Page 108 of Stoplight
“I did,” he shot back.
Irish was taken back by his brash honesty. She expected him to deny Shay’s claims and blame her for the demise of their marriage. Nevertheless, Noble stood with his shoulders squared, looking her dead in the eye.
“The truth is…” His voice softened. “I fucked her over. When we got married, it was only because she was pregnant. At the time, I thought that was the right thing to do. You know, step up and be a man. Make a woman outta her…” He paused, seeming to visit his reverie. “I realized shortly after that I wasn’t in love with Daysha. I loved her because she was a good woman, and she carried my son. When he was born, she stepped in her role as a mother, and she did it well. Still, she didn’t make me feel shit that a husband is supposed to feel for his wife.”
“So, you never had any feelings for her? You just suffered in silence?”
Noble released a heavy breath. “I don't wanna use the term suffer because that makes it sound like Daysha was unfit when she wasn’t. She did everything she was supposed to do but I still found it hard to fall in love with her. After three years, I started feeling this guilt, knowing I was keeping this girl away from a man that could truly love her wholeheartedly. Daysha thinks that I’m selfish and a part of me is, but when I asked for a divorce, it was to free herself to be available for the man that could give her the love she deserves. Do you know how many niggas take a woman’s good years, knowing she’s not the girl for them? Or those men who know they don't like their lady but keep her around because she’s good to them. I couldn’t be one of those men. I wouldn’t be able to face my son knowing I had stolen his mother’s essence.”
Noble’s honesty was refreshing. Like sipping on aged cognac while vintage jazz music played in the distance. After all the years of hearing Shay rant about the treatment he had given her, Irish felt her pain. A woman always bet on love and somehow crapped out. Shay couldn’t get over their divorce and Irish understood it. Noble was one of a kind. A man of great stature and of his word. Witnessing him take all accountability for the collapse of his marriage was eye-opening. Most times, men did the dirt but somehow made a U-turn to blame the woman for their actions. Noble didn’t put it on Shay. He took it all, bearing the weight on his shoulders without shifting the guilt on her. Irish respected him for that.
“Daysha is bitter and guess what? She got a right to be. I sold her a dream. Told her we would be a family when I knew deep down, I didn’t feel it. So, I made sure she was taken care of when we divorced. I gave her the house and paid it off. She got a brand-new car, and I give her money every month. It’s notchild support because I take care of all of my son’s expenses, but I make sure she’s good.”
“Yeah, but money won’t soothe her broken heart, Noble. I don't think no amount will take away how inadequate you made her feel.”
“I'm aware,” he stated with defeat. “I can’t fix that, and I won’t pretend to act like I can. The only thing that will make it right is if I go back and I’m not. That part of my life is sealed shut. I had a rule that I never doubled back to anything I left. I broke that shit when I came back to TLM though.”
Irish’s gaze descended to her left. What started as a beautiful night between two people, who had just discovered their love for one another, had transformed into an exposé of Noble.
Stepping closer to her, Noble cupped Irish’s face. The intensity of his stare caused her breathing to hike a bit. Where would they go from here, standing in the middle of a parking structure after getting kicked out of a restaurant? So much had been revealed in such little time. She had discovered an element of Noble that wasn’t clean but how could she judge when she wasn’t so tidy either?
“I ain't never felt what I feel for you, not even with my first love. Baby, I feel like you were created just for me. There’s nothing that will stop me from pursuing you. Not Jovanis, not Daysha, and not you trying to run from me. This shit is cemented, Pumpkin. Me and you go together for real.”
She burst out laughing. “I haven’t heard that term since I was a teenager.”
He smirked, eyeing her lenses before his gaze rested on her lips. “That’s how you make me feel, like a teenager who just got his first crush.”
Blushing, Irish looked away, trying to make sense of the emotion this man filled her with.
“I ain't never claim to be perfect,” he stated. “But what we share is. Don’t end the night, a’ight? Let me make it right.”
“And how are you going to do that?” she flirted.
Licking his lips, he replied, “I’d rather show you. Come on.”
Irish slipped her hand inside his, and they walked to his car. She had discovered that love made her crazy. Minutes before, she had stormed off, hoping to get far away from Noble. Now, she was back in bliss, ready for their night to resume.
Two hours later…
Noble’s scent inebriated Irish as she slowly slid up and down on his manhood. With her eyes closed, she relished the comprehensive feeling of him. Utopia filled the room, making the air inside feel thick. The buzzing from the central air served as white noise while she and Noble discovered another layer of intimacy. She’d already came back-to-back from the magic of his tongue.
How could one person come into her life and shake it up like this? How was Noble able to capture her in such a way that the thought of severing ties brought tears to her eyes?
He had her completely, and it made Irish feel vulnerable as if he had this puissant power that she couldn’t break the chains to.
“Fuck, baby, slow down,” he grumbled, pinching her nipples.
Irish smirked, loving how she sucked power from him when she rode his dick. Noble could never handle the ride her pussy took him on. Obeying his order, she slowed the rhythm of her hips and gently massaged his erection with her walls.
“Like that, Papa?”
His hand slithered to her neck, squeezing it ever so gently. “Yeah, let me feel all of you.”
Irish bucked her hips, circling them to ensure that Noble experienced every groove and cranny of her womanhood. This moment felt so right but wrong simultaneously. She’d just learned of his past sins. He was a man that walked away from a marriage to a woman who he regarded as perfect. Irish should’ve run after the altercation. She should’ve broken the bond and placed enough distance for them both to forget each other.
Noble lived not only in her head but her heart as well. How would she be able to evict him when he was the owner of both? Like a pot of gumbo, there was too many variables in both of their lives. Irish wanted Noble completely but what about Jovanis? She couldn’t leave him behind, but he couldn’t do what Noble did for her. He penetrated every fabric of her being, making sure to leave no spot untouched. Love like this didn’t come around often, especially for a woman like Irish. This sudden need to strike while the iron was hot nagged at her mind but again, what about Jovanis?
Irish’s ride came to a sudden end when Noble flipped her on her back. With his dick still nestled inside her center, he kissed her softly, causing her to ascend to another level of intoxication. This peak was one she hadn’t experienced. It left her suspended in the air, floating like a leaf that had fallen off a tree.
