Waiting for Midnight (4 page)

Her eyes went wide.  “For starters, you kissed me.  Not the other way around.  And…for reals?  You’re going to stand here and try and make me feel bad?  It was just a kiss, Noah.  It’s not like we’re dating or…”  She stopped talking.  The entire situation was getting completely out of control and as she studied Noah’s face, she could tell how every word she spoke was making him madder and madder.  “Noah…”

He crowded her in until her back hit the kitchen cabinets and then his hands went to her hips.  His gaze was hot and Maddie felt like he could easily devour her.

And she wouldn’t mind one bit.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” she whispered.  “I thought you wanted me to leave you alone.”

“So did I,” he said, “but it turns out I was wrong.”  And then he was kissing her.  Hauling her close so they were pressed together from head to toe.  Maddie went willingly and wrapped herself around him.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she shouldn’t do this, but Noah felt so good and his kiss was so consuming that she didn’t want to stop.

Noah’s hands gripped her hips hard before releasing them to start roaming up her back, into her hair, and then down to cup her bottom.  He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, and Maddie wrapped her legs around his waist as he settled her on the countertop.  Over and over his lips slanted over hers – his tongue mating and caressing hers – until she thought she’d lose her mind. 

When he released her lips Maddie gasped for air, and then sighed as Noah’s talented mouth began a journey along her jaw and throat.  He sucked where her pulse was beating madly and then gave it a gentle bite.  She jumped slightly in his arms but all that did was press her more firmly against him.

Sighing his name, Maddie reached up and raked her hands into his short hair and pulled his mouth back to hers.  Shamelessly she rubbed up against him and almost cried out with relief when Noah’s hands came around and cupped her breasts.  This was a moment she had fantasized about numerous times, and now that it was happening, she wanted to simply stop and high-five herself. 

But that would require breaking the kiss and moving away from him, and right now she didn’t want to do anything to ruin the moment.  She was just settling in to the feel of his hands teasing her, caressing her when he was the one to pull back.

“If we don’t stop right now, I’m going to take you right here on the counter,” he murmured as he nipped and kissed her jaw and cheek.

Maddie didn’t see what the problem was.  She was all for sex on the kitchen counter.  “Noah…”

“Do you want me, Maddie?”

Was he kidding?  Was he not getting that from the way she was pretty much wrapped around him and rubbing herself against him like a cat in heat?  “Yes,” she whispered.

Lifting her off the counter, he swung her into his arms and strode from the room.  She didn’t have to tell him where her bedroom was, his apartment was exactly the same.  He gently laid her down on the bed.  “Are you sure about this?”

Maddie couldn’t speak even if she wanted to.  Noah had peeled his shirt off and while her mouth went dry, she was wet in other places.  All she could do was nod.  That seemed to work because Noah kicked off his shoes and crawled up the bed and covered her body with his.

“That’s good,” he said, “because walking out of here, away from you, might have actually killed me.”

Over the next couple of hours, she did her best to make sure he didn’t regret staying.

****

Noah’s heart was racing – not out of fear.  Not out of panic.  But because the woman sprawled across his chest had rocked his world.  Without conscious thought, his hand skimmed up and down her spine, and he loved the whisper of a purr she let out.

This was not how he had envisioned his night going.  All he’d planned on was putting the containers on Maddie’s doorstep.  But when he’d spotted her in the parking lot with some guy – who was standing way too close – something in him had gone primitive.

Mine.

Noah knew it was ridiculous.  Maddie wasn’t his.  They’d been casual acquaintances who’d kissed.

Until tonight.

When she approached him on the porch, he’d snapped.  Self-control was one thing, denying what he really wanted without a good reason was another.  Yeah, yeah, yeah…there was the whole commitment thing, but maybe Maddie wasn’t looking for something serious.  Maybe she was looking to just hook up.

Okay, Noah knew he was grasping at straws.  They may not have talked about it, but he knew women like Maddie – and they were interested in committed relationships and settling down.

Little too late to take back what they’d just done.

Maddie stirred and lifted her head and looked at him with a shy smile.  Her long chestnut colored hair was in a sexy disarray and damn if she didn’t make him want her again.  “Hi,” she said quietly.

“Hey.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip.  “So…”

He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, saw it on her face.  She was probably going to ask “What does this mean?” or something to that effect. 
Dammit.
  If she did, he’d be willing to give her whatever she wanted simply because he was in that kind of mellow, relaxed – and satisfied – mood.  He waited her out – wanted to hear for himself what she had to say.

With her hand on his chest, Maddie sat up and secured the sheet around her.  “So…um…this was a surprise.”

He nodded.  “Not a bad one.”  It wasn’t a question.

Maddie shook her head.  “No.  Definitely not a bad one.  But…um…I kind of have work to do.”

Noah’s eyes went wide.  Seriously? Was she…was she asking him to leave?

“This was great…really great,” she added quickly, “but it’s late and I procrastinated on this report and need to work on it, so…”

In a flash, Noah had her rolled beneath him and the sheet pulled away.  “Are you kicking me out of bed, Maddie?”  His voice was a near growl.  This was a first – no woman had ever asked him to leave.  He was the one who normally got up and left.  And right now, he didn’t like being on the receiving end of the request.

Her eyes were wide and she squirmed under the weight of his body, and damn if it didn’t make him hard again.  “I…like I said, this was a bit of a surprise.  I wasn’t expecting…”

“Maddie?”

“Hmm?”

And then Noah said something he’d never said to another woman before in his life.  “I want to stay.”

A slow smile crept across her lips. 

It was all the answer he needed.

Maddie was humming as she crossed the parking lot and walked toward her apartment.  It had been her pattern for the last several weeks; since that first night with Noah. 

If anyone would have told her that her surly and standoffish neighbor was going to turn into her every fantasy come to life, she would have blushed and told them how she only wished it were true.

But now it was.

She was living the fantasy and it was fantastic.

With Thanksgiving only two days away, she was surprised how happy she felt.  Holidays were always hard, but after talking to Noah about it she found out he was going to be alone too, and they decided to have their Thanksgiving together.

It was perfect.

Some of the things she’d found out about Noah were that he did, in fact, know how to cook – but he didn’t enjoy it.  He enjoyed reading in his free time – mainly thrillers – and he was a sucker for all of the holiday movies and specials that were on TV that had been around since he was a kid.

Was it any wonder she was seriously already starting to fall in love with him?

Letting herself into her apartment, she shivered.  The weather was particularly cold for this time of year and it took a minute for Maddie to adjust to being inside in the warmth.  Noah was working late – he’d texted her earlier to let her know – and as much as she was disappointed and missing him, it gave her an opportunity to get caught up on some work.

It was funny.  For so long she’d lived by the same routine – work, volunteering, dinner for one and more work – and now that she’d been spending most of her nights with Noah, her routine was becoming less and less appealing. 

But that didn’t mean she could change it.

So she made herself a grilled chicken salad for dinner and ate it while watching a little TV, then changed into her pajamas and grabbed her laptop and crawled into bed.  It was early – earlier than her normal time to crawl into bed, but she hadn’t been getting too much sleep lately.

Thanks to Noah.

With her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, Maddie settled back on her pile of pillows and began reading the market reports she needed for her next article.  Most people would find the material boring, but to Maddie, it was fascinating.  This particular article was going to deal with the economy during the holiday season and being that Christmas was one of her favorite holidays, it was like a bonus.

“If only I had a little eggnog right now, it would be perfect,” she said quietly and settled in for a good read.

****

Noah was bone-weary tired.  Difficult clients and the three-hour drive home had been enough to push him over the edge.  Standing on the front porch, he contemplated which door to go in.  Maddie had given him the key to her place, but he had yet to use it.  It implied a deeper relationship than what he was willing to admit to.  He looked over at his own door and realized it held little to no appeal.

It was late – after eleven – and he had a feeling she may be asleep.

But it didn’t stop him from quietly letting himself in and locking up.  There was one small light lit in the kitchen and the door to Maddie’s bedroom was slightly ajar.

And the light was on.

He kicked off his shoes at the front door and silently padded toward the bedroom.  The sight before him stopped him in his tracks and made him feel a little weak in the knees.

Maddie was sitting up in bed with her laptop.  Her glorious mane of hair was up in a messy knot. She was wearing a pair of black reading glasses with rhinestones on them, and from what he could see some sort of black cami with tiny straps that showcased her breasts to the point of making his mouth water.

A guy could get used to coming home to this
, he thought and then stopped himself.  This wasn’t going to become an everyday occurrence.  He and Maddie were having some fun right now, they weren’t planning a future and the sooner he remembered that, the better. 

Maddie must have sensed his presence because she suddenly looked up and smiled.  “Hey, you,” she said softly.

Noah stepped into the room and immediately began unbuttoning his shirt.  He was going to ask if she minded that he was there, but the look of pleasure on her face had already answered the question for him.  “Working?”

“Kind of,” she replied and then gently closed the computer.  “I had some research to do and then I did some writing and then…” she shrugged, “I worked on my Christmas shopping.”

He chuckled.  Maddie had been going on and on about how much she loved the holidays and how much she loved everything that went with it – the cooking, the baking, the crafts, the shopping…It was exhausting just listening to her. 

“Shouldn’t you get through Thanksgiving first before you begin tackling Christmas?”

She waved him off and put her laptop on her bedside table.  “Please, everyone knows you really need to start your shopping in October in order to get everything you need.  Kiera and I will hit all the Black Friday sales starting at four a.m. and by the end of the day, I’ll be completely done.”

Noah looked at her with disbelief.  “As in…all done?  All of your Christmas shopping will be done?”

Maddie nodded.

“That would make me crazy.  I hate shopping.  Maybe I should give you my list and let you tackle that on Friday too,” he teased and then laughed when her eyes lit up.  “Are you serious?  You want to do my shopping too?”

“I would love it!” she cried and scooted up onto her knees.  “I love the challenge of crossing things off of a list and getting the best prices!”

Tugging his shirt off and tossing it on the floor, he worked on his belt.  “I think you’re a little insane but if you want to spare me the pain and horror of going to the mall, who am I to argue?”

“Good man,” she said and reached out and whipped his belt off.  When Noah stepped in close and put his hands on her hips, Maddie looked up at him and smiled.  “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.  This is a nice surprise.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  How was your day?”

Tiny alarm bells began to go off in the back of his mind.  This was all beginning to feel a little too…domesticated.  It wasn’t something he normally enjoyed and as much as he felt the first signs of panic twitching within, he forced it away and pulled Maddie closer until her breasts were pressed against his chest.

“It was good,” he said and began kissing her shoulder, collar bone, and throat.  “And yours?”

“Good,” she purred.  “Really good.”

Noah was only mildly curious about how her day had gone.  Right now he was more concerned with how her night was going to go.

His hands reached up and cupped Maddie’s breasts and gently squeezed.  Her head fell back as she sighed his name. 

He loved when she did that.

Soon his mouth followed the same path as his hands and he slid those tiny straps over her shoulders and down her arms until he had the garment pooled around her waist.   She cried out as he took one nipple into his mouth and gently suckled.

Yeah, he loved all of the sounds she made when they were in bed.

“Noah,” she said again.  “I need…”

“Tell me,” he demanded lowly.  “Tell me what you need.”

She made nonsensical sounds but couldn’t seem to form a word, let alone a sentence.

Capturing her lips with his own, he decided the rest of their conversation could wait.

****

As far as Thanksgiving dinners went, Maddie was pretty pleased with herself.  She and Noah had worked together all morning putting the meal together and getting everything prepped and in the oven.  There were several dishes she made that were her favorites and she was surprised when Noah had volunteered to make some of his family favorites too.

Once the food was taken care of and the kitchen was cleaned up, they settled in and watched the Macy’s parade, and then switched to football.  Maddie wasn’t particularly a fan, but it seemed like something Noah really wanted to do so she figured she’d check it out and see what all the fuss was about.

As the game wore on, he took the time to explain the basics of it and what was going on.  It didn’t make her any more interested in the sport, but it was nice that he was taking the time to talk with her about it.

When the turkey was done and all of the sides were ready, she looked at the food and began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Look at all this food, Noah!  We’re two people and we easily have enough here for ten!”

He chuckled and pulled her into his embrace before kissing her soundly.  “Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving.”  Then he carefully maneuvered her until she was seated.  For several minutes they each filled their plates and took their first bites.

“So how come you’re not with your family today?” Maddie asked a few minutes later.  Even though Noah had said he’d be home for the holiday, he never said why.

He shrugged.  “They’re living in Oklahoma now and it’s a lot of traveling to do for a day.  Work doesn’t allow me to take too much time off.”

The thought made her sad.  “They must miss you.  After you being in the military for so long and being deployed, I’m sure they would love to spend the holidays with you.  Why didn’t they come here?”

“I didn’t invite them.”

Something in his tone told her there was more to the story but she was afraid to get into it with him right now.  All she could say was “Oh.”

“What about you?  How come you’re home alone?  Your job is way more flexible than mine.”

The immediate squeeze of her heart was something she was used to and yet wished she wasn’t.  “I…I don’t have anyone to spend it with.”

Noah placed his fork down and looked at her.  He reached across the table and placed a hand over hers, a look of understanding crossing his face.  “I’m sorry.”

Maddie shrugged.  “It’s okay.  I’m used to it.  I normally spend the day with friends or sometimes I volunteer at the homeless shelter…”

“Now I feel a little bit guilty.”

She looked at him curiously.  “Why?”

“Because I’m taking you away from doing something for other people.”

Her smile started small but grew.  “Noah, this is where I wanted to be today.  Here.  With you.  I haven’t cooked a Thanksgiving feast in years – mostly people invite me to join them and their families.”  Another small shrug.  “I bake pies and bring them.  But this was a real treat to be able to make an entire dinner.”

“I’m glad,” he said and for the next few minutes they ate in companionable silence.  “So what time are you leaving in the morning to start this insane shopping trip?”

“Kiera’s picking me up at three-thirty and then we’re joining the masses to get our deals.”

Noah shook his head.  “I never met anyone who was crazy enough to join those crowds on Black Friday.  I hope it’s worth it.”

“Oh, it is,” she said excitedly.  “We actually start at Target then hit Wal-Mart, and then the mall.  Somewhere along the way we’ll hit Starbucks or something and grab some coffee, and we’re normally done by noon.”

“Noon?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yup.  We have a celebratory lunch and then come home and wrap everything up.”

“Wait a minute…you get up in the middle of the night, do all this shopping and then wrap it all today too?”

Maddie nodded.  “It is so rewarding to have it all done so I can have it under the tree this weekend.”

His fork dropped from his hand.  “You put up your tree this weekend too?”

She couldn’t help but laugh.  “Why do you sound so shocked?  We’ve talked about this!”

“No, you said you put up your tree after Thanksgiving.  I didn’t know you meant two days after it!”

“Oh, relax.  I don’t expect you to go and cut down a tree with me or anything.”  Well, she kind of hoped he would, but the way he was reacting told Maddie he probably wouldn’t. 

For far too many years, it was something she did alone – or had Kiera do with her.  But this year she had hoped she’d have Noah with her to help cut down the tree and bring it home and set it up.  She was getting a little too far ahead of herself and had no one else to blame.  When she looked up and saw that Noah was still watching her she quickly said, “Kiera and I normally go together and do it.  It’s no big deal.”

Picking up his fork, Noah finished the rest of his meal in silence.  Maddie cursed herself.  The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the day.  It was nice having him here and sharing the holiday.  The fact that she was looking at it in a completely different way than he was, was her own doing.  With some quick thinking, she found a new topic for them to discuss.

“So who do you think is going to make it to the Super Bowl?”

And just like that, they were done talking about families, holidays and decorating Christmas trees.  Noah definitely seemed relieved and for that Maddie was happy.

She just wished they were a little bit closer to being on the same page in other things.

****

By noon the following day, Maddie was ready to cry uncle.