Noah was a workaholic, and when he came home, he wanted to relax. While we weren’t mated, we’d been together for two years. This past year, we quickly exited the honeymoon phase of the relationship after moving to a small Breed town called Storybook. Noah’s long commutes and work hours had taken their toll on both of us.
He was under an incredible amount of stress. Most nights, he would come home, jump in the shower, and go straight to bed. Otherwise, he would get on his laptop to check in with contacts in search of a better-paying job.
Having moved here only six months ago, we hadn’t accumulated a lot of possessions. Money was tight. We used the spare bedroom for storage, so I’d had to clear it out for today’s delivery. I hadn’t expected so many boxes. Not that I was complaining.Surrounded by my father’s books was the next best thing to him being alive.
I waltzed into our bedroom and retrieved a red tablecloth from the closet. The delivery guys had left the three extra boxes by the spare bedroom, and I didn’t want them to draw Noah’s attention before I broke the news. After draping the tablecloth over the boxes, I used a vase, two books, and my jar of suckers to decorate the top so it resembled a makeshift table.
Without legs.
Think positive thoughts. He’ll be happy when he learns how much money we can make from these.
A car squealed in the driveway.
What’s he doing home so early?
I panicked when I spied dirt on the floor that the deliverymen had tracked in. I raced into the kitchen, found a dish towel, and ran it beneath the faucet. Then I diligently cleaned up every speck.
Noah stomped up the porch steps. As soon as the door opened, I flung the rag into the sink and pivoted. One row of cabinets ran along the front wall of the house, placing the fridge near the door.
Stepping inside, Noah still had on his black sunglasses. He scanned the room until he caught me. “Hey, baby. I missed you all day.” He kicked the door shut behind him and tossed his keys into a glass bowl on the table by his chair.
Noah sometimes tied back his long brown hair, but not today. The tousled locks suggested he’d been driving with the window down again. He shucked off his sport coat and draped it over the recliner before stripping off his heather-grey T-shirt. Noah did push-ups, but he wasn’t a buff guy. He still looked impressive at six-two, and what he lacked in muscle, he made up for in confidence.
Before he turned around, I felt another set of eyes on me. The massive tiger tattooed on his back crinkled his face in a snarl, pawsready to pounce, sharp canines eager to tear away flesh. I hated when Noah walked around shirtless. Not because it was an unattractive tattoo. In fact, it was strikingly realistic, and that’s what unnerved me…andmy animal.
Noah swaggered toward me. His dark whiskers were flirting in beard territory. After setting his sunglasses on the counter, he tilted my chin up. “Where’s my kiss?”
I lifted on my tiptoes to kiss him, my heart still racing. Noah moved in as stealthily as the tiger on his back and delivered a crushing kiss.
When he drew back, I rubbed my sore chin. “When are you going to shave? It scratches my face.”
His dark eyebrows sank in the middle. It carved a line between his deep-set eyes, which were the color of dark chocolate. “Is that the thanks I get for taking off early? I’ll keep that in mind, Cecilia.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
He averted his gaze. “What’s that?”
“What?”
He lifted the dirty rag out of the sink and held it in front of my face. “This.”
“Oh, I was cleaning.”
Noah flicked it back into the sink. “You shouldn’t put dirt where we wash and prepare meals. That’s a filthy habit.”
I collected the dish towel and walked over to the washer in the laundry room, tossing it in. “I wasn’t expecting you home so early. You scared me.”
Noah hugged me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, baby. Sometimes I forget you’re not used to people showing up unexpectedly.” He kissed my ear. “I have a surprise, and I think you’re going to like it.” After a beat, as if building up the suspense, he asked, “How would you like to go out to lunch with me?”
I spun around. “Really? Today?”
He chuckled softly. “Of coursetoday. That’s why I’m here. I decided that instead of going to the market, I’d take my favorite girl out for a change. We can do the grocery run tomorrow. Go put something decent on.”
I glanced at my dress. “Is it someplace fancy?”
Noah shooed me out of the pantry. “No, but you have too much of that sexy leg showing. That’s only for me.” He popped me on the behind hard enough to sting. “If I see any more of that leg, I might change my mind and take you to bed.”
Before he changed his mind, I hurried into the bedroom and slipped on a sage-green skirt that reached my ankles.
