Page 9 of Sacrifice Bunt

Chapter 3

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Zara

What had she been thinking? She’d kissed Noah in the back of the town car on the way to the hotel. She wanted to scream, cry, and then kiss him all over again.

She was afraid if she did it again, she’d never want to stop.

And that was a freaking problem. Noah was as good at kissing as he was at everything else, which was really fucking annoying.

Could this car move any slower? All she wanted was to be back in her hotel room where she could lock the door behind her, lie in her bed, and stare at the ceiling where she would definitely not be thinking of Noah Ashe.

Not completely true. If she were being honest, she'd say she wanted Noah on that bed with her with his head between her legs.

Yeah, that was more like it. She could only imagine that the man was very good at eating pussy. He seemed to have a knack for being good at things.

And boy, did she want to find out.

Again, no. She was not going to find out if his mouth worked miracles. She wanted to put him as far in the back of her mind as possible. She didn't want to think about Noah Ashe. She’d be happy if she never had to hear his damn name again.

She felt the car slow down and looked out the window, seeing they were back at the hotel. Before the car could come to a complete stop, she had the door open and was on the move. She walked as quickly as her legs would take her without actually running. Luck was on her side when she reached the elevators, and one was open. She was punching the button to her floor so hard that she thought she might break a nail. Before the doors closed, Noah slid inside next to her.

“Are you really running away from me?” he asked.

She stood silently, staring at the numbers as they went up. She was not going to engage with him.

“Zara.” The way he said her name, smooth and sexy, had her clenching her legs together. “You just kissed me in the back of the car, and now you're giving me the silent treatment. Real adult.”

That did it. Nobody got to criticize how she acted. She was the fucking queen of the adults. “Screw you, Noah. I wasn't the only one kissing in the back of that car.”

“I never said you were, but I'm not the one trying to pretend like it didn't happen.”

“What does it even matter to you? It's not like you wanted to kiss me. You just did it because I kissed you.”

His head whipped back like she hit him. “Are you fucking crazy? You think I didn't want to kiss you?”

She shook her head several times. She didn’t want to think about him wanting to kiss her. That would only lead her astray. “I'm not doing this. We don't need to talk ever again. The deal is finalized. Hannah will be back to being your agent, and you and I never have to be in the same room again.”

The elevator doors opened, and she ran out, turning left and heading to her room. She had her key card already out, hoping to open her door quickly. Before she knew it, Noah was there, flipping her around and pressing her back against the door.

His nostrils flared, and his eyes held so much heat. “Why are you pushing me away?”

She had no answer. Technically, she had several, but none came out since he’d shocked her speechless.

“I wanted to kiss you,” he said. “I want to kiss you again.” He dropped his forehead against hers, his breathing erratic and tickling her skin.

She knew what was happening. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to stop it or beg him to move along faster.

All the hate she could gather for him for all those years since that night of the fire was not really hate at all. It was frustrating because she felt something for Noah. The night of the fire, she’d thought she saw something in his eyes. Desire, want, need, and then before either one of them could act on those feelings, fire alarms were going off. Then, when she turned to talk to him, to thank him, he was gone, and that made her assume he’d forgotten about her in all the years since. He never spoke to her again or tried to get in touch with her.

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