Page 10 of Love Unexpected

Chapter 8

Noah

I wake up from the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years. There's nothing quite like a grueling thirteen-hour flight, sealing the biggest deal of my career, and then having the best fuck of my life to knock a guy out for a solid ten hours. Last night was unforgettable for multiple reasons, and I'm still thoroughly exhausted.

Emma’s soft breaths tickle my bare chest. Her arm is draped over me and her smooth legs tangled with mine. I watch her sleep and try to enjoy the moment before I’m forced to rebuild the wall I’ve so carelessly let crumble between us.

Slowly, I ease out of her embrace, careful not to disturb her. I take one last look at her, memorizing every little detail. The soft glow of the sun spills through the curtains, highlighting the soft curves of her face. Warmth fills my chest, quickly followed by pain. I knew she had feelings for me that I couldn’t return, and I still let things go too far. I was too weak to stop it at the time. Now I’ll have to hurt her in order to put us back in our places.

With a heavy sigh, I tread quietly back to my suite, wishing I could stay and sleep longer in her comfort, but knowing deep down, I will never let this happen again.

As soon as I step back into my own suite, I grip my hair in frustration and let out a long “fuuuuuuuck”.

“What did I FUCKING DO?” I shout out into the empty room, my voice echoing against the walls. The warmth I felt five minutes ago is now being replaced by a cold, hard, wave of reality. I just slept with my assistant—arguably the oldest cliché in the book. I was caught up in the thrill of the moment and had let the excitement cloud my judgment. I feel like a total pervert who just took advantage of someone who works for me.

Panic grips me like a vice as the horrifying realization hits me—I didn’t use a condom last night. The thought hits me like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, freezing me in place. I stare blankly at the floor, contemplating my options. She is a grown woman, Noah, surely she's on birth control. If she wasn’t, she would have stopped you, wouldn’t she? My mind reasons, before drifting to darker possibilities that knot my stomach. Unless she was purposely trying to trap me?

No, that's ridiculous. Emma isn't like that, she wouldn't do that. Shaking off the morbid thoughts, I know that I just need to confront this head-on. I’ll have to be a man and have a serious conversation with her, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. There's no way to skirt around this.

“Hey Emma, are you on birth control? Do you mind taking a plan B pill in front of me, just in case?” I practice thewords aloud, the absurdity of it hits me like a slap in the face. Yeah, because that conversation will go so well.. I’m so fucked.

Rubbing a hand over my face, I can still smell the sweet scent of Emma's shampoo lingering on my skin and hear the echo of her laughter ringing in my ears. "What have I done?" I mutter, pacing the room like a caged animal, I can’t stop my thoughts from spiraling out of control. A shrill and panicked voice in my head screams that I’ve crossed a line that I should have never even approached. Sharing lingering glances in the office and flirty "good mornings" was harmless. But to transform that into something real, something physical? That’s an entirely different beast.

I’ve never felt so out of control before. I’m a CEO, a man known for his calculated decisions and strategic thinking. How could I have put myself in a situation like this? The rush of desire and adrenaline was so intense, so blinding, and now I’m left with the bitter taste of

regret. When I’m around her, I become reckless and do things that betray my nature. I’m under her spell and I have to snap out of it.

Chapter 9

Emma

Monday morning finally rolls around and Noah and I are both back on the jet. The hum of the engines is comforting this time, reminding me I’ll be home soon. I’m desperate to be back in my own space and away from Noah, rather than in a suite right next door.

Sunday was pretty uneventful. I woke up to a cold, empty bed. I searched the counters and end tables for a note—nothing. Not even a text from Noah. I guess we’re pretending Saturday night never happened. Ouch. The rest of the day was a struggle. I spent the entire day going back and forth between the toilet and bed. The sting of being rejected by Noah made me feel even worse. His silence couldn’t be any louder.

When I went to the lobby to wait for our car, I saw him for the first time since our night together. We made brief eye contact and all he offered was a clipped ‘good morning.’ It felt more like a dismissal than a greeting. The car ride to the airport was painfully silent and awkward. Now, in the stark brightness of the plane cabin, I glance back at Noah. He’s sitting in the far corner, intently focused on his laptop. His jaw is tight and he’s frowning, the glow from the screen casts shadows on his face. Iget it, I can read the truth in his sharp features: he regrets what happened.

I’m a grown woman, I can handle the truth. But if he wants to be childish and pretend it didn’t happen, I can do that too. With that thought, I put my headphones in and lay my seat back. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on the music and ignore the aching pit in my stomach.

As the plane takes off, I can't help but wonder how we went from sharing a night so amazing to this chilled atmosphere. I'm so distracted in the hurt that I barely notice the plane level off. I’m too angry to be afraid of flying.

———

Weeks have slipped by since our trip, and still, Noah says nothing to me that's not work-related. I thought I'd be prepared for the silence, but the cold indifference he's shown is more painful than I want to admit. It's confusing, really. HE came to MY hotel room, kissed ME first, yet he’s acting like I was the one that crossed the line. We were two consenting adults, there’s no need to act like this.

Across the room, I catch Noah talking to a beautiful woman from HR. I pretend I’m focused on the papers spread out in front of me, but I can’t stop looking in their direction. She's laughing at something he said. Jeez does he sleep with all of his employees? Deep down I know that’s not the case, but jealousy is ugly and I can’t help it.

“Whatcha staring at?” Marcus appears out of thin air.

Startled, I slap my hand over my heart. “Jeez Marcus! You scared me!” I exclaim, trying to steady my racing heart with a deep breath.

“I think that’s guilt you’re feeling, not fear,” he teases with a wink.

“What do I have to feel guilty about?” I ask.

“For getting caught checking out my brother, of course," he quips.

“I was not checking him out! I’m just waiting for them to finish talking so I can ask him some questions...” I spew, surprisingly quick on my feet with this flimsy excuse for once. Nice save, I think.

---