Page 60 of Coming Home

A bemused grin flooded his face. “Even better. How would you like to see it in person? We could leave Friday night after you’re done at the clinic. Originally, I just planned on going up Friday and coming back Saturday after the conference, but we could come back Sunday. We could go out to dinner. We could?—”

“Have dirty hotel sex.” She wiggled her hips.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“It’s a hell yes.” She beamed. “You just gave me an excuse to go shopping after I’m done at the clinic today.”

“Speaking of…” His eyes dropped to the microwave clock. “…You have to leave in an hour, which doesn’t give me much time to eat.”

“That’s plenty of…” Her words faltered as he untied her robe, allowing the fluffy fabric to hit the hardwood. Her breath caught. “Oh!”

Noah lifted her, setting her on the edge of the counter. “I need to get my fill. I’ll be on a diet for the next six days.” He lowered to his knees. The rough pads of his fingers skated along her thighs, guiding her legs open.

“I would never deny you a last meal,” she moaned with the first flick of his tongue across her sex.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“But like all happiness, it did not last long…”~Louisa May Alcott,Little Women

Birthdays were always special in the Owens’ house. There’d be birthday cupcakes for breakfast. Dad made a special meal. The Wilsons always joined. Mom and Maura had been besties since they were teenagers, so it was not unusual for their birthdays to include both families.

Nat sank onto the plush chair in the sitting room. The old Victorian where she’d grown up featured a front sitting room, where entertaining happened, and a back living room that her parents called the TV room like they were Mr. and Mrs. Brady.

The ladies and Fitz lounged in the front sitting room. The humans sipped wine and munched on the contents of the cheeseboard Elle supplied. The pudgy pug snored on Nat’s lap while Lizzie used her big brown puppy eyes to implore her human grandma to drop the piece of cheese she waved in the air as she talked.

“I kind of love that in this family the men are in the kitchen while the ladies drink wine.” Elle grinned, sipping her glass of rosé.

Unlike Nat, the other three women in the room had serious culinary chops. Mom was the queen of the casserole. Maura never met a recipe she couldn’t make even better. Elle had someGreat British Bake Off-level baking skills.

Nat aced her MCATs. She’d carried a 4.0 GPA during undergrad. She could speak Spanish and knew American Sign Language. She was in the top of her class in medical school but not burning the garlic bread and not giving the family food poisoning–Allegedly–was beyond her.

“Ladies,” Noah drawled as he sauntered into the room with a blue vase of yellow chrysanthemums. “Happy birthday, Heidi.” He bent to kiss Mom on the cheek and handed her the flowers.

Nat’s heart squeezed at the gesture. As weird as the entanglement of the two families made this situation with Noah, warmth spread at how sweet he was to her parents. He always brought gifts when he came to the house, and not just on special occasions. Dad hadn’t shoveled his front walkway or driveway since Noah moved back to Perry. Noah, who lived around the corner from them, woke early after any snow, no matter how tiny the accumulation, and not just shoveled for her parents but salted their walkways.

“Perfect choice of flower for a birthday.” Elle tipped her wine glass toward him. “They mean joy and longevity.”

“I see all the flower talk with Janet for the wedding is paying off,” Maura teased, taking a cracker from the cheeseboard on the coffee table.

As Elle explained all she learned from her florist aunt, Nat watched Noah move around the room. First, he kissed his mom on the cheek. Then moved to Lizzie, scratching her ears. Much like Nat, the pit bull had a crush on him. Within the first fewpets, she rolled onto her back, letting him know she was open for all the belly rubs business.

Lizzie melted into his touch, groaning with canine pleasure.

As his hands stroked along her soft underbelly, his blue eyes drifted to Nat. Never had she been so jealous of a dog. Goddess, she wanted to push Lizzie aside and lay there, allowing his magic fingers to have their way with her.

“Natalie, are you okay? You look rosy. I’m worried you’re getting sick. You’ve looked like that most of the week,” her mom said.

Nat placed a hand on her heated cheek. “I think it’s the wine. Need to eat more.”

“Here.” Noah grabbed the cheeseboard off the coffee table and held it up to her.

Nat took a piece of gouda with far more sensual slowness than was appropriate. “Thank you.” She bit into the cheese, enjoying the slideshow of his throat muscles working and the dilation of his eyes with the languid lick of her tongue across her lips.

“Do you want more?” he murmured, a slight catch in his tone.

Goddess, did she. It was a little more than twenty-four hours since they’d feasted upon each other before saying goodbye.

“I’m saving my appetite for what I really want.” She bit her lower lip, tamping down the breathless quality of her voice.

---