Page 215
Noah
* * *
Dark falls over the April evening when I let myself into Lauren’s house. Quiet. Dark. Empty. Exactly as I thought; she left work and went straight to see her mother, Walter, and the girls. She had dinner there, then probably stayed long enough to help bathe and tuck Emma and Cass into bed.
When she gets home, she’ll find Mr. Mysterious waiting for her.
I glance at my watch. Almost nine o’clock. She’ll be here soon. I need to be ready to burrow my way into her body and even deeper into her heart the moment she walks in the door—before she has more time to reinforce her defenses.
After today, moving quickly and playing smart is imperative since I’ve made some very interesting observations. First, she’s jumpy around me. And the way she impulsively kissed me—and lingered over it—before jumping away guiltily… very telling. Her expression when I announced my interest in and intent to marry some random divorcée gave me broad hints about her feelings, too. Lauren tried to look unaffected, but seeing her face to face, she’s as capable of hiding her emotions as she is at suppressing a blush. In other words, not at all.
Putting all those clues together, I bet every dollar in my bank account that she’s aware of me, not just as a boss or as a pal, but as a man. A definite cause for a rousing hallelujah.
In the not-so-good-news category, though, is having to lie to her about being in love with another woman. If she fears I’ll leave her for some other female, I hate to add to her reasons to avoid me. But perversely, the lie will help her assume she’s “safe” from me. She’ll let her guard down and continue giving me hints that will help me win her over. When the time is right, I’ll absolve Lauren of the ridiculous notion that I have no sexual or romantic interest in her.
But there’s more bad news: her adamant declaration that she’ll never fall in love again. She’s lying to herself and trying protect her heart, I know. Convincing her of that will be one of my biggest challenges.
At least I understand now exactly why she’s resisting me. Every girl I’ve ever dated and bedded in my vain attempt to forget Lauren is coming back to haunt me. I can’t change the goddamn past, so I have to work with the hand I’ve dealt myself. She’ll soon learn that I won’t chase after someone shinier. To me, she’s as bright as a thousand suns, and I’ll do whatever is necessary to convince her of my sincerity and love.
With help from Mr. Mysterious.
After hearing her confession that being with her midnight stranger made her feel frighteningly connected to him, I could barely hide my smile—and my killer erection.
But very soon, I’ll grin like a loon as I introduce her to the iron hard-on plaguing me. I’ll connect with her in every way I can. Then, I’ll tell her that Noah and Mr. Mysterious are one and the same. By then, she’ll know we’re compatible on every level, and helping her accept the relationship will be a snap.
Locking the door behind me, I pull out a flashlight from my black bag and scan the house. She usually comes through the garage and laundry room into the rest of the house. From there, she could either wind her way to her bedroom via a path to the right of the stairs and through the kitchen, or left of the stairs, through the dining room. Sure, I could wait until she enters her bedroom, but my goal is to continually surprise her, keep her off balance, always guessing…and panting.
Striding to the laundry room door, I stare at my options, glancing both ways around the stairs in front of me. Dining room, I decide, striding through the formal area and to the front door, where I flip on the porch lights. Lauren will come this way to investigate once she drives up and sees those lights on.
Decision made, I stride back into the shadowed dining room and switch off the flashlight. Darkness closes around me, but I don’t need much illumination to set my stage. I drop my bag beside the silk ficus tree in the corner, place a few necessary goodies in one of the chairs lining the side of the rectangular table, then pull the head chair two feet away from the table before I work my way into the corner, behind the silk tree.
Then…I wait.
Lauren
I drop my keys on the counter in the laundry room and drag myself a few steps forward. I feel my way out of the room, too tired to care about the dark and too familiar with the house to bother with lights.
A faint cast of moonlight makes its way through the kitchen windows, illuminating my stairs. Frowning, I turn. When I drove up, I noticed my porch lights on. Did I leave them on last night? No. Maybe my mother stopped by with the kids earlier to pick up something they’d forgotten and turned them on.
As if my electric bill isn’t high enough…
As I walk through the dining room, feeling my way through the dark, I reach out to steady myself on the chair at the head of the table.
It isn’t in its place.
Peering through the dark, I spot the outline of the high-backed chair a couple of feet away. My frown deepens. First I find the porch light on, and now furniture out of place? Weird, especially since hardly anyone ever uses this room.
Awareness prickles along my spine suddenly. I swear I can hear someone exhale. The sound is ragged. Impatient. Or is that me? My tummy clenches. Goosebumps rise on my arms, getting bigger as my heart races faster.
Is it possible I’m not alone? Is Mr. Mysterious here, waiting to make good on his plan to ravish my body once for each bloom in that awesome bouquet I received earlier today?
At the thought, I brace myself on the chair. “Hello?”
No response. I didn’t expect once since I should be alone. But suddenly, I feel my mystery lover here. Yes, I’m tired, and it’s possible my imagination is overactive…but I don’t think so.
My heart races like it’s the final few feet of a hundred-yard dash as I head out of the dining room toward the foyer to turn on a light. I told him to leave Friday night. The man coming back… It’s not a good idea. If I let him, he’ll take my body and mess with my head.
I can’t allow that.
