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We finish dinner and I guide Noel to my living room. Not my fancy, staged living room that’s right off the dining and kitchen area, but the one down the hallway. This one is cozy with an overstuffed sectional. Hockey memorabilia and framed jerseys line the walls. A giant flatscreen takes up one entire wall in front of the sofa, but it’s one of those that can look like framed artwork when you want it to. Right now, there’s a giant picture of the French countryside.

Noel grins as she studies the space. “Okay, this room looks like you. The rest of your house is so—”

“Boring?”

“Well, yes. I mean, it’s gorgeous. But plainer than I’d expect for the Colby Knight,” she admits.

I smile, plopping down on my comfortable sofa then patting the spot beside me. “Come here, I have something to show you.”

She sits close to me, close enough that our thighs brush together. The awareness of her body touching mine almost makes me forget what I want to show her. She eyes me expectantly and I huff a laugh.

“Right.” I reach over, grasping my copy of Fellowship of The Ring from the round coffee table and hand it to her.

Noel looks at it, flipping it over and seeing the tabs sticking out of the pages. She gasps quietly. “Oh, my gosh. You annotated it?”

“Anno what?” I laugh. “I just highlighted things I enjoyed and added tabs if there was a scene that really struck me.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, that’s annotating. And it’s… really sexy.”

CHAPTER 32

NOEL

I’m staring at his lips, I know I am. But how can I stop myself from kissing him when he not only read, but annotated, one of my favorite books ever. The fact that he took the time to read this simply because I like it does something to my heart. My chest feels tight, but also light at the same time. I want to go back in time and tell my twenty-year-old self to hold out for the guy who adores me enough to read my favorite book. Only so he could talk to me about it, and share something with me.

I’ve been holding back from Colby for far too long, trying to ignore the growing feelings and the undeniable attraction, and I don’t want to fight it anymore. I lean in and press my mouth to his, the stubble of his five o’clock shadow brushes against my chin, heightening the sensation of his soft lips. His arms come up to my sides, then wrap around my waist. I feel safe here, so impossibly content, I could cry. It’s something I’ve never had with anyone else.

Before I know what I’m doing, I slide one leg over his thighs, sitting on his lap facing him. A move I never would have thought myself sexy enough to pull off, or confident enough to try. But Colby’s kiss bolsters me in a way nothing ever has.

Straddling his strong thighs gives me the closeness I’m craving, the direct access to his lips that I want. His arms tighten around my waist, pulling me into him. He’s sturdy and solid, but also soft and warm. He’s everything, filling all of my senses. The taste of his mouth on mine, sweet from the wine we drank. The smell of his skin, spicy like rum. The feel of his warm skin moving against mine. It’s all too much, and not enough at the same time. My fingers slide into that silky, dark hair of his. I’ve wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked, and it is.

I’m desperate to get closer to him, but he gives me one long kiss before gently pulling away. I try to pull him back to me and he chuckles, a low, rumbly sound. I open my eyes to gaze at him, and even though he’s smiling at me, his eyes are dark with want. He has the appearance of just waking up from a great dream, especially since his hair is all messy from my eager hands.

Gently, he rubs his large hands up and down my back.

I try once more to lean in and kiss him again, but he glides his hands up to my shoulders and pushes against me, stopping me from getting closer. I don’t know why he’s pushing me away, why he’s holding back. But as always, he reads me like a book. Always knowing what my expression is saying.

“Angel, let’s slow down.”

“Why?”

He chuckles again but stops when he studies my face. Noting my offended expression. I move to get off his lap, feeling embarrassed by my boldness. Wondering why I was so forward, and also why he didn’t like it.

He holds me in place by wrapping his arms around my waist again. “Hey, look at me.”

My eyes obey his command before my brain can stop them.

“Do you know why I moved fast with girls in the past?”

When I don’t answer, he continues, “because I wanted one night with them. That’s it. One night and nothing else. Because I was a boy, not a man. Because I was young and careless, and I hurt people. I wasn’t trying to, but I did.” He closes his eyes as if the thought pains him. “But Noel, I want to do things right with you. Because I don’t only want one night with you. I want forever.”

Tears fill my eyes before running down my face. His words are so honest, so sweet. Colby’s sapphire eyes are locked on mine, and I can tell he means every word just by the way he’s looking at me. I think it’s the way he’s always looked at me, I was just too dumb to notice.

He brings his hands up to cup my face, then gently brushes my tears away with his thumbs. “What’s wrong?”

I sniff. “What’s wrong, is that I’m an idiot.”