Page 11 of Connected By Souls

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why I reacted that way to him. I’ve dated hot guys before. Tyler was even model material, but he never had that kind of effect on me. I felt more for Noah in the first five minutes of meeting him than I did the whole two years I was with Tyler. It was like every sense I had came alive instantly. I could smell the soap he used with the familiar scent of cedarwood, and I could almost feel his hands on my skin even though he never touched me. It’s like being near him was as natural as breathing. I felt like I belonged next to him.

I stop to sit down on the beach, bringing my knees to my chest. I haven’t been with anyone since Tyler ten months ago. Maybe I’m just overly horny at the first hot guy I see, and it means nothing other than I need to get laid. Shaking my head, I start laughing, knowing that isn’t the case. I’m not one-night-stand material anyway.

“What’s so funny out here in the dark?” I hear Noah ask as I’m attacked by a golden retriever with kisses to the face.

Laughing, I pet the dog as she excitedly greets me. Loving the feel of her warm fur, I bury my face in her neck. “You’re such a sweetheart.” She lays her head on my lap and sighs as I rub her ears.

Sitting down next to me, Noah grins. “She sure likes you. That’s Nala, by the way. She’s only two and can be a handful, so let me know if she’s too much. She gets overly excited about people she likes.”

“Nala.” I smile and continue petting her head. “It suits her. She’s beautiful. Yesterday morning, I saw her on the beach when you threw the ball for her. She had me smiling at her playfulness and joy.” Noah must have been the one on the stairs. My body reacted to him even then.

“That would be because of her favorite toy in the whole wide world, her ball.” He laughs when Nala lifts her head and cocks it to the side at the mention of her favorite toy.

“She knows exactly what you’re talking about.” I grin at her cute expression.

“Just know that if you ever start throwing it, be prepared for it to never end. I once threw the ball for close to an hour just to see if she would give up, and she never did.” He grins at me, and my heart skips a beat. “So what are you doing out here all alone besides laughing at nothing in particular.”

“I was just restless and couldn’t sleep. I was hoping a walk would help. What are you doing out this late? You aren’t stalking me, are you?” I raise my eyebrows at him.

“No,” he laughs. “It’s completely accidental, I swear. I couldn’t sleep either and figured a walk on the beach might help. So what had you laughing out here in the dark?”

“Oh,” feeling my face go red and glad he can’t see it, “it was nothing. Just something funny I thought of. So what made you want to become a handyman?” I change the subject before it goes any further.

“I started doing odd jobs around town in high school and loved the idea of being my own boss and setting my schedule. Word got around, and before I knew it, I had a small business going when I graduated high school. I enjoy helping locally and giving back to the town I love.” He shrugs his shoulders. “My real passion is restoring houses, though. I recently bought another fixer-upper across town and like to work on it in my spare time. I love taking something that’s been through a lot and bringing its beauty back.” He looks right at me.

His words hit way too close to home, branding my soul. I take a deep breath before responding. “Sometimes it takes longer to find that beauty,” I softly say. I turn my head and look up at the stars.

I can feel him looking at me. “All it takes is patience and love. The beauty is always there, even in the darkest corners of the house. You just have to shine a light on it.”

My eyesight blurs as tears fill my eyes. I quickly blink them back before he sees them. I look down at Nala, sleeping with her head on my lap. I smile as I continue to stroke her head. “The town is lucky to have you. It sounds like you make quite a difference here.”

“Nah, like you, I just like to keep busy. It helps keep my mind off of things as well.” He leans his head back and looks at the stars.

Wondering what he could possibly need a distraction from, I look up to the sky just as a shooting star goes by. “Did you see that!” I point excitedly at the sky. “It’s a shooting star!”

“I did see it.” He grins at my enthusiasm. “Make a wish Emma,” he says softly.

Closing my eyes, I make a wish. I wish with everything in me that it will come true. I open my eyes and see him staring at me.

“What did you wish for?” His eyes search mine. A piece of his hair has fallen close to his eyes. My hand wants to brush it back as if I’ve done it a million times before.

“I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.” My voice is barely above a whisper. His eyes hold mine, captivated. I’m not able to look away even if I wanted to. “Are you going to tell me yours?”

“I didn’t need to make one. Mine already came true. You can have my wish tonight too.” He smiles at me before looking back at the night sky.

What wish came true for him? I study his profile and admire the perfect view. He looks back at me and catches me watching him. I quickly look away and brush the sand off my hands. I should head back and try and get some sleep. I barely slept last night and was up at dawn this morning.

Noah gets up and holds out his hand. “Walk you home?”

Looking at his hand, I hesitate before placing my hand in his. Heat courses through my body at the contact, causing my whole body to vibrate with need. His eyes bore into mine with such intensity that it takes my breath away. Letting go of his hand, I brush the sand off my legs to keep from flinging myself at him. I see him breathing heavily as he runs his fingers through his hair, never taking his eyes off me. “Thanks for helping me up,” I manage to get out before quickly walking past him.

He walks beside me as we head back down the shoreline. Neither of us talks as we process what we just felt. Glancing at him, I notice his body language. He must have felt the same thing when we touched. His hands are fisted at his side like he’s stopping himself from doing something. I can see the strain on his face as he looks straight ahead.

Nala comes up between us, prancing back and forth, getting our attention. I feel some tension leave my body as I laugh at her nudging my hand with her nose. I see Noah grin as he slowly begins to relax as Nala does the same to his hand. “Somebody is loving our late-night walk,” he laughs, losing the tension on his face.

I turn to him as we arrive in front of my deck. “Thanks for walking me home.” I look at him and smile. “And for giving me your wish.”

“You’re welcome. I hope it comes true.” He hesitates, like he wants to say something but then stops himself. Rubbing the back of his neck, he starts to walk backward. “Night, Emma.”

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