Page 59 of Finding Noah
A close call for all of them.
Would Christian have continued the charade? Married a woman he might care for, but with whom he’d never have a truly fulfilling relationship? Much like I’d gone along with Leroy. If I’d had niggling doubts, I’d shoved them so far down that I still couldn’t find them.
“Breakfast!”
I turned to see Christian standing on the back porch, waving a spatula.
Sheesh, how long have I been out here navel gazing?
My feet were frozen, Stormy had finally stopped sniffing that special spot, and the other puppies were each trying to eat the other’s ear.
I whistled and started striding for the house.
No one followed.
I spun to make eye contact with each of the dogs. “Breakfast. Food.”
Stormy bolted, and the other two, clearly watching her, followed.
I chuckled as I held the door open for them.
Christian was putting a platter of pancakes on the table.
Real Canadian maple syrup, blueberry jam, and two mugs of coffee sat waiting as well. Before that, though, I had something important to do.
I snagged him around the waist and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss.
He molded himself against me—ensuring there wasn’t a whisper’s distance.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and held tight.
His hands traveled down my sides, along my flanks, then down to my ass where he squeezed. He pulled me even tighter against him, pressing his erection against my hip.
I pulled back. “The pancakes will get cold.”
“That’s what the microwave’s for.” He grinned.
“Are you sore?”
He shook his head. “You were gentle, Noah. Which I appreciated.”
After a moment, I nodded. He wasn’t wrong—I’d gone easy with him. And would continue to until he was more accustomed to this. Or until he asked me for more. “You could always make love to me…”
He kissed my nose. “You bet. But you’re right—food first. Plus, don’t you have to go to the pet store?”
“I do.” I did a little awkward shrug. “And I might be dropping by to see Pam at the shelter.”
“Make certain you buy everything you need for the cat. Or cats. I’ll feline-proof the yellow bedroom.”
I arched an eyebrow.
“Remove all the breakables and anything that isn’t washable in case there are accidents. I should probably talk to Miss Esmeralda at somepoint about where we should be putting things. She said the attic and the basement, but we might run out of room. I mean, we might end up buying stuff of our own.”
“True. No rush, though. As long as we take care of her things, we’re okay until I’ve got more money coming in. Oh, Pam said I could bring some flyers and business cards, so that’s good. I’ll check out the rec center over in Hartsville as well. Anywhere I might drum up business.”
He pressed a hand to my cheek. “I’m so proud of you. Now—eat.”
Stormy woofed.
