Page 25 of Nolan
“Really?”
“I think you’re brave.” He caresses my cheek, drawing out the tension, driving me insane with wondering if and when. “I think it took a lot of courage for you to get on that plane, leave home, and come here. I like that you aren’t shy, that you say what you think.”
I’m abashed. “If I can even get the words out right.”
“I like that about you too.” He chuckles. “I admire someone who sees what they want and goes after it.”
Several different men have tried their hand at talking me up. I know lip service when I hear it. You’re different from other girls. Thinking about those times and what I learned from them makes me cringe. But Nolan?
There’s a genuineness to Nolan, a sincerity that can’t be faked.
He doesn’t have a single reason to try to lead me on. There’s nothing but truth in the way he looks at me. I don’t think he would, even if he wanted to.
“What about you? Are you someone who goes after what he wants?” I’m so impatient. I want to pull him closer, feel him press me into his towering body. I’ve caught myself a few times wondering what he’s built like underneath his clothes. I know he’s powerful; he has to be in his line of work. But his gentleness with me right now is what’s making me weak in the knees.
“I’d like to think so.”
I nibble on my lower lip. “Prove it.”
Nolan leans in, brushing his lips against mine. When I claim his mouth with hunger, a muffled chuckle sounds deep down in the back of his throat. He wraps his arms around me, lifting me up off my feet, and I hook my ankles behind his back, legs secure around his waist.
Delightful shivers run along my spine as he trails his broad hands over my back beneath my shirt. Our kiss deepens, his tongue slipping past my lips to find mine. He tastes normal. Not odd, or chemical or metal. He’s warm and inviting.
Nothing before has felt like this. Every sense I have awakens, aroused to a level I’ve never known before. All from a kiss. I’ve had my share of make-out sessions, but holy shit. Nolan has me so spun around, I can’t even think or care to recall the names of previous dates gone wrong. I feel fresh, new, different. Heat pools between my legs. If he pushed for more, I’d give in happily. Recklessly. Right here in the park.
Our kiss breaks, leaving me dizzy. Nolan traces circles on the small of my back, his soft, deep laughter dancing in my ears. “Easy, there. We’re a bit exposed. We should be careful.”
I’m breathless. “Right, you’re right. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s you.”
“Don’t be. It’s just like you said. I know what I want.” I steal one more kiss as he lowers me down, setting me reluctantly on my feet. “I want you, Nolan.”
“You make it very hard for me,” Nolan admits, his hand brushing lower from my back to my ass.
“Oh?” A grin spreads across my face, playful. “How hard do I make it?”
He stares at me a moment while it sinks in. “I meant—” He returns my smile. “Well, you do that too.”
Nolan rests his forehead against mine. If I could live in this moment forever with him like this, I think I’d be okay. I shut my eyes and breathe him in again, trying to rein in the part of me screaming, go, go, go!
“I want you to know I’m going to talk to Apollo as soon as I can find a way to do it,” I reassure him. “As soon as possible. It’s one of my top priorities.”
“I appreciate that.” Nolan sounds relieved, and I wonder if this has been eating away at him, even for this short time. “I’m not built for keeping secrets, Mia.”
“I know.” I’m not sure I am either. And even though we might not have gotten along before, after everything Apollo has done for me, this is something I really need to figure out.
Nolan holds his hand out to me. “Maybe it’ll be fine. We won’t know until it’s out there.” He cants his head. “Come here.”
I take his hand, and he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me. “Just remember, after it’s out in the open—you owe me a date,” he murmurs, stealing another slow, heated kiss from me before he nuzzles my ear, speaking softly. “When do you think I can collect?”
One little nibble of my earlobe, and it’s a miracle I’m still standing upright. Every hair on my body is standing on end. “Whenever you want.”
“That’s a dangerous thing to say to me.” He rubs the small of my back. “Do you have a ride home?”
“I borrowed Jess’s car. I don’t have my own yet,” I reply. “It’s on my to-do list. Do you?”
“No. I usually walk.”
