15.2 - Noah Ending

My mind was made up.

Levi had opened my eyes (and my body) to indescribable pleasures. But Noah was the one who’d been there for me. Noah was the one I’d been in love with all this time.

I opened Noah’s file, snapping a picture of the address. No more waiting around and feeling sorry for myself. I had to see him. I had to talk to him. If he didn’t want to be with me, that was fine. But at the very least, I needed to know, needed to clear the air.

An hour later, I stood outside Noah’s apartment building. It was newer and fancier than mine, and I couldn’t help feeling a little intimidated. No security, though, unless you counted the old guy who opened the door for me.

I went up to the top floor, going to Apartment 1216 right at the end.

*OK, here I go.*

I rang the bell.

I rang it again.

No answer, even after a long, long wait.

Great. I had taken it for granted that he would have been home. I felt like such an idiot.

I contemplated waiting for him, but something about the idea of hanging around his apartment like a lovesick puppy put me off. I took off, going out onto the street.

I was feeling restless so I started walking. I didn’t really have an end point in mind. My thoughts were all over the place so I was just letting my feet take me wherever. I didn’t even care that it was already dark.

*What am I doing? Why am I chasing after Noah like this? If he quit without saying anything to me, does that mean he doesn’t actually like me, after all? Maybe I should just take a hint.*

Eventually, I stopped, finding my surroundings familiar. I was standing outside Basilico, the restaurant Noah had taken me to not long ago.

I figured that subconsciously, I must have wanted to feel closer to him somehow. I sighed, looking in at the dinner crowd. Was it weird that I kind of wanted to go in, sit down, maybe have a drink?

I was seriously considering the idea when I saw a couple walk out of there. The woman was a tall, slim redhead, and next to him was someone I recognized immediately…

I froze, going pale at the sight of Noah’s easy, charming smile. God, that smile was beautiful. The only thing was - this time, he was smiling at the redhead instead of me. It made me want to break down in tears right then and there.

*I can’t let him see me like this. It would be too humiliating.*

I whirled, but the sound of my heels must have drawn their attention because I heard his voice pipe up, “Olivia?”

I stopped in my tracks, swallowing with dread. I turned around to face them, pasting on my best smile. “H-hey, Noah.”

His face brightened, which made my heart crack. I hadn’t realized until this moment just how badly I missed him. I ached to feel his strong, warm hands on my body again. “I was just on my way home,” I mumbled, doing a cursory glance at the woman next to him. She was eyeing me curiously, making me more and more self-conscious by the minute.

Noah gazed at me for a long moment, before blinking like coming out of a reverie. “Oh, uh, this is, um - ”

“I should go,” I cut him off, beginning to back away. “I have…” I couldn’t think of an excuse. God damn it! “I should go,” I repeated uselessly.

“Olivia, wait.” He reached out, catching my wrist. He took a pause, glancing back at the woman. “I’ll call you?”

“Sure thing.” The woman smiled tentatively at me. “It was nice meeting you?”

I didn’t really know what to say in answer, so I just stood there dumbly. The woman chuckled to herself, turning around and going off on her way.

“Noah, please let me go.”

“Wait, you have to let me explain.”

“It’s OK,” I said quietly, fighting back tears. “You don’t owe me anything. Honestly, if you’d just told me that you...you know...had a girlfriend…”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said in a low voice, stepping closer. His hand was still firmly clutching my wrist, fingers hot to the touch. “She’s a client.”

I frowned, not understanding.

“Come here,” Noah said, leading me off to the side. He faced me, taking a deep breath that made his broad chest swell briefly. “I’m starting my own business.”

That took me by surprise. “What? Really?”

“I’ve been planning it for months. But now, I’m really ramping things up. I’ve got clients lined up, I’m looking at a new office - everything’s falling into place.”

“Does the company know?”

“Yeah, I finally told them. And I know it’s sneaky but I was actually going to poach a few people too,” he shared, giving me a meaningful look.

“Why didn’t you ask me?” Noah opened his mouth to answer, but I didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Wait, no. I get it. You didn’t want me.”

“That’s not true. I wanted to ask you. But after giving it a lot of thought, I really don’t think I should be your boss any longer.”

I pursed my lips together, feeling a second rush of emotions.

*I was right. He doesn’t feel the same way.* “OK. I get that,” I said, inhaling deeply. “I guess it’s time to go our separate ways, huh? I wish you all the best, Noah. You were a great boss. You deserve all the success in the world.”

“Olivia, stop talking like this is the last time we’re going to see each other. I don’t think I should be your boss any longer...because I want to ask you out on a date.”

I blinked up at him, not sure I’d heard right. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” he laughed, spreading his arms out on either side of him. “I’m sorry. I should have said something sooner, but I...well, I guess I was just working up the nerve to ask. Coupled with the way I had to leave work, it was all one big mess.”

“So...your leaving had nothing to do with that day in my apartment?”

“No, of course not. At least, not in the way you’re thinking. I guess maybe it kind of brought me to my senses and made me realize it was time to take the plunge. My only regret is that I couldn’t say anything to you. I didn’t want to overwhelm you.” He took my hand, bringing it up to kiss the back of it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t stop to think about how you might have taken things. I shouldn’t have left you in the dark like that.”

“You shouldn’t have,” I agreed. “But it’s OK. I’m just glad I didn’t scare you off.”

“It would take a lot more than that to scare me off. And with you? Probably not even then.” He turned my hand over, kissing the inside of my wrist and making me shiver. “I’d really like to do things right this time around, starting with a proper date. Are you busy right now?”

I bit my lip as I watched him continue trailing kisses up my arm. If he kept this up, I was going to have trouble thinking straight. “No. What did you have in mind? Not Basilico again, I hope?”

“Actually, I thought it’d be nice if…”

“What?”

“You could come over to my place and I’d fix dinner for you. I’m a pretty decent cook.”

“You don’t think that’s a little soon?”

He let go of my hand, coughing into his fist. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking…” he trailed off when he realized I was laughing softly.

“I’m just messing with you.”

“Oh. So...you’ll come?”

“Yeah. I’d love to.”

Noah beamed. He seemed surprised that I’d said yes. “Great. Well, OK, then. Come on. My car’s parked across the street.”

An hour later, I was back at Noah’s apartment building, hand in hand with him this time around. “Hey, it’s you again!” the doorman greeted me cheerfully as he opened the door.

Noah lifted a brow at me. “Have you been here before?”

“Oh, yeah. See, I stole your file from HR, looked up your address and came down here to stalk you,” I deadpanned.

Noah shook his head, amused. “Yeah, I guess that would be crazy.”

We stepped into the elevator, heading up to the 12th floor. It felt surreal when Noah finally opened the door and let me inside.

Noah’s apartment was spacious and well kept, with the best feature being a balcony that offered a sweet city view.

“Want something to drink?” Noah offered as he took my coat off my shoulders and hung it up.

"No. I'm good."

“OK then. You make yourself comfortable while I see what I have in the kitchen.”

I nodded, going out onto the balcony to enjoy the view for a while.

I was here, really here in Noah’s home. I couldn’t believe that after all these years, he was finally letting me into his life. And I was letting him into mine. It didn’t feel as scary as I thought it might. If anything, I felt safe. Calm.

When I emerged from the balcony a while later, Noah was just putting something in the oven. “Chicken OK with you?”

“Sounds good.”

“It’s going to take a while though,” he remarked, joining me in the living room. “So, what do you feel like doing until then?”

We both stared at each other, the quiet bouncing back and forth between us. I thought I saw a flush in Noah’s cheeks, like he had only just realized how that had sounded.

“Well, maybe we could…” I trailed off purposely, beginning to unbutton my blouse in front of him.

I couldn’t help enjoying Noah’s reaction to me making the first move. His shoulders stiffened, and his gaze fixed on my hands as I revealed the first glimpse of my body to him. I took the blouse off, dropping it on the floor so that I stood only in a bra, skirt and heels.

Noah took a step, closing the gap between us. He kissed me softly and sweetly, his hands lowering to rest on my hips.

We let ourselves enjoy each other’s kiss for a while, stealing little breaths and sharing quick smiles in between. Then, I pulled back, sweeping my hands up Noah’s chest to rest on his shoulders. “On your knees...Boss,” I whispered, putting on a bit of pressure.

Noah didn’t object in the slightest, kneeling down before me. I hitched up my skirt, spreading my legs apart.

Noah drew in a breath sharply, reaching over and carefully easing my panties down and off me. Inching forward, he began kissing me between my legs, occasionally letting his tongue dart its way inside.

It didn’t take long for him to make me wet and tender to the touch. It felt like my whole body throbbed with heat. I started rocking against his mouth, his tongue hitting my clit over and over. “Perfect,” I gasped, shortly before I came. The sensation was so strong, my body locked up for a few seconds before relaxing again.

In those delicious few moments, Noah cupped me from behind, looking up at me as I gasped with pleasure.

“Damn if you’re not amazing at this,” I told him with a smile.

“Damn if you don’t taste good.”

“Come on,” I said as he got to his feet. “Show me your bedroom.”

“As you wish.”

We went inside, not bothering to turn on the light. I stood before the big, neat queen-sized bed, unzipping my skirt.

“Let me help you with that,” Noah offered, allowing me to step out of it. I thought it was kind of sweet how he draped it on the end of the bed, like he didn’t want it to crease or something.

I got on the bed, watching as Noah took off his clothes. Every inch of him was perfect - toned and strong, yet, he seemed shy about it. “You look great,” I told him.

“Me?? I’m nothing compared to you.” He lay down next to me, sighing softly.

I gazed at him for a moment, then clambered over his body so that we could pleasure each other at the same time. Noah seemed taken aback, but he soon got over it.

He started using his fingers on me, while I took him in my mouth. I was surprised by the little moan that rose from his lips, like I’d taken him by surprise. It kicked my excitement up as I realized I wanted to hear more. I wanted to bring him to the edge.

I moved lower, wrapping my tongue around him and sucking gently. At the same time, he was giving me little jolts of pleasure as he explored me with two fingers. I tried not to let it overwhelm me, wanting to draw out the sensation.

It wasn’t so easy for Noah, though. His moans deepened with each minute, and before long, I tasted pre-cum on my tongue.

The next thing I knew, we had switched to sitting in each other’s arms. With his hands on my sides, Noah guided me down on top of him, filling me up so tight.

I looped my arms around Noah’s neck, taking control. I moved slowly at first, going harder once my confidence grew. Skin caressed skin, our bodies burning hot despite the cool night. At one point, I switched to grinding against him, easily climaxing a second time.

“OK,” I breathed, smirking at him. “Your turn.”

“You got it.” He pulled me close, pounding against me until the urge was too much for him. His hold tightened on me as he came. His head rested on my shoulder, his breaths warming my ear.

I looked around the dim room then, half-expecting to see Levi or even Xan standing in the shadows and watching us.

But we were alone. This was how it was going to be from now on - just Noah and me, which was exactly what I wanted.

Afterwards, Noah and I stood side by side on the balcony, looking out over the city. He had loaned me one of his shirts to wear, and I loved how I could smell the faint scent of his cologne on it.

“I hope you don’t think I was being too pushy earlier,” I said to him, my words soft on the breeze.

Noah’s eyes glimmered as he smiled at me. “Not at all, Olivia. You have no idea how refreshing it is. I mean, I spend my whole day making all kinds of decisions. It feels great to be able to just...let go.”

I gazed at him, thinking to myself how relaxed and happy he looked, more so than I’d ever seen him. “I’m glad you can let go with me.”

Noah reached over, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. “I want you to know something, Olivia. This isn’t some one-time thing for me. I want to make this work.”

“That’s what I want too. That’s what I’ve always wanted.”

“What you’ve always wanted?”

“I’ve always had a crush on you, Noah,” I said, blushing over the confession.

“So did I. But I was your boss. Am your boss. I don’t know. I mean...I would love for you to work with me again. Seeing you was always the best part of my day.”

Those words made me smile, especially since it was the same way I had felt.

“But I know it’s tricky. On my part, it might be a little distracting having you around,” he said, eyes flicking over my body. I patted his shoulder playfully. “But I’m willing to give it a shot if you are. What do you think?”

“I think you worry too much.” I went over, kissing him on the lips. “We’re adults. And professionals. I’m sure we can make it work.”

Noah nodded, pulling me into his arms for another kiss. “I’m all yours, Olivia.”

“Mine,” I repeated softly. No demons, no magic, no crazy drama. Just two people who had finally found each other.