Chapter 12

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, your room is ready on the first floor. Have a nice day.” The receptionist handed over the room key and Noah thanked her before leading Lucy into the hotel bar.

“How many Mr. and Mrs. Smiths do you think are booked in here at one time?” she asked with a giggle.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m sure they’ve seen it all here. Now, can I get you a drink?” He led her over to a table in a quiet corner of the bar where they’d have a little privacy to enjoy their drinks. Lucy was obviously enjoying the illicit nature of an afternoon rendezvous so he was keen to continue fuelling her new romantic fantasies. Whatever it took to keep her in his arms and out of the clutches of men like Derek the architect.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine, thanks. Something to quieten the paranoia down. Do you think they noticed we don’t have any luggage with us?” She was glancing around the bar, paying way too much attention to everyone else when Noah’s intention on getting her here was so they could concentrate entirely on one another.

He wound an arm around her waist and pulled her close so he could kiss her long and hard on the lips. That should be enough to refocus her on the important matters at hand when he was sorry he’d wasted time ordering drinks first.

When he let go of her, she stumbled, clearly feeling as dizzied by the kiss as he was. “I, I’ll just grab a seat,” she said, and collapsed into the nearest chair, making Noah grin.

He steadied himself over at the bar, waiting for their drinks to arrive. His actions today had been rash and totally out of character for him. Usually he’d be only too glad for a woman he’d bedded to move on soon after. Especially if it was one so invested in getting married and settling down. Lucy was forcing him to break all of his own rules as well as hers, but he simply couldn’t get the thought of her and Derek out of his head this afternoon. It wasn’t so much an ego thing, as an irrational territorial jealousy over Lucy. He simply didn’t want her to be with anyone else or want anyone other than him. It was something he was going to have to get over if he couldn’t persuade her that being friends with benefits was the way to go, rather than pledging herself to someone for the rest of her life.

It hadn’t been easy tracking down where they had gone for lunch and he’d had to do some sleuthing and fancy talking on the phone to some of Derek’s acquaintances to narrow down his usual lunch haunts. He had come with the sole purpose of throwing a grenade into the middle of their date, like a possessive ex-boyfriend. Lucy would have been within her right to never speak to him again for showing her up like that and Derek could very well have punched him on the nose for his interference. If he’d been half as passionate about Lucy as Noah was, he would have. Noah got the impression Derek was keeping his options open when it came to women, but he would make his apologies the next time they ran into each other. He didn’t want any personal business to get in the way of his plans for the castle’s future. At the end of the day that was Noah’s mistress and he would be tied to her and no one else for the rest of his days.

Lucy watched Noah carry their drinks back to the table, her blood fizzing with a mixture of excitement and lust. This was the last place she had expected to end up today, especially with Noah. It was certainly getting the adrenaline pumping more than her date with Derek had. Although he’d had a lot to compete with. He could never have measured up to the time and experience Noah had given her and the chicken salad and stilted conversation were absolutely no contest.

They were both free and single to do as they pleased but checking into the hotel on a whim seemed so outrageous and naughty. As though they were having some clandestine affair, meeting in secret to explore their forbidden love. Except of course, love didn’t come into it. By accepting this arrangement she knew emotions weren’t supposed to play a part, but she was worried that she’d caught feelings for Noah already. Why else would she be turning her back on the wedding dream she’d had since she was a little girl and ditching a date with a potential long term partner? At the moment, things with Noah were a revelation to someone who had been very staid in her relationships so far. He was offering her an adventurous, fun time together until the novelty wore off. The trouble was, Lucy didn’t see herself ever tiring of it and that didn’t bode well for her plans to eventually settle down. It was a trade-off she wasn’t sure she was willing to make long term.

In the meantime she was going to make the most of the time they did have together and she was grateful they had taken a time out for a drink instead of rushing to their room to rip each other’s clothes off. That would come soon enough and sitting here in public while their desire for one another sizzled away in the background would delay their satisfaction a little longer. It all added up to make the main event that much more anticipated. Lucy wondered how Noah had managed to turn a quiet drink into some serious foreplay.

“I hope you don’t mind if I sit here. I couldn’t help but notice you from the bar and just had to come over and introduce myself.” Noah set the drinks on the table, leaving Lucy wondering what on earth he was up to.

“Uh-huh?”

He held out his hand. “The name’s Noah.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucy.” She shook his hand with a great big grin on her face. If he was down for some role play, she was on board. Everything he did made this afternoon more and more exciting. She would never hook up with a random stranger in a hotel bar, but she figured that was exactly what Noah was playing out. He was encouraging her bad girl side to come and play with the bad boy she already knew him to be.

“I can’t believe a beautiful woman like you is sitting here all by herself.” He watched her intently over the top of his glass, that devilish sparkle in his eye leading her astray.

“I’m not…now.” Playing along with him, she crossed her legs provocatively, letting her dress deliberately fall away to expose a lot of leg. She was pleased to see his eye darken as he watched.

“It might seem very forward of me, but I’m only in the city for a couple of days. I’m looking for some company and, well, to be honest, you’re the most stunning woman I’ve seen since I arrived.” Noah was laying it on thick and Lucy was lapping up every word. She would never entertain this kind of come on in the real world, unless of course it was coming from Noah. This was a way of experiencing all the thrills of an anonymous sexual encounter but knowing exactly who she was getting involved with and what she was in for. There was no way she was turning him down.

It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to have her own fun first.

She took her time sipping her wine before she responded to his indecently decent proposal. “I see. And what’s in this for me?”

His attempt to cover his smile suggested she’d caught him off guard and it gave her a confidence boost to know she could surprise him too. Flirting with Noah came easily when she already knew how good they were together.

It was his turn to drink and clear his throat. “Well, not to appear over confident, but I can pretty much guarantee you the best sex of your life.”

The bold statement was one she knew to be true and her body was already responding as such, arousal rushing to all points south. “That’s quite a claim. I might need to see your credentials.”

That did make him laugh out loud. “I can certainly arrange that for you. Perhaps you would like to come up to my room and check everything out for yourself.”

“As soon as I finish my drink,” she said, raising the glass to her lips. Then she tossed back the contents and stood up. “Ready when you are.”

Noah didn’t even take the time to drain his beer. He was on his feet, taking her by the hand and leading her to the elevator as soon as the words had left her lips.

They stood waiting for the lift hand in hand for what seemed like forever. Lucy imagined once they got inside their hands and mouths would be all over each other. She hadn’t counted on the other hotel guests sharing the small space with them. The only contact they managed was Noah’s hand pressing into the small of her back. Enough contact to remind her he was there and keep her anticipation levels at a high until they were able to escape on their own into the hotel corridor.

She didn’t know which version of herself she was supposed to be as Noah let her into the bedroom. In the end it didn’t matter because there wasn’t much talking involved once they were behind the closed door.

There wasn’t any room for any awkwardness as they faced each other, or last minute reservations about what they were doing, when they were stripping off one another’s clothes with the urgency of two horny strangers with limited time together. She couldn’t imagine getting carried away in the throes of passion like this with Derek, or anyone else. Noah was the only man to ever make her behave like this sexual being she was with him. The woman who knew what she wanted from her man and how to please him in return. Noah was going out of his way to convince her this was the way to go. That sex without complicated emotional involvement was enough to satisfy a person. Right now she couldn’t argue with that logic. Not when he had her naked and kissing her from her head down to…

Oh my!

Her knees almost give way as he nudged her thighs apart and used his tongue to convince her of his credentials. Lucy wasn’t sure Prince Charming ever did this in any of her romantic fantasies and she was sure she was going to have to add extra requirements to the list for her perfect man.

There was something empowering about seeing Noah, naked and kneeling before her. Yet she was the one who was decidedly at his mercy. Her body his to command when every focus was on what he was doing to her. With his hands on her hips, head between her legs and tongue lapping her juices, he had her completely under his control as he demanded her orgasm. She had no choice but to comply when that pressure inside her built to an uncontrollable level. Lucy pushed down on his shoulders in her fight against the final release, but it came too fast for her to stave it off for too long. She cried out, uncaring who could hear. A celebration of her emerging sensuality and Noah’s pleasure giving skills.

“So…did I live up to my promise?” he asked, standing up and leading her over to the bed.

Lucy was glad to have somewhere to lie down and recover when she was still quivering from the effects of his ministrations. “So far, so good,” she answered with a grin.

They were lying atop the bed facing each other and she knew she had that dreamy look on her face of someone who had been to heaven and back. Noah reached across to kiss her. A tender, loving expression from his lips which was not in keeping with his fly-by-night character. As fun as the lead up to this moment had been, Lucy much preferred this true side of Noah. Whatever he said about it being purely physical between them, she knew he cared about her enough to put her needs before his own. In Noah’s world that spoke volumes.

When she’d first started arranging weddings at the castle he had come across as arrogant and cynical. Over her time getting to know him, she could tell that façade was far from the Noah she was lying in bed with now. He tried to hide his gentle nature for fear of it being used against him in some way. It was the same vulnerability which had seen his father withdraw from the world. Noah’s answer to preventing himself getting hurt the same way was not to commit to anyone or anything except the estate. Lucy understood his reasons, but she also thought there might still be a chance for them to have more than a good time in bed.

“I like a girl with a healthy appetite,” Noah murmured against her neck as he nibbled the skin there and brought goosebumps all over her body.

“Good.” She placed her hand in the centre of his chest and pushed him over onto his back.

Although there was a lot for them to work through if they were ever to become anything more, Lucy was happy to reap the benefits of the relationship they had agreed to. In the meantime she was going to do everything she could to keep his interest until Noah realised there could be a life for them beyond the bedroom.

She took her time kissing her way down his body. At first he seemed amused by the turn of events, lying back and watching her with a satisfied smile on his face. By the time she had reached his flat stomach and was trailing her tongue along the dark trail of hair leading towards his groin, she could feel him tense beneath her.

She shifted her body and nudged his legs apart so she could fit between them. With one hand she took a firm hold of his erection and he let out a groan in response. She had him just where she wanted him. For now.

Noah knew they were playing with fire but that simply made their time together all the more exciting. With this charade today it meant they could continue the physical side of their relationship without committing to anything more serious. He’d had to do something to cover the fact he was falling for Lucy with every passing moment they spent together. It would never work between them long term when they had such different visions for the future and he would never measure up to the perfect man she was looking for. At least in the bedroom he could give her what she needed and, apparently, vice versa.

He let out another moan of pure pleasure as she took all of him in her mouth and down her throat. That tight, wet, warmth around his manhood was a reminder of what they’d done together last night and this morning and Noah had to battle his natural instincts so he could enjoy the sensation a little longer.

That was until she was using her hand to pump his shaft and simultaneously flicking her tongue over and around his tip. The combination making his head spin as all the blood in his body seemed to rush to that one part. He knew he couldn’t hold back any longer when she seemed so determined to make him lose control. Then she sucked hard until he was almost convulsing with the need to let go completely. She encouraged him with another slow lap of his full length with her tongue and all bets were off.

Noah’s climax sounded with a primal roar as he arched up off the bed. It was frightening how much control she could have, how much he let her have, over him. So far he had nothing to complain about.

Lucy had a self-satisfied smirk on her face when she came back to lie beside him. “I think that makes us even.”

“I didn’t know we were keeping score. I have a very competitive streak, you know.” He reached out and cupped her breast, teasing her nipple between his fingers until it tightened to a peak.

Lucy giggled. “You’re insatiable.”

“Only where you’re concerned.” Simply admiring her naked beauty, touching her soft flesh was enough to get him aroused again so soon after his last exertion.

If he had his way they would stay here forever locked up in this hotel room in their little bubble, making love and memories together. Free from the worries of real life and the perils of a ‘proper’ relationship. If he wasn’t so afraid of the implications he would admit to having stronger feelings for Lucy than mere lust. Ones that meant something. Ones that involved more than the one body part.

Except the prospect of facing the rejection that would ultimately come when she realised he wasn’t enough for her was sufficient for Noah to keep that information on lockdown. Going there would only ruin what they had and Lucy was the only good thing in his life he had to look forward to on a daily basis. Today had shown him he wasn’t ready to lose her just yet. If ever.