CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Noah practically floated from his desk to the ancient coffeemaker in his office. He actually had to look down to make sure his feet were touching the ground… and not tripping over rain-catching Christmas tins. There they were, rooted to the creaky hardwood floor in his sensible brown loafers. His entire body felt lighter as if, through some sort of new-agey orgasm therapy, Cat had somehow burned off the mists dragging at him for the past several decades.
Last night had been… magical. And then this morning was dark magic. He sat back down, forgetting to pour himself a cup of coffee. He’d never in his life felt this kind of satisfaction after sex. Sure. He’d enjoyed his short list of partners, and he was fairly certain they’d enjoyed themselves. But last night? Nothing held a candle to Cat underneath him screaming his name, her teeth biting into his palm.
“Whoa. Down boy,” he cautioned himself as he felt his cock stirring. That particular body part should be comatose right now. Yet just a second of reminiscing brought it stirring back to life. Such was the spell Catalina King had cast on him.
He glanced down at his empty mug and stood back up, returning to the coffeemaker. He felt like he owed Cat a gift of gratitude. Not anything that would make her feel like a prostitute taking payment for sexual favors. But something sincere, thoughtful.
He poured and sat, frowning at his email inbox that was filled to the brim.
Flowers seemed too… predictable. Too presumptuous. They hadn’t discussed whether this would happen again. Whether they were seeing each other. Noah frowned fiercely at his coffee. They also hadn’t discussed whether this was monogamous or not. As much fun as he was having letting her shove him outside his comfort zone, he wasn’t about to share her. And if that’s what she wanted, well, it was a deal-breaker.
Noah mentally kicked himself. One night—and early morning—of sex, and he was fantasizing about a relationship. He needed to calm the hell down. They had time to figure out if there was groundwork for a future.
He sipped his coffee and smiled at absolutely nothing. His jaw was starting to hurt from beaming. Carolanne had stared at him suspiciously until he sent her out to the post office just so he could bask alone.
Drumming his fingers on the desk, Noah decided he’d text Henry. Who better to know the way to Cat’s heart than her assistant?
Noah: Got any ideas for gifts for your boss?
The response came swiftly as Noah knew it would. Henry’s phone was never out of his hand.
Henry: What kind of gift? Sorry for revoking your building permits gift? Thanks for rebuilding my town gift?
Noah: Something more… personal.
He could practically hear Henry’s gleeful laughter.
Henry: I wondered why she was smiling so much today. Starting to freak me out.
Crap. He may have just opened a can of gossip worms on set.
Noah: I’m not confirming or denying anything that she wouldn’t want anyone else to know.
Henry: I’m a vault, my friend. Let’s meet for lunch and we’ll chat.
With a hopeful heart, Noah turned his attention to his inbox and began working his way cheerfully through his never-ending to do list.
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Noah felt like he was back at the scene of the crime when Henry let him into Cat’s trailer.
“Like I said, man, Cat’s a practical woman,” Henry explained. “She’s not really the wine and roses type. If you can find a way to be useful to her? That’s the best way to get to her.”
Noah looked around the living space. It was still crowded with papers and electronic devices that she’d been in the middle of before he’d interrupted her with his libido the night before. The sad Christmas tree in the corner blinked on and off.
“She a fan of Christmas?” Noah asked, jutting his chin toward the tree.
“Oh, yeah. Huge fan. That’s why she was so keen on Merry in the first place.”
Noah nodded and filed the information away.
“Whoa. What happened here?” Henry asked, eyeing the broken leg of the dining table.
Noah turned his back on Henry so he wouldn’t see the guilt on his face.
He opened the refrigerator and found it bare except for the wilted lettuce he’d noticed last night. “Not very well-stocked.”
“She tries to eat well on the road, so it’s usually to-go salads or craft service stuff,” Henry explained.
They wandered down the skinny hallway to the bedroom. Noah hadn’t noticed the dirty clothes in piles around the bed last night or this morning. He’d been too busy being balls deep in heaven.
Henry wrinkled his nose and picked up a tank top that was draped over a cabinet door and tossed it into a pile of like clothes.
Cat must have left in a hurry this morning, Noah noted. The bed looked as if a sex tornado had whirled through. And there were two distinct head dents in the pillow.
Henry cleared his throat. “Looks like someone had some fun last night.”
“Yeah, uh, thanks for giving me some ideas,” Noah announced, suddenly in a hurry to get away from the all-knowing Henry. He wasn’t by any means ready to have a conversation about what had happened last night. At least not without talking to Cat about how seriously he was taking it.
He’d trusted her enough with his story, one that was widely known around town, but never discussed. Sara had no idea who her grandfather was or what kind of childhood Noah had. She’d listened and been angry for him. And it felt like there was something more there than just sexual attraction. Whatever it was, he wanted more.
She dazzled him. She made him feel. Made him want to walk away from steady, from secure, and play on the wild side.
This was his shot at some temporary but memorable-for-the-rest-of-his-life fun. He was throwing his hat into the ring to claim the rest of her time here in Merry. He just hoped Cat wouldn’t kick his ass for it.