One Last Time(18)

Sliding down the strap of her outfit, I focus on anything but the way her skin feels against my fingers. I don’t concentrate on the humming noise that she lets out when I repeat the motion on the other side. Hell, I don’t even register the uptick in her breathing when I graze the top of her breast to pull the one-piece whatever the hell this outfit is down her body.

My eyes look to the wall as I remove it from her long, toned legs, praying to God she’s got something on underneath. If she’s naked, I’m fucking done.

When I look back, I’m grateful she has a bikini on. “Noah,” she moans.

“I’m just getting you out of the wet clothes. It’s okay.”

“Okay,” Kristin rolls over as I get it off her feet. “You’re so hot.”

Kristin is back to snoring and pulls her legs up. I grab two towels off the table to cover her with. Her tiny fingers grip the edge of the towel as she tucks it under her chin.

I push back the hair from her face, and her eyes open just a little. “I’ll stay out here with you,” I say, not even sure if she’s awake.

“Camping is fun.”

My lips form a smile as I rub my thumb against her cheek. “Yeah, camping sure is.”

I head inside to change and grab a few blankets. I have no idea if it gets cold during the night, but I’d rather not take a chance. When I come back outside, I place one over her and then settle into the chair next to her.

I may have to stick around Tampa a bit longer than I thought.





Chapter Seven





Kristin





Who the hell turned on the lights? I roll over, hoping to block out the insane brightness that penetrates my eyelids and shriek when I hit the hard ground.

Ouch.

“You okay?” A deep raspy voice asks and my eyes pop open, only to slam shut again.

Shit. Where the hell am I?

I lift one lid and look around. Why am I outside? My eye finds the source of the voice, and I jump. Noah is staring at me and has a huge grin on his lips. His hair is pushed to the side, and he’s sitting in the chair next to mine with his knee up, sipping from a coffee cup.

How in the hell is the man this perfect in the morning?

The morning? Wait, it’s the morning. And last night, I was . . .

Oh dear God in Heaven, please tell me I didn’t do anything stupid. Then I remember the tequila shots. Dancing. Swimming . . . maybe?

Another memory, or maybe a dream, comes forward. His eyes. I was so close to him, thinking about how much I wanted to get lost in his eyes. Imagining his lips against mine and wondering if he thought I was special. My entire body was alive for the first time in forever. I can almost recall the way his fingers were digging into my back, but there’s no way that was real.

Noah clears his throat, and I look up. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m not sure there are words to describe it,” I say and clutch my head.

“Here.” He shifts to grab another mug and then hands it to me. “You probably need that.”

I lift my arm and the blanket falls, exposing my bare skin. How the hell did I lose my clothes? This just keeps getting worse. My hands tremble as I check to be sure I have my bathing suit on, and then I release a sigh of relief. At least I’m not naked.

Time to get some answers about what the hell happened last night. “I remember wearing my romper yesterday. Any idea when that came off?” I ask as I take the cup.

Noah smiles, and my heart skips. He’s really unbelievably good looking.

“I took it off.”

I spit my coffee across the chair. “You what?” I yell.

He laughs as I wipe the liquid from my chin, place the cup on the ground, and wrap the blanket around me. I don’t think I could actually embarrass myself any more at this point.

“You were drunk.” He moves his legs over the side so he can turn to face me. “I mean, really drunk.”

“So you took my clothes off? You thought that was okay?” I’m pissed now. I get that Mr. Hollywood big shot gets what he wants, but taking my damn clothes off is not okay. I’m sorry, but I clearly wasn’t in my right mind. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Noah rubs his forehead as I wait for an answer. “You fell in the pool, Kristin. You were passed out and snoring as I carried you out.”

“No,” I gasp. “I what?”

The pool. The way I wanted to kiss him, it wasn’t a dream. It was real.

“I didn’t think you’d want to fall asleep in your soaking wet clothes.”

Realization slaps me upside the head. I was a drunken idiot and he got stuck caring for me. I pull the blanket over my head and wonder if I can disappear inside here. “I am so sorry,” I say without showing my face.

Noah’s deep laughter grows closer. I feel his fingers touch my arm a second before he pulls the blanket so he can see me. “I didn’t mind.”

“You didn’t?” I ask.

No one can convince me that I wasn’t a hot mess. I’m in my bathing suit, on the patio, and have a killer hangover. All signs point to a very mortifying night. One that I was supposed to be working on learning about Noah.

How stupid can I be?

His green eyes soften, and he keeps his hand on me. “No. I really didn’t.”