One Last Time(54)

I did with my father. It didn’t take long for me to open my eyes to the reality. He left us. He walked away for whatever bullshit reason he concocted in order to justify it. I didn’t need my mother to say a word, which she never did, to see him for what he was.

“Maybe, God only knows what their father will convince them of in the meantime.”

She told me a little about her marriage last night between rounds, and I want to beat the ever-loving hell out of him. Who the fuck treats a woman like that? Telling her she’s fat, can’t cook, is a shitty mother, and has let herself go. I’ll fucking show him what he let go.

A man doesn’t do that.

A man fights for his family.

A man treats a woman with respect.

Cowards tear people down to build themselves up. I’m not a fucking coward.

I turn to her, wanting her to hear my words very clearly. “You’re nothing that he says you are. You are the woman who tucks those kids in at night, encourages them, and has a mock concert in the living room to cheer them up.” I brush my thumb against her palm. “You’re so much more than he ever saw, sweetheart.”

Her lips part and Kristin rests her forehead against mine. “You’re more than just one night for me, Noah. You’re the whole damn thing, and that scares me. I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

She can be nervous because I’m not, for fifteen years I’ve searched for her. Now that I’ve found her, there’s nothing I won’t do. “I have enough courage for the both of us.”

She lifts her head, and her eyes are filled with unshed tears. “Jesus. I never had a chance against you, did I?”

I run my hands up her back, pulling her closer to me, brushing my lips against hers.

“Told you I was going to win your heart.”





Chapter Twenty-Three





Kristin





“Noah, stop,” I complain with a laugh as he tries to sneak his hand up my shirt.

“I like touching you,” he explains.

And I really like touching him, but I need to get work done before the kids come home.

“We have three hours.”

He stands and lifts his shirt. “Let’s get to work.”

“Sit down.” I giggle. “I mean three hours of work before you need to be gone.”

“Plenty of time for sex and talking, sweetheart.”

I’m not arguing that, but I’m chasing a deadline. So far, we’ve only scratched the surface of his acting history. Nothing personal, nothing that I can write some fabulous article about. If Noah and I fall apart, I still need a job. Therefore, I need a fantastic feature that will blow people’s socks off.

“Not today. Today, I need to learn more about you.”

Noah plops back into the seat like a dejected child and I can’t help but laugh. “This sucks.”

“This was your idea!”

He glides his hand over my shoulder, causing me to shiver. “This was my plan to get close to you.” Noah’s lips graze my ear. “It worked.”

I’m never going to get work done this way. When we’re touching, it’s too much. “Okay, new rules.”

He laughs. “The rules again?”

“Yup. New rule, no touching during interview time. If I miss my deadline, I’ll get fired.”

Not that I love my job all that much, but I need money.

“If you want me to stop touching you, then we need to leave the house.”

What the hell does the house have to do with him restraining himself? “We agreed . . .”

“No, you requested and I refused,” Noah says as he gets to his feet. “Come on, we’re going out.”

Out? No. We can’t go anywhere in public. Not happening. People will photograph us, and I’ve seen firsthand how people behave around celebrities. It’s as if all self-control doesn’t exist. People scream, cry, jump around . . . it’s insane.

Noah already has his keys in his hand and I’m still sitting at the table. “Kris?”

“I’m not sure us going out is such a great idea,” I say as I clasp my hands in front of me.

“Because?”

“Because you’re Noah Frazier,” I say with my brows raised.

“And you’re Kristin McGee.”

Oh, how funny this man thinks he is. “You know what I mean.”

Noah puts the keys in his pocket and comes closer. “Right now, we’re the only ones who know anything. Your friends, your family, my family are all in the dark. What people do know, is that you’re a reporter and I’m an actor. I told you that we need to eat because people do that. If it raises suspicion, I’ll get it squashed. My people are very good. If you want to stay here, know that you’ll be naked beneath me . . .”

I roll my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re gorgeous.”

“Again, ridiculous.”

His fingers brush across my neck and down my throat. “You choose, sweetheart. I’m happy to stay here, strip you, kiss every glorious inch of your body, or we can go out and deal with people.”

My body tingles at his promises because Lord knows I’m a cat in heat around this man. “People it is.”