When August Ends
“Holy crap. You didn’t…”
I put on my earrings. “I did. And he hasn’t even acknowledged it. It’s the most bizarre thing. It’s like my undies disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle.”
“Wow.” She laughed. “That’s so nuts.”
“Anyway…I just have to get over this.”
“Trust in fate. What’s meant to happen will. In the meantime, have some fun with Jared. You deserve it.”
***
As much as I appreciated Chrissy’s advice about enjoying my date with Jared, deep down, I knew who I had really dressed up for tonight. As I walked over to the boathouse, my heart thundered in my chest.
I’d told Noah I would stop in before my date. As I knocked on the door, I took a deep breath in, then exhaled.
I knocked a second time.
He wasn’t home.
Feeling disappointed, I wondered if I wouldn’t get to see him before I left.
Then his deep voice vibrated through me. “Quit knockin’. I’m not buyin’ what you’re sellin’.”
I turned around. “You scared me.”
My nipples stiffened at the sight of him. Noah had grease on his face and his T-shirt. A shimmer of sweat glistened over his forehead. He was dirty, but for some reason he’d never looked hotter to me. And my body’s immediate reaction never ceased to amaze me.
He swallowed hard as he looked me over. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he liked what he saw. His eyes landed on the cleavage I’d very intentionally created by adding extra padding to my bra. My breasts were already pretty big for my frame—a full C—but I wanted to show them off tonight.
“Why are you so dirty?” I asked.
That was a dumb question, but I didn’t know what else to say as his eyes continued to wander over me.
“I had to do some work on my truck.” He didn’t look happy right now.
“Is it all set?”
Instead of answering, he looked me up and down. “You’re not going out like that, are you?”
“I was going to, yes.”
“It’s too much.”
“I don’t look good?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just…too much.” He moved past me and entered the boathouse.
I followed him inside. To my surprise, Noah went straight to the cabinet and took out a shot glass. He poured himself a scotch and drank it down before slamming it on the counter. He was angry. Something about that was damn sexy.
“Can I have one?” I asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you shouldn’t be going out on a date impaired. You need to be alert.”
“One shot is not going to impair me. It’ll relax me.”
He repeated, “No.”
“Are you forgetting that I’m not underage anymore?”
His eyes traced over my body. “That’s painfully obvious right now.” He grabbed the bottle and put it away. “You don’t want to drink that shit anyway.”
“It’s good enough for you but not me?”
“It’s too strong.”
“Can I taste it?”
“No.”
“Why did you drink it if it’s too strong?”
He spoke through gritted teeth. “Because I need to take the edge off tonight.”
“Why?”
He refused to answer me, but his eyes told me everything I needed to know: Noah Cavallari was jealous, and he was finally coming undone.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
* * *
NOAH
Heather had painted on bright, fire engine red lipstick.
It felt like a knife to the heart for some reason. That look just wasn’t her. She was sexy as hell in that dress, but something about the lipstick bugged me, like she was trying to be something she wasn’t. That lipstick invited trouble. She didn’t need a drop of makeup; she was so incredibly beautiful without it.
I was doing a terrible job of hiding my feelings tonight. But it was either take that shot of scotch or swallow her whole. Taking the shot was the right thing to do.
She stared at me now with her beautiful blue eyes, her hair draped over her cleavage in waves. Her body looked too damn good in that dress, and I had the urge to kiss off all of that red paint on her mouth. Come to think of it, maybe another shot was in order.
I took the bottle out of the cabinet and poured myself a second but didn’t drink it. I needed to know it was there if I needed it.
“I’ve never seen you wearing lipstick that bright.”
“Chrissy lent it to me. Does it look stupid?”
“It doesn’t look stupid. It just isn’t you. It kind of hides your lips. Why would you want to do that?” All I want right now is to suck on them—lipstick or not.
I’d been in a funk all day, and this moment was the culmination. The offer on the property had put me in a strange mood. I’d been once again second-guessing whether I’d made the best decision in steering her to sell. It had to be the right thing, but anything that made her sad at this point really got to me. And now, watching her get ready to go out with some guy who was likely just looking for a summer lay had put me in a really shitty mood.
I was acting like a jealous prick. You’d think I was, well, her age—not mine.
Her voice barely registered. “Should I take it off?”
I was in a daze. “What?” Take off what?
“The lipstick.”
Oh, the lipstick. What the fuck else would she be taking off?
“Does it make me look like a clown?” she asked.
Instead of answering her, I walked over to the kitchen sink and ran some water over a paper towel. I squeezed out all of the moisture and came to where she was standing. I began to wipe the lipstick off of her lips. She remained still, seeming shocked. I could relate to the feeling. I had no right to do this. I didn’t own her, even though at times I wanted to.
When most of it was off, I dumped the paper towel in the trash. “Much better.”
She licked her lips, and I could feel my dick twitch.
“You think so?” she asked.
“Yes. You have beautiful lips. You shouldn’t hide them.”
But I don’t want them on anyone else.
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thanks.”
“Hang on.”
I walked over to my bed and reached under it for the camera bag.
“I thought you said you didn’t bring your camera here.”
“No, I said I didn’t come here to take photos, but I never leave home without my camera. You never know when you’re gonna need it. The sun is setting now. It’s the perfect lighting. Let’s go outside. I’ll take a few shots of you in that dress.”
“The famous Noah Cavallari is going to photograph me? I feel so special,” she teased. “Seriously, this is cool.”
Seeing the smile on her face made me wonder why I hadn’t thought of this sooner.
Once outside, I showed her where to stand but didn’t have to tell her what to do. She was a natural in front of the camera, smiling organically and laughing as I snapped away. The remaining sunlight cast a glow around her blond locks.
At one point, her hair was in her face, so I reached out to move it to the side and noticed my hand fucking shaking. I was seriously losing my marbles.
After I’d stopped taking photos, Heather asked, “Will you send them to me?”
My mind was still in a haze. “What?”
“The photos. Will you email me some?”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah, of course.”
“Are you alright, Noah? You seem out of it.”
“I’m fine.”
She looked back toward the main house. “I have to go. He’s gonna be here any minute.”
What are you doing letting her go out with this guy?
“I’ll see you later,” she said. “Thank you for taking the photos.”
She lingered even though she’d said she had to go. She was waiting for me to say something. But I couldn’t find the words.
We stood there on the porch facing each other until she stammered, “Have a nice night.”
Despite how much I wanted to stop her, I let her walk away.
The farther she got from me, the more I just felt…sick.
Suddenly, it seemed like the switch that had been controlling my sanity flipped.
“Hey!” I shouted.
She turned around. “Yeah?”
“Come here.”
She walked back until she was in front of me again.
“Why did you put your panties in my laundry?” I asked.
Her face turned as red as her dress. At a loss for words, she muttered, “I…uh…”
Taking a few steps forward, I stopped just inches from her. “If you knew how much it affected me, you wouldn’t have done it.”
She leaned in, just a hair away from my face. “I wanted to get a rise out of you. I wanted to send you a message without having to say it.”
I could feel her breath on my face.
Placing my hand on her cheek, I said, “You’re so fucking honest.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “I can’t help it.”
I looped a piece of her hair around my finger. “You could have just said they accidentally fell in.”
Her breath was shaky. “Yeah, but that would have defeated the purpose. I wanted you to have them. And I wanted you to think of me in them.”