Page 61 of Numbers Boy
Hen: You are phenomenal and I love that I get to be your friend
Warmth floods me at their praise and support, but I am a little confused as to why it’s coming over the phone instead of in person. Henry’s not one for many boundaries, so I’m surprised he isn’t bounding in here to tell me all of this himself.
I hear a quiet knock on the door. Looking up, my eyes lock onto Noah’s in the reflection of the dressing table mirror, and my confusion clears up in an instant.
His gaze is smoldering, whiskey eyes almost glowing and intent on my own, but he stays there, leaning against thedoorway like he’s trying to hold himself back. My pulse, already beating fast, kicks up another notch to have that heat directed at me. And not just me, me as Eve.
“Hey, handsome,” I greet, deciding to keep a little bit of Eve’s sass around for a little longer. “You lost or something?”
Noah shakes his head, finally entering the room and closing the door behind him. My heart thuds, and my cock kicks from where it’s tucked up against my body when the latch clicks shut. Still, I don’t turn from the mirror, letting him come to me.
“Nope. I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” he says, steadily walking closer.
Well, fuck, my heart’s melting now, too. I carefully remove Eve’s wig, setting it on the foam head on the vanity I’ve been using tonight. “Well, I’m glad you’re here.”
Thick arms snake around my waist, toying with the clasps on the front of my corset before tugging me to him until my back is flush to his chest.
“You were magnificent out there, beautiful,” he croons, warm lips skimming up my neck.
I tip my head to one side to give him better access, and he wastes no time before taking advantage. With my shoes still on, I’m a few inches taller than Noah, but he licks a stripe as far up as he can reach, causing a shiver to race down my spine and goose bumps to appear along my neck.
Turning in his embrace, I fight back another shiver at the barewantI find waiting in his eyes. Want and something else. Something warmer, more lasting.
Before I can speak, Noah takes my mouth with his. His kiss is full of those same emotions I saw in his eyes, and I do my best to reply with my own. Noah’s hands slip down over my lower back until they’re cupping my ass, and I moan into his mouth. He greedily swallows the sound, gripping tighter and kneading my cheeks in a way that is both soothing and arousing.
“Need you, Princess,” Noah rasps, lips trailing along my jaw and up to my ear. “Want to show you just how sexy you are.”
My stomach melts along with my heart, liquid heat pooling low in my groin.
“Have me.” Noah goes to kneel when my brain kicks back online for a second. Now that I’m not onstage, my feeling of invincibility starts to waver as reality sets back in. “Wait.”
He looks up at me, molten brown eyes burning into mine as he pauses. “What do you need, love?”
My heart, apparently still the teensiest bit solid, flips at the endearment. “I’m all sweaty.”
“I don’t care,” Noah says without pause, hands going to my nylon-covered thighs. “Just want you.”
I squirm, mind warring between wanting to get those hands on other parts of me and the thought of how gross I might be. Yes, Noah is looking at me like he wants to devour me. But I’m a hot mess under this bodysuit. My feet are cramped and sweaty, and that’s nothing compared to where I’m all tucked away. Not many guys would want to be up close and personal with what I’ve got going on. Then again, if I were in Noah’s position, a little sweat wouldn’t stop me.
“I…” My words falter, not quite sure whether I’m arguing because I really want to or if it’s because it’s what’s expected of me.
“Maybe I wasn’t clear,” Noah says with a growl, causing any further protests to die on my lips. He stands tall again and grips my chin firmly, but oh so gently. He always treats me with such care, and I can’t get enough. Will never get enough. “I. Don’t. Care. Now, if you want to go home and shower because it would make you more comfortable, we will make that happen. But if you’re saying all this because you think it will make me like you less to see you sweaty and less than perfect, let me tell you that that is not a possibility. You are perfect in all forms. Made-upor makeup-free. In your nicest clothes or in your ratty sweats that you hide at the bottom of the drawer. You are more than a princess, Princess. You are more than a queen. You are a deity among humankind. Let me worship you.”
The certainty and heat in his eyes make me believe him. “Okay,” I breathe out, limbs finally relaxing.
“I think I know who put those ideas in your head, and I’m going to love you until the only thought in your head is of me.” He slowly starts to slide down my legs again, unsnapping my bodysuit and easing down my pantyhose. He follows every inch of uncovered skin with kisses, soft and warm. With each kiss, another doubt falls away. “Until all you hear in your head is my voice telling you how utterly perfect you are.”
A quiet whimper escapes my lips when he gets to my ankle, lips brushing over the bone there as he unzips my shoes, working them off so the stockings can slip from my feet and the last vestiges of doubt slip from my mind. Without hesitation, Noah’s fingers take their place.
He kneads my sore arches gently, and my limbs go slack from how good it feels. For as much practice as I have in heels, as much as I can wear them for hours without flinching, they never fail to leave me sore once they’re off. But, fuck, his nimble fingers are my new favorite way to bring my feet back to life. Between the massaging of his fingertips and the hypnotizing way he’s still caressing my leg with his lips, I could almost fall asleep like this.
Almost, that is, if not for those lips making their way back up my exposed skin. My cock, now fully hard and making its presence known now that a few layers have been removed, throbs as Noah brushes his stubble over the sensitive skin at the side of my knee. His eyes must somehow catch the movement, and a wicked smirk hitches his lips up as those whiskey-colored depths grow darker with lust. He pulls away the thin gaffseparating my cock from freedom and watches intently as it rises from between my legs. Thank fuck I chose not to tape tonight.
“Gorgeous,” he mutters into my flesh before resuming his tantalizing path over my thighs now. Soon, he’s kneeling between my legs, hands resting lightly on the tops of my thighs and mouth hovering inches away from my swollen cock. Without dropping my gaze, he leans closer. Slowly, like he’s giving me a chance to stop him if it’s what I truly want.
But what I want is him. I want him to keep looking at me like I’m the center of his universe. Like there really is nothing that could make him think less of me. I want to continue going on dog walks with Stacy and hearing about the other animals he cares for. I want a lifetime of couch snuggles and playdates with his nieces, and dates that are equal parts fun and sexy. I want Noah, in every way, shape, or form that I can get him.
When I don’t say anything, my chin dipping infinitesimally in agreement with what he’s doing, Noah finally closes the gap between him and me. He nuzzles his nose into the crease where my thigh and groin meet, his eyes closing as he inhales, followed immediately by a groan. Seeing this big, strong man on his knees for me, wanting to be as close as he can be, makes something in my chest burst. Similar to earlier tonight, when I knew without a doubt that I was done taking any shit from Adam, I know now that I will spend the rest of my life loving this man.
