Closing my eyes, I mutter, “Will I even use any of this in the real world?” Haley stretches, and it instantly makes me smile. Rubbing a hand over my stomach, I whisper, “Just eight more weeks, Haleybug.”
I hear footsteps come down the hallway, and then Noah walks into the room. He tugs off his tie and drops it on the foot of the bed before he crawls onto the mattress. Leaning over me, he presses a kiss to my mouth.
“How was your day?”
“Okayish,” I say, gesturing to the laptop. “How was yours?”
Noah brushes a hand over my stomach, pressing a kiss to it, then he answers, “Long.” He drops down beside me, then snuggles into my side. “I just want to shower, eat, and then hold my girls until I fall asleep.”
Lifting my hand, my fingers caress the line of his jaw. “Go shower while I get the food ready. We can relax afterward and watch a movie.”
Noah pushes himself up again. “Sounds good.”
I scoot off the bed and walking to the kitchen, I warm the steaks and vegetables I brought from the campus restaurant. I’ll have to learn how to cook at some point, though, but I thought I’d wait until I’m done with my exams.
As I’m placing the plates on the island in the kitchen, Noah comes in. The sweatpants he’s wearing hang low on his hips, giving me a yummy view of his abs.
He opens the fridge, asking, “What do you want to drink?”
“A tall glass of you,” I mutter. Noah lets out a chuckle, glancing at me from over his shoulder. “Just water is fine.”
When we sit down and begin to eat, I notice Noah frowning. It has me asking, “Is everything okay at work?”
Noah swallows the bite he took, then he lets out a sigh. “There’s a new receptionist. She started a week ago, and… she just annoys me.”
Tilting my head, I set down my cutlery. “Why does she annoy you?” I ask, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
“She’s not my assistant, yet every damn morning she brings me coffee. The way she looks at me makes me uncomfortable.”
My eyebrows dart up. “Have you told her you’re in a relationship?”
Noah shrugs. “Everyone at Indie Ink knows.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she knows,” I mutter.
Noah’s eyes lock with mine. “So I should tell every woman that crosses my path I’m in a relationship?”
I let out a heavy breath. “No, that would sound arrogant.” I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze. “I’ll bring you lunch tomorrow. Okay?”
A smile tugs at Noah’s lips. “That would be great. Saves me from having to deal with her.”
“I better not catch her ogling you,” I grumble, a possessive twinge in my chest. Then my gaze drops to his chest. “Cause only I get to drool over you.”
Noah closes the distance between us, pressing a hard kiss to my mouth, then he murmurs, “I love this side of you. It’s a turn on. Finish dinner so I can take you upstairs.”
Chapter 29
NOAH
The second there’s a knock at my door, I frown. Before I can answer, the door opens, and Olivia walks in with the damn coffee.
If we weren’t at work, I’d tell her to go to hell, but now that I’m the director of finance at Indie Ink, it changes how I deal with these things.
She’s halfway to my desk when I mutter, “I don’t want coffee. Don’t bring me any again.”
She smiles way too sweetly. “Everyone needs coffee. Besides, I don’t mind.”
“I mind,” I grumble, my frown turning into a scowl.
“I added extra sugar to turn that frown upside down,” she almost fucking sings, annoying the shit out of me.
The door to my office opens, and the second my eyes land on Carla, I’m up from behind my desk. I wasn’t expecting her until twelve o’clock.
“Ah… you can’t just walk in here,” Olivia talks down to Carla.
I move to Carla’s side, then say, “Olivia, meet my girlfriend, Carla Reyes.”
Olivia’s eyes widen with shock, and then her face pales. “I’m so sorry, Miss Reyes. It didn’t show that Mr. West had an appointment.”
Carla tilts her head, a look of warning tightening her features. “You’re not his PA, right?”
Olivia quickly shakes her head.
“Then I advise you to return to your desk because this is one ladder you will not be climbing.”
Olivia scrambles out of my office, and by some miracle, she doesn’t spill any coffee.
I follow after her, and shutting the door, I lock it before I stalk back to Carla. Framing her face, I crash my mouth to hers, and then I show her what a turn on that was.
Carla drops her bag to the floor as I push her back to my desk. Swiping everything to the side, I lift Carla so she can sit on the edge. “I love these dresses,” I say as I unzip my pants. “Easy access.”