Page 22 of Wild Desire

She tugged her hand out of my grip and was gone. As soon as the front door clicked shut, I swallowed the pills and put on the TV. I didn't last long before I was drifting off.

I dreamed of Noelle touching me. She seemed to be searching for something or checking for an injury. It was one of those dreams where no one talked. She was patting me down, my abs, my legs. Her hands were everywhere, and I was hard as a rock.

I startled when the door opened.

"Honey, I'm home." She winced when she saw that I was blinking away sleep. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you still sleeping?"

"I guess so. What time is it?" I ran a hand over my face.

"It's time for more pain meds." Noelle helped me to sit up, then handed me two more pills.

"Thank you." My voice was rough with sleep. I swallowed the pills. "I can't believe I slept that long."

"You did a lot this morning."

"I feel like an old man. A little PT, lunch, and shopping takes me out for the afternoon."

Noelle sat on the couch at my hip, her hand resting on my thigh. "You're healing from your surgery. You'll feel tired for a while."

Did she realize she was touching my leg? The heat of her palm seared through the material, making me want her to move it higher, closer to my dick.

"I'll put the groceries away while you clean up. I thought we could make dinner together before we see Christopher's race."

"You don't have to do that." It wasn't in her job description. I wasn't sure what my brothers had discussed with her. I kind of wondered if Noelle was supposed to be keeping an eye on me for them. I couldn't blame them for not wanting to hang out with my grumpy ass.

"We both have to eat." Noelle stood and held out a hand for me.

I placed my larger hand in hers and let her assist me to standing. She handed me the crutches, and I rested my weight on them. "Thanks. It has been easier having you here."

Before she started working, I was having to get up and get my own water and pills, which usually meant I went without, and when my brothers would stop by, I'd be in pain.

She smiled, her face softening. "You're welcome."

She went into the kitchen and began putting the groceries in the cabinet and the fridge. It was nice to have someone in my space.

Riley handled my business things and ordered deliveries, but she didn't put my things away or cook dinner with me. We didn't have that kind of relationship. I'd always kept people at a distance.

On some level, I didn't trust anyone to be there for me versus my fame and money. But it was different here with my family. I trusted them, and I knew Noelle was a natural caregiver. She was a hard worker and would do a good job to earn money, but she also cared if I was in pain. This wasn't just a job for her.

Noelle reached into a higher cabinet, and her shirt lifted, revealing a tantalizing sliver of skin. When she fell back to her heels, she caught me staring at her and tipped her head to the side. "Do you need help?"

"I got it." I wasn't in such bad shape that I needed her to assist me going to the bathroom. The shower was a different matter. I enjoyed that interaction a little too much.

I turned and made my way slowly to my bathroom. When I closed the door, I leaned the crutches on the counter and washed my face. I felt rested, but also a little groggy. The pain meds were kicking in again, easing the constant ache.

At one time, we were friends. I'd had no idea that she crushed on me, even though my brothers teased us about how much time we spent together. I had girlfriends, but there was so much acting going on when I was with them. They wanted me to be a certain way. They didn't really care about my training, only enough to brag that they were dating a star athlete.

But with Noelle, I could always be myself. Was that the case now? Or had that one kiss changed everything? I wondered what she would say if I brought it up again. Would she downplay it, saying it was a mistake?

I never got a chance to talk to her about it or even process what it meant. I hadn't seen her as a love interest. She was a friend and a teammate. It had been easy to talk to her, to discuss our hopes and dreams. I had no idea that she liked me as more than friends.

I hadn't even been able to think about the possibility because my hesitation and reaction had cost me everything. She ran away, and then we went in separate directions. I hadn't given her much thought except when I ran into her on visits home.

They were short enough that I didn't need to deal with the fallout from that kiss. We could ignore it. But now that we were going to be spending a lot of time together, we should probably get some closure on it.

Although I couldn't say what I wanted from such a conversation. The more time I spent with her, the more I enjoyed her company. I didn't want to make things awkward between us. Maybe it was better not to say anything at all. To pretend it never happened.

Tonight was about supporting her brother. I could do that. It would hurt to see my teammates compete without me, but Christopher was different. He was just a kid, and I couldn't wait to see Noelle's reaction to watching him from the sidelines.

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