Page 77 of One Last Time
A man fights for hisfamily.
A man treats a woman withrespect.
Cowards tear people down to build themselves up. I’m not a fuckingcoward.
I turn to her, wanting her to hear my words very clearly. “You’re nothing that he says you are. You are the woman who tucks those kids in at night, encourages them, and has a mock concert in the living room to cheer them up.” I brush my thumb against her palm. “You’re so much more than he ever saw,sweetheart.”
Her lips part and Kristin rests her forehead against mine. “You’re more than just one night for me, Noah. You’re the whole damn thing, and that scares me. I don’t want to be scaredanymore.”
She can be nervous because I’m not, for fifteen years I’ve searched for her. Now that I’ve found her, there’s nothing I won’t do. “I have enough courage for the both ofus.”
She lifts her head, and her eyes are filled with unshed tears. “Jesus. I never had a chance against you, didI?”
I run my hands up her back, pulling her closer to me, brushing my lips againsthers.
“Told you I was going to win yourheart.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kristin
“Noah, stop,”I complain with a laugh as he tries to sneak his hand up myshirt.
“I like touching you,” heexplains.
And I really like touching him, but I need to get work done before the kids comehome.
“We have threehours.”
He stands and lifts his shirt. “Let’s get towork.”
“Sit down.” I giggle. “I mean three hours ofworkbefore you need to begone.”
“Plenty of time for sex and talking,sweetheart.”
I’m not arguing that, but I’m chasing a deadline. So far, we’ve only scratched the surface of his acting history. Nothing personal, nothing that I can write some fabulous article about. If Noah and I fall apart, I still need a job. Therefore, I need a fantastic feature that will blow people’s socksoff.
“Not today. Today, I need to learn more aboutyou.”
Noah plops back into the seat like a dejected child and I can’t help but laugh. “Thissucks.”
“This was youridea!”
He glides his hand over my shoulder, causing me to shiver. “This was my plan to get close to you.” Noah’s lips graze my ear. “Itworked.”
I’m never going to get work done this way. When we’re touching, it’s too much. “Okay, newrules.”
He laughs. “The rulesagain?”
“Yup. New rule, no touching during interview time. If I miss my deadline, I’ll getfired.”
Not that I love my job all that much, but I needmoney.
“If you want me to stop touching you, then we need to leave thehouse.”
What the hell does the house have to do with him restraining himself? “Weagreed. . .”
“No, you requested and I refused,” Noah says as he gets to his feet. “Come on, we’re goingout.”
