Naked (15 page)

“You love me,” Luke yelled out on his way to join them.

“Unfortunately, I do love you,” Charlotte huffed. “And I think I’m not the only person with breasts who does.”

“And we’re back to work.” Luke ignored Charlotte’s comment and jumped onto the truck bed.

Charlotte teased him relentlessly whenever Harper wasn’t around. She was convinced that they were perfect for each other. But Luke and Harper were business partners. Crossing the line would jeopardize everything they’d worked for.

But even Noah couldn’t ignore that every once in a while the air shifted when he was with the two of them and, suddenly, he felt like the third wheel.

“Why don’t we talk about Noah’s love life?” Luke said as he gestured to the sofa.

“I don’t have a love life.” Noah jumped up on the truck bed. “I have sex.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at Noah’s comment, but continued her focus on Luke. “Don’t you want to be happy? Find love?”

“You don’t need to love someone to find happiness in this world.”

Luke had been anti-love ever since Noah could remember. Hence his proclivity for the one-night stand. If he had marked his conquests with lines on his body, he’d have no room for any other designs.

Despite his past, Noah still believed in the idea of true love. He was just too bruised and battered to consider trying to find it again.

Giving up, Charlotte turned on Noah. “Are you having sex with Violet?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

When Noah didn’t respond, Luke took that as confirmation. “Thatta boy. She’s hot.”

Noah smiled, but didn’t pursue the conversation. Instead, he gestured to the sofa as he leaned over one end. Luke took position on the opposite side.

It was no struggle to get the piece off the truck. As they carried it toward the front door, Charlotte plopped her tiny body on top.

“Glad you could show up to help,” Luke grunted.

“I’m supervising.” She turned her head just in time to watch Luke’s boot get caught on a raised piece of the walkway and he stumbled. Somehow ending up on one knee, he managed to keep the couch in his hands, but the drop in angle caused Charlotte to roll off and she hit the sidewalk with a thud and a scrape of gravel.

Through a hearty laugh, Luke asked, “You okay, Charlie?”

Noah lowered his side of the couch and rested it on the ground. He walked over to his sister, extending his hand to help her to her feet.

He laughed when she spat, “You guys suck.”

Noah and Luke dropped the couch into her unit, both returning with beers expecting Charlotte to throw a fit. But when they returned to the front of the building, she had her phone to her ear and was crying.

Noah raced over, grabbing both her biceps. “What’s wrong?”

She placed her fingers over the speaker at the bottom of her phone and whispered, “Mr. Anderson is dead. Heart attack.”

Her boss. The CEO of Arch Media.

Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulder in comfort. He knew how much she looked up to the man, respected him. Tightness gripped his chest. He didn’t deal with death well and this situation was bringing a whole flood of memories he’d just as soon forget.

When his mother had answered the door and two policemen were on the other side. When she’d been told there had been an accident. That the scaffolding had collapsed and that his father’s hard hat had been knocked off during the seven-story fall.

He remembered her wail. The way she stumbled into the counter. He had tried to keep her steady, but she was too strong, too intent on giving up.

She had rushed to her husband’s side. But it had been too late.

Noah’s heart pounded in his chest. He squeezed his sister tighter. Whether she needed the comfort was irrelevant. He needed it. He needed to feel her warmth. Remind himself that there was life. Love. Family.

With Charlotte still deep in conversation about her boss, he let go and stumbled to the curb. As if he didn’t have the strength to keep himself up, he dropped, his ass hitting the pavement.

And that’s when he thought of Violet.

It made him want to spend time with her even more. Curing his loneliness had been the initial reason for him accepting her proposition. But now that he’d had her, he wanted more. Everything she was willing to give.

He looked up when two black boots became visible from where he’d hidden his head in his arms.

“More beers when we’re done?” Luke held out his hand and Noah grabbed it, using it as leverage to stand up from the curb.

He couldn’t wait for the day to be over so he could go home and go to bed. The sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he’d wake up to go see Violet.

“Sure. But only one.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I need to be at the top of my game tomorrow.”

Chapter 12

“All I’m saying is you need to get plowed.” Violet’s smile widened at the sound of her best friend’s advice.

“How do you know I haven’t already gotten plowed?”

She had. In a parking lot. Really, thoroughly plowed.

“Spill!” Roxy screamed into the phone.

Violet got up from the creaky couch and headed to the front door of her home.

Home.

Technically, her home was the midtown condo she hadn’t slept at for almost six months.

But this house was all hers. Every tacky piece of furniture. Every creaky floorboard. And she’d never felt more at home, more herself, than within these four walls. And with Noah.

“Tell me all about Mr. I’ve-Fallen-and-I-Can’t-Get-Up?”

Violet didn’t have any intention of spilling the beans so soon. She wanted to wait until she got back to the city permanently.

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

Any minute, Noah would show up for some naked fun, and she’d wanted to buy something special for the occasion. On her way home from the board meeting yesterday, she’d made a stop at the mall.

“A lady certainly kisses and tells and relays every single moment in graphic, visceral detail to her best friend.”

Over the years of their friendship, Roxy had been the one with the sex stories. The vibrating panties, dildos, and G-spot tales that seemed never-ending. And Violet had always been jealous. It was Roxy who had started her on the journey to spice up her relationship with Steven. To no avail.

“Come on, Vi. It’s your turn to shock me.”

Violet let out a hard breath then sucked one back in, gathering up her courage. She told herself she didn’t need courage with Roxy.

But you’re going to need it in precisely three minutes when Noah knocks on your front door.

“I have three words for you. Public. Orgasm. Mind-blowing.”

Silence. Then: “That’s four words.”

“Mind-blowing is hyphenated and it’s one…Really?”

Roxy cackled. “Vi, I’m so happy for you.”

Violet was happy, too. For the first time in a long time. It felt…right with Noah. Like she’d found a part of herself that had been dormant, or even missing, for her entire life.

Violet pranced over to the mirror. She’d never been big on lingerie and while her options were limited because of her scars, she’d settled on a garter belt and stockings. With the way she’d noticed Noah admiring her legs, she’d thought he might enjoy it.

“You’re following the mantra.” There was pride in Roxy’s voice. “There might just be hope for you yet.”

Fuck. Rinse. Repeat.

Noah was definitely repeat-worthy.

Violet scoffed. “I definitely wouldn’t be following the mantra with the guys my mother is trying to get me to go out with.” She’d received at least four texts from her mother since she’d signed the power of attorney boasting about eligible males.

Roxy made a gagging sound. “You mean having someone read you the finance section of the newspaper isn’t erotic?”

Violet laughed. “I love you so much. I miss you.”

“Me too. I can’t wait for you to come home. I picked so many fantastic pieces for the store with you in mind.”

Just another reason why Violet loved Roxy. She had direct access to the latest, most trendy clothes every season.

“Put some away for me.” She looked down at herself. “On second thought…” She snorted. “You might want to pick one size up. I’ve been sitting on my butt for too long.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t give two shits. Because Noah was coming here for sex, whether she was a size two or a size four.

When her doorbell rang, nervousness overwhelmed her.

“Was that your doorbell?” Roxy asked.

Violet hummed in acknowledgment.

“Go. Answer it. Call me later.”

Violet double-checked herself in the mirror beside the front door.

“And remember…” Roxy pleaded. “I want details.”

With a curt “yes,” she ended the call.

She rearranged her pink scarf then stepped back, lifting the black fabric of her skirt to reveal the black thigh-high stockings and the connecting garter belt. The lace panties—also new. The clerk at the store had convinced her to go crotchless.

Her stomach fluttered. Excitement overwhelmed her to the point she had to stop and catch her breath.

When she finally opened the door, Noah’s eyes widened. That sexy grin she’d fallen for the first day they’d met greeted her. His dimples smiling back at her.

“Hi.” Her voice was low, breathless. She didn’t know what the day had in store for her, but she knew without a doubt it was going to be one of the best of her life.

Without a greeting, Noah stepped inside, crowding her to the point she stepped back.

“I’m afraid this outfit wasn’t a smart idea.”

Her heart sank. He didn’t like it. But he didn’t even see her—

“It’s just going to end up on the floor.” His hand brushed her forehead. “You are so beautiful.”

She wanted this man. So much so that she was willing to overlook the fact that he was just as hung up on her looks as the rest of world, because as long as she could keep her top half covered, she could pretend to be that woman. The confident sex symbol ready to get down and dirty.

She giggled to herself. Two weeks ago, “down” and “dirty” were two words in her vocabulary she’d never have strung together.

“I have a surprise for you.” She teased him with a sashay of her hips on her way to the staircase.

“Does it involve you naked?” He was so honest with his need for her. It was refreshing and exciting. He wanted nothing more than sex. And right now, that’s all she could give him.

“Let me show you.”

With dainty movements, she sat on the third step, making sure to keep her legs closed so as to not to reveal the surprise too early.

She began by placing her hands on her thighs, gently moving them up and taking the fabric with her. The higher she climbed, the more she revealed of the black stockings with the lace edging and the garters that held them up.

“I know we’re not talking about our real lives, but you’ve gotta be a dancer.”

Maybe she could have been a dancer. She’d loved taking ballet. But the older she got, the more she realized that she had the opportunity to learn from her father and one day take over the company. She wanted to be strong and powerful, just like her dad. Walker Industries had become her priority, and ballet an afterthought, much to her mother’s disappointment.

He cleared his throat. “You have the sexiest legs I’ve ever seen and I want them wrapped around me.”

“Oh yeah, your waist?”

“My waist.” He walked forward. “My face.” He took another step closer. “Anywhere you want them.”

She shivered. She loved that he was so vocal. Never had a man expressed their thoughts like he did. To be honest, she had no idea if any man had ever had these thoughts about her before Noah.

“I like this surprise.” He reached out, but she clicked her tongue against her teeth. He stopped his approach, but didn’t hesitate to say, pointing to the stockings, “By the way, those are staying on.”

“It’s not the only surprise.” With a smile, she leaned back against the next stair and let her legs fall open. She was practically overheating with anticipation so the air hitting her bare center was a welcome feeling.

Noah sucked in a breath as soon as she was spread wide, getting a perfect view of her clean-shaven pussy through the crotchless panties.

“Violet…” Just the sound of her name intensified the throb between her legs. Her name on his lips was what had sent her over the edge in the parking lot.

His eyes zeroed in on the space between her legs. “Those were the greatest decision ever.”

She giggled. He dropped to his knees in front of her, his face level with the panties, and gripped her thighs. She leaned forward, needing to feel his lips on hers. Needing something to sate the tightening in her chest. In her pelvis.

He didn’t hesitate and captured her lips, his fingers curling against the stockings. His kiss was rough. Needy. Hopefully, an indication of how he planned on taking her body.

He pulled away, his eyes falling to the scarf around her neck, but only for a moment. She loved that he didn’t pry. He didn’t push. He knew her boundaries, and that was a hard-and-fast barrier she had no intention of breaking anytime soon.

As his head lowered, she sucked in a sharp breath, knowing that his lips were headed to the spot between her legs. The spot that practically vibrated for his touch.

He breathed deep, taking in her scent, and when his eyes flared, her head fell back on a gasp. But just as she fisted her hands in his hair to guide him in, his phone rang in his pocket.

He cursed, the music filling the foyer. Breaking the moment.

“It’s my sister.” She made a note to laugh at a later time that his sister’s ringtone was Meredith Brooks’s “Bitch.” “She wouldn’t be calling unless it’s an emergency.”

His head fell forward and let out a steady breath. He reached behind him into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. With a swipe of his thumb, he answered.

“Noah, I need you.” Before he’d even said hello, a frantic female voice yelled through the speaker.

Noah stiffened. “What’s wrong?” His expression had changed from annoyed to concerned with four little words.

After a few muffled sounds, he asked, “Where’s Philip?”

He asked more questions, to which he got answers, but the more he spoke, the tighter his shoulders got.