Chapter Fifteen
Lily pulled her brush through her hair, doing everything she could to not look at the laptops sitting on the dresser. It felt like they were taunting her with their secrets, but it was late, and she was exhausted. Besides, Noah made her promise to not work after she showered.
He was taking his turn in the shower, and despite the fact that her muscles still ached from the position on his bike that afternoon, she felt herself get turned on as she imagined what he might be doing then—all wet, with suds dripping down his massive chest as he rubbed a washcloth over his abs—
No. She wasn’t going to get herself all worked up, not when he wasn’t there to help her relieve the ache starting to build in her core.
The scene on his bike had been hot as hell, though. She was so glad he’d given in. She hadn’t even had to put much effort into persuading him. It’d been a little awkward, since neither of them had done it before, but the way he felt inside her, the way she rubbed against him, had made her feel like she was drowning in desire, and the awkwardness hadn’t mattered. She was pretty sure it was the same for him, too. They’d both rushed to their orgasms in record time.
Okay. Enough. That was the opposite of not getting worked up.
It was either stress over her work or think about Noah. But thinking about him didn’t mean she had to think about sex. It wasn’t like she was a sex addict.
Well, she hadn’t been before she met Noah. She was beginning to think she was turning into one now, though. But who could blame her?
Trying one last time to turn her thoughts away from that topic, before the tingles racing over her body turned to heat, she thought about the night before, when Skylar had been asking about her. She still didn’t know what he’d been about to say, but whenever she’d taken a little break during the day, she’d wondered about it.
She was going to ask Noah soon, as long as he didn’t distract her. She loved looking at his body, but hopefully he came back with pants and a shirt on, or she’d take one look at him and forget every thought she’d had that day.
Leaning to the side, she set her brush on the bedside table as she sighed, her heart going all hazy as she thought about Noah. She thanked her lucky stars every minute of every day that she chose to come find him. He’d changed her life in so many ways—more than she could count—and all for the better.
Glancing over at the table to necklace she used to wear, she gazed at Brandon’s wedding ring. “Thank you for him. I feel like you had something to do with this. Thank you,” she whispered.
Tears pressed against her eyelids and she inhaled shakily. She had no idea why she was suddenly so emotional, but she wanted to get it under control before Noah came in.
It was hard, though. So much had happened in such a short time. Finding Noah, becoming suspicious, joining him on the mission. Finding out that shifters existed and he was one of them, learning of the dragons, hacking into the auction.
The battle on the way home when she watched his lion fight a panther.
Falling in love.
It was a lot to take in, but she wouldn’t change one single moment of it. And if Noah would just ask her to stay, she’d never, ever leave.
Maybe it was stupid, but she felt like Brandon would have wanted this. That, somehow, he’d given her a nudge to go to Nevada and begin the epic journey she was on. She wasn’t sure how Noah felt about it—she hoped he’d let go of some of his guilt and misgivings. She thought maybe he had, because she only saw a shadow of it in his eyes from time to time. But she hoped, one day, he could let all of it go and maybe feel as she did.
Sniffing, she took a tissue from the table and wiped her nose. She’d forgotten all about the box of Brandon’s stuff she brought for Noah. So much happened, so fast, that it slipped her mind. But when was the right time to give it to him?
She didn’t want it to bring up his old feelings. Those were much better off in the past, and the last thing she wanted to do was remind him of them. But there was a letter in there for him from Brandon, and she wanted him to have it. She found it when she was going through the stuff Brandon kept from things they’d done together—MMA fights they’d gone to, ballgames they’d seen.
She just wasn’t sure when the right time to give it to him was.
“Are you okay, Lily?”
Jumping, she looked up to see Noah in the doorway, fresh from his shower. She’d been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized he was back.
Sniffing again, she nodded. “I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed as he closed the door and threw his dirty clothes in the hamper sitting in the corner. “Tears don’t seem like fine to me.”
“They’re good tears. Promise.”
“What were you thinking about?”
She hesitated, eyeing him as he walked over to sit on the bed in front of her. “I was thinking about Brandon. No, don’t look like that. It was a good thing. You said shifters can hear lies, so you should know I’m being honest.”
He looked doubtful but he finally nodded. “Okay. You’re right, I heard the truth in your voice. I didn’t think good tears were a real thing, but I guess they are.”
She smiled and decided to change the subject before he started doubting or worrying again. “Last night, when Skylar was here, he started to ask if I was your something, but you cut him off before he could finish. What was he going to say?”