CHAPTER 11: NOAH
I am standing in front of my brother’s place holding a bunch of flowers in one hand and a bottle of whisky in my other. Hunter, like me, always liked a good Mac Allen now and again. I am still having trouble getting my head around the fact that he invited me to his home for dinner with his wife and two daughters.
Somehow, things are changing for the better. I only hope Hunter, and I can stay off the topic about what happened back then and focus on tonight. I step forward and press the doorbell. It barely takes a second until the cutest little girl is standing before me. She’s like a girly mini version of my brother: dark hair, open face and brown eyes.
“Hi there…my name is Noah,” I say, peering down at the six-year-old.
“Are you my uncle Noah?” she asks.
“Yes, that is exactly who I am.”
“So, that you makes you my daddy’s brother?” she probes further.
“Right again,” I respond.
“Oh, Noah, I am so sorry. Please come in. When Felicity starts asking questions she doesn’t stop,” says Kaylee, rushing to the door and welcoming me inside the house.
After I hugged them both, she and Felicity dash off in the direction of what I assume to be the kitchen with the gifts I brought. Her home is pleasant. I can see that Kaylee put a lot of effort into creating the ideal place for her husband and children. Everything from the photographs on the mantelpieces and tables are all faultlessly placed. The tone of the curtains, settees, carpets and parquetry flooring are all in perfect harmony with one another. The whole place exudes idyllic vibes from the shingled exterior to the tasteful and contemporary interior.
“Hey, what are you doing still standing in the hallway?”
My gaze snaps away from my perusal of the dining area with the perfectly laid table. “Hey, I was just caught up in the loveliness of your home.”
Hunter smiles in that lopsided way he always does. “Come here, little brother. Looks like you could use a hug.” It feels great to be held by the one man I missed most apart from granddad. “It’s home, but I bet it’s nothing compared to the place you got in New York, eh?”
“No, that’s for sure…this is way nicer than anything I own,” I say, meaning it and following him to the dining area at the end of which is an open-plan kitchen. We take a seat at the counter facing Kaylee and his two daughters who are working with her in the kitchen.
“You’re bullshitting me. I know this is nice – Kaylee designed it and I did all of the building with some of the guys in town, but your place must be like a palace.”
“Language, Hunter. We have two little girls in the house and a wife,” chides Kaylee.
“This here is magnificent, Hunter, and way nicer than my place. You’ll see when you come visit,” I say. “Maybe you two should start an interior design and construction business in New York – you sure have taste. I love what you have done with the kitchen; it blends in seamlessly with the rest of the room.”
This remark invites a snort from my brother. I can tell he hasn’t changed. Compliments never worked with him. “Hey, Megan. Come meet your uncle,” he says to the girl helping her mother prepare the food alongside her sister. She looks like her mother. I also detect similarities to Zoey. I guess I see Zoey everywhere at the moment.
“It’s great to meet you finally, Uncle Noah,” says the girl who I assume is ten.
“Yeah, I am really happy to meet you too.” Wow – look at what I missed all this time. I have an entire family here about whom I know absolutely nothing about. I have to change this. I promise myself that I will make alterations to my life from this day on.
“Okay, the food is ready,” says Kaylee. “Hunter said you loved pot roast with corn, roast potatoes and gravy when you were kids.”
“Yep, we sure did. That was when we weren’t eating steak or fish from the lake,” I say.
Hunter hoots laughter. “Yeah, once every five years, granddad would make us grandma’s special pot roast. The rest of the time it was red meat and fish on the grill no matter the weather.”
“Damn, it was good though. I just could have done with some more pot roast,” I add.
“Well, I hope mine can compete with Grandpa Jackson’s,” says Kaylee, carrying the piping hot dish to the table with oven mitts.
“I bet it will,” I say. I follow Hunter and the rest of the family to the table and sit down. In moments, my nieces busy themselves with filling my plate with the delicious food. When everyone has a full plate, I take my first bite.
“Wow, I haven’t eaten this good in ages,” I say, nearly falling apart because I love the taste so much. It reminds me of home and when I was young. No food in the world can beat that flavor.
Kaylee blushes. “Thanks, Noah. The girls are a great help.”
I smile at my nieces. Soon, the entire conversation at the table revolves around them. They tell me all about school and their friends. When Megan asks me what I do for a living, a new level of hero-worship sets in. I promise to take her to a bunch of concerts in the near future – naturally with the VIP backstage tour and a personal introduction to the lead stars. All the while, Hunter looks at me with a happy expression on his face. Could the feud finally be over, I ask myself? Has he missed this as much as I have?
“You know you’re gonna have to keep your promise to Megan, Noah,” says Hunter.
I nod. “Sure I will. You just let me know when I can have Megan and I’ll make the arrangements.”
“What about me?” asks Felicity with a sad expression on her face.
“We’re going to do something really cool. We will fly on a plane to Florida, and I will take you to Disney Land,” I say, accepting her huge hug.
“And your uncle Noah has his own plane,” adds Hunter without a trace of jealousy in his voice.
“Wow,” squeal both girls in unison.
While the coffee is served, Hunter sends his daughters to their rooms. He still has stuff to discuss with me. As soon as he and Kaylee are settled back down at the table, he tells me his side of the story of what happened back then. After I add the missing pieces, we have all of the facts. Kaylee is very surprised. She says the two of us are fools for having held a grudge for so long because of something that could have been solved years ago.
And just like it was when we were younger, Hunter and I answer together, “Us Jacksons are fighters and don’t let anyone tell ya otherwise.” We clink with our coffee cups and laugh like we did when were kids.
“You Jacksons are stubborn jackasses that’s what,” says Kaylee.
“That’s what we just said,” says Hunter. “We fight until the end.”
Kaylee shakes her head and smiles at her husband. “So, how’s it going with Zoey?” she asks me.
I gulp. “Well…”
“Get your ass over there,” says my brother, hitting me on the back. “It’s about time you got yourself a decent girl, and I can vouch for Brooks’ quality. They purr like kittens if you oil them well.”
This promptly incurs a slap to his shoulder from Kaylee. “She should be off work by now. I am certain my sister would be happy to see you,” says Kaylee after reprimanding her husband some more.
“Here, take this bottle of vino with you.” Hunter jiggles with his shoulders. “At least you’ll go over there armed with something.”
I nod. “Okay…I will go see her,” I say with far more confidence than I feel. Shit! I am nervous as hell. This is so not me.
****
“What the fuck! I play your song every day on the radio, Zoey. Thanks to me, people out there know who you are. The least you could do is show me some respect!”
“It’s late, Zac. You know that you are not supposed to come here. Please don’t make me call the cops.”
The strange man snorts into his hand. “Do you think I give a shit about the police? I am here for some food and some quality time with my girl.”
“I am not your girl anymore, Zac.”
Fuck me, Zoey went out with this douche. I don’t believe it. He’s so not her type. No wonder she’s careful when it comes to men. I am standing a little further down the street and out of sight. My blood is close to boiling point. I would like nothing more than to rush over there and beat the shit out of that guy. But I hold back. I promised myself that I would take it slow with her. They might just fight it out verbally, and he will leave.
“Then why don’t you have a new boyfriend, eh? It’s been over three years since our break up. I guess the thought of me is too much to part up with, eh? There is no better man than me,” continues Zac.
I am starting to think that maybe I should intervene. The bulky guy with the spikey dark hair under his baseball cap is starting to worry me. If he moves any closer, he will be on top of Zoey.
“I’m bushed, Zac. Can’t you see when a girl just wants to be alone?”I notice that Zoey is starting to sound a little edgy. Now, it’s really time to announce my presence.
“Well then, let me in, and we can have a little fun together for old time sake.”
“Get your hands off me, Zac. I mean it.”
“You, bitch, are a fucking cock tease. You’re gonna please ‘ol Zac just like you used to.”
“Get your hands off her, you miserable little shit.” I slowly walk up to the garage building on the border of her parents’ property. No wonder the weasel has the guts to come here. The studio is too far away from the main building. Nobody can hear a thing.
“This is none of your business, sir,” says Zac, eying me closely. “I’m just having a small disagreement with my girlfriend,” he adds.
“Girlfriend, huh?” I snicker. By now I’m only one pace away from Zac. I flick my head. Promptly, he lets go of Zoey. She sidesteps Zac and skips to my side. Feeling her standing next to me is the best thing in the world. “You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah…just. Thank god you are here,” she says between nervous breaths.
“You know how these things are…when couples argue,” says Zac, trying to explain himself. I immediately notice the subtle truculent gestures he makes – he’s preparing for a fight. It’s an instinct I have; I can pick up a move before it is even made.
“I sure do. Now fuck off and leave your imaginary girlfriend alone,” I say.
“Imaginary?”
“Yeah, because as of this morning, Zoey and I have been going steady. So, that makes her my girlfriend. And you really don’t want to know what I do to guys when they pester my gal,” I growl.
“I have to warn you that I can’t let this go through.” Zac swallows deeply. “I’m a black belt in…”
“In bullshit,” I snarl. I feel Zoey shudder next to me. “Anybody who has to announce that shit is full of the stuff.” I step closer until only a hand’s breadth separates my face from Zac’s. “Do you really want to go through with this?” I ask half lifting the relatively well-built man until he’s on tiptoes before me. I ram his back against the garage door.
I see all kinds of emotions playing on the other man’s face. The reek of too much booze assaults my nostrils. “Are you trying to knock me down with the fumes coming out of your mouth or do you want to fight?”
Zac stutters something inaudible. I feel his entire frame shuddering in my grip. I lower him down some until the flats of his feet are back on the ground. With a taut finger, I press into his sternum, eliciting a cry of pain. “If you aren’t gone in two seconds, I will stop the talking and start the beating. Assholes like you belong behind bars for frightening women – ex-girlfriend or not. For the future remember, no is no.”
Zac barely manages a nod. Without another word or a look at Zoey or me, he races around the corner and disappears from sight.
I turn to a wide-eyed Zoey. “I guess you better be a little more careful in your choice in men in the future. That one over there is a real shit bug.”
This remark makes Zoey laugh. “Would you like to come inside? I think I owe my new boyfriend a thank you for what he did.” Her eyes twinkle at me when she says this. She then proceeds to tell me how Zac cornered her when she got back home from work.
Once inside, I sit down on the sofa. I scan the room. I like it. The roof is in a triangular shape and has wooden beams crossing the space above our heads. There is one large comfortable sofa and two chairs along with a coffee table in the middle.
My gaze takes me to Zoey in the kitchen. I can feel a growl wanting to creep up my throat and spew from my mouth. What the fuck am I doing sitting here? The hottest woman I have ever seen is over there struggling with the wine bottle.
I get to my feet and walk over to where she is standing with her back facing me in her open-plan kitchen. “Do you need a hand?” I ask, moving my arms past her from behind. I press my body against hers, take her hands in mine and guide them to the countertop.
My nose is buried in her mane of red-golden hair. I drink in her scent that crawls up my nostrils, frying the neurons in my brain. Fuck, the scent is hardwired into my cock. In seconds I am hard as hell. It takes me like forever to realize what I am doing. This is the old Noah, the man who would take advantage of a tense situation for a fuck. No! I release her hands and step back.
“Noah, I need you now.” Zoey turns and presses her frame against mine, making me groan when I feel the litheness of her body against my raging cock through the fabric of our clothing. She rubs herself against me like a cat. “You’re so hard for me, Noah.” Her desire surprises me. I never expected such a reaction.
I growl an affirmation. I need her. My brief attempt at chivalry was for naught as primal urges rush over me in a torrent of heat. I pull her closer by the hips as I crush my mouth against hers. The taste of it is incredible. My tongue performs a merry dance with hers, enmeshing us in an unbreakable vice of denied passion finally set free. The kiss is all and better than anything I imagined. Zoey takes all of me in, sucking and licking my tongue with deft strokes. I counter until we have attained our rhythm that belongs only to us.
My hands that had frozen on her hips because of the kiss’s intensity start to move up her body. I take one of her breasts into my hand while with the other I round her back. Zoey shudders against me, deepening the kiss and pulling on my belt angrily. When she opens it, I pull away. “No, we can’t do this.”
Zoey frowns. “Why not, Noah?” I can see that her mind is working like crazy. I can see the confusion, and to some extent, the hurt plays on her face.
“It’s not you, Zoey.”
“What is it then?”
“I don’t want you to think that I am using you,” I say. I can see that she’s pleased to hear this. At the same time, I see the disappointment at being denied the pleasure of us being together more intimately skirt her face.
Zoey moves closer and plants a kiss on my lips. “I am a big girl. There’s no need for you to worry about that. I want you, Noah Jackson. I always have. Now, stop fucking everything up and do the right thing,” she whispers into my mouth, ending her speech with a little lick of her tongue.
I chuckle. “I do tend to say the wrong stuff when we are together.”
“Shut the fuck up and kiss me. I want to thank you properly for defending me earlier. It was so he-man and sexy.” She licks my lips again. “Do you know how wet I am for you right now?”
I say nothing – this woman is incredible – placid pools do run deep, I think, referring to her habitual equanimity. I just succumb to her need. The entire time, my cock stayed erect and ached with wanting. When I feel her hand brush against it through my briefs, I know there is no way back. I need to claim Zoey Brooks this night, and there is no turning back.
“What do you want me to do with this?” Zoey squeezes my cock through the fabric of my briefs. Her voice is a melodious purr.
I grab her by the ass and pull her closer. At 6’2’’, I tower above her. I look down into her ocean blue eyes. I can see her need reflected in them. “I…” I am speechless I realize. Zoey is so different to what I expected. Usually, I make the calls with women. Now, it appears that she is calling the shots.
“Tell me, Noah,” she hisses. Her mouth is barely a finger’s width from my lips. I can smell the scent of coffee and her lust on her breath. Her tasteful perfume mingles with it and that of her healthy body musk. It sends the neurons in my head into a series of kamikaze swirls – this woman drives me nuts with wanting.
Another slight stroke of my cock makes me instinctively flex my hips. Another waft of her fragrance sends a fresh jolt to my erection. I bury my nose in hair and inhale deeply.
“Tell me now,” she says more forcefully as she slides her hand into my briefs from above. I groan when I feel Zoey’s hand circling the tip of my cock with her thumb and fingers. She pushes me back so that she can look into my eyes while she is doing this.
A naughty smile plays across her mouth. She licks her lips, her pink tongue leaving a trail of wetness in its wake. “Tell me,” she says once more, her voice laced with traces of her covetousness. Her treatment of my erection is relentless – circle, stroke, pull and then circle, stroke, pull – I almost forget where I am as I let her have her way with me. “Tell me what you want, Noah?”
I do not say a word as I flip Zoey around and pinion her on the counter. She lets out a small shriek that only increases my ardor. I hitch up her work skirt until it moves above her ass. Moments later, I grip the edges of her panties, pulling on them with my hands until they slide down her long legs. Like a crazy man, I get down on my knees and bury my face in her ass.
“Oh, Noah…argh.”
“Consider yourself told,” I hiss, licking her pussy from behind. “You’re as sweet as a peach.” I relish her taste and the way she squirms for me. I hear her nails scratch the counter surface. With my hands firmly on her ass, I continue lashing at her sex with my tongue, while I massage her hard ass cheeks. I’m like a starving man after being given his first meal in weeks. I treat Zoey’s soaking pussy with the same relish as he would the food.
Fuck, she’s so tight and sultry. I move my right hand down her backside. I can’t resist slapping it – Zoey shrieks. I slip it between her legs that she has parted for me slightly so that I have better access. I insert two fingers inside of her.
“Oh, Noah. I need to feel your cock inside of me.” She arches her back to make her point. Now, I have even more access to her ass and pussy; I can’t resist licking her heat for a few more heartbeats.
I kiss my way over her curves until I’m standing upright behind her. Seeing Zoey bent over with her legs spread is so damn hot. I move lower and kiss the crook of her neck. “I’m going to fuck you hard now. I am going to give you what you want.”