No Falling Allowed (No Kissing Allowed) (14 page)

“Is that right?”

“Let me drive you, and you can find out.”

She considered me for a long moment, and I thought she might say no, but instead she said, “Okay, on one condition.”

I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Does it involve sex toys? Because I could get behind that.”

She laughed loudly, and my pathetic heart surged.
God, what am I doing to myself?

“Tempting. But I was thinking you could come to the wedding with me. You don’t even have to wear a suit. They won’t care.”

“Hey, now, you’re not the only one with nice things. I own a suit.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. Several, in fact.” I coughed. “I’ve just never worn any of them.”

“Well.” She rose onto her toes and gently kissed my cheek, my jawline, like she too couldn’t resist whatever this thing was between us. “Would you put one on and go to the wedding with me? It’s in Alabama, and her family’s super sweet. Oh, and Southern! Just like you.”

I grinned. “We’re not a cult, you know? We like people from other regions.” At her pointed stare, I relented. “Fine, we hate everybody else.”

“So you’ll go?”

The tension in her voice, with her body pressed so firmly against mine, won out, and I glanced into her eyes briefly before pressing my lips to hers. I intended to take a quick taste, a bite before dinner, nothing more, but the attraction between us had a mind of its own. Sparks and tingles and shit I’d never felt in my life zipped through me, and before I could worry about where we were or who was watching, I slid my tongue over her lips and dipped inside her mouth, enjoying her in a way I’d been too stupid to attempt that night. That night had been a thrill with an expiration date, but this? This was the start of something I might never recover from, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t at least try.

It took me a long time to hear the claps and whistles all around us and even longer to realize they were for us, not the band.

With effort, I pulled away. Then, with a laugh, Grace and I bowed. The bar went nuts again, and I told my inner voice to take a hike.

For now, in this moment, I was living for me.

Chapter Nineteen

Grace

“So, let me get this straight. You’re
driving
in, not flying. You, Grace Soaring. And you’re bringing bartender guy?”

A ridiculous, giddy feeling soared through me. The week had sped by with Noah covered-up at the bar and me busy finalizing details for Lindy and Mary Beth. But I would see him today, and for two and half days, it would be just the two of us. Well, us and all the wedding guests.

“I’m leaving in fifteen minutes and will be there in less than four hours, well before the rehearsal. And then it’s all you. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Oh, I’m not,” Cameron said, her voice too high pitched for me to believe her. “I’m cool. Beyond cool, really. I mean, Aidan’s dad is coming to the wedding. Did I tell you that? Yeah, we invited him. Well, I invited him. Because, see I thought he’d regret it later, you know. He’s had off and on health issues, and he’s his dad, you know? I mean, what was I supposed to do?”

I cringed more and more with each word, sure I knew the real reason that her voice was too high. “And you didn’t tell Aidan.”

“Well, I knew what he’d say! He’d say that he hates his father and couldn’t care less if he were there, but I’m going to be Aidan’s wife, and I feel like part of that role is doing the best thing for him. You know, even if he doesn’t think it’s the best thing, and— Oh, shit. What did I do?”

“Okay, take a breath. This isn’t a big deal. Did he RSVP?”

She sighed heavily. “Yes. That’s how Aidan found out. I kind of thought I’d invite him as a courtesy, and he wouldn’t even show, but at least I tried. Well, no. He’s coming, and Aidan walked out he was so mad, and now I don’t know what I was thinking and…” She sucked in a ragged breath, and I glanced at the clock. Noah would be here to get me in less than ten minutes, but there’d be no point in us going if I didn’t fix this fight between the bride and groom now.

“Is Lauren there already?”

“Hell no. I’m in this misery all by myself. Her flight arrives later today, and my cousins are all in my face all the time, and Mom keeps telling me to stop stressing or I’ll get a breakout before the wedding, and I need you! Why aren’t you already here?”

I walked over to the nightstand, pulled out my iPad, and quickly typed out an email to Lauren.

Hey -

Emergency. Call Cameron. Don’t say that it’s an emergency. Just talk about whatever until I call you, okay?

- G

Less than five minutes later, Cameron said, “That’s Lauren. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so.”

We ended the call, and I immediately scrolled through my contacts to Aidan. Like always, he answered on the first ring.

“Grace. How are you?”

I smiled. Cameron might be freaking out and beside herself, but Aidan would always be calm, cool, collected Aidan.

“Well, I just spoke with Cameron.”

“I’m still going through with the wedding.”

“Oh, I totally knew that. You’d never pull a Big.”

“A what?”

“Never mind.”

A knock sounded at my door, and I opened it to see Noah on the other side. He was wearing a basic white T-shirt and worn cargo shorts and yet somehow it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.

I waved him inside and pointed at the phone, then held out my hand to show I’d need five minutes.

“Anyway, the reason I’m calling is that I know you think she was interfering and had no right to invite your dad without asking you, or at least telling you first. And I get it. Trust me. But we weren’t raised the way Cameron was raised, where family comes first and you put your differences aside for each other. She didn’t invite him to push him on you. She invited him because if the situation were reversed, she would want you to invite her dad. It’s how much she loves you, Aidan. And I know you’ll go through with the wedding, but I’m asking you for more than that.”

“More than marrying her and pretending none of this happened?”

“Yes.” I drew a breath. “I’m asking you to forgive her. Now. Not later. Don’t marry her and then rehash this in the weeks or months after your wedding, when the excitement has died down and you’re left with each other’s flaws. Talk it out now. Yell it out if you have to. But then forgive each other.”

“What does she have to forgive? I didn’t do anything.”

“You left. She’s days, hours, really, from agreeing to spend the rest of her life with you, and you left. Over this? Really? So she invited your father. She didn’t have an affair. She didn’t burn down your house. She invited your dad to one of the biggest days in your life. There are worse things.”

The phone went silent, and I feared he’d hung up and this was worse than I’d originally thought, when he said, “You know, you’ve changed. I don’t know what it is, but something. I hope you hold onto whatever caused it.”

I spun around to face Noah. “I hope I do, too. So, we’re good here? You’ll call her.”

“I’m pulling down her driveway right now.”

“Aw, see, you were already heading in the right direction. You just needed a little push.”

“Something like that.”

“Have her call me later, okay?”

“I will. See you tonight, right?”

“Yes. You’re getting married tomorrow.”

I could hear the smile in his voice. “I wish it were today.”

We ended the call and I reached for my bag. “Sorry. A little pre-wedding freakout. Completely normal stuff.”

“Sounded like it all worked out thanks to you.”

I brushed it off. “No, they’re just meant to be. It’s hard to deny destiny.”

“Yeah, it is.” Our gazes held, and I was tempted to rush into his arms and kiss him with all the ache I felt in my chest. But instead he said, “Ready for a car-venture?”

“Car-venture, huh?”

“You like it.”

I stopped in front of him on the way to the door, every part of me warm and happy. “I like you.”

…

These were the things I learned about Noah Hunter over four hours in a car:

1. He worried about Jonah all the time, even if his brother was right beside him. Which, though he wouldn’t admit it, was one of the reasons he agreed to drive me. Jonah was at a Boy Scout weekend retreat, and Noah needed a distraction so he wouldn’t go crazy.

2. Even though the bar is his responsibility, he loves it. Loves that people come in all the time and he knows their orders even before they speak. Loves that his place is a go-to bar in the community.

3. Despite appearances, he believes in God and talks to him, though he doesn’t like to admit it.

4. He shrugs every time he receives a compliment, like he doesn’t want it to settle over him and dull his edge.

5. I don’t know how I will ever leave him in three weeks.

“Looks like we’re almost here. The Marriott, right?”

“Yeah.” I peered down at my phone, where I’d been navigating our trip. “Two miles ahead on the right.”

He nodded. “You know we’ve talked for the last four hours, and you’ve not mentioned your parents once.”

I peered over at him. “Neither have you.”

“Fair enough. How about we give a rundown and then drop the subject?”

“Agreed. I’ll go first.” I threaded my fingers together and stretched my arms out, like I needed a second to work through how to explain my parents. Outwardly, I seemed like the luckiest girl on the planet. My parents were wealthy, I’d had everything I ever wanted growing up, yet… “I mean, you know most of it. My dad has his own company, and it’s fairly successful, I guess.”

“Ms. Penny said that he was a billionaire.”

I stared out the window. “I don’t really know. Probably. Or at least his net worth is near that. I don’t know.”

Noah glanced over. “We don’t have to talk about this if it bothers you.”

“It doesn’t bother me. It…”

“What?”

“It embarrasses me.”

His head snapped back toward me. “To be wealthy?”

“Yes. I guess I feel it makes others uncomfortable and they can’t ever see me as anything but rich, even if none of it is mine, you know? I don’t know how wealthy my parents are. I know they have four—no, five houses. I forgot about the new one in Germany.”

“Whoa.”

I pointed at him. “See, that. That is what I’m talking about. You’re uncomfortable.”

“No, I’m a little in awe, but I’m not uncomfortable. Keep going, I’ll shut up.”

I released a breath. “I know they have lots of assets. I know the company is doing very well. But none of that is me, you know? I don’t have millions at my disposal, certainly not now.”

“Why now?”

I was hoping not to tell him this part, sure he wouldn’t understand, but there was no going back now. “My dad cut me off when I took this job.”

“What does that mean exactly? He won’t talk to you?”

“Oh, he’ll talk, or rather yell. He wanted me to join Soaring, his company, and when I said no, that I wanted to have my own career, he cut me off. Cancelled my credit cards, closed the checking account he set up for me when I turned sixteen. By now, he’s probably rented out my apartment, too.”

Noah was too silent. I waited as long as I could stand it then asked, “What are you thinking?”

He cocked his head. “Just…maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe he’s doing it to help you grow as a person, not because he’s an ass.”

“No, trust me, he’s an ass. He had my name added to the layoff list at the Met so I would lose my job and have no choice but to take his.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, that’s Rick Soaring. He doesn’t care about what I want or bettering me as a person. He cares about maintaining an image for the company, and for him, part of that is having his only daughter work there. And even then, even if I take the job, I’ll never be anything more than a pawn for him to use as he sees fit. I’m not doing that.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“I haven’t talked to my parents in nearly a month, and I have no idea what’s going to happen when I get back to New York, but at least I’m trying to do things on my own. Annalise said wedding planners do fairly well once they are established, so I’m hoping to bide my time. Plus…”

He peered at me again. “Plus?”

“Well…I have an inheritance that I’m supposed to get when I turn twenty-five.”

“When do you turn twenty-five?”

“July.” Two long months from now.

“Ah.”

“Anyway, that’s me. What about your parents?”

My nerves kicked up as guilt punched through my stomach. I shouldn’t ask him about his parents. When he was ready he could tell me, and clearly, he wasn’t.

“Look, there’s the hotel,” I said, saving him from having to go into it.

Noah pulled in and parked, then focused back on me. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just…I don’t really talk about them.”

“It’s okay. You’ll tell me when you’re ready, or not. It’s fine.”

He stared at me. “Most people aren’t like that. They push.”

“I don’t feel it’s my place to push you. It’s your story, not mine, and I have no idea how hard it might be for you to discuss it.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being different.”

I smiled. “Any time.”

We grabbed our bags and went on inside, checked in, then slipped into the elevator, and I realized a very important detail we hadn’t covered.

“I only have the one room, and it’s a king bed.”

The elevator pinged open. “I assumed.”

“You assumed? So you…” My eyes met his, and he flashed me a wicked grin, before laughing.

“I assumed I’d sleep on the couch if there is one, or the floor. Whatever. I can try to get my own room though if you’d like?”

“No!” He grinned. “I mean, no. You can stay with me. On the couch or whatever.”

Noah opened the room and held it for me, then grabbed my hand before I could fully enter. “Or whatever.” Then he leaned down and ran his lips slowly over mine. “This is your show, but know I’ll go wherever you lead me.”

I swallowed, tempted to test out his willingness to follow right here and now, on that glorious king bed in the center of the room. Then my cell rang from my purse, and with everything going on, I had no choice but to answer it. But instead of Cameron or Aidan, it was Lauren.

“Hey, are you here?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m at Cameron’s parents’. Can you come over?”

“Yep, be right there.”

I hung up and dropped my bag on the bed, then turned to Noah. My breathing slowed as he started for me.

“Brings back a lot of memories, doesn’t it?” he asked. Then he reached for my hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissed my palm then tugged me closer, his mouth covering mine. I moaned softly as the pressure deepened, and before I knew it, I was pulling him toward the bed, my hands gliding down his chest, lower, all restraint gone.

Then he took a step back, as breathless as me. “Maybe we should take this a little slower this time?”

I reached out for him, the tension I’d felt for weeks building up, clouding my mind. “Or we could, you know, not.”

Noah bit back a smile. “Do you always get what you want?”

“Are you saying I want you?”

He leaned in and trailed kisses lightly up my neck, then more firmly to my jaw, causing my knees to go wobbly. “Don’t you?”

Warmth pooled low in my belly as I thought of all the ways I wanted him. Physically, for sure, but it was more than that now. I wanted to know him, to learn all the things that made him tick. “Yes. Badly.”

His fingers glided over my shoulders, down my back, over my ass, then he stepped closer. He took my hand and pressed it to him, all evidence of his need in my hand, separated only by a few layers of clothing. God, this man was going to be the death of me. “Clearly I want you, too, but I think your friends need you right now.”

“They’re my friends, they’ll understand.” I rubbed my hand over him, massaging and stroking. His eyes closed briefly.

Then my damn cell rang again, followed immediately by a text.

“Something tells me they won’t.”

“Forget them. I never liked them much anyway.”

He chuckled. “Take the call.”

“Ugh, fine.” I collapsed back against the bed, and his eyes darkened as they slid over me. A hand worked over my thigh, up higher and higher as I accepted the call.