Page 32 of Play Hard
Forgettingand remembering were two different things and yet I craved them both. I needed the duo like I needed my next breath. And only Noah could make that happen.
He had made it happen the moment we stepped into his condo. Then, again in the shower. And again, around four this morning. I had no idea what time it was now. The alarm clock was on the nightstand on Noah’s side of the bed. The only thing on the nightstand closer to me was my phone, which at some point during the night Noah retrieved and plugged into one ofhis extra chargers. The blinds on the windows across the room were automatic. That may have been nice to know before we’d come into his room, flipped on the lights, and got naked. I definitely would’ve reached for that remote he later showed me on his nightstand to close them. He insisted that his bedroom faced the back of the building and a lightly wooded area, so unless there was some creep hanging out in the trees no one had seen us last night. That had calmed me. Well, that and Noah trailing kisses down my back and over my ass once we were in the shower.
Every moment I’d been with him had done exactly what I’d needed it to do. I wanted to forget about all that was happening in my world. I should’ve listened to Portia and not read those damn comments. And I should’ve continued to listen to Zora who had told me to delete the social media apps from my phone until further notice. During one of the dance sessions with the ladies at the bar, I’d taken a bathroom break and once those needs were taken care of found myself adding the app back to my phone so I could see more of what was being said. After all, they were talking about me.
My life and my career. I had a right to know what was being said.
Even when what was being said made me feel like crap. It was taking every ounce of effort I had to remain at the bar and in relatively good spirits while my world spiraled out of control. Because that’s what it had felt like. Even before I received the reminder text.
Zora
Remember, no social media.
Too late, I said to myself but knew not to text that in response.
Me
Ok
That was the best lie I could come up with. The drinks started to work at that point, and I kept downing them until around the third one when the dizziness that was a prelude to getting fucked up, arrived. Thankfully, the crowd started to dissipate by then and I went upstairs to help Camy and Rylan clean up. When I spied Rylan and Del kissing and groping each other on a lounge chair while Camy and Rock argued over something on her phone, I figured it was time I went home. But when I got down to the main floor, there was Noah.
He looked so good sitting there by himself. Hell, he’d looked good all night. Each time I stole a glance his way, I wondered how I could’ve been such a fool to let him go.
“Whatever you’re thinking about so hard it’s got your body all tense, why don’t you just share?”
His voice was heavy with morning gruffness.
“If you’re afraid I’m gonna drag you out of this bed to head to the gym, you can rest easy. Your pussy is set up to drain a brotha.” He chuckled. “That may be the one thing I’d forgotten.”
I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. If I’d known he was awake, I wouldn’t have gone down that rabbit hole of thoughts.
“Just wondering how many people are gonna see me make the walk of shame when I leave here.” I huffed. “I already got the rundown of how many times we’ve been seen together in public. This might make the front page of the local paper.”
“Nah. Cannon runs the paper and he’s much more interested in finding stories that mimic the big city headlines he reads online, than writing about who’s sleeping with whom.”
I chuckled. “You remembered.” When he was silent, I rolled onto my side and propped my head up on my elbow as I faced him. “You always got that mixed up in school. It’s good to see you remembered the rule.”
He rolled onto his side, too, extending a hand to slide a finger down my nose. “I had a good tutor. Whenever I got it right, she sucked the skin off my dick.”
“Oh my…stop it,” I said delivering a playful slap to his shoulder. “Don’t say it like that.”
Grinning he grabbed my hand, bringing my fingers to his lips for a light kiss. “Like what? That’s what you did, and I loved every minute of it.”
My cheeks warmed and I giggled. “You still don’t have to say it like that.”
“You are not shy about sex talk, Serra. Don’t forget you’re the one who asked me to fuck you until you forgot last night.” He gave me a serious look then. “Is that what’s going on in your head now? Did you start to remember all that shit that’s going on?”
I couldn’t lie, not when he was looking at me as if he could read my soul like tarot cards. I nodded and dropped my head.
“Stop it.” He hooked a finger under my chin and tilted it up until our gazes locked again. “Worrying isn’t going to change anything, except to make you sick if you let it. You’ve got a lawyer, right? One of your brothers or your father?”
“No. I didn’t want them involved.” It felt so good to be laying here with him. It felt right. “I hired my own attorney. And I’ve got a great publicist who I didn’t listen to.”
“Alright then, you’re handling it in every way you can.” He stroked his thumb over my chin. “Let them do their job and you do what you came here to do.”
I lifted a brow. “Hide?”
He shook his head. “Help your grandfather. I hear he’s been trying to take care of everything at the lake house by himself since your grandmother passed.”
