All I Need, page 10
part #1 of Haven’s Bay Holiday Series Series
I smiled, ignoring the heat flaring in my cheeks. “Well, thank you. That’s good to know,” I finally said.
Norma set the check down on the table. “I hope the food was good.”
“It was delicious. I’m so glad Noah brought me here.” She set down a paper bag containing the takeout we had ordered for Quinn. “I hope your daughter enjoys it too. Noah, you come back soon.” She squeezed his shoulder before she hurried off.
I looked over at him. “Norma and Norm?”
He flashed a quick grin. “Yup. Go figure. I guess it was meant to be.”
A few minutes later, we were back in the car, and he was deftly navigating through the late evening traffic when he spoke. “I hope you know how much you mean to me.”
His eyes flicked to mine briefly, the look there hot enough to singe me. It also held an intensity of emotion I didn’t know how to interpret. My heart thrashed inside my chest, and my mouth went dry. I swallowed, taking the moment to absorb his profile, the clean strong lines. I loved him. The pure truth struck me. It felt as if a bracing gust of wind lifted me, and my feet slammed to the ground as I stumbled from the force.
“What do you mean?” I finally asked, my voice coming out a little ragged.
His hand reached across the console, lacing his fingers into mine. “I mean, Sasha, that I’m falling for you. I already told you that, but I don’t think you believed me.”
“It feels rushed like it doesn’t make sense. I told you my life isn’t all fun and games. I don’t know how you can know that until there’s been at least a few teenage meltdowns, and I’m stressing about bills.”
His gaze slid to mine again, and he shook his head just slightly. “Sasha, we’ve known each other for years. Maybe we lost touch, but it’s not like this is fresh. I get it. We don’t have to hurry. I’ll wait for a few teenage meltdowns, and you can stress about bills. Although I wish you wouldn’t. If you need help—”
I cut him off fast. “I don’t need you to ride into my life and make it easy. It’s important to me that I can support Quinn and myself.”
“I know.” His fingers squeezed mine.
My heart kept pounding as we rode the rest of the way home in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, more of a potent silence.
When Noah approached the house, I said, “You could park in the driveway behind my car if you want.”
I felt his smile before I even saw it. Glancing over, I laughed when he said, “I was wondering if I still had permission. Quinn gave it to me, but you hadn’t yet.”
I was absorbing his words when he put his car in park and cut the engine. When he turned to me, the look in his eyes was fierce. My belly swooped, and need throbbed at the apex of my thighs.
He leaned over, palming my cheek as he brought his lips to mine. I literally felt electricity sizzle from that point of contact straight to my core. It pulled tight like a string as my body vibrated. His tongue glided against mine in a quick, sensual tease before he drew away.
“Quinn might be awake,” I said breathlessly.
“I can deal. Patience is a virtue,” he teased as I unbuckled my seat belt.
I laughed. “Your mom used to say that.”
I heard the click of his seatbelt buckle, and then his touch brushed against my hip. He lifted my seat belt so it didn’t tangle on my arm. The subtle gesture felt protective.
I had just gathered up my purse from the floor when the cold air washed in as he opened the door for me. Noah was that kind of man. He insisted on me getting over some things. I was so used to pushing through life and taking care of myself that it almost made me feel a little uncomfortable.
His hand rested on the curve of my spine as we walked up the stairs inside. Our footsteps echoed when we crested the landing on the second floor. The door across from mine opened, and Melanie peered out. “Oh, hi,” she said, trying to act all surprised.
I knew it was a ruse because she could see the driveway from her living room window. Melanie wasn’t very subtle and was absolutely nosy. I didn’t mind. It was good to have friends who cared.
Noah simply smiled. He had the kind of smile that put anyone at ease. It was gracious and polite with a hint of a twinkle in his eye. “Well, what a surprise to see you, Melanie.” He was going to play along.
Her eyes sparkled with her return smile, and I could tell she was enjoying it. “What did you bring Quinn tonight?” she asked, her gaze darting down to the paper bag held in Noah’s hand.
“A delicious new place. Well, it’s not new, but it’s new to me. It’s like an old British pub, and they make yummy meat pies and sandwiches. I should’ve thought to bring you something,” I commented.
“No worry, dear,” she said with an airy wave. “Next time we have lunch, why don’t we go there?”
“Perfect,” I replied.
“Good night,” she said. Just as she was about to close the door, she peered out again. “And, don’t worry, you can park there all night.” She winked at Noah before disappearing.
My cheeks were hot. I eyed him and mouthed, “Sorry.”
He smiled and pressed a kiss to my temple. A moment later, we were in my apartment. “I adore Melanie, but she’s nosy.”
“Sasha, I don’t care at all,” he said flatly. “In fact, I’m glad you have a good neighbor who checks on you.” We hung our coats and took off our shoes. “Quinn doesn’t seem up,” he observed.
I arched a brow. “Just because we can’t hear her doesn’t mean she’s asleep. Let me check and see if she’s awake.”
I walked down the short hallway, hearing the low hum of what had to be her phone or computer. She loved streaming things on her devices rather than watching television unless that was something we did together.
“Quinn,” I called through her door. “Are you hungry?”
I heard Noah’s low chuckle from the kitchen at the sound of her hopping off her bed and opening her door.
“How was dinner?” she asked cheerfully as she skipped down the hall and into the kitchen.
Following her, I offered, “Delicious.”
Noah was already opening the bag for her and handing it over. “What’s this?” She peered in and looked back up expectantly.
“A meat pie. Your mom said you like steak. It’s a British thing. They call it a pie, but it’s sort of like a pastry sandwich. Very old-school. They even make ones that have sweet on one side and savory on the other. Apparently, that’s what farmers used to take out in the fields when they were working all day.”
Quinn loved history and smiled brightly at that little nugget of information. “Thank you. Can I eat in my room?”
“Of course. Just put your plate in the sink after,” I replied.
“I’m not taking a plate,” she said with a saucy grin. “I already have water.” She glanced at Noah. “I’m only allowed to have water in my bedroom since I have a habit of spilling things. This is made to eat without a plate.” Sliding on her socks over to my side with the paper bag in hand, she pecked me on the cheek. “Good night.”
At that, my teenage daughter was gone in a flash, the sound of her bedroom door closing behind her punctuating the end of that interaction.
I was suddenly and unaccountably nervous. Although I had obviously been with Noah more than once by this point, this was the very first time I’d had a man spend the night with my daughter in the house. My few ventures into dating hadn’t ever gotten serious. I’d never actually brought anyone to my house. This felt oddly momentous.
When I met his gaze, his eyes softened. In another second, he was right in front of me, reaching for my hands. I was twisting my fingers tightly together, a cue to how anxious I was.
“I don’t have to stay,” he murmured.
I blinked and took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m freaking out.”
Tucking my forehead into the curve of his neck, I found his scent comforting. He was always warm and smelled a little crisp with a spicy hint underneath. As I breathed him in, I realized something. My comfort with him and simply telling him how I felt answered all of my questions. I didn’t know how this would play out, but my feelings were real and true. It felt as if I had tapped into a spring deep in my being, one I’d forgotten, with emotions rushing forth.
Noah was right. We did know each other, even if we were relearning each other and forming a new connection.
Lifting my head, I met his eyes. “No. I want you to stay.”
Then I took him by the hand and led him into my bedroom, across the hallway from Quinn’s.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Noah
My need had been humming through my body all evening. I’d been keeping it on a tight leash, but my cock was swollen to the point of aching. It didn’t help to have Sasha wearing a silky blouse where the top button was just low enough that I could see the shadowed valley between the soft curves of her breasts. At one point, she lifted her hand to brush her hair off her shoulder, and the silk slid to the side, just enough for my eyes to play peekaboo with the navy blue lace hiding there.
When the bedroom door clicked shut behind us, I spun her around and pressed her against it. There was a low hum in her throat and a little hitch in her breath, the sounds driving spurs in the flanks of my need.
Her eyes met mine, dark with need. “I think you have a thing for doors,” she murmured, her tone sultry and teasing.
I shook my head, dipping low until my lips brushed over hers as I answered, “It’s not the doors. It’s you. You make me too impatient to get much farther than the door.”
I could feel the heat of her arousal at the apex of her thighs as I pressed flush against her and fit my mouth over hers. I needed this kiss on a cellular level. Raw, pure, elemental desire was sizzling through me and scrambling every synapse in my brain.
Sasha met me with bold, teasing strokes of her tongue, the little sounds in her throat driving me absolutely fucking wild as our kiss went deeper. I devoured her mouth, laying claim to it with as much fervor as I wanted to love her. By the time our lips broke apart, we were both breathless, gasping for air.
Sasha blinked up at me, pressing a palm to my chest, just over my heart. “We’re going to have to keep the volume down,” she whispered.
While her words weren’t intended to be sexy, her throaty, husky voice was. My hips rocked against hers, restless to slake the pressure of my arousal.
“Okay,” I murmured, reluctantly stepping back from her bedroom door.
I had just enough sense to dimly realize that the door was the closest to Quinn’s bedroom across the hall. As much as I wanted to take Sasha right then and there, maybe a few extra feet were warranted.
Sasha shimmied out from between me and the door, catching one of my hands in hers as I turned. I took in her bedroom. There was nothing remarkable about it, except that it was hers. My gaze took in a queen-sized bed piled high with pillows and a fluffy silvery-gray down quilt. A square purple rug lay on the hardwood floor at the foot of her bed with a dresser to one side and a small night table on the other.
On the wall hung a photo of Haven’s Bay. Maine’s rugged and beautiful coastline showed off in Haven’s Bay with rocky cliffs on one side that shifted to a sandy beach on the other. It was a sunset photo, and the shimmer of red, orange, and gold in the sky was reflected in the water in the bay. The boats in the harbor looked stately and beautiful under the setting sun.
“Haven’s Bay,” I murmured.
Sasha nodded. “I always loved that photo.”
The brief respite from the need galloping through me ended when she gave my hand a little tug. When I turned to face her, she leaned up, and this time, she took the lead with another kiss. I forgot where I was. Hell, I forgot everything but the feel of her lips and tongue teasing mine. In a hot second, her naughty fingers unbuttoned my jeans, and her silky palm dipped into my boxers. She shoved my jeans down just enough for my cock to spring free.
In another fiery second, her silky palm curled around my length, and my cock leaped under her touch. She murmured something, and I felt her thumb sliding over the tip, which was slippery from the pre-cum already dripping out of me.
Fuck me. Sasha had no idea just how completely she held me in her thrall. Heat blazed through me, the snapping fire engulfing me when she knelt, and I felt her warm mouth close over my thick crown. My hand tangled in her hair when she sucked me in. I gasped her name. She lifted her head long enough to say, “Be quiet.”
Jesus. Taking orders from Sasha was easy, except that one. I had to grit my teeth to contain the raw pleasure trying to rip loose in my throat. She sucked me in again and pumped me lightly in her grip, her fist slick from her mouth.
Scrambling to get some control, I tugged lightly on her hair where I’d laced my fingers. She lifted her head, and I bit out, “I need to be inside you.”
Our clothes came off in a blur, tossed this way and that on the floor. A moment later, Sasha was shimmying back on the bed, and I caught her ankle lightly. She froze, her eyes locking with mine when she looked up. She was naked, her breasts rising and falling with the rapid gusts of her breath. Her nipples were tight little peaks, dusky deep pink under the light cast from a lamp beside her bed. One of her knees had fallen out to the side, and I could see her pussy—pink, glistening, and swollen.
My cock throbbed. I had wisely already rolled a condom on as soon as I kicked my jeans off. “I need to taste you,” I murmured, my voice low, almost guttural.
I slid my palm up her thigh, savoring as her other knee fell to the side when I leaned over. I breathed in her scent—musky, sweet, and salty. I licked into her, once and then again. She cried out, her hips rolling into my mouth. I lifted my head just as I sank two fingers inside her core. She let out a moan.
“Be quiet,” I parried her words back at her.
“Noah,” she pleaded. “Please, I need you.”
Well, when she said it like that, there was only one thing to do. I rose, the mattress giving under my weight as I came down over her. Propping myself on my elbows, I brushed her tangled hair away from her face and kissed her as the tip of my cock teased at her slippery wet entrance.
She gasped into my mouth. I sheathed myself in her silky, clenching heat in one slow slide until I was buried to the root. Her pussy rippled around me, and I almost came. I clenched my teeth and dragged my eyes open. I needed to see her.
“Noah,” she panted, her hips bucking against me. “I need—”
I drew back and thrust forward in one swift surge, filling her completely and savoring her raspy cry. She bit her lip to try to stay quiet. A few more strokes, and I could feel her climax coming as her body began to tremble and her channel clamped tighter and tighter around me. My release was threatening, sizzling like lightning and fire at the base of my spine as my balls tightened.
My name came out in a choked cry as she shuddered roughly when I buried myself once more. Then it was all over but for the shudders of my own body and my release rolling through me in waves. I was spent by the time it was over and collapsed against her. I shifted quickly, rolling so she rested half on top of me.
We lay there together, my heartbeat echoing through my body as my breath slowed. Sasha’s skin was damp against mine, and I sifted my fingers through her hair.
I did not want to leave her side, but I had to ask the question.
“Should I go for the night?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Sasha
I felt boneless as pleasure continued to ping through my body. I heard the rumble of Noah’s words against my ear where I lay on his chest. It took an effort to lift my head. I curled my hand into a fist and rested my chin on it. His eyes were intent as they searched mine.
“Is that a responsibility question?” I asked. His brows hitched up. “That’s what I say to Quinn when she’s asking me something about being responsible,” I clarified. “I don’t want you to go. Do you feel like you should because Quinn’s here?”
He shook his head. “Not really, but if you thought so, then I would drag my ass out of this bed, kiss you good night, and very reluctantly leave.”
His answer delighted me, and I giggled, dipping my head and pressing a kiss in the divot at the base of his throat. “I think she can handle tonight. Plus, that gives us more time.”
When Noah’s lips curled into a slow smile, my belly flipped, and my heart felt exposed. This man slayed me in more ways than one.
“More?” he prompted.
“Yes, more.”
What began as a teasing moment, suddenly felt deeply intimate. I knew the surface of our words was about sex and the chemistry that felt like a fire bomb in the sky, but the undercurrent was all emotion. I was falling so deeply for this man that I didn’t know what to think. I feared my efforts to take it slow and do something like a sensible adult were all for naught.
“It’s more, and that’s all that matters,” he murmured, his words spinning around my heart and cinching tightly.
And so it was that Noah fell asleep beside me with my daughter across the hallway for the first time in my life. It felt exactly right. And that terrified me.
When I woke the next morning, I heard the shower running and smelled coffee. I wondered if Noah had left already. For a split second, I wondered if the night had been a dream. We’d fallen asleep together. Later, I’d woken up with him curled up behind me and felt the hot press of his arousal against my bottom.
He’d teased me to another climax with his fingers before lifting my thigh and sliding into me from behind. He’d fucked me slowly in the darkness, unraveling me until I trembled with pleasure and had to bury my cries in the pillow.
When I moved after waking, I felt the twinges of soreness, of being loved so thoroughly. When I stretched my arm out to the side, the sheets were still warm, so I knew he’d only recently gotten up, perhaps moments earlier.
