Another day of work. Another night at Noah’s.

My job has never taken a backseat to anything, which hasn’t changed, but in the four days that I’ve been back at work, going into the department hasn’t been the thing I wake up looking forward to. Thanks to Noah. Which is fitting, because I’ve woken up in his arms each morning.

My life has never been this good.

Earlier this week, I woke up for no reason in particular and lied there watching Noah’s eyelids flutter in his sleep, his gentle chest falls as he took in soft breaths. When I woke up randomly again last night, Noah happened to wake up too, which led to a rather passionate 2 a.m. quickie. And yet, I got up for work a few hours later feeling like I’d had the best sleep of my life.

Tonight we have a movie night planned, my choice, so I made a pit stop after work to grab a Sherlock Holmes disk off the shelf in my living room. The first movie in the series, though none of them will ever top the books, even with Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes. But if I’m selecting the movie then I’m also selecting a plan to not exactly finish the movie.

My heart begins to race in the same way it does every day when I turn into Noah’s driveway. A comforting joy warms me the moment I have his house in sight, settling in my chest as I park. Noah steps out onto his porch before I’ve even closed my door.

“Hello beautiful,” he says.

I smile back at him. He’s wearing stripped pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt that almost glows against his bronze skin. His thick dark hair is still wet from a shower, his eyes beaming out of the smile in his cheeks.

I don’t stop until I’m a foot in front of him. “Hello,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around him and rising on my toes to kiss him. He smells of crisp aftershave and tastes like perfection.

He is perfection.

He’s not the same attractive temptation standing across the club, or even the fantasy in my head. Not anymore. He’s simply become the guy waiting for me to come home. And he’s all mine.

I trail Noah into the house and the scent of fresh pizza instantly wafts over me. “Mhmm,” I hum. “Smells good.”

“Makes sense, I’ve been home all day.” He turns and winks.

“Ew, not like you. You stink.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” I echo, taking his hand as I join him in the kitchen. “Terribly.”

I pull him in for a kiss.

“Thank God you tolerate it,” Noah says when our lips come apart.

“You’re easy to tolerate,” I whisper.

He waves his hand over the pizza to carry the smell to my nose. “Maybe this will help the cause.”

“Yeah, what’s on the menu tonight?” I ask, flipping open the lid of the pizza box. “Looks like… pepperoni and pineapple?”

“Sure is. It’s the Cadillac of pizzas, in case you didn’t know.” He slides two enormous slices out from the box and hands me a plate as I take a seat at the island.

“Interesting.” I’m starving and don’t waste any time in taking a bite. I make a face at him as I chew. Disappointment slips into Noah’s expression and I can’t help but cave in. “I’m just kidding! I like it, it’s good.”

He sighs in relief. “Damn Soph, I was ready to drive back and get a different one.”

“Feeling a little gullible today?”

Noah only shakes his head and smirks at me. “Speaking of, how was work today?” he asks.

I shrug while swallowing another bite. There’s no doubt that it’s wonderful to be back at the department, but it doesn’t compare to evenings with Noah.

“It was good,” I say eventually.

“Arrest any new bad guys?” he asks, and I smile.

“We’re in the process of closing a case on a perp from earlier in the week. So no, not today.”

He shakes his head slowly in mock disappointment.

“This isn’t Gotham City,” I scoff.

“Which is okay with me.” Noah fishes himself another slice. “Better than murders on the daily, isn’t it?”

“Yes, very true.”

“How about Cliff? Has he been giving you anymore trouble?”

I shake my head. “My plan is to limit myself exclusively to short and necessary interactions with him from now on.”

Noah nods. “Let me know if he harasses you anymore though because I’ll—”

“I know, I know,” I say. “I’m fine though. Really.”

He cocks his head at me and I take another bite as if it’s a response.

“Okay, this is pretty good, I’ll give it to you.” I swallow and furrow my eyebrows. “But, do you happen to have the Cadillac of popcorn around here too?”

“That is a good question, Detective.” He turns around. I watch him peruse through two cabinets without success before meandering toward the pantry. “Unfortunately, I think this case is going cold on me,” he says after a few more seconds of searching.

A silly laugh escapes me.

“What, do I sound too authentic?”

“Oh yeah. Just like a real officer.”

Noah gives in to a laugh of his own. “Well I have a proposal for you—if you take the rest of the pizza to the living room and get the movie set up, then I’ll look around for the popcorn I don’t have and pour us some wine that I definitely do have.” I begin to giggle but Noah interrupts it by pulling me into his chest. “Is that a deal?” he whispers in my ear, his lips tickling my earlobe.

“It’s a deal,” I whisper back.

* * *

“You know you look just like him, right? You’re like a younger version of Robert Downey Jr.” I smirk at Noah as he rubs my feet in his lap.

His eyebrows rise into his forehead. “So that’s how I got ya, huh?”

“The only reason.”

“I knew it.” He shakes his head. “At least tell me I’d make the better Iron Man though, you’ve gotta give me that.”

I laugh in spite of my sarcastically serious expression. “You’d make the best Iron Man,” I say.

He laughs and at the same time my phone chimes on the table beside us. There’s a low battery alert on the screen when I retrieve it from behind me.

“I need to go plug my phone in real quick.” I begin to stand up, but Noah grabs my ankles.

“Nope, I don’t have any chargers in the house,” he says flatly. “Sorry.”

“Oh really? Did you throw away the one I brought with me?”

“Shit.” His grip slackens, and I swing my feet onto the ground. “Well, all the plugs are off limits.”

I slap his arm on my way toward the nearest outlet and turn the volume of my ring all the way up before plugging it in. As I return, I lean over from behind the couch and wrap my arms around his chest. “How do you like my movie selection?” I whisper.

“It got suddenly worse without you sitting next to me.” Noah lifts one of my hands from his chest and weaves his fingers between mine.

“Well then.” I round the couch and sit down again without ever dropping his hand.

As soon as I touch the cushions, Noah tugs me toward him. He lies back and pulls me on top of him. My hands instantly fall to his chest and I clench his shirt in my fists as he presses his lips into mine. My hands slip under his shirt onto his abs.

Then up to his pecs.

Every new inch of his body feels softer than the last.

I caress back down and grasp his shirt in my fists again, this time pulling it over his head. The light from the TV casts thin shadows over the hard lines of his torso. I graze my fingers down his bare chest, tucking them in the waistband between his briefs and smooth hips.

He reaches for my shirt and slowly pulls it off. He pecks kisses down my neck, onto my shoulder. His arms curl around me and unhinge my bra as his lips continue pecking down my shoulder and onto my chest. Onto my nipple.

He takes it between his teeth, circles it with his tongue. There’s a crisp chill when he releases while the rest of my body burns with desire.

His lips come back to mine with a new intensity and he pulls me even closer. I kiss him, clench his shoulders, and feel his fingers working at the button on my pants. As soon as it’s undone, he reaches in and wraps his fingers around the thin strap of my panties. His knuckles are cold on my hips.

I gasp for a breath when our kiss breaks.

“Let’s get these off of you,” he whispers.

I lean back and fall into the other end of the couch, clutching my bare breasts as he tugs my pants off.

He pulls me back towards him. His fingers twist under my panties as he slides under me so that I’m kneeling over his face. He kisses up my thigh, his saliva sending blissful shivers down my legs.

My entire body is pulsing with anticipation.

Noah pulls the right side of my panties down just enough to kiss my hip. He slides himself even further under me so that I’m kneeling a few inches above his face, and plants a kiss over my clit.

I can feel the fire of his lips as if there isn’t lingerie between us. He grabs my ass with both hands and kisses down the inside of my leg, then slowly back up.

Electricity erupts through my veins. Just watching him is almost too much to bear. I’ve never been teased like this.

Finally, he pulls my panties down. His tongue returns to work. I bite my lips just to trap a moan, but it’s no use. It escapes in a heavy breath as Noah sucks me between his teeth.

I grab a fistful of his hair and moan again. My head falls back, and I close my eyes and curl my toes.

He breaks for a moment to kiss my leg. Then his lips return and my head snaps forward. I watch him and twist at his thick hair. Suddenly his eyes flick open and he stares up at me while slowly licking around and around. My back arches and pleasure surges up my spine.

I’m losing control.

I tell myself to hang on, but euphoria is about to burst within me. And then it does.

Noah holds me in place as ecstasy washes through every inch of my body.

I fall back, my head at Noah’s feet as I pant. He slowly pushes out from under me. When I look up, he’s smiling at me from the other end of the couch.

“What, did I miss something?” he asks.

I can only shake my head at him. I’ve barely caught my breath, but I laugh anyway.

Noah reaches over the coach, grabs his t-shirt, and wipes his face. All I can do is look over my thumping chest and watch him.

“Better than the movie?” he asks. I nod, and he leans over to kiss me.

His body slowly collapses onto mine and I run my fingers down his back. Even with my lips pressed to his, I can taste the scent of his cologne. It’s alive in the air between us. But more than that, I can taste him.

When he breaks our kiss, his head drops to my shoulder and he whispers in my ear. “Don’t tell me you’re tired already, Detective.”

“Don’t you dare taunt a police officer,” I say.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?”

I push his chest and Noah humors me by falling back so I can pounce on top of him.