Noah stares into my eyes, slowly sliding his hand into my hair and pulls my lips to his. He kisses me slowly, almost achingly so, and I want to fall into him.
After a moment, he sighs and says, “I don’t want to leave you here.”
I love the way he says what he means. He never leaves me to wonder, and if I ever do, he sees it and answers my concerns without a question asked.
I lower my chin to my forearm and whisper, “So don’t.”
Noah’s eyes grow curious, and I smile.
“I don’t have to crash your visit. You could take me home first, or I can nap in the truck. Get reacquainted with cafeteria food,” I joke.
Noah licks his lips. “You’d leave with me now?”
I sigh loudly, shrugging my shoulders. “I’d have left with you thirty minutes ago if you had asked.”
Noah grips my chin and my lips press together in a grin. “Go pack your bag, Juliet.”
I step back and pull open his door.
He looks at me like I’m crazy, dropping against his seat when I grip the steering wheel and haul myself into the cab, my side squishing against it.
“I’m a good camper, Mr. Riley. Everything stays packed and zipped up tight, so no bugs get in. Cam will grab it for me.”
He eyes me, halting me with a palm to my ribs when I try squeezing past him. “Just like that?”
I tip my head. “Unless you have a problem with me looking like a homeless person, whatever you decide to do with me, yes. Just like that.”
His nod is slow, his fingers spanning out over my stomach. He holds me there a moment, and then he lets go. I crawl into the space beside him.
Noah waits for me to buckle up, and once I am, he passes me my coffee. “Extra hot.”
“Just the way I like it.”
Noah smirks to himself, his hand falling to my thigh, and it only leaves the spot when absolutely necessary.
The drive is peaceful, full of laughs and stories, and once we do finally make it back to town, he doesn’t drop me off at home. He hops on the opposite highway, headed for his mom’s.
As we arrive, he jumps out and reaches for me.
“Not embarrassed to enter with a hot mess like me?”
“Psh.” He hauls me out, stepping back to get a better look, his smirk far too cocky. “You look better in my clothes than you do yours.”
A laugh pushes past my lips, and I shove him away, taking off ahead of him, but he catches up quickly, his lips at my ear.
“And the mark on your neck you thought I wasn’t aware of, we should talk about making it a little more permanent, hmm?”
My steps falter, and he leaves me with his airy chuckle, only turning back once he’s at the entrance, and holding the door open for me to step inside.
He and I walk into the building side by side, hand in hand, and when we curve the corner, stepping into his mom’s room, she smiles wide.
“I prayed you’d be with him today, and here you are,” she admits. “Come sit. There’s so much I need you to know.”
She reaches for me with her right hand, her working hand, so I let go of Noah’s and take the opposite chair this time. I glide my palm under her left one, my other coming down on top of it.
Tears brim in her eyes, but she blinks them away, her free hand covering my own.
I don’t look to Noah, I couldn’t possibly, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that his eyes are on me. I can feel the weight of his gaze. It pierces through me, searing into my soul, where I suspect a piece of him now lives.
“I like your sweatshirt. I think I recognize that one,” Lori teases, mischief in her eyes when my cheeks burn a bright red.
“Me too, but it’s kind of warm in here. You sure you don’t want to take it off?” Noah takes the place on her right, grinning wide when I pin him with an I’m going to kill you expression while subconsciously pulling my collar a little closer to my neck.
I give all my attention to Lori.
“Tell me the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to him.”
Noah laughs loudly, and his mom’s chuckle follows.
“You know, I hate to disappoint, but he’s never quite been the embarrassed type. A little quiet at times, but nervous or embarrassed…” She shakes he head.
I narrow my eyes on Noah, his grin still in full effect as he props back in his seat, leaning all lazy and gorgeous like. “No, I don’t suppose he was. He never does leave you guessing.”
“Growing up, his friends were his teammates, so each year, as kids got older or moved programs, the new incoming kids would become his friends. He never did much with them outside of that though. He liked to be home.”