How to Love Your Neighbour(66)

Grace tossed the magazine onto Noah’s marble-top counter. He laughed, the sound deep and sexy.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, backing away a step. “I don’t know. I can’t read anymore. It’s too much. This must be how actors feel, watching themselves on the screen.”

Noah stepped into her, wrapping a hand around her biceps, using the movement to pull her into his chest. “Aw. Are you shy, Gracie?”

Before she could answer, he dipped his head and kissed her, making her forget what they were talking about. Emotions ran wild like a late-night, downtown riot only it was the middle of the day. This was all so new: him touching her, kissing her, making her crave more. It was a mystery how this thing that terrified her—their relationship—also ignited her in the best possible ways.

She wasn’t losing herself in him, like she’d assumed. If anything, she was learning more about herself. She could compartmentalize to a certain extent. She could miss him when they were apart but still focus on work. She could work with him next to her, and perhaps the best surprise of all was how much she liked being able to kiss him in one breath and share her ideas in the next.

“I’ve lost you,” Noah said, pulling back, pressing his forehead to hers. “You’re thinking too hard so I must be doing something wrong.”

Ha. No worries in that department. He knew exactly how to do all the things. Not that they’d done all the things yet but she could imagine. Nope. Don’t fall down that rabbit hole. You may never surface.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, the restless energy seeping through her pores.

“Don’t be. Emily dropped it off this morning so we could see an advance copy. It hits stands next week. It’s a good interview, Grace. You’re professional, intelligent, and animated. You need to figure out what you want professionally because I have a feeling several people will reach out to you about your services.”

He was serious. He was her first client and this could launch her into a stratosphere she’d never imagined reaching. When her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, she realized it might be too much.

“Hey,” he said. “Breathe, babe. You’ve got this. You were made for this.”

“I appreciate your confidence, but it’s a lot. I haven’t even finished school,” she said, thinking about the paper on building professional contacts that she still had to write this week.

“You will. You know what? I think we need a proper date,” Noah said, leaning back against the counter, pulling her with him, his arms looped casually around her waist.

Just like that, he distracted her from her nerves. Excitement bubbled in her chest, calming her breathing. “Oh yeah? What do you have in mind? I wasn’t sure the illustrious Noah Jansen actually dated.”

“Hey. What’s that supposed to mean? I date.”

“The same girl more than once?” God. Why did she say that out loud? Just because it was a thought that had consumed her for the past three nights didn’t mean she should throw it in his face.

He winced.

“I’m sorry. That was unkind and unfair.”

His hand moved up and down her back. “At one time, probably accurate. Which I’m sure doesn’t feel very nice from where you’re standing. All I can tell you is there’s never been a woman I wanted to make things work with. I had one short-term relationship before moving here. I put my all into it, or thought I did, because I thought that would cure the restlessness I felt.”

“Did it?” Did she want to know? It wasn’t like she didn’t have a past. Mind you, hers wasn’t plastered on old editions of tabloids. But still.

“No. Things started to make sense the day I was attacked by a pack of dogs on the beach.”

She grinned. “ ‘Attacked’ is kind of a stretch.”

He brushed her hair back from her face with a tenderness that stole her breath. “You’re the only woman I want. I think about you when we’re not together, and when we are, I’m thinking about how to make you smile or laugh.”

“You’re good at that. Both of those.”

“I want to show you all the other things I’m good at,” he said, hugging her tighter. “You make me want to be good at all of the things I’ve avoided so far.”

She thought about how scared she’d always been to grow attached to someone. How she’d equated falling in love with losing herself. Not that she was in love with Noah, but she could be. She could slip down that slide so easily and never find her way back. But that didn’t make her Tammy Travis. Noah wasn’t showering her with promises, he wasn’t asking her to change her life or who she was. So maybe she didn’t know where they were going, but that was okay. It had to be, because whatever was between them was too strong to walk away from.

Stop overanalyzing everything. Just enjoy. You’re allowed to have all of this. She took a deep breath, going up on tiptoes to press her mouth lightly to his. He tasted like sugar from the doughnuts he’d had Josh drop off. Noah and sugar. A girl could easily get used to that combination.

“What are you thinking? For our date?”

He smiled, lifting his brows in quick succession. “You’ll see. But I promise, it’ll show you that I get you. That I want to know you better. That you matter to me enough to break a lifetime of bad habits. Trust me?”