Rivers shakes his head. “I don’t see how.”

Damn it. I can’t watch this.

I turn to Noah, pulling on his hand. “Come on,” I tell him. “Have you heard what you need to hear yet? We should go. Give them a chance to talk this all through.”

“Yeah,” he says, glancing back at them one more time. “That sounds like a fucking great idea.”

With that, we get up and I fumble around with my blanket and pillow before Noah rolls his eyes and scoops me up off the ground so I don’t have to bother unwrapping myself.

He makes his way into the tent and suddenly, the night that I’ve been dreaming about all day seems so far away. It’s not even my relationship that’s being discussed, but for some reason, I feel emotionally drained.

I let out a heavy sigh as Noah drops me down into our makeshift bed. “You ok?” he murmurs, coming down beside me and drawing me into his arms.

“Yeah,” I grumble, “that was just a bit…heavy.”

“I know,” he murmurs as I nuzzle my face into his chest. “Are you ok? That couldn’t have been easy.” I feel him shrug and find myself lifting my head back up at looking at him. “You want them to be together, don’t you?” I question. “That’s why you were pushing it so hard.”

“I don’t know, maybe,” he admits. “It’s just…you saw how he was looking at her out there. He adores her. I don’t know how I haven’t seen that before. No other motherfucker out there is going to look at her and treat her the way that he would.”

“They’re perfect together,” I agree. “I just wish he’d pull his head out of his ass and do something about it.”

“I don’t know,” he muses. “Rivers isn’t the kind of guy to easily change his mind. Once he’s set on something, that’s it. If he doesn’t feel worthy of her, then she might as well start looking elsewhere.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” I tell him. “I want them to be happy, like us.”

“I know,” he murmurs. “As much as it kills me to say it, I do too.”

———-

The sun comes streaming through the flimsy fabric of the tent and I peel my eyes open. It’s freaking cold but with Noah’s arms wrapped around me, it doesn’t seem so bad. Hopefully, the sun will do its thing soon and warm me enough to function.

We’re well and truly into winter now, so I guess it was our stupid fault for going camping, but with the promise of sleeping in Noah’s arms and a campfire, it really didn’t seem so bad. I didn’t take into account what it would be like waking up in a tent with no hot coffee or heating.

It’s not like it snows here, so I really shouldn’t be complaining. Others have it much worse, but still, my nipples are hard and it’s not because of the hand that’s currently cupping my tits.

I lay, nestled in Noah’s arms until the urge to pee completely takes over. I start getting up and Noah instantly pulls me back down to him. “Where are you going?” he says in his all too sexy morning voice, though, that isn’t the only morning thing he’s got going on right now.

I push out of his arms once again but this time he puts up a better fight. “I have to pee,” I tell him, the overwhelming need getting a little more serious than I can handle.

“Fine,” he groans, not bothering to open his eyes. “But you better come straight back. I haven’t heard you scream my name yet.”

Damn, that sounds good.

I make my way out of the tent and hurry into the woods before the threat of pissing myself becomes all too real. I give myself a metaphorical pat on the back when I manage to pee once again without destroying my clothes before waltzing back into the clearing and heading for our tent.

Movement across the clearing has me glancing up to find Tully dawdling back from the opposite side of the woods, probably after taking her own morning wee. She walks forward, still not having seen me and my eyes flick between her and the tent which holds the promise of one hell of a good morning.

Tully. Noah. Tully. Noah.

Shit.

I turn towards Tully and start heading her way. Her head finally comes up a few steps away and she gives me a bright smile. “Good morning,” she smiles, dropping down in front of the cooler and rifling through until she pulls out a bottle of water. “Want one?” she questions.

“Nah, I’m good,” I tell her as I take my seat from last night and poke a stick around the burnt out ashes from the campfire. The fire is well and truly gone but I can’t help but notice the lingering smell as I push it all around. “How’d you go last night?” I ask as she drops down in the chair beside me.


Tags: Sheridan Anne Haven Falls Romance