I snickered and feigned ignorance. “Why, what do you mean?”
“Telling me you’re naked under that dress and then refusing to climb onto my lap and ride me like the stallion I am.”
I burst out laughing this time, unable to hold it back. “Like the stallion you are, huh? We’ve got to do something about your self-esteem, Noah. You need to believe in yourself more.”
“Pretending that I’m not a stud would be stupid, which we’ve already established I am not. I mean, look at me.”
I chanced a sideways glance. “I don’t dare look at you until we get to your house, or I might be tempted to pull over to the shoulder and let you have your way with me.”
“And I’d be okay with that.” He paused for a moment. “I’m fucking sick and tired of not being able to drive. After not being able to play football, that’s the biggest frustration right now.”
“Do you have complaints about my driving?” I inquired mildly.
“No, not at all. Only, if it were me at the wheel, I’d be breaking the speed limit to get back to my house. Not criticizing, just saying.”
“Uh-huh, and then when we got a ticket for speeding, that would only serve to delay satisfaction even more. So my way is definitely better.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He shifted a little, stretching his bad leg, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he also adjusted the crotch of his pants, which made me smile all the more. “I hope this next surgery does everything the doctor thinks it will. I don’t have any problem with doing another six months of PT, but I’m ready to get back to being me. I want to be able to drive, to go for a run if I want, to take my girl for a walk on the beach . . .” He reached out one hand and trailed his fingers down my bare arm. “To lay on top of you, between your legs, and pound into you. Or to take you up against the wall, or with you bent over a table while I fuck you from behind . . .”
“That’s quite a game plan you’ve got there,” I observed. “Did the doctor schedule this surgery yet?”
“Yeah, didn’t I tell you? I got the call this morning. It’s going to be this coming Tuesday. It can’t happen soon enough.”
“Will they keep you overnight?” I knew that nowadays, even some of the more complex ortho surgeries could be done as outpatient procedures.
“Yeah, I guess so. Doc said they’ll want to do some tests the next day, so it’s easier just to keep me there.” He rolled his shoulder. “Doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s a step in the right direction.”
“Will you need a ride home on Wednesday, then?” I asked.
“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered. The team is taking care of getting me there and home. But if you want to come play doctor for me later in the week, I’d be your willing, uh, patient.” He gave the word air quotes.
“Ewww, and no, thanks. Playing doctor has a totally different meaning when you reallyarea doctor.” I turned onto the road that led to Noah’s house. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d text and let me know when you’re out of surgery and then again when you’re safely home.”
“I will. I’ll have hours of just lying in bed with nothing to do, so if you wanted to send me some naughty pics, I wouldn’t be unhappy.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you overestimate your remarkable healing powers, dude. Twenty-four hours after orthopedic surgery—the kind where you’ll be under general anesthesia—you’re not going to be feeling like looking at pictures of my uh, attributes. As a matter of fact, even if I do come over once you’re home, you’ll probably still be feeling kind of rough. They’ll have you on pain meds, and you might have other symptoms consistent with being post-op.”
“Thanks for giving me something to look forward to.” Noah sighed heavily. “But even if I’m not ready to get down and dirty with you, I still want you to come by. We can sit in my bed and watch TV together. You can regale me with stories about life in small-town Florida, and I’ll give you homespun wisdom from my Wisconsin youth. We’ll have food delivered. It’ll be a good time.”
I eased to a stop in front of Noah’s garage and put my car into park. “You had me at sitting in bed watching TV. I have a list of old shows I’ve been dying to binge. This sounds like the perfect time to do it, since I’ll have you at my mercy.”
“Hey, my hands will still work. I’ll be able to operate the remote just fine. And it’s well known that the sick guy gets to decide what we watch. No chick-flicks or tear-jerker dramas.” He reached around to unlatch his seat belt.
“I wasn’t suggesting either of those. I was thinking eitherThe West WingorCommander in ChieforThe Good Wife.” At his raised eyebrows, I added, “What? I’m a sucker for political dramas.”
“Huh. Well, I can live with those.” He sat still as I turned off the car and slid the keys out of the ignition. “But that’s next week. Right now, I have one and a half good legs, two strong arms, and a raging hard-on that I’ve been keeping at bay since you told me you’re not wearing anything under that dress. Plus, in an uncharacteristic burst of optimism, I bought a box of condoms online, and they’re upstairs next to my bed.”
With a promising smile, I pressed my arms into my sides to give myself a little more cleavage, leaned to the side just enough that I knew the neckline in my dress was gaping, and gazed at Noah with an extra helping of sultry.
“Then why the hell are we still sitting down here?”
Noah reached for the door handle. “Last one to the bed gets to come first.”
“You’re on—wait.” I stopped, frowning at him over my shoulder. “Last one gets the first orgasm?”
“Yeah. I know that with this leg, there’s no way I’m beating you to the bedroom. So why wouldn’t I stack the deck in my favor?” He leaned over to slip one finger under the hem of my dress, stroking dangerously close to where I was already wet and waiting. “Besides, sugar, you should know that with me, you come first. And last. And at least once in the middle on a slow night.”
Everything inside me went molten. I ran my tongue over my lips and took a deep breath. “In that case, I’m doubling down on what I just said . . . what the hell are we waiting for?”
In the end, we climbed the steps together, and Noah’s lips were on mine, his hands on me, the entire way.
And once we hit the bed, he was as good as his word . . . and then some.
