Back to Me (Carolina Rebels 1)

Noah whips me around. His face is so serious, it causes me to laugh harder. He crashes his lips to mine, his tongue sliding into my mouth. His kiss is so deep and consuming. “Tell me,” he demands.

“Noah Ramsey,” I breathe.

“Are you done relaxing in the jacuzzi?” I nod. “Good. If I’m going to fuck you, I’m going to need more room.” When I stand to get out, Noah runs his eyes up my body. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

“I’ll make sure you go happy and satisfied.” I step out of the tub and head out to the main room. “Going to be hard to do, though, if you don’t join me.”

I grin when I hear the water sloshing.

Physical therapy is a pain in my ass. My new therapist seems okay. However, since it’s been a few days since my last session, my shoulder has been sore and achy. I haven’t said a word about it, though. It needs to be somewhat prepared for any activity I do when I start my new job. I’ve played through pain before. That’s one reason why my shoulder became as bad as it did. I tried to ignore the pain and weakness until I couldn’t any longer.

The tear was the biggest my doctor had seen. Surgery was the only option. Getting into a car accident so soon afterward set me back by damaging it again. It seemed like my life started having setbacks one after another. So many things have changed as a result.

For example, I’ve never considered myself needy. Reassurances are great, but I never thought I needed them. Never did I wonder if I was capable of something. Never did I want someone to tell me that I was capable, that I could do it, and that I would do well.

But here I am, the night before I start my new job, and I’m having problems. This is my first night in his apartment without him lying in bed next to me and so far, I don’t like it. See? Example one of being needy. Example two is that I fear I’m going to fail at being an assistant coach, and the only thing I want right now is the person who is in another state because he had a preseason game.

I want to call Noah, but I hesitate. He’s not used to this me. The me who had her confidence and self-worth shaken by Vance on top of a potentially career-ending injury. My life seemed to be over. He drilled into me that I was an idiot to think I had a part in the tennis world without the ability to play, and he assured me that I had lost that. Even though there’s more to this coaching position than that, I can’t help but wonder what the hell they were thinking in hiring me.

And being by myself while Vance was away never made me feel as lonely as I do right now. I never missed him this much. Granted, there’s a huge difference between Noah and Vance, but even with other, nicer boyfriends, it was never like this.

My phone rings and I scramble from Noah’s side of the bed, because yes, I was lying over there since I miss him, to the other nightstand to grab my phone.

“Hey,” I answer.

“Miss me yet?”

“Only a little,” I lie, settling into his side of the bed again. “When are you coming home?”

Noah laughs. “That’s the kind of question someone who missed me a lot would ask.”

“Fine. I miss you like crazy. When are you coming back?”

“We’re flying out tomorrow night after the game. It’ll be late when I get home.”

Ugh. I need to get myself together. Noah’s job requires him to travel, so I need to get used to this, especially if I do return to the game. I need to figure out how to undo what Vance did because then I’ll be able to handle this a lot better. Yet, I still find myself saying something because I need to hear him say it. “Usually when someone tells you they miss you, the other person says they missed them too.”

There’s the briefest of pauses. “I’ve missed you, Mere.”

I relax a little more. “Good. I’ll sleep naked tomorrow night and you have permission to wake me when you get home.”

Noah groans. “Don’t torture me.”

“I’m not. Just giving you something to look forward to.”

“Mission accomplished. Are you ready for tomorrow?”

“Not really. I’m nervous. They had to be high or idiots to hire me, right? It doesn’t make sense.” It’s truly baffling.

Noah laughs. “Baby, I don’t think it’s good to say your boss was high or an idiot to hire you. You have tons of experience as a player, and lots of coaches used to be players. They’re not going to just throw you into the lion’s den. They’ll help you.”

Not so sure Erica is going to be very helpful by how many glares she threw my way when she saw me after the interview. That’s not what holds me silent, though. He called me baby. A shudder runs through me because when I think that word, it’s not in Noah’s voice. It’s in Vance’s.

“You there?” he asks, his voice back to being serious.

“Did you call me baby?”

There’s a pause, but then he says with confusion, “Yeah, I guess so. You don’t like that?”