victory. Leah rolls onto her back, trying to catch her breath.
“This means war, Noah,” she says between giggles. “You got me on this one but it’s not over. Just wait. I’ll get you.”
“You can try, but my skills are clearly far superior.” I stand next to where she lies on the bed and my comment earns me a light kick to my stomach. I grab her foot and she yelps with surprise. I lightly brush my fingers along the sole of her foot and she starts to squirm.
“Noah. Don’t.” She is trying to sound stern but she is clearly very ticklish and is having a hard time keeping the laughter out of her voice. She is desperate to get her foot back and I refuse to give it up. I’m so focused on driving her mad that I forget my footing. Leah jerks her leg back and I topple onto the mattress.
I land next to her, both of us laughing until we can’t breathe. The sight of her chest heaving makes me want to reach out and touch her. I roll onto my back and throw an arm over my eyes to stop myself. When we finally stop laughing we lie in silence.
“Now you’ve done it,” she says seriously. I feel her gaze on the side of my face. I turn my head to face her and our eyes meet. She smiles and I return it.
“Ms. Leah, are you threatening me?” I tease.
“It’s more like a promise.” She laughs and pokes my side with her finger.
“Haven’t had enough?” I grab her wrist and in one quick move I straddle her body. I capture her other arm and slowly raise them both above her head. I make a
‘tsk tsk’ sound as I secure both wrists in my left hand and begin to lightly run my right index finger down the sensitive skin of her wrist and arm.
“Noah,” she says seriously. She is wriggling underneath me and I smile down at her. She laughs out loud again and I almost feel guilty not warning her what that sound does to me. “Please,” she whispers and while I know it’s because I’m tickling her, I imagine how it would sound if she were asking for something else. Her breathing picks up and she is biting her bottom lip.
I want so badly to kiss her. What logic is telling me is so different from what my heart wants. I loosen my hold on her arms so that she can pull them away if she wants. She doesn’t. Instead we stay like this, my hands lightly on her wrists and our faces close enough to touch. I move my gaze from her eyes to her lips and decide that I am powerless to resist this. Just as I brush my lower lip against hers, the phone in her pocket begins to play a song.
I look up to her eyes and I know immediately who is calling her. I lift myself up and stand at the edge of the bed. The ringtone repeats and I know she’s trying to ignore it for my benefit. I reach my hand out to her and pull her up to a sitting position at the edge of the bed.
“Be strong, beautiful,” I whisper before gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then I do the opposite of what my heart is telling me. I take a step back and leave the room, closing the door behind me.
Chapter 15
Leah
The phone call from Lyle was a little unexpected. That was all it took to pull me out of the moment with Noah and right back into my own personal hell. Seems I might have accidently packed something of Lyle’s in my stuff. He wants his father’s pocketknife and believes it might be in the little wooden box I used to keep at my bedside.
It’s not that he was unkind; if he had been this whole situation would be easier. If he were some kind of mean monster I would want to push him out of my life, but instead he’s the same guy I fell in love with, who one day fell out of love
“This means war, Noah,” she says between giggles. “You got me on this one but it’s not over. Just wait. I’ll get you.”
“You can try, but my skills are clearly far superior.” I stand next to where she lies on the bed and my comment earns me a light kick to my stomach. I grab her foot and she yelps with surprise. I lightly brush my fingers along the sole of her foot and she starts to squirm.
“Noah. Don’t.” She is trying to sound stern but she is clearly very ticklish and is having a hard time keeping the laughter out of her voice. She is desperate to get her foot back and I refuse to give it up. I’m so focused on driving her mad that I forget my footing. Leah jerks her leg back and I topple onto the mattress.
I land next to her, both of us laughing until we can’t breathe. The sight of her chest heaving makes me want to reach out and touch her. I roll onto my back and throw an arm over my eyes to stop myself. When we finally stop laughing we lie in silence.
“Now you’ve done it,” she says seriously. I feel her gaze on the side of my face. I turn my head to face her and our eyes meet. She smiles and I return it.
“Ms. Leah, are you threatening me?” I tease.
“It’s more like a promise.” She laughs and pokes my side with her finger.
“Haven’t had enough?” I grab her wrist and in one quick move I straddle her body. I capture her other arm and slowly raise them both above her head. I make a
‘tsk tsk’ sound as I secure both wrists in my left hand and begin to lightly run my right index finger down the sensitive skin of her wrist and arm.
“Noah,” she says seriously. She is wriggling underneath me and I smile down at her. She laughs out loud again and I almost feel guilty not warning her what that sound does to me. “Please,” she whispers and while I know it’s because I’m tickling her, I imagine how it would sound if she were asking for something else. Her breathing picks up and she is biting her bottom lip.
I want so badly to kiss her. What logic is telling me is so different from what my heart wants. I loosen my hold on her arms so that she can pull them away if she wants. She doesn’t. Instead we stay like this, my hands lightly on her wrists and our faces close enough to touch. I move my gaze from her eyes to her lips and decide that I am powerless to resist this. Just as I brush my lower lip against hers, the phone in her pocket begins to play a song.
I look up to her eyes and I know immediately who is calling her. I lift myself up and stand at the edge of the bed. The ringtone repeats and I know she’s trying to ignore it for my benefit. I reach my hand out to her and pull her up to a sitting position at the edge of the bed.
“Be strong, beautiful,” I whisper before gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then I do the opposite of what my heart is telling me. I take a step back and leave the room, closing the door behind me.
Chapter 15
Leah
The phone call from Lyle was a little unexpected. That was all it took to pull me out of the moment with Noah and right back into my own personal hell. Seems I might have accidently packed something of Lyle’s in my stuff. He wants his father’s pocketknife and believes it might be in the little wooden box I used to keep at my bedside.
It’s not that he was unkind; if he had been this whole situation would be easier. If he were some kind of mean monster I would want to push him out of my life, but instead he’s the same guy I fell in love with, who one day fell out of love
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