Night After Night (16 page)

She laughed and decided to make light of things. “Yeah, a little bit. How about I help you clean up?” she asked, indicating the meal they were done eating. That was as good a distraction as any.

“Now there’s an offer I won’t refuse.” Standing, he started stacking their plates and utensils.

She helped him clear the table, and while she rinsed dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, he put away all the leftover food. They worked together companionably, sharing in the domestic chore, and it made Jessica wonder what married life with Noah would have been like. She had a feeling that being his wife would have been amazing, and it was difficult to ignore the pang of regret that squeezed her chest.

“Would you like me to take you home, or would you like to stay a while longer?” Noah asked once they finished cleaning the kitchen.

There was nothing sexual in his offer, just a friendly overture to Jessica to spend more time with him…if she wanted to. And if she was ready to leave, she knew he’d respect her decision and drive her back to her apartment.

Her choice was an easy one to make. “It’s been a really nice day, and evening, and I’m not ready for it to end just yet.” She spoke honestly, from the heart. It just felt good and right being with Noah, in some ways as though they’d never been apart.

His smile was filled with relief, and boyish charm, too. “Good. Me, either.”

Jessica watched as Noah picked up both of their wine-glasses, which he must have refilled while she’d been doing the dishes.

“It’s a gorgeous night out; let’s go sit outside for a while,” he suggested.

She followed him out a sliding glass door to a patio, and he continued on to the concrete pool in the backyard. He’d left the outdoor lights off, but she didn’t mind because the clear sky was filled with bright stars and a nearly full moon, which was plenty of illumination for her, even if it did make for a more romantic, intimate setting.

He led her to the two padded chaise lounges, and she sat down on one of them and he took the one next to her, then set their glasses of wine on the table between them. A cool summer breeze ruffled through her hair and rustled the tall palm trees in his landscaped yard, the sound relaxing and soothing.

As the years had passed, Jessica had always wondered what kind of life Noah was living, and now she knew. “Looks like you’ve done well for yourself.”

He shrugged. “I’ve done okay.”

She reclined back on the lounge chair and smiled at him. “I never would have thought you’d become the manager of a hot nightclub like Taboo.” She’d always envisioned him in a more traditional type of career.

“It wasn’t intentional,” he said, swirling the red wine in his glass before taking a sip. “I got a business degree because I wanted to keep my options open as far as what type of job I wanted to do. But when I came back to Las Vegas after graduating college, there wasn’t anything that really inspired me, career-wise. I’m not really a corporate kind of guy. So, while I figured out what I was going to do with the rest of my life, I got a job at Taboo as waitstaff, and from there I gradually worked my way up to shift supervisor, then assistant manager, and now here I am,
the
manager.”

He sounded content and happy, and ultimately that’s what mattered. “And you like what you do?”

“Sure. It’s crazy at times, and stressful, too, but what job isn’t?”

“True,” she agreed, and reached for her Zinfandel.

“What about you?” he asked, his tone curious. “What’s your life as a singer and songwriter like?”

She stretched her legs out on the chair, feeling relaxed and mellow from the wine. “Busy. Hectic. Stressful.” She laughed, because it sounded just like
his
job.

“You enjoy it?”

“I do. Singing is like a release for me, a way to express myself. It’s very therapeutic,” she said, revealing more than she probably should.

His gaze met and held hers, his dark eyes shining with flecks of gold. “The songs you write seem very personal.”

“A lot of them are,” she said softly, truthfully.

“Like ‘Don’t Turn Me Away’?” he asked of the song she’d written one night when she’d been thinking of him, missing him.

She bit her bottom lip, and even knowing just how revealing her answer would be, she refused to lie. “Yes.”

His expression softened as he stared at her. “‘Let me inside where it’s warm and safe,’” he said, reciting the words to the song as if he’d written them himself. “‘In your arms, your loving embrace. I know I was wrong, but the feelings are still so strong. Don’t tell me no. Don’t turn me away.’”

A lump of emotion gathered in her throat, and she forced herself to speak around it. “Wow, you’ve got a great memory.”

“The words in your songs are very real and honest,” he said, letting her know that he listened very carefully to the songs she wrote and had probably followed her career just as closely. “I wouldn’t turn you away, Jessica,” he whispered in the shadowed darkness, his voice a low, husky rasp of sound.
“Ever.”

Oh, God, she wished she could believe him. With everything she was, she ached to trust in his promise that he’d always be there for her, no matter what. But she wasn’t the girl he’d once known and loved, and when he learned the truth of what had happened to her and that she could never give him the family she knew he wanted, her biggest fear was that he
would
turn her away.

He sat up on his chair, his hands clasped between his spread knees, and for a moment she thought he was going to call it a night, which she really didn’t want, despite the personal turn to their conversation. But instead, she watched as a slow, devastatingly sexy grin curved his lips.

“It’s a warm night and that water looks very inviting,” he said, nodding toward the pool, an irresistible gleam in his eyes. “What do you say we go for a midnight swim?”

Her stomach did a free-fall jump, and she fought the temptation of indulging in something so intimate with him. “It’s kind of hard to swim in jeans and boots,” she said, her excuse sounding lame even to her own ears.

“I was thinking of swimming in the buff.” He stood up, towering beside her chaise lounge as he toed off his shoes. “Or at least stripped down to our underwear.”

She gulped, feeling a light-headedness that had nothing to do with the wine she’d consumed and everything to do with where this late-night swim with him might lead. “Are you serious?” It was a stupid question, because Noah always meant what he said.

“Absolutely.” And to prove his point, he stripped his shirt over his head, giving Jessica her first physical glimpse of the man he’d become.

Oh, wow.
As a teenager, Noah had always had an athletically honed body, but because of his height he’d always been lanky. Not so now. He’d filled out to perfection. His chest was nicely defined, his hips narrow and lean, and when he reached down to pull off his socks she watched in fascination his abdominal muscles rippling as he executed the move.

A long-forgotten desire coiled through her, as did the urge to reach out and touch him, to feel the warmth of his taut skin beneath the tips of her fingers.

He lowered his hands to the waistband of his low-slung jeans and slowly unzipped them, unerringly drawing her gaze to the crisp, dark hair circling his navel, then arrowing down his flat, hard belly and gradually disappearing into his navy boxer briefs.

He pushed his pants off and stepped out of them, and her mouth went completely and utterly dry. He wasn’t naked, thank God, but he might as well have been, because the material of his underwear molded to everything that made him masculine.

Unexpectedly he leaned over her, bracing his hands against the chaise on either side of her head, his face only inches away from hers. “Come on, sweetheart,” he cajoled in a deep, mesmerizing voice meant to seduce. “I remember a time when you liked to be a little reckless and daring. And judging from your performance the other night at Taboo, I think you still have a bit of a wild streak in you.”

“That was just an act.” And with him there had never been any pretenses. He’d been the one to make her feel reckless and daring, a willing partner to whatever he asked. And even now, she was finding it so damn hard to fight his allure.

“Well, it was a really
hot
act, and I really enjoyed it,” he told her, grinning wickedly. “Come join me for a swim, Jessie.” He dropped one of his hands to the button on her jeans and expertly flicked it open, then started pulling the tab of her zipper down.

She gasped, both shocked and aroused that he’d be so bold. “Noah, stop,” she said, and gently pushed his hand away, because the thought of him undressing her was more than her body could handle.

He straightened, but the sinfully determined light in his eyes told her he wasn’t done trying to persuade her. “Chicken?”

“Hardly.” Oh, she was such a liar. Her biggest fear was that if she got into that water with him things would turn steamy.

“Then prove it,” he said, issuing a direct challenge she no longer wanted to resist. “Join me in the pool and we’ll play a game of Marco Polo.”

With that last invitation, Noah walked away and dove into the pool, leaving the final decision up to her.

She remembered another time when they’d played Marco Polo at night in his parents’ pool and how the game had been all about building sexual awareness between them and, ultimately, her seduction.

Jessica knew that if she agreed, this time would be no different.

Noah surfaced at the deep end of the pool, then started a slow swim back to the shallow end. “Well, what’s it going to be?”

She was dying to join him, to shed her inhibitions and be wild with someone she trusted. There was no justifiable reason why she couldn’t just enjoy whatever Noah had to offer. They were both consenting adults, and the attraction was still as strong as, if not stronger than, before. And the best part was, she was leaving on tour in a few weeks, so that would eliminate any awkward goodbyes between them—they’d just go their separate ways and chalk up their time together to a summer fling.

It was all she could give him, anyway.

She glanced around, noticing that the fence surrounding his backyard was so high she couldn’t see the neighboring yard and the pool was dark, too, which helped to reassure her that they wouldn’t be putting on a show for his neighbors.

She released a deep breath to shake off any lasting doubts. “I’m coming in,” she said, and stood up from the lounge chair to start undressing.

Except Noah was watching her, making her feel way too self-conscious.

Heat seared her cheeks and slowly spiraled down her body. “Be a gentleman and turn around,” she said, unable to bring herself to be as brazen as he’d been in shedding his clothes.

“I’m no gentleman,” he warned her, grinning like a rogue. “Besides, I let you watch me.”

She shook her head, trying not to laugh, because that would just encourage him. “Sorry, but I’m not putting on a striptease show for you.”

“A www, you’re no fun,” he grumbled good-naturedly, then turned to face the opposite side of the pool.

She kicked off her shoes, then quickly pulled off her top and jeans and ditched her bra, too, leaving her clad in just her pink lace panties. Before she changed her mind or Noah got impatient and glanced back at her, she dove into the pool. The cool water felt like a sensual caress as it rippled across her bare skin, stroked like fingers along her full breasts, and swirled between her thighs. She reveled in the provocative sensations until her lungs forced her to come up for air, and she surfaced as far away from Noah as she could.

Still in the shallow end, with moonlight reflecting off his broad, wet chest, he started walking toward her, a purposeful light flickering in his gaze before he closed his eyes. “You have ten seconds to hide before I come and get you.”

The sight of him stalking her with the intention of catching her caused a frisson of excitement to zip through Jessica’s veins. She ducked beneath the water but didn’t move far from her current position or head into the shallow area like he’d expect. Nearly a minute later she emerged as quietly as possible just as he called out, “Marco.”

“Polo,” she replied, and when he turned toward the sound of her voice she disappeared into the water again. Opening her eyes underwater, she watched his murky shadow canvas the area, searching for her, moving closer.

A rush of adrenaline gave her an extra burst of energy, and she kicked off the side of the pool and swam away before he could find her. She surfaced in waist-deep water, and she immediately scanned the dark pool, looking for a silhouette and finding none. The anticipation of not knowing where Noah was made her heart race, and she nearly jumped when he came up for air behind her, less than a few feet away.

“Marco,” he said, and waited for her reply.

Nerves jittered in her stomach. She knew it was unfair not to say anything, but knowing just how close he was, she couldn’t bring herself to answer and get caught, because she knew that once he had her in his grasp the fun and games would be over.

“Marco?” he called again, this time a little louder.

She shivered as a cool breeze tickled her wet skin, even as she remained super still and quiet while waiting for an opportunity to escape.

“I know you can’t still be under the water, so you must be really close by,” he guessed, his voice deeper, huskier, than before. “Marco.”

Polo,
she thought, and bit her bottom lip to keep from saying the word.

“You’re not answering me,” he murmured much too patiently. “And that’s cheating, sweetheart.”

Beneath the surface of the pool, she felt the water shift and undulate around her legs and gently lap around her waist, telltale signs that he was slowly moving toward her. She remained silent, praying he’d somehow miss her, and couldn’t suppress a groan when his body brushed up against hers from behind.

He placed his hands on her hips, his long fingers spanning across her bare belly. “Marco,” he whispered in her ear.

She shuddered, the tips of her breasts puckering, her thighs trembling. Even though he’d found her, she still didn’t move or try to evade him. He’d caught her fair and square. Besides, there really was no place to escape to, and she no longer wanted to avoid what she wanted so badly.
Him.
Even if it was just for one night or a few weeks. She’d take whatever she could get and enjoy every minute of it.

She turned her head to the side, welcoming the feel of his lips grazing her cheek, his warm breath on her skin. “Now who’s cheating?”

“You gave me no choice. I had to open my eyes to make sure you were okay and not drowning, because you weren’t answering.” He pulled her closer, so that his chest aligned with her spine and she could feel his solid erection pressing against the curve of her bottom. “I’m thinking there should be some kind of penalty for that.”

Oh yes,
she thought, and hoped it was a very sexy punishment. “What did you have in mind?”

“For starters, a long, deep French kiss.” He turned her around so she was facing him, his gaze burning hot as he stared at her mouth and his hands drifted up over the indentation of her waist until his thumbs brushed the undersides of her bare breasts. “Do you think you can handle that?”

She was ready to handle anything he dished out. “Yeah, I think I can,” she whispered, and tilted her head up, meeting him halfway.