CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
July 28
In only a few short days, a solid plan for the gathering was in place. It was a miracle, but Dahlia couldn’t take all the credit. It was turning out to be a joint effort, one Lil would appreciate. Dahlia created a colorful botanical graphic invitation with lilies, dahlias, daisies, and roses, which only seemed appropriate. It was decided that Gretchen would provide the food, and Noah would pick it up early that morning. An invite was also extended to Penny since she was instrumental in the timely unveiling. If it hadn’t been for her, she would never have had the conversation with Gene and known about their dates at the diner, which led her to find the coffee can and the key.
Daisy was stuck in France, but Kara and Noah would be there to support Dahlia through the bittersweet day, and that was enough. They’d become the dream team. If they couldn’t pull this off, then no one could.
She leaned her body against her hot car as the sun faded behind the brick building across from the grocery store. When Noahpulled up to the curb, Dahlia climbed over the flimsy, rotting fence and jumped into his arms. Her hair flung forward as she wrapped her entire body around his. Her grip was tight and unwavering, hearing the cars whizz by on Main Street. His wide hands supported her ass as her legs anchored to his waist.
“What’s this for?” he asked, meeting her eyes.
“For being you. And for finding me.” She pressed her mouth to his. His whiskered lips tickled her skin, but she didn’t care. She wanted more. More of his sweet and savory taste, more of his silky lips, and more of his hold that made her feel like she’d never feel alone again. “What took you so long? I was worried,” Dahlia asked, locked in his gaze that felt brighter than the Caribbean sea today, if that was possible.
With the evening glow highlighting his face, she stilled. The realization that she couldn’t imagine her life without him hit her like multiple arrows to the heart.She climbed down from his frame, holding his feverish stare, and smiled. Her legs were weak, but her heart was wide open.
“There’s no need to worry about me.” He gently cupped her face. She could smell the furniture oil still on his hands. It was an aphrodisiac. “I was just taking care of a few things.”
“That sounds mysterious. Should I be concerned?”
“Nah.” He shook his head, reaching for her hand. “Liquor store or grocery store first? We’re right in the middle.”
She tugged his crisp cotton shirt toward the sliding doors of the grocery store, making her decision clear. A wave of cold hit her chest upon entering. It was refreshing, but she could feel her nipples harden. He looked down and then back up like he wanted to devour her right then and there. He whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait to get you home.”
His velvety promise tickled her skin. “I bet you can’t.” She slid her hand into his back pocket and squeezed. If she could snap herfingers and instantly return to the house with him, she would, but she was on a mission. And that mission was to put a copy of the invitation on the famed grocery store wall so that anyone who knew Lil could come.
“Here, this way.” She pointed to the front. They passed the cashiers with only a few long stares and stood in front of it.
“You sure you want to do this? Some crazies might come,” he asked.
She rubbed her lips in thought and stared inward for a few beats. “Yes, this was Lil’s wall, and it deserves to be up here. It’s what she’d want,” she finally said confidently. “The older people in town don’t have social media, so if I don’t, they won’t know.”
Feeling her posture straighten, she pulled the pretty floral cardstock from her bag and thumbtacked it to the holey corked wall in between the hutch for sale and free kittens.
Dahlia couldn’t help but feel grounded despite the Whitmore Gallery only giving her another week, and even though she still hadn’t gotten back to Tomas with an answer. His offer was a good one, but she was uncertain about all the travel required, and she was hesitant about working for a gallery that didn’t give up-and-comers a chance. She had choices, which was a juxtaposition to her life just a year ago. She just had to make the right one, and it was anyone’s guess what that would be.
The gravel crunched beneath his large tires as they pulled up to the house. The sun had all but disappeared, and the crickets were already in their nighttime rhythm. The honeyed smell of night-blooming jasmine floated through the open windows of the truck. It was something she recently found growing wild near the base of Lil’s cherry blossom. It was apropos, as if the universe had known and brought her mom and Lil together, even after death.
Noah parked the truck under it, leaned over with a devilish look in his eyes, and whispered, “You’re all mine now.”
“Only if you can catch me,” she laughed, opening the door. She leaped from his truck to her feet. He strolled around the front, and she slipped around the back. She bolted left, and he bolted right.
Noah grabbed her waist and hoisted her into the air. “I got you, gorgeous.”
Dahlia couldn’t stop laughing; her belly ached. She considered relinquishing herself to his seductive ways right then and there in his flatbed, but instead, she slipped under his arm once her feet hit the ground again. “Not quite.”
She sprinted to the front door, kicking off her shoes. That’s when he hooked her from behind and held her. Noah pressed his body into hers and grazed her ear with his scruffy lips. “You’re mine,” he growled.
Those two simple words made her heart race and heat bloom between her legs. She lost any will she had in their cat-and-mouse game. Spellbound, Dahlia turned around and held his sweaty cheek with her palm. His hair was messy, his mustache groomed, and his eyes wide and eager. “I surrender.”
“That’s a good girl.” Noah gently pushed her limp body against the porch pillar. He still smelled of sawdust and oil. Of all his scents, that was the most weakening. She could feel his breath; they were that close. Their eyes locked in a lustful dance. Her neck pulsed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed, the clarity sounding like a stethoscope. He reached up her skirt, slid down her panties, and slipped one thick finger inside her.
“Noah.” She let out a breathy moan. She didn’t want him ever to stop touching her. She didn’t want the cadence between them ever to end. As much as she wanted to feel him inside her, she wanted to savor every last morsel of this sensual feast where her body was the meal. There wasn’t a moment in her thirty-eight years of life that could compare or compete with this raw and honestmoment. But she still hadn’t pleasedhim, and she desperately wanted to show him what her mouth could do.
“I want to see you,” Noah whispered.
She looked around; there was no one in sight. Plus, they were on a private road at the end of the street. But it was still risky, considering the photos she was tagged in on Instagram. What if someone was hiding in the bushes and this private moment was shared for everyone to see? With the pulse between her legs growing more needy by the second, she threw caution to the wind. The light tap of her bra hitting the porch step brought a devilish grin to his perfectly chiseled face. She stood there in just a flouncy summer skirt. He studied her naked body as dusk faded into night.
Noah cupped her breasts with his coarse woodworking hands, then rolled her nipples between his fingers. She leaned into his touch, letting out a hungry exhale. He swallowed her moans as their tongues collided as if they were two atoms finally becoming one.
