Page 57 of Spicy or Sweet
I look up, and Noelle’s eyes are wet from more than just the rain. She presses her forehead to mine, mirroring my position as we sway. The music from the party is barely audible over the rain, but the happy sigh that falls from Noelle’s lips is my new favorite soundtrack.
We’re drenched, getting more soaked by the second, but I don’t care. The moment is perfect, dancing with Noelle in the chilly fall night, her clinging to me as much as I am her—as much as I’ve wanted to, this whole time. But now, I can.
“This is so much better than in there in front of everyone,” she says, laughing as I twirl her and pull her right back in.
“It is. Though, for the record, I would dance with you in front of everyone in a heartbeat,mon délice,” I murmur, and a smile crests Noelle’s lips. “I never wanted casual,” I say, and she pulls back enough to catch my eye. “I always wanted more—more than I thought we could have, if I’m being honest. But I was scared, and I didn’t think you were interested in anything since your life is so hectic.”
Noelle worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “It is hectic. That part hasn’t changed. I can’t promise I’m going to be around as much as I have been while we’ve been working on the movie, and maybe it’s selfish of me to ask you to be with me without beingwithme all the time.”
“It’s not selfish. It’s not like I don’t know how busy you are, and, sure, I’m going to miss being with you most of the day, but I understand. I’m okay with it.”
“I’m not sure I’m okay with it,” she admits. “I know I need to find a better way of doing things so I’m not as miserable all the time, and we can actually spend time together, and I will. Probably not until after the tourist season, though. I understand if you want to wait?—”
“I don’t,” I interrupt. “Time is a precious thing, and I’m not giving up a single second with you.”
Noelle’s eyes twinkle. “So, say I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend…”
“I’d say it’s too late. I already claimed that title when we started this conversation,” I say, and she laughs, a sound so sunshiney, I swear the rain lets up a little.
I spin her around, dipping her. It’s not the most elegant, given how much taller than me she is in her heels, but she gasps, placing her hand flat on my chest when I pull her up.
“You’re good at this. You’ve been holding out on me, sweetheart.”
“I took dancing lessons when I was younger,” I explain.
“Huh. I guess we have a lot to learn about each other. It’s a nice thought.” Noelle’s smile slips a little before she continues, “But I do need to check: are you sure you’re okay with our age gap?”
“I’m sure,” I confirm. It’s not like I’ve forgotten about it completely, but I think about it a lot less when we’re together than I did a few weeks ago.
“A hundred percent? Because I understand why you’re hesitant. It’s not always going to be easy.”
“I know that.”
“People will judge us,” she continues. “They’re going to talk about us behind our backs. And to our faces, probably. I’ve been with Rora and my uncle Henry, and I’ve seen people mistake him for her dad.”
“Are you trying to convince me to change my mind?” I ask, joking mostly, but she shakes her head quickly.
“No. No, of course not. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable with everything,” she says, rushing her words together.
“I am. I promise. Like you said, it’s not always going to be easy, but I don’t care what people say about us. Do you?”
She wrinkles her nose. “Of course I don’t.”
“Well, then. Now that we have that out of the way…” I clasp her face between my hands, brushing the tip of her nose with mine. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I’d like to kiss my girlfriend in the rain now, if that’s okay with you.”
Noelle doesn’t answer with words. Capturing my lips, she slips her tongue between them, groaning as she drinks me in. She tastes like all of my favorite flavors in one place.
She tastes like… mine.
29
NOELLE
“You have got to be kidding me. We just finished a month of almost constant baking, and this is what you want to do on our first real day off?” I stare at Shay in disbelief.
