“I was tested after Josie.” It was the first time he’d mentioned her name. It was either a good thing or a really bad one. She hoped it was the former. “And I haven’t been with anyone since.”
“Okay,” she said calmly, while inside, she was in disbelief that he’d been celibate all year long. That single admission made this moment feel even more extraordinary.
With that, he laced his hands with hers and raised them above her head. With one thrust, he was inside of her.
“Oh, baby, you’re so freaking tight.” He groaned into her ear.
Dahlia held her breath as he stretched her. With his size, it should have hurt, but she was too wet to feel pain. He filled her inch by thick inch, and she moaned like a woman who’d finally found her voice.
“Noah, oh, you feel so goddamn good.” In all her life, she had never known a man inside her could leave her buzzing with this kind of joy. Nothing could compare with the release of emotion that came every time Noah returned his hips to hers. It was a feeling she wanted to bottle and hold on to forever.
“So do you, baby. So fuckin’ good.” He pushed the sticky hair off her face and continued his slow cadence. Dahlia wrapped her legs around his thick thighs, their eyes never leaving one another. In their hold, she knew this was more than just a summer fling.
Her hands wandered down his back and onto his bare ass. She gripped his soft skin and firmly drew him back to her. They made love on her bed overlooking the bay, taking their sweet time in an unhurried and sensual way. Then he flipped her over, so she was on top. That was another sensation altogether. His length hit her G-spot, which sent her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Although she’d never had an orgasm like this, she had a sneaking suspicion that Noah would change that. She rode him like a woman on a mission. Slow at first, taking her time leaning forward and back, up and down until he gripped her hips harder, wanting it faster. Her breasts bounced with the new rhythm, and she arched her back, feeling every atom in her body ignite.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said again and again. He could tell her sweet nothings all day long, and she would never tire of it.
She leaned forward, pressing her naked body against his. They were chest to chest, and she could feel his heart in rhythm with hers. The sweat and friction made her blood sing.
“That’s it, D. Don’t stop.”
After a few clipped breaths, he let out a lengthy groan with a few expletives.
Feelinghisrelease inside her was a new kind of erotic. He looked spent and satiated, and she was the reason. Beads of sweat lined his tan forehead, and his mustache glistened. The room was quiet, except for the gentle drip from the gutter that echoed through the room. Still bare and still joined, she looked into his bright eyes, which felt infinite.
“You good?” He grazed his knuckles over her thigh, sending more goosebumps across the landscape of her skin.
Dahlia nodded, with a smile that said she had never been better.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said, tapping her leg. Even after, he was still trying to take care of her. This was so foreign to her.
“Just a few more minutes.” She collapsed beside him, falling into the crook of his arm. Noah’s warm lips pressed against her temple as she stared up at the shadows on the ceiling. Dahlia knew after that moment that she deserved a life of color and that nothing would ever be black-and-white again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
July 11
The next morning, Dahlia woke in a spooning position with Noah’s arms casually draped around her waist. After christening the pantry and the bed, they had made dinner and snuggled on the couch with a movie. Then they christened that too. It was nice to have a lazy day together. It was exactly what she needed to keep going. She felt invigorated, satiated, and happy. With a wide grin, she rolled over, pressing her face against his warm chest, which still smelled of Irish Spring. The sun was already bright, shining a ray that spanned across the floor. The air was just the right temperature, not too cold and not too hot, like the morning after heavy rain. Dahlia closed her eyes and listened to the birds chirp and sing to one another outside the porch doors. It felt like a blessing from Lil.
“Good morning,” Noah said with a groggy tone. With his eyes barely open, he tickled her forehead with his whiskered lips.
“Morning.” She looked up and wondered what the proper protocol was for the morning after sleeping with someone for the firsttime. Would he stay, would he go? Would he want to continue their sexcapade and have morning sex? Should she brush her teeth? The phone buzzed on the nightstand, interrupting her wandering thoughts. It was probably Kara calling for her morning check-in to get the tea.
“Don’t get it. Just stay with me.” He tugged her hips closer.
Dahlia’s hand stilled, unsure whether to reach behind her to get the phone or in front of her toward Noah. It could be Daisy, and she couldn’t bear the thought of missing her call.Dahlia 2.0, she reminded herself and slipped her arm around his buff middle, wrapping her leg around his thigh. Whoever it was, they could wait.
It felt nice to wake up in his embrace. To know he’d wanted to stay and not scurry off in the night like it was all a big mistake. Nothing about this seemed like a mistake. Dahlia felt fearless; her body felt expansive. She even shocked herself by wanting more. In the past, it was one-and-done, like a chore on her to-do list, when it did happen. But with Noah, sex wasn’t a chore. It was a reward.
“Hungry?” he whispered.
“Yes, famished,” she said, not knowing which kind of appetite he was referring to.
“I can make us eggs,” he said.
“And coffee?” she asked playfully. “Oh, and Harry—could you let him out too?”
“Of course. Five more minutes, though,” he said, pulling her on top of him. “I want to feel your body on mine.” His bulge pulsated against her skin. He was a good eight inches taller than she, so it met the delicate skin on her upper inner thigh. She almost laughed but didn’t. She remained fixed on his eyes that felt like liquid heat. “Your heartbeat with mine.”
