Page 39 of A Lapse in Time

I watched Noah as he got up, walked to my side, then sat down. He turned my chair slightly so that I faced him, running his hand up my thigh.

"You worked hard on this, and I appreciate it, but you have no idea how bad I want to say forget this food and devour you instead. Luckily, I'm hungry for real." He laughed, and I joined him. "Let's eat."

We prayed over our food then proceeded to eat.

For dinner, I made lobster tail, steak, and asparagus. I may not have remembered how to make certain things, but I knew how to read a recipe. My sister stayed on the phone with me the whole time I cooked, just in case I had questions. She offered to come over and assist, but I really wanted to do it all on my own.

After Noah and I had taken a few bites, he cut a piece of his steak and put the fork up to my mouth. I opened my mouth, staring at Noah as he put the steak in my mouth. As I chewed, I cut a piece of mine and did the same to him. We continued to feed each other until nothing was left on the plate. No words were exchanged, but plenty was said with our eyes. It was all in Noah's face how much he loved and cared for me. The more he gazed at me, the hotter my temperature got.

When we were done, Noah made sure everything was locked up while I straightened up the kitchen. All I had to do was put the dishes in the dishwasher and wipe the counter and the table off. Before I left the kitchen, I blew out the candles on the table before meeting Noah in the living room.

"Thanks for blowing out the candles," I said to Noah when I saw him blowing out the last one.

"You're welcome."

Since he didn't know what else I had planned for him, I grabbed his hand and led him toward the stairs.

"I have another surprise for you upstairs," I told him, then walked up the steps.

"I hope it's to see what's under this little getup." He smacked my ass, and I giggled.

I stopped on the step and turned to face him. "Patience," I teased, then continued up the steps.

"I have all the patience in the world for you," he said when we got to the top of the steps.

Once we got to our room door, I let go of Noah's hand and stepped behind him. I put my hands over his eyes.

"Why are you covering my eyes?"

"You'll see in one second," I responded before I opened the door.

I removed my hands from his eyes, then stood back as he noticed all the bags on the bed.

"What is all of this?" Noah walked over to the bed, and I stayed in the doorway.

"Just a little token of my appreciation. Nia helped pick some stuff out too. Open them."

I moved to the dresser and sat on top of it.

Noah grabbed the first bag and pulled the item out. He turned to me with a huge smile on his face.

"New gloves." He put on the gloves and swung at the air a couple of times before he took them off and moved on to the next bag.

I watched him as he pulled out gift after gift. By the time he was done, he had new training sneakers, new training shorts, and a bunch of other stuff he would need for work. I also got him everyday sneakers and a couple of outfits. Nia picked out a new robe and slippers for him.

Once everything was opened, he slowly walked toward me. I opened my legs when he reached me and stepped between them. His arms wrapped around my waist, and my eyes closed when he put his head in the crook of my neck.

"Thank you, baby," he murmured before he licked the side of my neck. His voice was husky and made my walls clench.

I tossed my head back to give Noah more access. He licked my neck again, and I moaned. My eyes opened when I felt something wet on my neck besides his tongue. I leaned back and cupped the sides of his face, forcing him to look at me. When he did, my heart thudded in my chest.

There were tears in his eyes, and I got concerned.

"Why are you crying, Noah?" I swiped the tears from his face. Well, at least I tried, but they kept coming.

Instead of answering me, he lifted me from the dresser and carried me to the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed with me on his lap. I could feel him hardening beneath me, but whatever made him cry was more important.

"You used to do stuff like this for me all the time, and I wasn't sure if you remembered or not. For a minute, I thought I might have gotten the old you back."

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