Cole gives a noncommittal shrug, an almost cheeky smirk tugging at his lips. “Just put it on.”
Chapter nine
Cole
NoelleAdamsisgoingto be the death of me.
If it had not been for that cursed kitchen timer I’d be kissing her now—hell, I’d have her lifted onto the kitchen counter so I could feel every single part of her pressed against me, taking every scrap of her she’d offer me with gratitude. Instead, I’m alone in the kitchen prepping two plates in the knowledge this almost-kiss might have scared her off for good.
I’m such a fuckingidiot.
She’s upstairs now, trying on the dress I got her months ago to wear to this charity thing I was supposed to go to, but then she broke up with her boyfriend and I decided being home with her was much more important. It’s a real shame, though. I would have killed for high definition pictures of her in that dress. Then again her wearing it now gives me slightly better odds of being the one who is blessed enough to take it off.
Oh, shut up. You’ve had your chance and you let it pass. Quit moping around.
In romantic comedies, this would be the point where someone wishes for a sign, something to let them know not to give up.That things will be alright. But I don’t believe in signs. If I did, I would have stopped chasing Noelle years ago.
It doesn’t matter. We just need to get through this weekend with our friendship intact, and then maybe there will be a day when I am ready to move on from her, and she finds someone who isn’t a total coward in showing her how loved she is.
I set the plates on the coffee table, moving it slightly so we can sit on either side to be warmed by the fireplace. Noelle wanted the full experience, and the dining room table wouldn’t come close. Sitting on the floor is not exactly it, either, but I care more about her being warm enough than to be authentic.
A loud crack rings through my ears, followed by a bigboomonly a few seconds later. Darkness overtakes us at once.
“What the fuck was that?” Noelle shouts from upstairs, her voice shaking. In the dim light of the fireplace I can just make out the outline of her body—she’s still in her underwear.
A fucking sign from the universe.“A tree fell on the generator. We are officially without electricity.”
The generator is hard to get to, tucked away on the side of the house under a cover. For a tree to fall in such a way that the house is undamaged but not the generator…maybe there is such a thing as a sign from the universe.
If there is, it’s telling me to take a leap.
I grab the box of candles from where it sits in one of the closets and light them one by one, scattering them throughout the living room and kitchen. I also found some battery-powered string lights, courtesy of my habit of planning ahead, so I wrap them along the staircase handrail. I find a dress shirt and nice slacks in the dryer and change as quickly as I can, not wanting to be in sweatpants while she’s glammed up. By the time I sit back down, the stew is the perfect temperature for eating.
A small sound comes from the stairs and I look up to find Noelle carefully making her way down the steps, looking every bit as beautiful as the moon on still water.
She put her hair half-up like always, the rest falling to her shoulders in soft curls. The deep blue dress hugs her chest, a slit down the middle showing off her body in an incredible way. The matching floral lace shimmers as if coated in thousands of diamonds, a flash of leg breaking up the sight when the fabric reveals a split up to her thigh.
Screw the photographs. They would not have done her justice. Noelle Adams is a goddess among boys, the embodiment of all that is holy and loving and beautiful.
And tonight, she is all mine.
“What do you think?” she asks, and to my horror she sounds unsure. Can she not see how breathtaking she looks right now? Can she not see I’m getting hard just from the sight of her like this?
I rise to take her hand, helping her down the final steps. It’s warm and soft in mine. “I think I’ve never seen anything quite like you before.”
“Is that your line?” Noelle snorts, but I see straight through it. She’s not immune to insecurity, not after years of relentless bullying even I couldn’t protect her from. She can hold her own, don’t get it wrong, and she’s generally one of the most confident people I know. But this dress is far out of her comfort zone, and it makes sense it would lead her traitorous brain into enemy territory.
It’s my job to coax it back out safely.
“No. You are worth more than a line, don’t you think?” I say. “It’s the full truth. In a starless sky, you are my guiding light. There is nothing in this universe that could outshine you, nothing that could steal my breath away like you did just now.”
I’m really showing my ass here, more than what is probably wise. But I don’t want her to think bad thoughts about herself for even a second. She doesn’t need that kind of poison tainting her brain. Not when she deserves a life of light, of smiles and happiness and warmth.
I bring her hand to my lips, brushing a soft kiss to her knuckles. “Do me the honor of being my date tonight?”
“I guess it passes the time well enough,” she says, her teasing tone not as effective as she hoped. “I have no choice but to leave if something better arises, though.”
“Better make it worth your while, then.” I can’t help but smile as I lead her to the coffee table, the butterflies in my chest stealing the air from my lungs. Joke or not, I am on a date with Noelle. I can only describe it as a blessing, a gift from the heavens that brought her into my life. I am not going to waste it.
