Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(25)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“I can’t I’m too excited. We should go out to celebrate. Want to hit a bar or something?”

“No! I just told you that I’m beat. I’m hitting the sack. You want to go out and party, I ain’t goin’ to stop you.” Her hyper mood was annoying.

“I’m too wired to stay in.” She started pacing around.

I plopped down on the bed and watched her lurking. “I know a way to tire you out.”

A shoe. She tossed a shoe at me. “Stop it with that mess. It’s not happening.”

I put a pillow over my head. “Goodnight then.”

I waited until she walked out of the room before calling my cousin. I didn’t want her hearing the two of us get into it, if it came to that.

It rang five times before the voicemail picked up. “Hey, it’s me. I just turned my phone back on. Call me.”

With no success and a day’s worth of driving and then everything else I was too tired to do anything else. Sleep came easy.

Shalan

I was in the big city, a place I’d only dreamed of visiting. It was bright and busy, just like I’d always pictured it to be. Cabs lined the road, which was strange in itself. We didn’t have cabs in my town, and the sound of car horns after midnight was astounding to me.

It was a shame that Noah was being such a party-pooper. Obviously he didn’t appreciate what being in New York City meant to me. Not to mention the fact that we’d nail ourselves a gig without even trying.

It amazed me how easily I’d agreed to do it, almost like my mother was pushing the decision because she knew I was too scared. At any rate I knew it was my only chance. I had one shot to make an impression and it had to be the best one I’d ever make.

I still couldn’t believe it.

One day ago I’d been living with my cheating-piece-of-shit boyfriend, believing every word that came out of his mouth. One day ago I’d met Noah, the handsome man who’d come in for a meal and gotten so much more. I didn’t mean to be such a burden on him. He hadn’t told me much about himself, but I knew he was running from his family for some reason, and I wish he knew me enough to tell me why.

It was just like a man to want to sleep with me without expecting to get to know me first. I often wondered if I had some invisible sign that only men could see, offering them a free piece of ass.

Then again, Noah seemed different. All sexual innuendos aside, he’d saved my ass more than once, and also paid for my meals, and had given me a place to sleep. I had to be grateful, even if he was trying to get into my pants. It didn’t hurt that he was so damn fine. I mean, the guy was all country, born and bred to wear dungarees and boots. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t own a cowboy hat.

Still, if that manager hadn’t pulled us aside I don’t know what would have happened. In that moment I wanted him. I wanted to know what it felt like to have his lips on mine, and his hand touching parts of me that I reserved only for very few people. The invite to sing had been a wake-up call for me. I needed to stay focused. Noah and I were still strangers. In a few days he’d move on, and I’d be left with my piss-poor excuse for a life. Singing anywhere in New York was an opportunity. It was probably going to be the only one I ever got, so I was determined to make sure it was perfect.

After walking for only five minutes I’d been approached for loose change twice. The further I got from the hotel, the more shady people seemed.

Most of the businesses were closed, since it was so late. The ones that were open were filled to capacity with drunk and obnoxious people.

Since I had less than ten bucks left from Noah’s tip, I didn’t have many options as to where to go. What sealed my decision to head back to the hotel was a guy running out of a building, followed by three cops with batons out. I looked around at all of the people around me and they seemed to not even be fazed. It scared the hell out of me, so much so that I turned right around and walked back to the hotel.

I found Noah sleeping soundly on the bed next to mine. He’d taken off his shirt, and even one glance made me feel hot and bothered. I couldn’t stop looking at his sculpted chest and wondering what it would be like to crawl on top of him and start something.

From his advances earlier, and the way he’d picked on me, I knew he’d go for it. It was my conscience keeping it from happening. Even though I’d never have to tell anyone that I’d hooked up with a stranger, I’d still know it happened, and it wasn’t something I thought I could live with.

Then I thought about that word – stranger. Was he a stranger, or a new friend that I happened to meet at one of the lowest points in my life? That question intrigued me. I was certain of one particular fact about it. If our circumstances were different I would have been doing anything to be with him. Pickings were slim in my town, and he was unlike any other man I’d ever laid eyes on.

When he opened his eyes it startled me. I turned away even though I knew he’d caught me. “You still up?” He stood and walked into the bathroom, not even closing the door when he started to urinate.

“I went out.” I started removing my shoes and watched as he walked back to the bed.

“Guess you didn’t get mugged. That’s always a good thing.”

Right in front of me, in between the two beds, he dropped his jeans. Standing there in only his boxers, he let me take him in before smiling and climbing back into bed.

“Yeah, it was pretty scary. I’m not used to it.”

“Well, if you get scared again, you can always climb in here with me.” He chuckled and rolled over, letting me know he was going back to sleep, even without giving me a second to reply.

I wasn’t sure if I hated when he was cocky, or loved it. The sweet side of me wanted to feel violated when he made those comments. The other wanted to crawl under those covers and make him forget about every other woman he’d ever been with.

“Goodnight, Noah. Thanks again for this.”

I tugged down my jeans, since his back was turned to me. We were both adults and he’d obviously seen a woman before. Being in my underwear was exactly like wearing a bathing suit. I had nothing to feel ashamed of.

Well, that’s how I felt before he turned around and got an eyeful. “I wasn’t kiddin’ about sharin’ a bed.”

I climbed into the cold bed next to his. “You and I both know what will happen if I get into that bed with you.”

He sat up, leaning on his elbow. “What’s that exactly?”