocked to hear it that I couldn’t seem to find my words to answer. “I’m going to take your silence as a yes. My name’s Harry. I’m Noah’s father.”
Oh shit, the whole town, including me, knew of—or about—Harry Chamberlin. He was tough, cutthroat, and one hundred percent business. According to Noah, he spared little time for his kids, and any effort he did expend on them was usually to tell them what disappointments they were.
The fact that he was answering Noah’s phone automatically made me think that something bad must’ve happened. But before I could ask, he was talking again.
“I’m going to say this once and hopefully that’ll be enough for you to understand, because after this, the number you’ve been calling will be disconnected. Noah is gone.”
Gone? What did he mean?
“He was recently accepted at one of the finest universities abroad, and is currently on a plane halfway across the ocean. So, this little high school romance of yours? It’s over. It’s time for Noah to live in the real world now, Miss Anderson. I suggest you do the same. Don’t call this number again.”
As the phone went dead, I reached for the wall to steady myself, but it was no use. My knees began to shake, and the next thing I knew, they collapsed out from under me. I fell to the floor, dejected and in shock, then reached for Noah’s jacket and drew it to me. Unable to move, I curled up in the darkness all alone, and as tears ran down my cheeks, I buried my face inside it.
This couldn’t be real. Noah hadn’t said anything about going overseas. He’d talked about going to L.A. and studying at USC with me. Harry had to be lying.
But as my heart began to break, I knew the truth.
Noah was gone, and the best night of my life had actually turned out to be the very worst.
I WOKE UP with a jolt and the porch swing began to sway. I reached for the arm of the seat to steady myself.
Oh my God. My heart was racing and my cheeks
were damp. It was just a dream. Just a really horrible dream. I hadn’t thought about that night in years, but it was no surprise it had resurfaced now.
As I tried to calm myself, I couldn’t stop the shiver from racing up my spine. No. I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to let myself get upset about the past, especially not tonight. I closed my book and got to my feet, and with a glance at my watch I saw I had time to go in and redo what I assumed was a messed-up face.
I headed for the door and pulled it open. As I stepped inside, I made a promise to myself: I would enjoy tonight no matter what, then I’d replace my first time with Noah with whatever the night brought.
21
Noah
IT HAD JUST turned eight as I made my way out onto the front porch of Wilhelmina’s and took a seat on one of the rocking chairs to wait for Laurel.
It was a beautiful night. There was a cool breeze in the air but nothing that would make you avoid being outside. The sun had set a couple hours ago, and I had a feeling that today might just be the first day that I didn’t resent Harry for bringing me back here.
The midday make-out session under the bleachers hadn’t hurt either. Along with the baseball game, which had been fun, despite that jackass Laurel knew trying to crack me in the head with his hard swing. But I wasn’t going to think about him. I was focused on one thing—or person—only, and she was currently walking my way.
Damn. Laurel knew how to dress to kill, that was for sure. If her goal was to prove I was a slave to her every move, then she was going to get her wish.
As she made her way up the stairs, I drank in the sight of her red heels, long legs, and the little black dress and sheer shawl she wore. Her blonde hair was styled in a sexy wave that made it look as though she’d just spent the day rolling around between the sheets. “Wow.”
She softly laughed and smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good, because it’s about all my brain can think of right now.”
“Then I should just go home?”
She went to turn away, and I reached out and took her elbow, halting her. Then I stepped in closer and ran my fingers down her cheek. “Don’t even think about it.”
Laurel angled her face up toward me, and under the lights of the balcony, her blue eyes twinkled. “No?”
“Definitely not.” I touched her lower lip with my thumb, and when she sucked in a breath, my brain kicked back into gear. “You promised me dinner.”
“I think you have that the wrong way around.”
“Hmm, well, either way, I’m not letting you leave just yet.”
Laurel nodded, and when I released her, she turned around to walk away from me.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
When she reached the edge of the stairs, she dropped the shawl to mid-back and glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
Oh, she knew exactly what I was talking about. The back of her dress—or should I say the nonexistent back of her dress—was cut low and was left completely open. It was all I could do to stop my tongue from rolling out of my head.
Jesus Christ, was it even legal to wear something like that in public?
When I finally managed to send the message from my brain to my legs and make them walk me to where she stood, I said, “You wore this on purpose, didn’t you?”
The grin she gave was that of a siren to a flailing ship, beckoning it to come closer to that which would end it.
“It seemed only fair, since you like to…tease.”
My cock kicked in response as she walked off ahead of me. As I jogged to catch up with her, I knew one thing for certain: that dress, and the woman inside it, was going to torture me all damn night.
“SO WHERE ARE we going?”
As we pulled out of the B&B’s parking area, I looked at my passenger and cursed myself for not renting a small, sporty car so she’d be much closer to me.
It was probably for the best, though, if I wanted to get us from point A to point B without injury. As it was, I was finding it difficult to concentrate with the scent of her perfume and the knowledge that her dress was pretty much all she was wearing, judging by the revealing nature of its back.
Fuck. I needed to stop thinking about it or I was going to have a difficult time remaining decent—not to mention walking.
“Noah?”
Shoving that thought aside, I made myself focus. “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise? I don’t really like surprises.”
I frowned and shook my head. “That’s not what I remember.”
“Yeah? Well, things change. I’ve changed. And the adult me likes to know where she’s going.”
“Ah, I see. And what else does the adult you like?”
Laurel chuckled, and the sound was as effective as a hand stroking my dick. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I was well on my way to knowing last night.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have stopped.”
No shit. “Is that an invitation?”
Laurel ran her gaze down over me, and when it settled on my lap, it took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to pull the car over and haul her across the console.
“More an…observation.”
“Duly noted.”
Her coy smile made me grip the steering wheel a little tighter.
“So you never answered my question. Where are we going?”
I stopped at one of the two red lights in town, and when Laurel scooted down in her seat, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Is there a bounty out on your head I don’t know about?”
She glared at me, and her irritation made me laugh even harder. “You know exactly why I’m doing this. It only takes one person to see me sitting in this car and the whole town will know before morning. I told you, I don’t want to be part of the local gossip.”
“I get it.”
Laurel frowned, and I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like there was more to what she was saying than she let on. Before I could ask, however, the light turned green, and we were off again. Laurel straightened and shook her hair back from her face.
“You don’t need to worry, I promise. We’re going somewhere private.” This time when I glanced at her, Laurel’s eyes were fixed on me, and the desire from yesterday was back full force, but with a hint of…wariness? “Just you and me.”
She took in a steadying breath, and as she let it out, she bit down into her lower lip.
We fell into silence as we sped out of town, and thank God I knew where I was going, because all thoughts were now fixated on how incredibly sexy Laurel was.
When we finally reached our destination and I pulled into the drive, Laurel sat forward in the car and stared out the windshield.
“This is the winery, Noah.” She looked at me, alarm stamped all over her expression. “Why are we at the winery?”
“This is where we’re having dinner.”
Laurel’s eyes widened as she turned in her seat. “I’m not having dinner in there with you. Are you out of your mind?”
“Not last time I checked. And why don’t you want to have dinner in there? Is the food bad?”
“Of course the food’s not bad. It’s the finest dining in town.”
Her indignation was adorable as she stood up for her place of employment and, well, my family’s legacy.
“Then why would I want to take you anywhere else?”
Her words came to a dead end, before she seemed to regroup and shake her head. “I’m not going in there.”
“Why? Everyone else is gone for the night.”
“But—”
“But what?” I unbuckled my belt and pushed open the car door. “What’s more private than here? Plus, you owe me a taste testing, and I’m about to collect.”
22
Laurel
WHEN NOAH PULLED up at the winery, I’d thought he was insane.
But when we drove inside the gates and headed up the drive, the calm and peace of the night s
eemed to envelop us. There wasn’t a car or building beyond the villa directly in front of us, and as I climbed outside and took in the vast property, I realized that we were well and truly alone out here.
“Still want to leave?”
I looked across the hood of the car to see Noah was watching me, and that laser-like focus made my heart thump. I knew that tonight was probably a mistake. A decision I’d made when my guard was down. But as I looked at him standing there, finally within touching distance, I shoved aside any doubt and decided to live in the moment for a change.
“No. I actually think you might be onto something.”
Noah walked around the hood of the car and held his hand out to me, and I took it. His skin was warm to the touch, his hand large and strong. I took a step toward him.
“I had another reason for bringing you out here tonight.”
“You mean other than the fact that there’s no one for miles and miles and miles?”
Noah grinned. “Yes, besides that.”
“And what might that be?”
“Nostalgia. This is where we had our first kiss.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No we didn’t.”
“Yeah we did.”
I let out a soft laugh as he started walking me toward the front door. “You’re trying to tell me that I remember it wrong? Our first kiss was behind the science department, second semester of our junior year. It was my first kiss ever. It’s not exactly something I’m going to forget.”
When we reached the front door, he unlocked it and turned to lean back against the wood. Then he flashed the most roguish heartbreaker of a smile and shrugged. “Okay, so it was our first kiss…with tongue.”
I scoffed and shoved him in the chest. He laughed, opened the door, and stepped aside.
As I went to walk by him, Noah leaned down and said by my ear, “You have to admit, that day out in the vines was pretty amazing.”
He wasn’t wrong about that, and while it hadn’t been our first kiss per se, it was the first time a boy had touched me intimately—and I had been brave enough to touch him back. We’d spent hours out there on a picnic blanket, each learning what the other liked. I could still remember the feel of the sun warming me as Noah’s mouth and hands set my world on fire.
