Noah (31 page)

Abel wasn’t kidding
;
the last look
Veronica
got of the guy,
she
couldn’t even make out his facial features he was so bloody. And his coward friends had left him to fend for himself when they saw what they were up against.

Noah thanked them and one by one his friends left the room. Veronica began to
rise
from where she sat on the edge of the bed but Noah tugged at her hand. “Stay with me… please?”

She smiled touching his face gently. The lump on his head was still very warm but she’d checked his temperature already and knew he wasn’t running a fever. “I was just gonna close the door. I’m not going anywhere.”

Noah let got of her hand and she stood up to close the door.

“Will you turn the light off, too? It hurts my eyes. The lamp would be better.”

Veronica turned the small lamp first before turning the light switch off. She came back and sat next to him. He scooted over and patted the mattress next to him. Her heart had sped up from the moment he’d asked her to stay. This made it beat a little wilder. She was only comforting him. The blow he took was horrendous and she could only imagine the pain he must be in so she lay down next to him resting her head on his pillow facing him. “I was so worried,” she whispered.

He reached over and touched her hair, twirling a ringlet of hair around his finger and smiled but said nothing. 

“Are you still going to be able to fight in two weeks?”

He nodded staring at her but not like he’d done in the past. There was no lust in his eyes, no yearning like she’d seen earlier in the kitchen. What she saw in his eyes now was pure honesty. Whatever he’d hidden in those eyes all this time was no longer hiding. It was as if he’d suddenly made up his mind and he was putting it out there.
Putting out
what she’d suspected for weeks. He’d fallen for her. “I know I said it earlier but I have to say it again. You’re beautiful, Roni.”

Just like earlier, something deep inside her warned that she should stop this. Stop him before he said something that would forever put them in a different place than they were now and there’d be no turning back. But just like earlier she was helpless to do so. She felt lost in his eyes but it felt so good she didn’t want to stop him.

Instead of stopping him, she leaned over and kissed the lump on the side of his face. She felt him inhale deeply as her hair brushed against his face, then his hand was on her face and she turned her face just enough so that their lips were less than an inch apart.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as his eyes dropped down to her lips and he kissed them softly.

Her head screamed that this was a mistake as he kissed her again only longer and deeper, but her heart argued otherwise.

She rested her hand on his hard shoulder and squeezed a little as she allowed herself
to do
what she’d been dreaming of doing since day one and sucked his bottom lip. He let out a soft groan reminding her she should slow this down. She
laid
her head back on the pillow as he lifted himself onto his elbow and stopped to gaze in her eyes. “I’m fucking crazy about you, Roni.”

Stop him
!

Based simply on the way he kissed her with such unabashed emotion, she knew where this might be going and if it did, it would ruin everything. Deciding selfishly the best way to get him to stop talking was to kiss him again she brought her hand around the back of his neck and he dove in. His tongue was magical.
It was
almost
funny now
how she actually thought his age would make him less experienced th
a
n some of the older men she’d been with. But no man
’
s kisses had ever made her feel quite like this.

He didn’t try for anything else and she was glad about this because one touch
in the right place
would let Noah know just how badly her body wanted him. She was hot and damp in places she’d only been lately when she thought of him.

His mouth moved from hers and his lips traced her chin kissing it all the way down to the soft spot just under her chin and down to her neck. He sucked softly at first and then a little harder as his breathing became accelerated. She knew it was probably hard enough to leave a mark but she didn’t care it felt so damn good—too good.

“Noah,” her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears and she knew there was no way he could miss the longing in her words.

This only made him suck harder making her tingly in the most private of places. Her back arched instinctively as his hands finally made the
i
r way down under her cardigan.

His touch was so gentle and slow it drove her insane. She wanted to tell him to stop
, she knew she should
but the feel of his hand against the burning flesh of her abdomen made it impossible.

“My,” he whispered in between sucking her neck and she shushed him before he’d begin to talk
ing
again. “My Roni.”
The words were gasped and he went at her neck even harder now.

She gulped hard trying not to put too much thought into what he’d just said.
Her entire body was on fire now feeling his lips and tongue sucking her neck.
He brought his mouth back to her lips and kissed her so deep she was drowning in his taste and she loved it.

His body slid over hers
.
T
here was no hiding how badly he wanted her too. This only made her heart beat even harder. The only
shred of
hope
that Veronica clung to
now that this wouldn’t go any further was the fact that they were still fully dressed and the door wasn’t locked.
Surely,
he wouldn’t take
the
chance of someone walking in on them.

Those were the only things she could count on at this point, because the feel of his hard body against hers, the taste of his mouth, the smell of his masculinity mixed with the cologne that nearly did her in when she smelled it on him earlier made it impossible for her to put two words together
much less come up with any
reason why she shouldn’t beg him to
do to her what she’d been dreaming about for months now
.
Her hands roamed his big strong back wildly.
She was drunk with the anticipation of feeling him inside her.

He slowed his kisses and pulled away to look at her as the DJ outside began the countdown to the New Year over the mic. When they got down to one and heard the cheers, Noah smiled and Veronica smiled back
still barely able to catch her breath
. She couldn’t think of a more perfect way to ring in the New Year.

“Happy New Year,” he whispered and without giving her time to respond he kissed Veronica very slowly prolonging it as it got deeper and deeper driving her absolutely crazy. Then he stopped to gaze at her for a moment. “I love you.”

Those three words paralyzed her
instantly,
and she
pray
ed
he didn’t feel the erratic change of pace her heart suddenly took. Okay maybe she could think of a reason why they shouldn’t do this. The same reason she’d had all along. Nothing but heartache could come of this. But for the longest time she’d been worried about her
own
heartache not his. Unbelievably she was even more sure now that this would be a huge mistake.                    

Noah actually heard Roni gulp and felt his own gut tighten.
Fuck
!
T
oo soon!
Maybe it was too soon but there was no way he could hold
it in
anymore. He
had
to tell her.

“Noah,” she placed her open palm against his chest and for the first time since they’d begun kissing he felt her pull away. “I think maybe you’re confusing things.”

Now it was Noah who pulled away. “What?”

“I’m feeling things, too,” she said sitting up slightly. “But we have to be realistic and I don’t want you confusing the feelings you have for me as
your
good friend for anything more. I’m sorry,” she said adding insult to injury as she began to move off the bed.

“Hold on.” He reached out and held her arm, feeling the pounding in his head start up again. “First of all don’t be sorry about anything and whatever you do
d
o not
take back what just happened here between us.”

“I’m not taking it back. I’m just saying maybe you’re confusing this—”

“I’m not confusing a damn thing.” Noah straightened out too quickly, immediately regretting
it
as the dizzy spell hit him.

“Are you okay?” Roni moved closer to him again and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Don’t do this, Roni. Don’t make this less than what it is. You’re feeling it, too. Don’t try to deny it.”

Her wide eyes blinked a few times, but she didn’t pull away. “I won’t deny I’m feeling something. I’d have to be a corpse not to. What I’m saying is if we do this
,
it changes everything.”

“I want it to.” Unable to hold back any longer he kissed her lips softly again. “Don’t you?”

“No! Don’t you see? You’re already saying things that will ultimately ruin our friendship. You’re not in love with me, Noah. You may think you are right now—”

“Look,” he said trying desperately to not sound as angry a
s
her last statement made him. “Maybe you’re not there yet. Maybe you never will be, but do me a favor
,
don’t tell me what I’m feeling okay? Because I fucking know what I’m feeling and that’s that I’m in love with you.”

She tried pulling away but he held her tight. “I don’t wanna lose you
, Noah
.”

“You won’t,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

“How can we continue to be friends if you’re in love with me?”

“Why couldn’t we?” His head wasn’t the only thing that pounded now so did his heart.
Her words were sucking
the
life
out of him and he didn’t understand what she was so damn afraid of. “Couples
should be
friends first.”

She shook her head adding to the growing fear in the pit of his stomach. “We’re in two completely different stages of our lives and always will be. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to skip past anything just because I’ve done it already.” She pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m all for staying friends but if we continue to do this, there are some things I’m sure we wouldn’t be able to handle.”

“What things?” He’d be willing to try and handle anything if it meant he’d be able to continue to hold her and kiss her the way he had tonight. Hell he didn’t think he could go very long without it now.

“What happens if either of us starts seeing someone else?”

Instinctively his body went taut. The very thought made the pounding in his head brutal. “We’ll work it out,” he said through his teeth.

Noah knew he was full of shit. She was right. There was no way he’d handle seeing her with someone else but at the moment he’d say anything to keep her from walking out of his room.

He brought his hand to his head and the concern was immediately in her eyes. “Are you dizzy?”

“A little
.
”

“Lie back down.” She fluffed the pillow for him.

He did but he wouldn’t let go of her hand. “Lie with me please?”

She did and he wrapped his arms around her as soon as her body was next to his. Spooning her felt perfect. This was exactly where she should be every night. “Roni,” he whispered against her ear.

“Hmm?”

“Will you stay here with me tonight? I promise we won’t do anything but sleep.”

He felt her go stiff and then slowly as he intertwined his fingers with hers and buried his face in her neck, inhaling the beautiful smell that was all Roni, she loosened up. “Okay.”

Telling her he loved her again was on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t care what she said. There was no doubt about it he was completely in love with her
and after feeling
th
e sincere reaction
that she was powerless to conceal
to his touch, his kisses
,
he was convinced now she
felt for him what he was feeling for her
.

One thing he picked up on loud and clear tonight was her fear. Fear of giving in to her
heart
. He’d have to figure out how he could persuade her that it would be okay
to give
in no matter what
fucking
stage in life each one of them were in. What they both were feeling was bigger than
any
of that. He may not know a whole lot about love, but Jack was right about one thing. The heart was forever inexperienced.
Roni proved that tonight. 
Despite their age difference and whatever stage Roni thought she was in
, no matter how hard she tried to fight it,
their hearts were in the exact same place now and that’s all that mattered.