Rock the Heart
Page 30

There he is, sitting on the railing with his elbows resting on his knees.
He turns his head toward me, and my heart stops. Noel is breathtaking by the light of the moon. This feels very intimate and very familiar. I know once I go down there, I’ll be a goner.
That last thought makes me want to turn and run back to my car as quick as I can, but, instead, I lift my chin high and force my feet forward, ready to figure this thing out between us.
Noel stands when my shoes hit the wooden dock. His perfect face stretches into a lazy grin as I near. My heart speeds up a notch, and I bite the inside of my cheek. He actually looks happy to see me, which takes me back. I thought he was pissed at me for all the mixed signals.
I lift my hand in a wave.
“What’s this waving shit?” He rushes over and grabs me around the waist and hoists me off the ground.
The laugh that bubbles out of my throat surprises me as he spins me around. I prepared for another fight. How weird is it that we can hug and laugh like there isn’t bad blood between us? I squeeze my arms around his neck and inhale his manly scent as I melt into his muscled chest.
“Noel,” I squeal and a thrill shoots through me as I say his name. “I’ll be sick.”
That only makes him laugh harder as he stops spinning and sets me to my feet. His hand cups my cheek. “God, Lane. I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.”
I sigh audibly, and instantly I wish I could just curl up in and ball and die from pure embarrassment. I can’t believe I actually swooned a little just now. I try to drop out of his gaze, but his hand holds me steady as he waits for me to say something. Noel raises an eyebrow. “Is it okay that I’m here? You don’t hate me?”
Oh my God. Hate him? I think about Noel like a love-sick puppy, but there’s no way in hell I’m telling him that. How pathetic would that make me if he thinks I’ve sat around all evening pinning for him? So, instead, I smile and say, “I could never hate you.”
He tucks some hair behind my ear. “Good because that would kill me. I’m sorry I tried to rush you. Relationships take time. I get that. It’s just I want you so much. I don’t think clearly when it comes to you. So, I’m sorry. I’ll try and slow down.”
Still locked in his arms, my fingers itch to touch his face. “I’m sorry, too.”
Noel cocks his head to the side and gazes down at me with his blue eyes. “You know, I understand where you were coming from when you left me last time we were here. Hell, even I’m surprised I made it in this biz. You were always the level headed one.” He smiles and looks into my eyes. “But I’m sorry for that, too—for the way things turned out. I should’ve gone after you—made things right between us. That we could still work. I didn’t know that’s how you felt about me, and it killed me. I didn’t even know how to fix us after that.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t totally your fault, Noel. Things were all changing so fast—high school was ending and becoming an adult scared me. I wanted you to come to school with me—to still be with me. I was being selfish. I shouldn’t have been so pushy. I knew who you were and I shouldn’t have tried to change your dream. It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry.” I let out a huge sigh. “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but I figured since you never spoke to me again after that night out here on the dock, that you hated my guts.”
The corners of his lips turn down and his fingertips trace my cheek. “I could never hate you, either. I loved you.”
A tear slips from my eye at the sound of his words. A million pounds fly off my heart. He doesn’t hate me. “Thank you,” I whisper.
Noel brushes my eye with his thumb and then cradles my face in both hands. A smile flirts along his lips. My heart thunders with anticipation of a kiss, and I bite my lip.
Noel’s eyes search my face. “Can I kiss you?”
I close my eyes and bite my lip. He has no clue how much I want to feel his lips on mine again. Every cell in my body quivers with need for this man, and it scares me a little to know he has this effect on me. It'll be easy for my heart to crumble if this doesn't work out.
I shake the last thought out of my head, and Noel frowns. “Is that a no?” I panic a little because I don’t want him to think I’m rejecting him again. This calls for immediate action.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull my body against his. “Definitely not a no.”
That’s all it takes.
Noel crushes his mouth to mine. The warmth spreads clear down to my toes as I melt into him. My lips part, and his tongue finds mine, slowly massaging. A sound catches in the back of his throat as I grip two handfuls of his hair in my fists and push my body against his.
Noel’s hand slides under my shirt and his fingers trail along the skin on the small of my back. I shiver. Heat spreads through me and I find myself breathing hard.
Noel grips both of my hips and then glides his touch down my legs. His fingers dig into my thighs as he hoists me up onto the rail. My knees open, and he pushes between them. His erection strains against his jeans as he grinds into me.
He trails kisses down my neck and I toss my head back, arching my chest into him.
“Oh God, Lane. I want you so fucking much.” A shudder tears through him as I moan in his ear.
He grabs my chin between his forefinger and thumb. Blue eyes, alive with intense need, stare at me. He kisses my lips, and I close my eyes. He wants my permission to take it to the next level. All I have to do is say the words and he’ll heal this aching need inside of me.