“Yes.” I giggle when he brushes his nose over it. “That tickles.”
“I think I’ll explore every inch of you now. With my tongue.”
“Holy shit.”Chapter Seven~Reed~“Hey, Shannon,” Noel says to the barista at Cherry Street Coffee House. It’s the morning after the most incredible, mind-blowing sex of my life, and Noel was adamant that we stop for her favorite coffee before I took her home.
“Hey yourself,” Shannon says and winks, then looks at me with curiosity. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Reed. Reed, Shannon. She owns the place, and she’s an artist when it comes to coffee.”
“Trust me, Noel has sung the praises of your café pretty much since I met her.” I smile at the woman as her cheeks flush with pleasure.
“Noel’s just addicted,” Shannon says. “Now, what can I get you, Reed? I already know what Noel wants.”
“I might come here a lot,” Noel says as she laughs.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I reply. “And a cinnamon roll.”
“Oh, me too,” Noel says, nodding happily.
After paying our tab, I slip my hand into Noel’s as we wait for our drinks to be made. Shannon loads two plates up with the sweet rolls, warms them up, and before long, we’re carrying our breakfast to a small table in the corner.
Before diving into the pastry, I take a sip of my coffee and then look at Noel in surprise.
“Okay, now I know what I’ve been missing.”
“Told you,” she says, a smug smile tugging at her lips. “Best coffee in town. And we’re in Seattle, so that’s saying something. Also, I’m sure each of these drinks is about six hundred calories, but I don’t care.”
“Totally worth it,” I agree and dig into my cinnamon roll, then groan louder than I’m proud of. “Jesus, I’ll gain sixty pounds if I keep this up.”
“Totally worth it, remember?” She winks, takes a bite of her roll, and licks her lips, and I’m immediately reminded of how those lips feel on my body.
On my dick, thanks to a fun session in the shower this morning.
And just like that, I want her again. I’ll never get enough of her. I could have sex with this woman for the next sixty years, and it wouldn’t be enough.
But it wasn’t just the sex, which was mind-numbing. We talked. For hours. We discussed more about our families, and I talked about Piper. She explained why her new design firm means so much to her. It was the most physically and emotionally fulfilling night of my life.
It’s been a week, and I’m in way over my head.
But I like it. Since Piper and now Noel have come into my life, I feel more alive than I ever have.
And I refuse to lose this feeling. I’m going to marry this woman. Holy shit, I’m the consummate bachelor, the man who swore he’d never be tied down, and here I am, sitting here planning to marry a woman I just met.
But nothing in my life, aside from Piper, has ever felt so right.
“You’re frowning,” Noel says. “Do you not like it after all? You can save it for Piper. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“No, it’s great.” I reach over and squeeze her hand. “I was just thinking that I want to spend the day with you. I know you need to go home for a bit, and I need to go get my girl, but I’d still like for you to be with us today.”
She sips her coffee. I love the way her pinky curves out as she holds her cup.
“I just need to change and freshen up, so by the time you get Piper and circle back this way, I’ll be ready to go. What do you have in mind?”
“Actually, now that we’re allowed back in our home, I’d like to spend the day just hanging out. We can watch movies or play board games. Read. Whatever you want. I know all of that probably sounds boring.”
“Actually, a laidback day sounds good. But I’ll have to bring my computer because I have a couple of things to finish up. It won’t take me long, though. I can even do it while a movie plays or something.”
“Perfect.”
We finish our breakfast, bus our own table, and wave to Shannon as we walk back out into the cold. Winter seems to have decided to visit Seattle over the past couple of days, turning the damp air bitter and biting.
“You don’t have to walk me home,” Noel says, but I stick by her side, take her hand in mine, and push them both into my pocket.
“I’ll walk you home.”
“So chivalrous,” she says.
We both sigh in relief once inside Noel’s building.
“Which floor?” I ask inside the elevator.
“Twelve,” she replies and leans her cheek on my biceps as the elevator climbs to her floor. “I thought I’d be more tired today. After all, I think we only slept for about two hours total.”