She reached over to her bedside table and grabbed a condom out of the top drawer. Noah simply quirked his eyebrow at her, but said nothing about the fact that she had moved the condoms to be close by. She rolled the condom down his length, then rose up and slid down on top of him until he was impaled deep inside of her. She placed her hands on his chest and began to rock her hips, moaning at the feel of his girth filling her.
“Fuck, Mel,” Noah growled, as he grasped her hips with his strong hands. She continued to move on top of him, selfishly and shamelessly finding her own pleasure. But from the sounds Noah continued to make, he was clearly enjoying himself as well. Mel tried to not think about how good they were together, how incredible the sex was, how perfectly they fit together. She tried desperately to lose herself in the sensations Noah brought on, as he moved one thumb around to tease her clit. She rocked back and forth faster and faster, until she could feel him swell inside of her just at the same time as she felt her own peak building. With a synchronicity that would have seemed too good to be true had she not been the one experiencing it, they both catapulted into their orgasms at the same time, Noah stiffening underneath her as she collapsed on top of him, her inner walls milking every drop of sensation out of him.
They lay there, limbs intertwined, Mel still draped over his body for a moment before she shifted off to the side. He climbed out of bed and went into her bathroom to deal with the condom. Mel could feel the exhaustion from the day taking over, so when he climbed into bed, pulled her into his body and asked, “Can I stay?” she didn’t have the energy or the desire to do anything but nod. The last thing she was aware of before drifting off to sleep, was the warmth of his body holding hers, and his lips pressing a kiss to her hair.
* * *
Noah awoke slowly the next morning, gradually becoming aware that he was wrapped around Melanie, and her naked body was making his morning wood that much more pronounced. It was early, too early, and as he tried to figure out what had awoken him, he realized it was her alarm clock. Yet Mel kept on sleeping even as it beeped incessantly.Guess I wore her out. He grinned to himself as he reached over and turned it off. She had to work, but he figured a couple more minutes wouldn’t hurt. He wasn’t ready to give up the heaven of holding her in his arms like this.
Slowly, Mel stretched in his arms, brushing her hips along his cock as she rolled over to face him. He cursed under his breath, knowing they didn’t have time to do anything about that.
“Mmm, good morning,” she mumbled, then suddenly, she sat up and looked around wildly. “Oh my god. What the hell happened? I have to work. You’re in my bed! Wait. What?” She seemed so confused, and adorably overwhelmed, that Noah started to laugh.
“Wow, thanks. I guess last night wasn’t that good if you can’t remember it. I could have sworn you enjoyed yourself,” he teased, as she threw off the blankets and started to climb out of bed. She paused and looked over her shoulder at him with a glare.
“Shut up, Noah. It was good. So good that apparently, I overslept. Now be a good fake fiancé and make me some coffee please?” With that, she stomped into her bathroom and closed the door. When he heard the shower running, Noah chuckled to himself again before climbing out of bed himself. He pulled on his underwear and went to check on Connor who was thankfully asleep. He smiled at the sight of his son asleep in his crib. Mel had slept right through the nighttime feedings, which he figured was a good thing. He didn’t want to interfere with her sleep on nights when she had to work the next day. Besides, Noah was starting to cherish the time with Connor when the rest of the world was asleep. It was private and peaceful, and everything else just faded away until it was just the two of them, in their semi-awake states, bonding and loving each other.
Satisfied he had some time before the little man awoke, Noah got busy in the kitchen. He turned on the coffee pot and pulled out Mel’s travel mug for work, as well as a mug she could have while getting ready. As soon as there was enough ready, he poured her a mug, prepared with a little bit of milk and sugar, and took it into her bedroom. She had her bra and panties on, and he stopped for a second in the doorway, drinking in the vision in front of him. Her long, damp hair lay against her back, and she wore a blue sports bra and matching panties. There was nothing sexual about what she had on, and yet, it fit her strong personality so perfectly, she looked even more sexy than if it had been the most expensive lingerie in the world.
He cleared his throat to get her attention. “Coffee’s ready,” he said gruffly, placing the mug down on her dresser before pivoting and going back into the kitchen to make some breakfast.
Mel entered the kitchen, now fully dressed, just as he was tipping some scrambled eggs onto a plate that already held half a bagel and some fruit.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully, sliding into one of the bar stools at the counter. Noah nodded his acknowledgment, still working to control his desire. His usual reaction to Mel was heightened by waking up with her in his arms, and it was taking all of his willpower not to walk over and kiss her like they were a normal couple. Because this was more than just sex for him. So much more. He wanted every morning to be like this: him and Mel, taking care of each other, and enjoying each other. He wanted them to wake up together in bed, tired from a night of lovemaking. He wanted to make her coffee and see her off to work. He wanted all of it.
Mel ate quickly, then placed her dishes in the dishwasher before going to the door to get her shoes on and leave. Noah walked over and handed her the travel mug, now filled with steaming coffee, then pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Have a nice day, honey,” he said, hoping she would see it as teasing no matter how deeply he meant the simple words.
She grinned and patted his cheek in return. “Have a nice day, fake fiancé.” Then she walked out the door, leaving Noah in the kitchen, wondering how the hell he was going to handle the fact that he was falling in love with his best friend.
* * *
From the privacy of her car, Mel let out a string of curse words. Having sex with Noah was one thing, having feelings for him and waking up with him naked in her bed was another, and at this point there was no point in denying that both were happening. She was falling for him, fast.
As she drove to work, her phone rang, and when she saw her mother’s name flash on the dashboard screen, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Perfect timing, Mom, I’m driving to work and could use a distraction.”
“Hi, sweetheart. I had a call last night from Rhonda down the street. She said she saw you out last night with a man, and you had a baby in your arms? What’s going on my girl?” Her mother’s loving voice filled the car.
Mel huffed out a laugh. Apparently, Darren hadn’t been the only one to see her playing happy families last night. “It was Noah, Mom. He just found out he has a son, and I’ve been helping him adjust. We were getting dinner and I was just holding the baby to comfort him from being fussy.”
“Noah has a child? But, with who? How did he not know? Where’s the mother?” her mom exclaimed, firing one question after another at Melanie.
“Look, Mom, it’s complicated and not exactly my story to tell. The mother isn’t in the picture right now so I’m just helping Noah get settled.”And sleeping with him, and falling for him… She kept those thoughts to herself. She hoped that her voice sounded casual enough. Lucia Haynes may not have been born in Italy, but she took her Italian roots seriously. There was nothing she wanted more than for her children to settle down and have babies of their own. When Mel had divorced Darren, her mom had taken it hard, but ultimately been supportive.
“Well he certainly is lucky to have you, but be careful, honey. You and Noah are such good friends, I would hate to see that friendship ruined if lines get blurred. I don’t want you to get hurt again, that’s all.”
And that, right there, was the wakeup call that pulled Mel out of the pseudo-fantasy she had begun to imagine for herself with Noah and Connor. Her mom was right, things were getting complicated and Mel needed to back off. Even her mother could see how risky it was being this close to Noah and Connor, and Mel had sworn to herself never to risk her heart again.
“Yeah, you’re right, Mom,” she said realizing she had been lost in her thoughts for more than a few seconds. “Look, I had better go, I just pulled into my parking space at work.”
“Alright, honey, we’ll see you at dinner this weekend, right? You should bring Noah and his son. I would love to meet the little one.” Her mother said it casually, and Mel knew that she didn’t realize how those words would sting. To bring Noah and Connor to a Haynes family dinner would feel too much like they were a family themselves. Which they weren’t, and could never be.
“I’ll ask him. Bye, Mom.” Mel hung up the phone and leaned her head against her steering wheel for a moment. She knew what she had to do. It was time to re-build the walls around her heart and shut down any possibility of a romantic relationship with Noah. She would help him for a little while longer, but that was it. The sooner he and Connor were out of her apartment the better, so that she could move on from something that had never existed, yet still managed to leave a hole in her heart.
Slowly she climbed out of her car and turned to walk into the hospital. Thanks to traffic being light, she was still early.
