"Noah, I'm already in a complicated situation. Getting involved with you would just make everything messier."
"What kind of complicated situation?"
I can't tell him about Jack. Can't explain that I've been intimate with my boss, the man who fathered my children. And I definitely can't mention that I slept with Blake just last night.
"The kind I can't explain right now," I say carefully.
Noah studies my face, and I can see him processing, trying to read between the lines. Finally, he nods.
"Okay. I won't push." He squeezes my hand. "But I need you to know something, Mia. That night we spent together wasn't just sex for me. I felt a connection with you. Something real."
My heart does that stupid fluttering thing again. "I felt it too."
"Then give us a chance. Let's see where this goes." He leans closer, his voice dropping. "I know it's complicated. I know we work together and you're dealing with your father and whatever else you're not telling me. But I think this could be worth it."
I should say no. Should protect him from the disaster my life has become. But looking into his green eyes, seeing the genuine care and interest there, I can't form the words.
"I need time to think," I say instead.
"That's fair." He releases my hand and sits back, though I can see the disappointment in his expression. "Take all the time you need."
We finish our coffee while making small talk about school, books and authors we like, and pretty much anything that doesn't require emotional vulnerability. But the tension between us never fully dissipates. Every time our eyes meet, I remember the heat in them as we'd had sex. Every time he smiles, I want to lean across the table and kiss those lips.
When we finally stand to leave, Noah walks me to my car. The parking lot is nearly empty, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the pavement.
"Thank you for meeting me," Noah says, his hands in his pockets. "And for trusting me with your story about your father."
"Thank you for sharing about your sister." I unlock my car but don't get in yet. "I'm sorry you're carrying that guilt. You shouldn't."
"Neither should you." He steps closer, and suddenly we're standing inches apart. "Whatever happened, whatever made you leave, you're here now. That has to count for something."
Before I can respond, he cups my face in his hands and kisses me. It's soft and sweet and completely different from the desperate passion of our first night together. This kiss is a promise. A question. An invitation to something more.
I melt into him, my hands fisting in his shirt, and for a moment, everything else falls away. There's no Jack, no Blake, no dying father or hidden twins. Just Noah's mouth on mine and his hard, warm body pressed intimately against me.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"Think about it," Noah whispers against my lips. "Think about giving us a real chance." He gives me a quick kiss and steps back.
I nod, unable to form words, and slide into my car. He watches as I start the engine, his expression telling me that while he'll wait for me for a decision, he's eagerly anticipating taking me to bed again.
A pulse starts low in my belly and spreads between my thighs as I give him a little wave. I drive away with my mind spinning. Noah's kiss still tingles on my lips. Blake's touch still echoes on my skin. And Jack's presence still haunts every corner of my thoughts.
My apartment complex appears ahead and I pull into the parking lot, exhausted from the emotional weight of the afternoon. All I want is to collapse on my bed and try to make sense of the mess my life has become.
Then I see him.
Jack Lewis stands beside a black sedan in the parking lot, his arms crossed over his chest. He pushes away from his car and our eyes meet.
Well, damn it. Might as well call me Grand Central Station.
12
JACK
I lean against my sedan in Mia's apartment parking lot, arms crossed over my chest, knowing I shouldn't be here. The afternoon sun beats down on the asphalt, making the air shimmer with heat. I've been waiting twenty minutes, rehearsing what I'll say when she arrives. Something professional. Something that establishes boundaries.
It's all bullshit and I know it.