After the Storm (15 page)

Lexi slowly woke up, smiling at the soreness in her body. It was such a wonderful, romantic night. Why did she wait so long? She chuckled to herself. Well, it really hadn’t been that long.
It just felt that way
.

She turned her head to see Noah already up and watching her. He was absolutely still and his eyes burned with passion. Having him look at her like a hungry tiger would look at a juicy steak made her tremble. He was speaking before she could say anything.

“You’ve got three minutes to do whatever you need to do in the bathroom. Then you are mine.” When she didn’t move he said, “You’d better get going.”

Lexi jumped out of bed and ran naked to the bathroom. She freshened up as shivers of anticipation ran through her body. She paused for a moment to still her racing heart before she opened the door.

She could hear him get out of bed and come to the door. “Alexia.” The sound of his demanding voice made her instantly wet. He’d never used that tone with her. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door. It was flung open so quickly she gasped. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the bathroom and pinned her to the wall, dislodging a picture, his mouth ravishing hers. Their tongues waged war with each other, their hands grabbed and rubbed everything they could. They couldn’t get enough of each other.

Attempting to get closer he spun her around and lifted her up so she ended up on top of the dresser with him between her legs. Everything on the dresser went flying to the ground. His hardened cock already had a condom on and was ready as it slid easily into her. She threw her head back in ecstasy and moaned. He quickly brought his head down and started sucking on her nipple. She cried out when he gently bit it, her nails scratching down his back as he pounded in and out of her.

He picked her up with his cock still inside of her and crossed to the bed, throwing her atop their already rumpled covers, and landed on top of her. Both fighting for dominance, they rolled around the bed trying to get the upper hand. Neither took notice of the lamp crashing to the ground. They moved from position to position each one only lasting so long before the other one wanted to be in charge. She kicked the glass on the nightstand to the floor where it shattered.

Noah backed Lexi up so her shoulders were propped up against the headboard. He put her feet on his shoulders and pounded hard and fast into her. She grabbed the curtains on the wall behind the headboard, trying to get some stability and meet him thrust for thrust. Getting him deeper and deeper inside of her, she couldn’t take anymore, and with a scream she came, pulling the curtains down on top of them. He roared when he came.

When they finally fell back to Earth, they moved the curtains off them and looked around, laughing. The room was a mess.

“Oh my god,” she said. “We have to clean this up before Martha sees it. It looks like a couple of wild animals were in here.”

“You could say that. I spent all night watching you. I couldn’t wait for you to wake up.”

“Lucky for you, I’m an early riser. You must be exhausted.”

“Nope, best night of my life. I feel full of energy. Let’s get this cleaned up so we can have breakfast. We’ve got a big day flying to L.A. I can’t wait for you to meet the gang. You’re going to love them.”

But Lexi was worried. She wasn’t the L.A. type and these people had been there for years. What could they have in common?

~*~

Lexi took a page out of Noah’s book, tied her hair back, and wore a hat and big sunglasses to the airport. They were lucky flying out of Boston. It seemed like no one noticed who he was. She was sure that would change once they landed in Los Angeles. She put a hand to her stomach and looked out her window in first class.

“It’s going to be okay,” Noah whispered in her ear while he squeezed her hand.

She turned to him. “How do you know that, Noah? It’s no big deal to you. You’ve dealt with this kind of thing for years. It’s all new to me. Add on top of that these people are important to you. What am I going to have in common with them? What am I going to say to them? What if I trip in front of the paparazzi? What if…”

“Shhh, it’s all going to be okay. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Yes, the band is important to me, but so are you. Remember, I’m the one who knows everyone and you’ll get along fine. You have more in common than you think. None of them grew up in Hollywood. And tripping in front of the paparazzi, well, love, we’ve all done it. Think of it as an initiation.”

Lexi glared at him and turned back to look out the window at the land far below. She felt a finger under her chin, fought the pressure for a moment before giving in and turning to look at Noah.

“Alexia, trust me. Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit, it’s a long flight.”

Lexi closed her eyes but she didn’t fall asleep. Once she saw Noah had, she opened her eyes and studied him. Even with the beard, he was still handsome, though missed his clean-shaven face so she could see his dimples when he smiled. She supposed he’d be shaving once they got to L.A. He hadn’t had enough time since to do so since they’d been running late this morning.

She still couldn’t believe that she was sitting here with him. If someone had told her how much her life would change when the summer began, she wouldn’t have believed them. Now she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. She didn’t know how she was going to get through these next few days, but somehow she would. For him.

~*~

Riding in the back of the SUV with Noah to his home in the Hollywood Hills, Lexi asked, “So, how long before those pictures are up on the internet?”

“They already are, love. See?” Noah held his phone up so that she could see them. “You look good.”

Lexi pushed the phone away. She didn’t want to see what she looked like. She knew that right now people were burning the internet up to find out who the ‘mystery woman’ was. It made her sick. She was sure that her past would be plastered all over the internet in no time. “Noah, are you sure about all of this? I mean, you know what’s in my past. It will be all over the place. Everyone will know.”

“If you’re strong enough to go through it, so am I. I’ll do anything and everything to protect you. What are besties for?” He winked at her.

She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. “Besties? Somehow, I thought we were beyond that.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Yes, we are, but at the heart of it, always besties, love. Always.”

Lexi sat up as they approached a mid-century ranch-style house. She was immediately at ease, happy it wasn’t some huge mansion. They entered into the living room which had minimal furniture and the whole back wall opened up to the hills with a spectacular view. Lexi crossed and opened the doors all the way to allow a breeze to come in. Walking out onto the patio, she looked around at the hills and the other houses. She turned to see Noah watching her.

“I know it’s not our secluded beach, but we can still make magic here.” He came out onto the patio and wrapped his arms around her and nestled her body back into his.

Lexi sighed. “Somehow, I think I could call anywhere home as long as you are there.”

Noah’s arms tightened around her waist. “I feel the same. I’m so glad you decided to come. I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you, not holding you, for days. Want to see the rest of the house?”

“That would be wonderful. I’m especially interested in your bedroom.” She winked at him.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, love. You’ll be spending a lot of time there.”

Lexi turned around and walked back into the house. Right behind the living room was the dining area and open kitchen. There was a fireplace, although it might not get much use this time of the year. Noah walked her back through the rest of the house showing her his office and guest bedrooms before opening the door to the master suite with a flourish. “Our very own love shack.”

Lexi tapped a hand on his chest as she walked in. There were windows along one wall which let enough light in so that the black paint on the walls didn’t close the room in, a huge bed in the middle of the room, and a sitting area off to the side with a great view of the hills. She walked over to the grand piano between the two areas and ran her hand over the keys. “This is pretty impressive to have in your bedroom.”

“Sometimes inspiration hits in the middle of the night. I just get up and start playing.” He walked over behind her, leaned over and started playing a sweet simple song with one hand. He whispered in her ear, “I wrote this one night after meeting you.” He reached around so that his other arm came around the other side of her, trapping her between the piano and him. He started playing with both hands. “It’s deceptively simple, until you add the other part to it. Once both parts are added together you get something spectacular.” He kissed her neck while playing. Lexi closed her eyes and let the sound and feel of Noah wash over her. She turned around and started kissing him, her hands in his hair. The jarring sound of mismatched notes being played on the piano filled the air as he pushed her back into it and she sat down on the keys.

She had her hands under his shirt and lifting it up so that she could feel all of him. They stopped so that he could take his shirt off and Lexi took the opportunity to lick the patterns of his tattoo, continuing down to where it disappeared in his pants. She undid his pants and let them fall to his ankles. She teased him, first blowing cold air and then her hot breath over his cock. Gently licking, touching and kissing it, she could see it throbbing with want, and took it all in her mouth, sucking hard with one hand at the base while the other massaged his balls.

Lexi heard the crash of the piano keys behind her as Noah yelled, “Fuck!” She continued to vary the pace and what she was doing until Noah couldn’t take it anymore and lifted her up again, setting her back down on the keys. He ripped her shirt off while his mouth devoured any bare skin he could find. Lexi squirmed and worked her pants down off of her hips, wanting him inside her.

Noah kicked his pants off the rest of the way and bent down to dig a condom from his pocket while lapping up the wetness between her legs as he slid it on. She grabbed at Noah, sliding him into her dripping folds as he thrust into her over and over again, kissing her deeply while pinching her nipples. She put her arms along the top of the piano and arched back so that Noah had better access to her breasts. He abandoned her mouth and moved to suck on her nipple, still pinching the other. With his free hand he reached around behind the small of her back and squeezed her ass.

She raised her head and looked into his eyes, hooded in passion. With one last flick of his tongue on her nipple, he raised up to take her mouth once more. Their breaths came harder and faster. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as tight as she could, wanting him deep inside. She felt him grow larger inside of her and her body responded by tightening around him. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she screamed his name as she came. Noah was right behind her with his own release.

~*~

Lexi awoke to someone brushing her hair back. She opened her eyes and looked up into Noah’s.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

She stretched. “I don’t know about that. But I’m awake. What time is it?”

“Time to get up. The band is going to be here soon. The kitchen is stocked and we’re ready to do some barbequing. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. “Stop worrying, everything will be fine. They’ll love you.” His excitement was barely contained. He was bouncing around like a kid on Christmas morning.

“But what if they hate me?” She held up a hand as he opened his mouth. “No, Noah, there is a possibility, at least, that one of them might not like me. This is the real world, not some place where everyone magically gets along. What will happen if someone, who is like a brother to you, does hate me?”

Noah pulled her onto his lap. “Lexi, under any other circumstance I would agree with you. But I know these guys. They
are
like brothers to me. Hell, they’ll probably like you more than they like me.”

“Well, I do have a nicer ass.”

In one quick movement Noah had her pinned to the bed. “Yes, you do. Is this your way of changing the subject? It won’t change the fact that you’re wrong. Now stop wiggling. We don’t have time to finish anything you might start. Get up and get ready, otherwise I’m throwing you in the pool.” He jumped up off of the bed and left the bedroom.

Lexi laid back down, staring blankly at the shadows playing on the ceiling and thinking of the challenges she’d faced in the past seven years. Knowing why meeting people who meant so much to him was gearing up to be the biggest challenge of all.

~*~

Lexi dressed in her most comfortable jeans and a ruby-red tank top with matching ballet flats. Leaving her hair loose, she put on minimal make-up, looked at herself in the mirror and thought,
Here goes nothing
.

She walked out to the living area, surprised at all the food that covered the coffee table and kitchen counters. “Are we feeding an army?”

Noah turned around and smiled. “Nah, but the guys all have big appetites. They will eat from the time they get here to the time they leave.”

“What would you like for me to do?” Lexi wandered over to the kitchen sink.