Page 128 of Play On

I giggle at the idea of that. That might be worth a picture before I talk to him.

I grab my bag, double-check to make sure I have my room key, and head downstairs to the lobby. I take the lift down to that level and exit, finding it fairly quiet this evening. I walk across the white marble floor and scan the plush seating arrangements for Noah. So far, I see grouped sofas and wingback chairs, but no chair behind a plant.

Then I spot two chairs on the far edge of the lobby with a large potted palm between them. Ah-ha! That has to be where Noah is.

I whip out my phone and move around to the side. Sure enough, I see Noah sitting there, wearing a white dress shirt and jeans, one foot tapping anxiously on the floor.

I pause for a moment and take a picture, grateful that my ballet flats haven’t announced my presence like my heels would have. I wait there a second, staring at him, seeing if Noah picks up my presence or not.

Suddenly he lifts his head. And when he sees me, I’m rewarded with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.

I hurry over and throw my arms around him. Noah draws me tightly into his body, his hands skimming over my open back, his face buried into my hair.

No words are said. None need to be.

Because the way we are holding each other says it all.

I breathe him in, the sensual, familiar clean-citrus scent on his skin, and close my eyes. I could stay in his arms forever like this.

One of his hands slides up to the nape of my neck and tangles in my hair, then I feel his lips on the top of my head. I move back so I can look up at him, and I’m touched by the tender way he’s gazing at me.

“I have so much I want to say to you,” Noah tells me, his one hand caressing my back. I shiver as I feel his calloused fingertips glide over my bare skin. “I don’t know if I can find all the words to tell you what tonight has meant to me.”

I caress his freshly shaven skin with my palm. “You don’t need to say anything. I know.”

“No. You deserve all the words, Violet. You need to hear them from me.”

“You are going to make me cry,” I say, my eyes growing watery.

He smiles lovingly at me. “I don’t want to make you cry, but you need to know how incredible you are.”

I swallow hard. “You already make me feel that way, Noah.” I put both my hands on his face and draw his mouth closer to mine. Goosebumps sweep over my skin the second I feel his breath against my lips. “Maybe we can show each other how we feel before we talk about it. Because I’d really like to show you how much I love you.”

Then I kiss him. Right in the hotel lobby where anyone could snap a pic, I kiss him.

A soft groan escapes his lips, and my pulse quickens in response. I move back from him and brush my index finger over his lips, wiping away the red lipstick I have left behind.

“Let’s go back to your room,” Noah says, tightening his arms around me, “and we’ll compromise.”

“Compromise?” I ask, lifting a brow.

He smiles gently at me. “I’ll show you how much I love you. And I’m going to tell you whilst I’m doing it.”

Love for this man bursts through me.

“Only if I’m allowed to do the same.”

Noah answers this time with his lips instead of words.

Then he takes my hand in his and leads me to the bank of lifts on the other side of the lobby, ready to take me back to my roomand show me—with actions and words—just how much he loves me.

Chapter Thirty-One

Showing Up

I know the first time I had sex with Noah, it was different from any other sexual experience I’d ever had before.

But this time?

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