“You’re definitely not incapable, but you are pregnant, Nell. And I don’t want you overexerting yourself when I can handle it.”
“I don’t mind helping,” I tried again. “Besides, you didn’t mind me ‘overexerting’ myself last night,” I reminded him, using air quotes to accentuate my point.
Noah’s eyes sparkled. “That’s a totally different type of exerting yourself, and since I plan on a repeat, I’d rather you rest inside and stay all warm and cozy. Plenty of time to exert yourself later.” He winked.
I tried to argue a little, but Noah wasn’t having it. We ate our breakfast, me in a reflective silence and Noah stealing glances at me, trying to hide his smiles.
After breakfast, I tidied up the kitchen while Noah geared up and went outside to shovel and snowblow his driveway.
I hadn’t been a fan of him ordering me to stay inside and rest, even if I was secretly thrilled that he cared enough to, well, care for me, so I had to even the score by cleaning the kitchen.
Not that there was much to clean. Noah was an unusually tidy person. Within five minutes, the dishwasher was running, and the frying pans he’d used were air drying in the dish rack on the counter by his sink.
I’d wiped down the countertop until it sparkled, and with nothing else to do, I wandered around Noah’s cabin, taking it all in. It was beautiful, if not a little sterile. He didn’t seem to have many knickknacks on the shelves or artwork on the walls. It was almost as if he’d recently moved in and hadn’t truly had time to decorate, or perhaps it hadn’t occurred to him to do so.
I wandered up the stairs to the loft. Noah had a huge TV on the one wall, and a sectional couch across from it. Underneath the TV was a shelving unit full of DVDs. Noah had a major DVD collection, mostly thriller and action movies, of course. I took my time perusing titles, but none really called to me.
What did call to me was the feeling of being at home at last.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Noah
* * *
The snow was heavy. It had taken me a good two hours to snowblow the driveway, clear the front porch, and make sure the back deck was cleared, too. All the while snow was still coming down with no signs of stopping. By the time I headed inside, it almost looked like I needed to go back out and start again.
I kicked as much snow off my boots as I could, then walked into the house, where the warmth of the woodstove greeted me, along with the scent of hot chocolate.
I found Nellie in the kitchen, gently stirring a pot on the stove. She was still dressed in my pajama bottoms and T-shirt, her dark hair piled in a messy bun on top of her head. The sight of her standing in my kitchen made a visceral longing ache in my chest.
I wanted this. I wanted her here, in my space, comfortable and at ease, all the time. It was so strange, this want to have forever with her, this ability to envision it so easily. She fit in all the ways I’d stopped looking for someone to fit, like a puzzle piece I’d never realized was missing until I took a step back and looked at the greater picture.
“Oh, hey,” she said when she noticed me standing there staring at her. “I found some hot chocolate mix in your cupboard and figured I’d make us some. I hope that’s okay?”
“It’s more than okay,” I assured her, coming up behind her and wrapping my arms around her, letting my hands rest on the swell of her belly.
Nellie was beginning to show, although she avoided wearing snug-fitting clothes while at work. I hadn’t realized how much she was showing until that day in the laundry room, when she put my palm against the swell of her stomach so I could feel the baby move.
I could feel the subtle fluttering sensation beneath my hand, as if the baby was reacting to the feel of my palm. It made me smile against Nellie’s neck. I expected her to tense in my arms, but to my surprise she relaxed, leaning back against me as she continued to gently stir the hot chocolate.
Last night’s sexcapades seemed to chisel away some of her walls, and for that I was thankful. I wasn’t kidding when I’d told her I’d be as patient as she needed, but I was thankful she hadn’t made me wait to have her again.
“It’s still snowing, isn’t it?” she asked, trying to turn her head to see around me.
“Sure is. I’ll probably have to go back out and shovel again. It’s supposed to stop later this evening.”
“Hmm.” Nellie frowned. “Will I be able to get home tonight?”
“It’ll depend on how fast the township can clear the roads, but I could try to get you home, or…”
“Or what?”
“You’re welcome to stay another night.” I couldn’t help that holding her had my cock thickening against her, but sex wasn’t the only reason I wanted her to stay. I liked having her in my cabin. It felt more like a home with her.
“I don’t have clothes here,” Nellie pointed out. She went to remove the pot of hot chocolate from the burner, and I released her to grab a couple mugs from the dishwasher.
“We could wash your clothes, I have a washer and dryer,” I pointed out with a wink.
