Page 54

“Hi,” Noah calls and I smile, barely able to hold still with the excitement coursing through my system.

“Y’all ever been up in a balloon before?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Well, don’t be nervous,” he says, smiling. “I haven’t killed anyone yet.”

“Hmm… that may be comforting based on how long you’ve been doing this. When did you get certified? Wait… that’s a thing, right? You had training and you’re certified to fly this thing?” I ramble, pointing to the giant balloon looming above us. He lets out a booming laugh as Noah shakes his head.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Arnold and yes, I have been certified to fly this thing for the past ten years.”

I grin, practically bouncing on my toes. “Perfect. I’m Kady and this is Noah.”

“Nice to meet you, folks,” Arnold says before turning to point at the sky behind him. “We’d better get up in the air if y’all don’t want to miss the sunset.”

“Sounds good,” Noah answers with a hint of mirth in his voice. I turn and beam at him as he squeezes my hand. Arnold leads us over to the basket and they both help me in before Noah jumps in followed lastly by Arnold. He nods to someone I didn’t notice before by his truck and she rushes over and pulls the stake out of the ground as Arnold pulls on a string that shoots a flame into the balloon. I feel like a little kid again as I watch how it all works and turn to the landscape around us. We slowly drift into the air and it doesn’t take long before the trucks below us look like ants.

Noah stands behind me and wraps his arms around my waist as we turn to watch the sunset; gorgeous, vibrant colors streaking across the sky. I lean back into him and for the first time in seven years, I am completely and totally relaxed. Up here, high in the sky with the love of my life, I am safe. No one can touch us and a tiny piece of my broken heart mends itself.

“Thank you,” I whisper, just low enough for Noah to hear and he leans down, pressing a kiss behind my ear.

“I love you.”

I nod, unable to say the words but I hope he knows how much I feel them, especially right now. Noah makes me madder than a hornet and drives me absolutely insane but he’s also my greatest source of comfort and the only man on this earth who understands me, inside and out.

We cuddle in silence as we watch the sun sink lower and lower in the sky and when it starts to get dark, Arnold begins guiding the balloon back to the ground. My stomach does a little flip as we get close but he sets us down without a problem and his partner is waiting with the truck to pick us up and load the balloon up. Arnold and his wife, Missy, are good people and an absolute hoot to listen to and by the time we get back to Noah’s truck, my belly hurts from laughing.

“Thank you so much, Arnold. That was absolutely amazing,” I say, shaking his hand and he nods, pulling me into a hug.

“Come back anytime, you hear? I’ll even give you a ride on the house. You kids remind me so much of Missy and myself a few decades ago.” He glances at his wife and she blushes as she returns the look. It’s so damn cute.

We say good-bye and after we climb back in the truck, Noah turns to me. “Wanna get some food?”

“Actually,” I say, scooting closer to him. “I was thinking we could go back to the cabin and see what we can get up to there.”

He arches a brow. “Yeah?”

“Yep.”

“Shit,” he replies with a grin as he starts the truck. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

* * * *

“Goddamn it, just open the door,” I growl against his lips as I grip his jacket and grind my core against his hip. He whispers a curse and I moan in frustration.

“You try to get a key in the hole with someone mauling you.”

Growling, I release him and grab the key out of his hand before whipping around and unlocking the door with ease. When we get inside, he closes and locks the door behind us as I stalk off toward the bedroom.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

I drop my head back and yell, “Thought you didn’t like me mauling you!”

“Woman!” he roars and I giggle as I take off for the bedroom with him right on my heels. He tackles me onto the bed and rolls me to my back as he wedges himself between my legs. “You’re fucking sassy tonight. I think you need a spankin’.”

“Just try it, LeBlanc,” I threaten as I narrow my gaze at him and he laughs as he thrusts his hips forward, taking me by surprise. I gasp and my eyes close as I reach for him. He laughs again.

“Big, bad Kady turns into putty in my hands,” he taunts. Pushing him, I try to scoot away from him but he holds me steady as he leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. “Are you wet, baby?”