Page 79 of Code Block
He smirked. "That's fine. Let's check it out."
She pushed play and settled back to watch. He tried to follow the story, but had trouble focusing, too caught up in the idea of lying next to her in her bed. Instead of seeing the scenes on the wall TV, he saw visions of himself slowly rolling over and peeling those layers she liked to dress in off one by one. He'd start by stripping those wildly decorated socks off her tiny, delicate feet. He'd been delighted to discover she favored bright, garish colors on her toenails. The bright green at Thanksgiving had been the first hint of the wild, free side to her she kept hidden from the world. From there he would?—
"You're not very into this, are you?" Claire asked, interrupting his wayward thoughts. She paused the movie and turned on her side, propping her head on her hand as she studied him.
"I'm sorry. I'm a bit distracted." His eyes swept the length of her and back up. He wanted to reach for her, but didn't want to scare her off.
"Okay, then let's talk. I have a question for you."
"Okay?" He mentally prepared himself for whatever came next.
She lowered her lashes, then slowly raised them to meet his gaze. "Why don't you want the guys to know we've been hanging out? Are you ashamed?"
Noah stilled. "God, no." He sat up and scrubbed his face with his hands, organizing his thoughts. He turned his body to face her and crossed his legs. She also sat up, then mirrored his pose, spreading her flowing skirt over her legs.
"Claire, the past two weeks—hell, the past two months—getting to know you and hanging out with you? I think about you all the time. When I'm not with you, I constantly see, hear, or—geez—even smell something and it will remind me of you. You make me laugh. You make me feel like a kid again, carefree and looking forward to tomorrow. I want to be with you."
He couldn't help himself. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her close for a swift, brutal kiss. Then forced himself to let her go. Her face flushed and her breathing quickened.
"So beautiful." One of her glorious curls had escaped and hung over her face. He gently tucked the loose tendril behind her ear. "We're in a relationship." He experienced a moment of awe at verbally acknowledging his feelings. "Despite my good intentions to never mix work and personal, here we are."
"B-but?" she asked. His heart melted at the vulnerability peeking at him through her eyes. He took her hands in his.
"I'm not ready to share you. Yes, that sounds selfish, but you've seen how Larry and others are. I'm afraid they'll sully this and make it into something it's not." He wasn't sure he made any sense, but the words came straight from his heart, so he hoped she understood.
After a moment of silence, she asked, "What is it now? And what will they make it into?"
The uncertainty in her question gripped his heart. He'd been selfish by not saying it sooner, and she needed to hear where his head was. And his heart. He kissed the back of her hands, one after the other.
"I'm an idiot, Claire. Please forgive me. Sometimes it takes a while for me to process what I'm experiencing or thinking. And I've never been great at sharing what's in my head. To answer your question… right now, it's friendship and trust, and knock-your-boots-off chemistry that promises so much more." He winked at her and she blushed prettily. "It's a beginning, and it's precious. I want to protect it, so we can see where it goes and what it can become." He freed one hand and held it to her cheek. "I'm falling for you Claire, despite my best efforts to hold you at bay. I knew you were trouble the moment I set eyes on you. And I want to explore that before the world intrudes and I have to share you with the rest of them."
She rose on her knees and moved closer to him. Looking down at him, she mimicked his earlier move of palming both sides of his face and kissed him thoroughly. He wrapped his arms around her and fell sideways into the pillows, twisting so she landed on top of him. He tightened his grasp and held on while they devoured each other. Noah released her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck. A tug on his shirt captured his attention. She was unbuttoning his shirt. He froze, caught off guard by her boldness.
"Claire?"
"Let's be selfish. I want you too."
Desire surged through his body. He rolled her onto her back and kissed his way down her body, peeling away those soft cotton layers as he made his way. Before he could divest her of her skirt, she pulled on his hair and he kissed his way back up to her neck.
"Yes?" He nipped her ear, and she giggled. "Did you need something?"
Claire tugged on his shirt. "You too. I want to touch your skin."
He helped her remove his shirt and laid back on top of her, careful to keep his weight to the side and not crush her. The lace of her bra combined with the soft silkiness of her skin against his was almost more than he could bear, especially when her hands tentatively explored his chest and back. "You're so beautiful, Claire. Everything about you. Let me see all of you."
At her shy nod, he continued stripping off her outer clothes until only two swatches of red lace covered her. The dichotomy of the cute little bows affixed to the sexy bra and panty set reflected its owner's contradictions. Claire was soft and vulnerable, yet solid and brave. So many layers. He sat back on his heels and admired the view laid out before him like a feast ready to be consumed.
When he hooked his fingers under her panties, she stopped him. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She pointed to his jeans.
"Claire," he growled. "Things will move too fast if I do. Let's go slow this first time, yes?" He felt his face heat at the admission.
"Okay," she whispered.
Chapter 31
Afterglow
Claire drifted to consciousness, feeling warm and secure, unwilling to wake fully. Which, of course, snapped her wide awake. This kind of euphoria usually occurred at the tail end of a seizure. Her mind absorbed her surroundings. This was no seizure. Nor was it a dream. A firm warm body curled around her own, a leg tucked between hers, an arm thrown over her and cupping her breast. Noah.
