Noah stared at her, trying to keep his emotions under control, striving to act cool and collected. He slowly bent to set the beer Ethan had forced on him on the ground, fighting the urge to toss it to the side and run at her. He didn’t want to spook her. He didn’t want to make her go running.

“Hi,” he said in as close to an even voice as he could muster. It still wobbled with the feelings that were raging through him.

“Hey,” she said, and her lips trembled. A tear trailed down her cheek.

Noah hated that he’d caused her pain. He was desperate to ease it somehow, but he didn’t know what to do or say.

Thankfully, Ethan had his back. He stood from the couch, grabbed the beer from the ground, saluted without saying a word, and headed out. “Hey, Cynthia,” he said. “Good to see you again.”

“Hey,” Cynthia said to him, her eyes still on Noah.

“I’ll just put this in the kitchen,” Ethan said as he moved on. “Janie, as much as I want to see the painting that you’ll create from eavesdropping, you need to leave, too.”

“Yeah,” Janie said, shuffling after him. “I wish we had cameras in this room.”

“What fun to know someone as creepy as I am,” Ethan said, laughing jovially.

When they were gone, Noah shifted awkwardly. “Would you like to sit?”

“I need you to make this better, Noah,” she said in a strained voice, a sob breaking free.

A weight settled on his chest. “Okay. Can I hold you?”

“No. Not now. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He took a deep breath. “I wanted to tell you at your mom’s house, but we’d only just discussed those made-up rumors. I’m not an idiot. I know that you were trusting me. I worried that if I told you what I used to do for a living, it would discredit everything else. I thought you’d assume I really was the asshole all the girls had always claimed I was.”

“And you thought explaining rumors from high school was more important than telling me about your job as an escort?”

“I wasn’t thinking at all. I felt inclined to defend myself from Ellen, and when that was done…I balked. My courage ran out.”

She studied him. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks. “I was questioning you about Ellen, so I take responsibility for directing that conversation. Was that the only time you thought about telling me?”

“No. It’s always been on my mind, Cynthia, I promise. But I didn’t have a solid plan. I thought maybe a powwow with my friends would help. Then I decided I’d talk to you after my page was wiped from the website, but you found out before that could happen. I was all set to do it, even though the idea made me feel sick to my stomach.”

Her face remained impassive, and pain filled his chest. Moisture blurred his vision before he wiped it away. “Look, Cynthia, I know I should’ve told you before you moved. I know I should’ve made it my top priority. It was a huge secret and, yes, a huge lie by omission. I didn’t because I thought you would leave me. I couldn’t get up the courage, because I couldn’t bear to lose you. I love you. So much. It happened so quickly, and it’s grown insanely strong, insanely fast. I fucked up. Majorly. If you take me back, this is a mistake I will never make again.

“You violated my trust,” she said, her body shaking.

A tear dripped down his face and he swatted it away. Men weren’t supposed to break. They were supposed to stay strong. But if she left him, he didn’t know how he could keep going. He was barely holding it together. “I know. I broke your trust out of cowardice. I completely understand if you can’t forgive me.”

She wiped hair away from her cheek. “Don’t ever lie to me again,” she said.

“I won’t.” He swatted another tear away, the pain almost unbearable. Her sobs crushing him. “I swear I won’t.”

She nodded slowly, and his heart leapt. “I love you too,” she said softly. “I forgive you.”

“Oh thank God.” The dam broke and he rushed at her, wrapping her in his arms. “Thank God. I’m so sorry I’ve caused you pain, Cynthia. I’ll never forgive myself.”

She sobbed against him, nestling into his arms. “This was the worst couple days of my life.”

“Mine too.” He rested his cheek on the top of her head. “Will you move in with me? Officially? You can search all my shit if you want. I have an old video collection of porn in my closet. I’ve been too embarrassed to throw it away.”

“Video collection?” Her voice was muffled in his shirt. “Like VHS?”

“Yes. Really campy ones, too. Like Ginger’s Island. You know, a take on Gilligan’s Island?”

He couldn’t tell if she was laughing or sobbing. “You didn’t have to explain.” She pulled away and tilted her face up to him. “I don’t think this would’ve felt like such a big deal if it weren’t an escort service. It’s been hard to wrap my head around that. But the way Colton explained it made me feel better.”

“How’d he explain it?”

“That it was mostly a big joke, and you guys were basically counting your lucky stars like a bunch of big dummies.”

“It sure would’ve been nice if he’d given me that angle a few days ago…” Noah squeezed her close, so damn glad she’d found it in her heart to forgive him. That she was open-minded enough to roll with his past profession. “I knew how it would look to an outsider. That’s why I kept chickening out.”

“I don’t blame you. Not really. The important thing going forward is the trust issue. But I do trust you. Everything you and everyone else has said makes sense. It all lines up. And I believe you’ve learned your lesson. I also know that it’s a road I better follow, since I’ve made a big deal about it.”

“Please don’t follow the road of being a prostitute. I don’t want to share you.”

She laughed, but that serious, intent look was back a moment later. “You’re out of it, though, right? Completely done?”

“Yes. You are the only woman I will touch. You’re it for me.”

Her smile lifted the pressure on his chest. He kissed her, desperate and relieved. His tongue swirled around hers. Her taste and her smell greeted him. It said one thing to him: home.

Before he knew what was happening, he’d swooped her up into his arms and climbed the stairs. In the spare room, he felt her ripping at his shirt. A button had popped free by the time he lowered her, and her fingers kept working.

He kissed her again. Passion dizzied his mind.

He yanked at her jeans button before pushing the zipper down and then doing the same with her pants. He found her lips again as she shoved his shirt off his shoulders and ripped it down his arms. His undershirt went next. She kissed a trail down his chest, making him pause and close his eyes, relishing her warm mouth on his skin. She worked at his pants before hooking her fingers around both pants and boxers and pushing them down his legs.

He groaned as she sucked in his cock. Her pace was fast, and she stroked him with her hand in time to her oral ministrations, taking him high too fast. He’d blow his load before he got to be inside her.

He leaned down and pulled her away, pushing her onto the bed behind her. She stripped off her shirt and then her bra. Her perky and delicious breasts bounced as they settled, drawing his eyes.

Unable to take it slow, no control to speak of, he grabbed the crotch of her panties and tore them off. The next moment, he climbed up between her thighs. He grabbed the base of his cock and rubbed the tip against her wetness.

“Hmm, Noah,” she breathed. “Hurry.”

He felt the longing in her voice, the deep emotion singing through her words.

“I love you,” he said, thrusting into her.

“Oh,” she said, clutching his shoulders. “I love you.”

He moved within her, plunging as deeply as he could, blown away by the feel of her. By her sensual movements and sexuality.

“I’m so lucky to have found you,” he murmured against her lips, meaning every word of it. Her spunkiness excited him. Her intellect challenged him. The way she saw the world made everything feel refreshing and new.

She moaned as he stroked harder, the sensations building. The pleasure stealing his breath.

He found her hands with his and entwined their fingers. Held on for dear life.

She was it. She was the last stop. He could’ve never guessed he’d end up with a wild woman like her, but he knew she was perfect for him because of it.

He pumped harder, spurred on by her moans of pleasure.

“Yes, Noah,” she said, her fingers digging into his back. “Oh yes, Noah.”

His balls tightened, ready for release. He held back, waiting for her. Kissing her more deeply. Feeling her thighs wrap tightly around his hips.

“Oh!” she cried, arching back. Her body flexed with her orgasm.

He gave a final, hard thrust, and exploded. Waves of sensation rolled over him, the pleasure so keen he nearly blacked out.

“Oh my God,” Cynthia said softly, starting to relax.

He felt the tremors of the best orgasm he’d ever had slowly die away, taking the tightness of his muscles from the last day with it.

“That was the best I’ve ever had,” she said as she melted beneath him.

He smiled, loving that he could do that to her. “I agree. It was the best, topping the last best, which was also with you. And the best before that. Also with you.”

“Ditto.” She sighed in contentment. “Yes, I will move in with you. Officially.”