FOUR YEARS AGO

“Reagan, can I talk to you for a minute?” My feet halt their forward motion and I pause for a moment, taking a deep breath, before I spin around at the sound of Noah Nolan’s deep voice.

He moves toward me like a panther stalking his prey - or maybe that’s the image that comes to mind because of the smooth way he moves. I know I wouldn’t complain about being his dinner. As he closes the distance between us my heart pounds out an erratic tempo with each step he takes. Stopping when there’s only a foot separating us, he glances down at me.

“Do you have plans tomorrow night?”

Oh. My. God. Is he asking me out?

“No, nothing concrete. Why?”

He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Is he nervous?

His light green eyes lock on mine ensnaring me in their grip. “I’d like to take you out to dinner. What do you say?”

“Sure.” I smile, appearing calm while inwardly, I’m doing fucking cartwheels. I can’t believe I just got asked out by Noah. I’ve been crushing on him for over a year now and had pretty much given up hope he’d ever notice me.

“I’ll pick you up at seven.” He smiles. “See you then.”

“See you,” I say and exhale a sigh. Yes! I silently scream.

He walks by and I track his every move. Studying the way his broad shoulders taper down to his lean hips has me feeling flushed and nervous about our date. He may only be nineteen, but he carries himself with the confidence of someone much older. He’s got experience beyond his years too. He’s had his fair share of girlfriends. I’ve seen it firsthand and have had to deal with my irrational feelings of jealousy whenever one of them would show up at the gym. Fortunately, Noah is serious about his training. Usually the first time they come around is also the last. He puts an end to that nonsense right away.

* * *

Smiling, I open the door to find Noah standing on the other side.

“Hey,” he says with a grin. His eyes sweep over me. “You look really nice.”

“Thank you. My parents aren’t here, so we can go.” I step outside onto the front stoop and pull the door closed behind me.

“Yeah,” he says rubbing the back of his neck. “Your dad grabbed me earlier for a talk.”

“Oh no.” I cover my face with both hands. “That’s embarrassing. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.” My words are muffled by my hands.

Noah reaches out, prying my hands from my face. He releases one and continues to hold onto the other. “You don’t need to be embarrassed. If I had a daughter, I’d do the same.”

Shaking my head, I reply, “Dad’s seriously overprotective of us all, even my mom. If anyone looks at us wrong he goes all caveman beating his chest.”

He chuckles and gently tugs on my hand. “I’d expect nothing less from coach.” We walk toward an old Jeep he’s fixed up with some of his winnings and he opens the door for me. I focus on slowing my breathing as he shuts me in and makes his way around the front and to the driver side door. He slips into his seat, flashing me a quick smile before starting the engine.

Once we’re on the road we settle into silence and I remind myself to relax. Just because I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year now doesn’t mean I should be a nervous mess. Sure.

“I hope you like Mexican food,” he says, interrupting my thoughts.

“I do. I love it, actually.” My fingers nervously trace over the small frayed hole in the knee of my jeans.

“The place I’m taking you is owned by an old family friend and I work there a couple nights a week.”

“Are you in school?” I ask. I don’t really know much about Noah. Only that he’s always been courteous to me and his training habits are impeccable. My dad says he’s got a great future in MMA if he sticks with it and doesn’t let outside distractions get in the way.

“Yeah, I’m taking a couple of classes right now, but it’s not for me. Fighting is my future.”

“It’s great that you know what you want to do. I have no idea what I want to major in and it’s hard to choose a college when you don’t even know what you’re going for.”

“Where did you apply to?”

“I got early acceptance at UNH, UMass and UVM. I’ve also applied to Boston College, Boston University, Arizona State University and University of California, Santa Barbara.”

He whistles between his teeth. “That’s an impressive list you’ve got there. Which one are you leaning toward?”

“Boston College is my first choice, but it’s so competitive and I don’t want to strain my parents financially.” I stare out the window, taking in the sights of Boston at night. “The tuition is astronomical and the scholarships are few and far between unless you’re some mega genius.”

“Aren’t you?” he asks with a small smile playing on his lips.

“A genius?” I question, my eyebrow raised. “Hardly. I’m a good student, but I have to work for it.”

“Anything worth having comes with hard work - or maybe it’s anything worth having is worth waiting for.” He chuckles.

Nodding, I reply, “either one applies and are good to remember.”

We pull into a crowded parking lot and drive around until he finds an empty space. “Don’t move,” he says, shutting off the engine. He’s around to my door in a flash, opening it.

Smiling at his gentlemanly manners, I take his hand and allow him to pull me out of the car. I end up standing toe to toe with him. My pulse flutters from his closeness and I wobble on suddenly unsteady legs.

He catches both of my upper arms in his grasp, steadying me with a kind smile. “I gotcha.” He winks, stepping back and gesturing for me to move away from the car. Once he closes the door, he takes my hand in his larger one, setting off for the main entrance.

The scent of all the food being prepared overtakes me as we walk inside and has me inhaling slowly and deeply to savor it. My mouth waters at the thought of all the delicious flavors that will soon be hitting my taste buds.

In our house, there aren’t a lot of nights where we go out to dinner. Dad works late most and my mom is tight with the purse strings, even though we live comfortably. I can’t remember the last time I had legit Mexican food. Mom makes us tacos and chicken quesadillas occasionally, but that’s hardly the same thing as having the real deal.

We’re immediately led to a table, despite the long line of people already waiting. The hostess seats us in a booth near the back of the restaurant and gifts Noah with an overly friendly smile before she walks away. I’m sure she’s just one of many who’ve fallen for his good looks and charming personality. I can’t really fault her for it. Haven’t I done the same?

“I assume us being seated so fast is a perk of your job,” I say, taking in his handsome face across the table from me. I never imagined I’d be in this situation.

“Something like that,” he says with a wink.

An older waitress takes our order. Noah orders more food than we can possibly eat.

“You have two older sisters, right?” he questions me.

“Yep, they’re both in college at UMass. Kennedy is a sophomore and Carter is a senior. UMass is my mom’s alma mater too. They’re all pressuring me to keep up the family tradition.”

“But you don’t want to?” he questions. His stare is direct and interested. So far, he’s everything I hoped he’d be.

“No, I don’t want to.” Opening my napkin, I smooth it out on my lap. “All my life I’ve fallen in line behind my sisters and I’ve done what’s been expected of me. I’m looking forward to gaining some separation.”

He nods his head still carefully watching me. What is he thinking?

The waitress returns with our sodas temporarily cutting off our conversation.

“Do you work anywhere besides here?” I question.

“Yeah, I do some carpentry for a friend of my dad’s. I work with him a few days a week; the days I’m not in class.” He sips on his coke and then continues. “That’s another reason why I won’t be returning to school for the next semester. I want to go to five days a week and then I can quit working here. That will allow me more gym time. I really need to up my training.”

“My dad said you’re a talented fighter.” I stir the plastic straw around the edge of the glass in my diet Coke and watch as the ice swirls around like a whirlpool.

“He did?” he questions, surprise in his tone.

My eyes flick from the dark beverage to connect with his green ones. “That surprises you? You must have an idea you’re talented.”

He runs his hand over his clean-shaven chin. “Your dad isn’t really one to dole out compliments. Not that I need them. I fight because it’s important to me. It’s part of me. I don’t need validation from him or anyone else.”

We listen to the upbeat sounds of the Mariachi band playing in another part of the restaurant as we enjoy our dinner, both of us lost in the delicious meal. The comfortable silence between us is interspersed with idle chit chat.

Noah settles the bill and then takes my hand, leading me out to the car. Once again, he shows me what a gentleman he is by opening my door. This is easily the best date I’ve been on. Not that I’ve been on a ton of dates, but I did have a boyfriend for a few months last spring. He never exhibited any manners whatsoever and he was a lousy kisser. I really hope Noah’s not. Surreptitiously glancing at him, I note the fullness of his masculine lips and I automatically know there’s no way his kiss will be disappointing. I hope I get to experience what it’s like to have his mouth locked with mine, tonight.

He pulls into my driveway and I’m disappointed our date is over so soon. I was hoping to spend more time with him.

“I really want our date to continue, but I have to be at the gym early in the morning. Can I take you out again tomorrow night?” He asks, a hopeful expression on his face.

“I’d really like that.” I smile.

“Let me at least walk you to the door.” He holds my hand as we make our way up the two stairs that lead to my front porch.

My stomach begins to feel unsettled with nervous energy. I want him to kiss me, but at the same time I’m nervous about it happening.

“I had a great time with you,” he begins. Leaning back against the door, I stare up at him, willing him to kiss me.

“So did I.” He inches forward. His hand moves up to slowly caress my face. Fingers trailing from my cheekbone down to my chin. His other hand slides under my hair, cupping the back of my head. “I want to kiss you. Tell me you want my lips on yours.” His voice sounds hoarse and sexy to my ears.

“Yes,” I whisper, licking my lips and nodding my head.

His focus is on my mouth as he drops down closer and closer until our lips meet in a whisper soft kiss. Moaning, I grip the back of his neck and press my lips more forcefully against his. He groans and slides one hand down to grip my hip as his tongue slips inside my mouth for the first time. My fingers grab his shoulders and I lean into him, pressing my breasts against his rock-solid chest while our tongues dance around each other. The kiss goes on and on, neither of us wanting it to end. The fury of butterflies in my stomach imitates a roller coaster ride. He finally tears his lips from mine, both breathing erratically as we stare at one another in stunned silence. Never in my life did I imagine a kiss could be like that.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at seven,” he says taking a step backward, as rocked by our kiss as I am.

I nod, still too stunned to find the words to answer him.

“Goodnight,” he says with a grin before turning and heading back to his car. He opens the door, raising his hand in a final wave. I blow him a kiss and smile, already looking forward to our next date.