After the Storm (10 page)

“But I’m still feeling woozy.” Marie pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I might need mouth to mouth,” she complained, looking at him with doe eyes.

Noah took a deep breath. “Ladies, I think you’ll be fine.” He held his hands out as he slowly backed away without taking his eyes off of them until he was a safe distance away. He should have taken the stories about them a little more seriously. They were starting to make him nervous.

He turned around to go back to work when he saw Lexi doubled over laughing.
Oh, he was going to find some way to pay her back, which was a sure thing.

He looked over to Rodney who wiped the tears away from his eyes from laughing so hard. “Shut up, Rodney, or I’ll tell the ladies you’re into cougars.”

~*~

Noah was a little worried when the ladies disappeared for a while around lunchtime. The only peace and quiet he’d gotten all morning was when he and Rodney had been running the chainsaw. Otherwise the ladies were cat-calling to him the whole time. No wonder they had such a reputation in town. He didn’t think he had ever blushed so much in such a short span of time. He shuddered at the thought of what they must have been like in their twenties.

He looked up, happy to see Lexi and the ladies bringing out trays of food and drinks for everyone. He breathed a sigh of relief and hoped they hadn’t been plotting new ways of how to get their hands on him.

As he walked toward them he took the rag out of his back pocket and wiped the sweat from his face and arms.

Leigh looked over at him and waggled her eyebrows. “Do you need some help wiping yourself down, honey?”

“No, thank you, I think I’ve got it.” He looked over at Lexi who was trying not to laugh. He narrowed his eyes at her.

“So you like to clean up after yourself, that’s good. Sometime things can get messy.” Leigh laughed.

Somehow Noah didn’t think she was talking about his housekeeping habits. He just sighed and shook his head.
I think I’ll have to eat lunch quick before the comments get out of hand
.

Evelyne was busy setting up the trays of food. Looking boldly up at Noah, she said, “I figured everyone liked to eat wieners, so that’s what we are having. How do you like yours, Noah? Plain or with condoms, oops, I mean condiments?” She covered her mouth with her hand.

Noah just sighed, “That’s okay, ma’am, I’ll just take care of it myself. Don’t worry about me.”

Evelyne closed her eyes, “Ohhh, a man that likes to take care of things himself. So you like to take charge? That’s okay with me.” She winked at him, “I’m more the submissive type anyway.”

Noah couldn’t believe the things that were coming out of their mouths. These women were grandmothers. He was trying not to visualize what they were saying so that the images didn’t get imprinted in his brain.

He grabbed a couple of hot dogs and started to walk away when Marie called to him. “Oh Noah, dear, would you be so kind as to pick up these plates that I dropped on the ground. I just can’t get around like I used to.”

Noah didn’t see the harm in picking up the plates since she hadn’t made the comments like the other two had, and figured he must be safe with her. But as soon as Noah bent over, he heard and felt the sting of someone slapping his ass, hard. He looked up to see Marie looking all innocent. He narrowed his eyes at her, handed her the plates, and walked away. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of rubbing his throbbing ass cheek.

He heard them giggling and Marie said, “Oh, my, that is one firm ass. It’s got to be one of the top three I’ve ever slapped.”

Noah walked passed Lexi who was, once again, trying not to laugh. “I told you not to encourage them, but you went ahead with your little striptease anyway. This is what you get.”

He stopped and leaned down so they were nose to nose. “Lexi, you owe me one big payment.”

She tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean payment?”

“Rodney told me about the danger pay you give some of the guys. What has happened here today is off the pay charts, therefore you owe me big. And I’m not talking about money. One of these days I’ll collect. I’ll take you higher and longer than you’ve ever gone in the past. I won’t stop until you are screaming my name. You’ll be begging me to stop. It will be one for the history books, and then, maybe then it will be enough. We’ll see.” Noah loved watching her eyes get bigger and bigger, her breathing more rapid.

Let her think about that for a while
.

~*~

He’d spent the morning watching the old couple clean up the yard at that bastard’s house and could tell by the GPS he’d put on Lexi’s car that she was still at the senior center. Seeing the damage around town, he knew she’d be there for a while. She always was a bleeding heart. He’d never understood why she would help other people without expecting something in return and clenched his hands into fists until his fingernails bit into the palms of his hands, making them bleed.

Once they’d finished cleaning up and went into the bastard’s house, he quickly went down the rocky hill and into her house. She rarely locked her doors, even after her car had broken down. After watching her from the woods and feeling her fear, he’d been hard for hours and had to go to the next town over to find a release.

Even in small towns there were always loose women. A woman who didn’t care who she fucked and who wouldn’t be missed by anyone for anywhere from a day to a week. He had scouted things out before hand, had known there was going to be a time when he would need a release before he could have Alexia again. The woman had been below his usual standards, but as they say, desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d fucked her, beaten her, and killed her as he came. It was quick—he hadn’t taken his usual time with it. He should have been able to last longer. He shivered as he remembered choking the life out of that miserable woman. The look of unbelievable terror that had shined in her eyes was such a turn on. He moved his hand down to squeeze his hardened cock.

He moved quickly to her bedroom. Lucky for him, the old couple next door liked to have Pepper around and would keep her when Alexia was out. He set up the cameras and bugs all around her bedroom and bathroom so that he wouldn’t miss one angle of her when she was alone, so that he would see everything she did behind closed doors when she thought no one was looking. He smiled to himself, thinking of what he would see as soon as she got home tonight.

He placed a few more downstairs, just to make sure he wouldn’t miss anything. He knew how particular she was and moved her things around, just a little bit. Most people wouldn’t notice. But she would, and she would wonder.

He tried to focus on the job at hand but kept getting distracted by her things. He wanted to go through all of it, smell and lick everything that touched her body. She was his. Until her last dying breath, she was his.

It had been a week since Lexi called the authorities in La Jolla but she’d finally heard back from them the day before. While it wasn’t all good news, part of it was. Anthony had been released early from jail. They showed that a letter had gone out to her a month ago, but she hadn’t received anything. While that scared the crap out of her, the good news was that he had an ankle monitor on. After making sure all of the legal documents were in order she was able to talk to someone in the monitoring company which showed that he hadn’t left his house except to go to the store. She made sure that the company would call her if there was any change. He was still in La Jolla, nowhere near her, and would be monitored for another year. That was time enough for her to plan what she would do when he was finally free to go and do whatever he wanted.

Lexi thought about the past week with Noah while she cleaned her house. She had most of the day to herself, working on photography or reading, while Noah wrote music. He was so full of energy when talking about what he wrote. She hadn’t heard anything yet, but he was spending hours in his studio at home. When he surfaced for breaks, he always wandered to her house for a meal or would invite her over for some of Martha’s cooking. She felt like a school girl, waiting to hear from him, and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face whenever she saw him. They spent time walking on the beach, taking drives on his Harley, playing games, or just sitting around talking. They filled their free time with each other.

She still got butterflies whenever he gave her a hug.

After he said that she owed him, she figured he’d have taken advantage by now. She’d said she’d wanted to take it slow but now she wasn’t so sure. It had been too long since he’d pinned her to the wall and kissed her like there was no tomorrow for her liking. She wasn’t sure what game he was playing. All she had to do was take one look at him and see he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

He was treating her like a lady. He was being a gentleman, damn it. But she had to do something to get him to kiss her,
really
kiss her, curl-your-toes kind of kiss her.

She frowned as she was dusted. Everything was off, just a little bit. She’d gotten the trait from her mother that everything had to be exactly in its place. When she was younger, she used to love going behind her mother and adjusting knickknacks and pillows just a little bit. That’s what it seemed like had happened in her house. In fact, every day she’d seen something else that wasn’t in its right place. She sighed, thinking her brain must be on Noah more than she thought, going around rearranging stuff while her head was in the clouds.

“Speaking of head in the clouds, Pepper, Noah is going to be here for our date soon and I still need to get ready.” She awoke the morning before to find a basket on her back porch. It was filled with daisies and chocolate. Tucked under everything was a note inviting her to the Fourth of July carnival. She sighed and thought of Noah. “Focus, Lexi, focus.” Pepper cocked her head. “I know, I know. I’m going to pick something out that will knock his socks off. What do you think about that, girl?” Lexi laughed when Pepper woofed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She patted her on the head. “Let’s see what we can find. Come on, girl.” The two of them raced up the stairs.

~*~

Noah was excited about tonight. This was their first official date. As he looked in the mirror, he rubbed his hand over his face, admiring how the beard was coming in. It wasn’t a look he’d ever gone for, but since he was going to be going out in public with Lexi, it’d be best to disguise his face as much as possible. Luckily, it was a little cooler than normal tonight so he could wear a long-sleeved dark grey shirt and t-shirt under it without standing out. With his face and tattoos covered, all he needed was a baseball cap to complete his look. The only thing that might give him away would be the jeans and his black biker boots but lots of men wore them, he thought as he put his wallet in his back pocket.

This past week had been hard on him. It took all he had to not ravish Lexi every time she turned around and he was lucky that writing new music was going so well for him. He could spend hours doing it and not be preoccupied with thinking of ways to be in her company. If he was with her he wanted to kiss her, deeply, madly. He sighed, placing his hands on the bathroom vanity. How he was going to get through tonight?

At first, it’d been a stroke of genius to ask her to the carnival in the next town over this weekend. Now, he wasn’t so sure. They’d be close together on the rides, her body pressed up against his. After what she’d told him and then allowing the ladies to practically attack him, his plan was twofold. One, let her know she mattered to him. He wasn’t about to use her and throw her away.
Be the gentleman she deserved
. Two, to torment the hell out of her. He knew she wanted him and by denying her kisses, he was bound to frustrate her to his own level of discomfort.

He made sure he had everything he needed and walked over to her house. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he knocked on her door, shaking his shoulders and arms to release the tension. His breath whooshed out of his lungs and he swallowed hard. He could see Lexi coming towards him. Her hair was piled up on top of her head in that messy way where it looked like she had just climbed out of bed after being seriously fucked. Long silver earrings dangled from her ears, just grazing the top of her shoulders and she wore a deep-blue cami that hugged her curves and made his mouth go dry. With the light behind her, he could see her legs through her flowing white skirt that ended at mid-calf.

He’d seen her in a bikini and she was more covered now, so why did this turn him on so much? Her toenails were painted a cotton candy pink and she wore flat, strappy sandals.

“Hello, Noah.” She brushed her hand down her hip. “I’m ready if you are.” She picked up a light blue sweater and walked the rest of the way to him.

Noah realized she was talking about the carnival, not jumping into bed with him.

“Yeah, okay. I thought we’d take the Jag tonight. Are you ready? Of course, you’re ready, you just told me that. Are you going to lock up?” He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

“Yes, I am. Excuse me.” When Noah didn’t move, Lexi gestured with her hands. “Noah, can you back up so I can get out the door?”

“Sure, sure, I can do that. Sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

She brushed up against him as she walked out of the house.

He breathed in her scent deeply and closed his eyes. He had no idea what perfume she was wearing, he’d never smelled it on her before, but damn. His cock was jumping around in his pants like it was trying to break out and dive into her.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to his car, sensing the heat from her body on the palm of his hand. Opening the door for her, he almost moaned when she ran her hand down his chest as she moved by him to climbed in. He took his time walking around the car, adjusting himself at the back of the car, not sure how much more he could take. He had to get his body under control. He didn’t want their first time to be in the car and if she kept this up, that was exactly where they were going to end up.

He started the engine and began driving, trying to think of something to say. They spent so much time together and had never been at a loss for words. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was so fucking beautiful, sitting there all serene. When their eyes met, a lightning bolt went through his body and straight to his heart. He rubbed it with one hand while continuing to drive with the other, not sure he liked the feeling.

~*~

Lexi tried hard not to smile. It was working out perfectly. She was willing to bet her best camera that before the night was over, he would kiss her senseless. She had goosebumps just thinking about it. Up to this point he’d never gone this long without talking and she wasn’t going to be the one who broke the silence. For her, it was just nice to be with him. Lexi had a twinkle in her eyes, happy that her plan worked so well. To see big, bad, Mr. Last Man Standing fumbling for words was a huge boost to her ego.

They pulled into the parking lot as the sun was setting and the lights came up around the carnival. Looking at each other and grinning like kids, they reached for the door handles and jumped out of the car. They met in front of the vehicle and Noah held out his hand to Lexi as they walked through the gates.

“I can’t remember the last time I went to a carnival. This is so exciting.” Lexi turned her head, trying to look at everything.

“Me, either. Where should we start?”

“Rides, food, games,” she said smartly.

He laughed. “Sounds like a plan. Are there any rides you are scared of?”

She stopped walking and raised one eyebrow, “Excuse me, did you just ask if there were any rides I was scared of? I think I should be asking you that.” She pointed at him. “I can ride anything.” She knew how he’d take that last comment. Sure enough, she saw his pulse leap on the side of his neck.

He recovered quickly enough. “Rides it is. Let’s go.”

~*~

Waiting in line for a third ride, Lexi bouncing on her toes with excitement. Noah couldn’t keep his hands off of her any longer. He pulled her in by the waist and snuggled up, wrapping both arms around her. She put her arms over his and linked hands, resting her head on his shoulder.

After all the rides, they went in search for something to eat. “Is there anything you’d like?” Noah asked.

“I think at carnivals you have to have hamburgers, or maybe a hot dog. What about you, do you want a hot dog, Noah?” she asked with innocence, batting her eyelashes.

He shook his head. “No, Lexi. I think it’ll be a while before I eat hot dogs again. Seeing the ladies eat them kind of put me off them.”

Lexi laughed, “They’ll do that to you. I guess I should apologize for unleashing them. But you started it by taking your shirt off and flexing. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to rein them in anyway.”

“No harm done. Well, maybe a little. My ass hurt for a couple of days from that hit I took from Marie.” He rubbed his ass cheek. “Who would have thought? Shouldn’t people mellow with age? I thought out of the three she was the tamest. I won’t forget that.”

“It’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for.” She laughed. “I love those ladies, they have been my strength with everything I’ve gone through and then losing my grandmother so soon after the trial was over.” There was a hint of sadness that crept into her voice.

Noah pulled her into a hug. “You’re so strong, Lexi. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as strong as you. Well, there was my mom, but other than that, no one else can compare.” How he wished she could have met his mother.

“I’ll take that compliment.” She moved closer and laid her head on his shoulder. “Your mom sounds like she was amazing. Now, I’m starving, let’s eat!”

~*~

Noah spread the pink blanket he’d won for her on the ground in the field next to the carnival since the fireworks were going to start soon. They lay back, using the stuffed animals she’d won as pillows, and looked up at the stars.

She sighed. “It’s such a beautiful night. Perfect temperature, perfect company, and a perfect gentleman.” She rolled towards him and laid her hand on his cheek. “Thank you, Noah.”

Noah closed his eyes at her touch. “I tried, Lexi. I really wanted this to be perfect.” He turned and looked at her. They laid there, the lights from the carnival in the distance and no one within twenty feet of them. He rolled over on his side and placed his hand on her hip. He wanted her and he wanted her now. Gazing into her eyes, he felt himself begin to slip—into what he wasn’t sure, and at this point, he didn’t care. He slowly leaned down, taking his time, wanting to remember everything about this moment with her.

The kiss started off innocent but quickly deepened. She brought her leg up and rocked her hips towards him. He rolled over on his back bringing her with him so she was partially on top of him. His hand roamed down to caress her back as she nipped at his lower lip and darted her tongue into his mouth. He moaned as his fingers flexed into her flesh. Both so enraptured with each other, they didn’t even jump when the first firework boomed. Noah opened his eyes, watching her kiss him. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

He moved his hands to where they on either side of her face and tugged her away from him. She looked at him, a question in her eyes.

Before she could ask, Noah said, “Alexia, you should see how beautiful you look with the fireworks going off behind you. I want to remember this moment, this exact moment, for the rest of my life.” Noah wanted her more than his next breath.

He pulled her down so that she was snug against his side and they quietly watched the rest of the fireworks, both of them wanting more, their bodies aching.

~*~

They walked back through the carnival to the car, Noah’s arm around her waist and Lexi’s head on his shoulder. Each of them had a stuffed animal in the crook of their arms.

It had been a perfect first date. Noah had gotten a few looks, but no one had recognized him. Lexi wasn’t sure how she would feel about women pawing at him or pushing her out of the way to get to him. She was glad that their first date hadn’t been marred by anything.

She stopped walking when she noticed security guards and police officers walking through the crowd with grim looks on their faces. People were being stopped at the gate up ahead, not allowed to leave. She turned around, scanning the crowd to see if she could figure out what was happening.