“Well, I hope the long break was just what you needed,” my mother said. “Although you certainly didn’t do much relaxing while you were here. I can’t thank you enough for everything you did for us.”
“You know it was my pleasure, Alice.”
My mother reached for my hand across the table. “I know you’re sad about Noah leaving. But I have what I hope is some news that will brighten your night.”
“What?”
“Your father called me today while you were out. He’s changed his mind and has officially informed us that he does not intend to take any money from the sale of the house. Of course, it’s not final until the paperwork is signed, but he says he plans to relinquish those rights.”
The breath rushed out of my lungs. “Wow, okay.”
Noah squeezed my leg under the table. “That’s great.”
It was a weird feeling. I knew I should have been happy, but the whole stress of my father threatening us had been unnecessary in the first place.
Katy smiled. “I’m glad you won’t have to deal with that complication.”
This dinner was nice, but I was antsy to have Noah to myself again. It was only a matter of hours now before he’d be gone. I knew he was feeling it, too, wishing we could stop time. I’d felt his eyes on me all throughout dinner and could feel an unspoken intensity in the air.
When my mother went to the bathroom, Katy busied herself with handling the check. She’d refused to let Noah give her money.
Without an audience for a moment, Noah turned to me and mouthed, “You’re so beautiful.” It was as if he’d been dying to say it.
“I want you,” I whispered. So badly it hurt.
I couldn’t let him go back to Pennsylvania without having him one more time. Even if I had to beg for it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
* * *
NOAH
My insides twisted as we drove home from the restaurant.
I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this place, to say goodbye to Heather.
Earlier when that psychic had put me on the spot about my feelings, I’d wanted to tell her the truth: that she’d guessed correctly—that I was in love with Heather. In my heart, I knew she was right. It wasn’t something I wanted to admit now, not with Heather’s future on the line. But that woman was fucking good.
I drove past the exit we normally took to get to the new house. Heather didn’t question where we were going. A few minutes later, we pulled into a desolate parking area that overlooked Lake Winnipesaukee.
I turned the car off and leaned my head back against the headrest before turning to her. “I wanted to look at the stars with you one last time.”
Her voice was breathy. “Is that all you want?”
Fuck no, it isn’t. I rubbed my hand over her thigh, feeling my erection growing by the second.
“I need you one more time before you go, Noah. Please.”
No way could I stop this; I was feeling too weak. I’d been a Boy Scout these past several weeks, but I’d run out of whatever had kept me in control. I knew damn well why I’d taken her here. It wasn’t only to look at the stars. I had to have her, too.
She reached over and placed her hand on my crotch, and I knew I was done. Her eyes brimmed with desire. I drew in a ragged breath as I leaned over to devour her lips, letting out weeks of pent-up frustration. She moaned into my mouth as our kiss grew frantic.
She climbed over to the driver’s seat to straddle me.
Desperate to be inside of her, I unbuckled my belt and unzipped my jeans.
There was one major problem, though. I didn’t have a condom.
I stopped the kiss long enough to say, “I don’t have anything with me…no condoms.”
“It’s okay. I’m on the pill. I have been this whole time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, as long as you’re—”
“I’m good. Got a clean bill of health before I left Pennsylvania, and I’ve always been safe.”
She kissed me ravenously as she reached under her skirt and worked her panties down her legs.
I was rock hard as I took my dick out of my jeans and guided her body onto mine. Sinking into her warm pussy felt even more incredible than I’d remembered.
I’d only had unprotected sex when I was married; I’d never trusted any other woman enough to do it without a condom. I’d forgotten what it even felt like. But it had never felt this amazing. Nothing had.
“Fuck, Heather. You feel too damn good like this.” I thrust into her harder.
Our eyes locked. She dug her fingernails into my hair.
The truck shook as we were completely lost in each other. It was terrifying to be inside of her with thoughts of tomorrow looming. She felt like mine in every way right now, and I didn’t want that to change.
But I needed to let her go to know whether she really was mine.
It didn’t take long for our starving bodies to lose control. We gasped for air as I quaked beneath her, emptying my cum as she squeezed her pussy around my cock. That thing. I was so freaking grateful to have felt it again, so freaking grateful for every second we had left.
***
The sound of birds chirping woke me. Heather was still asleep in my arms in the backseat of the truck.
I had only dozed off for a little bit. We’d been up most of the night.
Heather had fallen asleep before I did. In the middle of the night, I’d reached into my glove compartment for a notepad I kept there and had written her a letter. I would probably be too overwhelmed later to articulate my feelings, so I wanted to get them down while they were fresh. Being intimate with her again had brought out everything I’d been suppressing.
I’d lost count of the number of times we’d had sex last night. It seemed like enough to undo all those days of celibacy, though. And made what was set to happen today even harder.
Heather stirred before she looked up at me.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. But it doesn’t matter. I’m in no rush.”
“I didn’t think I’d be able to fall asleep.” She yawned. “Figured we’d just stay up all night.”
“Well, we definitely used a lot of energy. It’s no wonder you crashed.”
She curled into me. I kissed the top of her head as we stared out at the morning sun over the lake, a virtual clock ticking in my brain.
There were no words.
***
The rest of that day was one big blur.
Suddenly, I was standing in front of my packed truck with nothing left to do but say goodbye to Heather. I wished for something to delay me—a mishap or flat tire, maybe. But everything was in place, even Bonnie and Clyde, loaded up with tons of hay and situated in their carriers in the backseat.
I felt sick.
When I took her in my arms, Heather’s cry was so intense it was silent. She buried her face in my chest. “This doesn’t feel right.”
I felt my own tears close to the surface. I fought them with all my might. I couldn’t let her see my sadness right now. I needed to be strong for both of us.
“Heather, look at me.” I swiped my finger beneath her eye. “Look at me, baby.”
There was so much I wanted to tell her, but I needed to be careful. If I admitted I was in love with her, she might take that as a sign she shouldn’t go away. I still felt she needed the experience that lay ahead of her more than anything.
Holding on to her face and looking into her eyes, I said, “This isn’t goodbye.”
Her voice trembled. “Why does it feel so much like it, then?”
“We’ll take it day by day, okay?”
She sniffled and played with the buttons of my shirt. “I know you say you came here to help me, to set me on a good path. You did so much more than that. You’re the first man in my life to make me feel safe, who truly believed in me enough to make a difference. I’ll always be grateful for you and for this summer, even though I’m nowhere ready to let you go.”
Tell her you love her.
I just didn’t know if that was the right thing to do. So I kept it in, even though I felt those words so strongly in my heart they were practically bursting from my chest.
She wiped her nose with her sleeve and sort of laughed. “Is it weird that I’m jealous of Bonnie and Clyde because they get to be with you?”