Page 14 of Til Divorce Do Us Start

A second later she squeaks and every hair on my body stands up. I almost glance over my shoulder, but take a slow breath. “Are you dressed?”

“Just ... drink your coffee and keep your eyes that way,” she orders.

“Can’t even manage a towel. Is that why you get so pissy about-”

“I already have a migraine. Sush,” she warns.

I shake my head, then glance at her body barely covered in her towel as she hurries to her room. The perfect bottom curve of her left ass cheek is fully on display. Then she shuts her door with the towel in it and lets out a frustrated sound, making me chuckle.

After another sip of coffee, I put out a bottle of Excedrin, then head to my home office and get to work. I don’t need to tempt myself. Even if her temper is almost ... cute. It’s reassuring for some reason that I can’t explain.

The next few days are easy. Mostly because Noelle has events to go to. I make dinner that’s too much for me, shove it in the fridge, and leave a note on the white board she put onthe fridge. Every morning I find the white board blank and she grumbles at me for ruining her running grocery list.

Then Thursday happens. My day in the field. That’s how I find out one of my managers has quit. Her team doesn’t know where to go today, is overwhelmed, and no one has answers because they all have their own jobs.

Which means I’m suddenly the manager. I don’t normally mind working in the field, but it’s exhausting. Ten hours of moving pavers, digging to install fountains, checking soil, giving quotes, making sure planting is going well, and time in the sun.

I’m ready to collapse the second I get home. After a quick shower, I pull on a pair of pajama pants and drop onto the couch, letting my head fall back over the edge with a groan.

“You were gone all day,” Noelle snaps, appearing out of nowhere. “You leave notes about leftovers but not when you’re disappearing?”

“Take it up with customer service or the manager that quit without warning,” I growl.

Silence greets me, then I feel fingers across my bare shoulder. I shake my head. Noelle sighs. “Bad day?”

“Are you going to tell me I deserve it?”

“No,” she whispers, sliding her hands over my skin and massaging slowly, gently, working her fingers into my tight muscle. “You’re a little red. I have an aloe- based lotion that will help.”

I blink a few times. “Don’t hurt yourself being nice.”

She digs her nails into me, making me grunt. Then her lips graze my ear. “I’m normally nice, you just make it impossible. I’m sure you got everything done at work and used up all your prickliness and need to boss people around.”

I almost smirk, but her fingers keep unknotting my muscles, hot and warm and perfect. I press into her hands. “That feels good.”

“You’ll kill me with your compliments,” she whispers. “Seriously though, is everything okay at work?”

I talk for a bit, expecting the usual eye-roll or interruption—but Noelle listens. Really listens, with a level of focus that catches me off guard. She even suggests a few options, like promoting from within so I can skip the endless interviews sheknowsI hate.

Every word that leaves her mouth is proof she’s been paying attention—not just to my business, but tome.What I like, what gets under my skin, what I avoid when I’m irritated.How the hell does she know all that?

It’s easy to melt into her. Every touch pulls the tension from my body, every brush of her skin feels like a slow recharge I didn’t know I needed. Her voice, usually sharp, is soft now—calming. Grounding.

I’ve neverreallyseen this side of her. Not like this.

Though… maybe Ihad, once. That night ten years ago, there were flashes of it. Moments where I thought she might be more than the chaos and fire she threw around like armor. I just never let myself believe it was real—never let myself trust that what I saw wasn’t a fluke.

But now, with her like this...

“You know what you’re doing, Colin. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have the business you do. Trust your gut and you won’t go wrong ... at work at least,” she grumbles.

I lean back and catch her teasing smile. I stare at her as her hands slowly slide over my collar bones. I don’t feel hermassaging anymore. She’s just staring at me, her face slowly blushing, eyes soft and warm.

She looks so damn kissable. Noelle sucks her bottom lip as she stares at my mouth. My throat tightens. It would be so easy to kiss her. She leans into me until her breath catches on my lips. I lick my top lip as my lower belly tightens, telling me I’m more than half hard.

I feel my pulse across my skin as her hands continue over my chest.

“Noelle,” I whisper.

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