Noah
The gentle touch of a hand on my arm roused me from one of the cosiest naps I had ever taken.
“Hey, Puppy,” a familiar voice whispered. “Wake up, gorgeous, we’re here.”
The pet names only vaguely registered as sleep clung to me.
Only five more minutes.
The hand caressed my cheek before cupping the back of my neck and stroking over the pulse points on either side of my throat.
A soft groan coming from my lips woke me. When I blinked my eyes open, they fell on a smiling Lewis.
“Hey,” I breathed.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. We’re here, but we can stay in the truck for a while longer if you want to sleep.” His thumb trailed over the edge of my jaw. “I shouldn’t have woken you up. You looked so peaceful.” He gave me a tender smile, then his gaze dropped to where he was still stroking my skin. “Sorry.” Hastily he pulled his hand away from my neck.
“S’okay,” I mumbled, and straightened up in my seat. I already missed his touch. “Sorry I slept all the way. The Scottish air makes me so tired.”
“Would you rather go back home? We can do this another time.”
“What? Oh, no! I’m super excited to see the museum and have cream tea with you.” In another life I might have been embarrassed by the beaming smile I gave him. Here? I’d give this man my hole, uh, I mean, my all.
“Okay.” Lew bit his lip. He contemplated me across the middle console for a moment, then clapped his hands together. “Ready for our first date?”
“Fake date,” I corrected him.
He leaned over until his face was inches from mine.
“Mmm,” Lew purred, raising a heavy eyebrow. “Fake or not, I want to have a good time with you, Noah. Yeah?” His warm breath brushed my lips and my eyelids drooped. I leaned in, too, but caught myself and straightened up.
Don’t be daft, Bright!
I nodded.
“Good. Let’s go.”
By the time my limbs worked again, he had sauntered around the car, and flung open my door.
Nobody had ever made me feel sospecial. Being with Lew made me feel like I mattered enough for him to treat me right.
With shaking fingers I fumbled with the buckle of my seat belt, then clambered out of the car. I wrapped myself in a cardigan, a thick scarf, and the thin jacket I had. I was still cold.
“Noah.” My name came out on a low snarl but Lewis took a steadying breath. “I’ll take you to Kirkmuir next week, okay? You need a proper winter coat. I can’t watch you freeze your ass off any longer.”
“I can’t afford it, Lewis.”Shit. It hurt to say it out loud. I turned my face around so he wouldn’t see the tears prickling on the corners of my eyes.
Why am I so fucking weepy when he’s around?
With a small noise like a mama cat consoling her kittens, he enveloped me in his thick arms and pressed me to the broad expanse of his chest.
“Shh, Puppy, it’s okay if you need to cry. Let it out, I got you.” Lewis kept mumbling sweet little nothings under his breath as he swayed on the spot.
And I? I had no energy left to mask, or to pretend my body wasn’t on high alert 24-7. I sobbed into his sweater, burying my face in the fabric and inhaling his cologne. The scent grounded me and helped me breathe.
“I’ve got you, Noah. Do you hear me?” he whispered, cradling my entire head in one palm. “We’ll figure it out together.”
It took me another fifteen minutes to calm down.
