‘Well, he looks as though he’s beginning to find his feet again.’ Noah got up from the armchair, purposely breaking the connection between them. ‘I’ll pop out and grab my stuff from the car.’
‘Be careful to close the front door,’ Bella said. ‘As Mollie told us, this might be Monty’s home, but he’s been away from it a while. We need to keep him in, at least for a few days.’
‘Will do.’ Noah hurried out into the hallway. While he grabbed his bag from the boot, he couldn’t get the conversations with Bella out of his mind. When they’d first encountered one another, he’d written her off as a rackety lightweight. Now, having spent more time chatting with her, she seemed so much more interesting to him. They were completely different people, but somehow they had to make this living arrangement work. He worried now, though, that having noticed how attracted he was to her, it was going to be even trickier.
34
After a hectic night in the Star and Telescope, Bella turned the key in the front door of the cottage as quietly as she could. She had no idea if Noah was an early bird or a night owl, but just in case he liked his beauty sleep, she tried to keep as quiet as possible.
Since holiday season was in full flow, there had been a lot of tourists through the pub doors, and Bella had been rushed off her feet. She felt heavy with exhaustion as she trudged into the hallway, which was in darkness except for a dim light emanating from the living room, where the door was ajar. She wondered if Noah was still up, or if he’d left the light on for her.
Pushing open the lounge door, she stifled a breath of surprise. Noah was fast asleep in Jack’s old armchair, his dark hair tumbling over his brow, his long legs stretched out in front of him. A copy of a Lee Child novel had fallen onto the carpet beside him, and he looked rumpled, calm and decidedly sexy, his black polo shirt offsetting his tanned skin perfectly.
Bella dithered about waking him – if it had been Marieke lying in the chair, she’d have given her friend a shake and told her to get to bed – but Noah wasn’t Marieke. He wasn’t a friend… yet. She spent another few seconds looking at him – his relaxation was a total contrast to the somewhat highly strung man he seemed to be while awake. That vulnerability touched her, and she couldn’t help noticing the kissable look of his neck, exposed by the slightly awkward sleeping position in the high-backed armchair. Her fingers itched to trace a line down it and see if his skin was as soft and warm as it looked.
Shaking her head, she began to move back out of the living room. She was pretty sure thirsting after your landlord wouldn’t be in the contract; not that they actually had one. Then, she caught sight of something that made her smile. There, sitting under Noah’s chair, staring out like a bodyguard, was Monty, green eyes regarding her with a ‘don’t you dare come any closer’ expression.
Well, thought Bella, that’s a turn-up for the books. She’d have bet on the fact that Monty was far more likely to be attacking Noah’s socked feet, rather than trying to guard them! It looked as though the two of them had called a truce.
‘Goodnight,’ Bella murmured as she crept out of the room.
The next morning, Bella slept late. Mollie had given her the day off so that she could spend some time with Monty, settling him back into the cottage. However, from what she’d seen last night, Monty was already making himself at home again.
‘Morning!’ Noah was in the kitchen when Bella mooched downstairs. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and she’d thrown on an old band T-shirt and leggings, since she had no plans to leave the cottage today. She felt tired from the mad pub shift and had no intentions other than to relax before the treadmill started again on Monday.
‘Can I get you a coffee?’
Bella smiled. ‘That would be great – thanks.’ As Noah made her a flat white using the machine that had appeared on the kitchen counter, Bella tried not to watch him too closely. He was also casually dressed, in jersey shorts and a baggy T-shirt, and a pair of Adidas Gazelle trainers. On a Sunday morning, Noah’s lines were definitely softer. While his back was turned, she imagined running her hand up under the baggy T-shirt, feeling those back muscles under her palms…
Stop it.
God, she needed to get a grip. Couldn’t she even share a house with a guy without fantasising? Sure, Noah was gorgeous, but she wondered if she’d be feeling that way if he wasn’t. She couldn’t work out if it was her romantic dry spell clouding her judgement or if she really was starting to fancy him. If she didn’t get a grip on that soon, this weekend house share was going to get very awkward.
‘Here you go.’ Noah passed her the coffee, and as he did so, their fingers touched. She felt a jolt of electricity that made the colour rise in her cheeks. Hurriedly, she took a sip of the coffee to try to disguise it.
‘That’s a definite improvement on the stuff I’ve been drinking!’ she quipped.
‘The first weekend I came and stayed, all I could find in the cupboard was Mellow Birds!’ Noah smiled. ‘I was that desperate, I drank it, but from that point I decided this place needed a proper machine. It’s been in the boot of my car for ages, but I thought it was worth bringing in for us this morning.’
‘I’m glad you did.’
Noah leaned against the worktop, and Bella attempted to concentrate on her coffee, and not on the sight of Noah’s bare legs.
‘So, any plans for today?’ she asked him, trying not to glance in his direction.
‘I’d like to go through Grandpa’s shed, while the weather’s good,’ Noah said. ‘I think the garden’s going to take a bit of sorting out, but that’s for another weekend. For today, I want to see what he’s got in there, and what I might need to hire or buy to get the garden back into shape.’
‘Sounds like a good plan,’ Bella replied. ‘If you need a hand, I don’t mind mucking in.’
‘Haven’t you got enough to do, unpacking the rest of your stuff?’ Noah asked. ‘I’d have thought you’d want to put your feet up when your flatmate brings it over.’
Bella was confused. ‘The rest? I haven’t got any more stuff.’
‘Really?’ Noah grinned. ‘I wish I could travel as light as you!’
Something like a pang of embarrassment hit Bella in the chest. She felt as though, somehow, by not having more things, she was some sort of failure in Noah’s eyes. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘not everyone needs to prove their worth with possessions.’ In emphasis, her eyes drifted to Noah’s Omega Seamaster watch and the expensive trainers on his feet.
Noah got her meaning. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I suppose I’m used to hanging out with people who are more, um, high maintenance.’
