“Because I don’t want a flicker of that possibility in his mind while he’s rehabbing. And I don’t want him knowing it was ever a flicker in Epic’s mind.”
She heaved a deep sigh of her own. “Look, Drake, I appreciate the offer and the confidence in my work, but—”
“Guess who I ran into yesterday,” he said.
“What?” she asked, confused by the sudden shift in topic. “Who?”
“Colt Donovan, the Dallas Cowboys’ star running back. He has a vacation home here—along with two dozen other athletes whose names I could rattle off but won’t. And guess whose physical therapist is pregnant and going on maternity leave in a couple of months?”
Julia blew out a breath.
“Guess who I’ll recommend he use to fill in?” Drake continued. “Guess how many other athletes you’ll be meeting during your time here? And guess how many recommendations you’ll get from me, Noah, and all Noah’s friends.” He paused, letting the insinuations sink in. “Do you see where I’m going with this?”
She planted her elbows on the table and scraped both hands into her hair. “Noah won’t go for it. And I’m not going to sit on my ass in that guesthouse.”
“Then you’ll just have to lay down the law for him, won’t you? He is a captive audience, considering.” Drake put a ten-dollar bill on the table, tucked his wallet away, and stood. “You belong with these athletes the same way I do. The same way Noah does.”
He leaned down and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a hug. “You know where to find me if you need to talk.”
Noah stopped pacing the kitchen and stretched one arm overhead, gripping the window casing. He squinted out over the lake in the distance, but today the tranquil sight didn’t settle the nerves buzzing in his belly. He pulled his phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen showing no new calls, then checked that the volume was on, and stuffed it away with a frustrated sigh.
Almost two p.m. and no sign of her. No call from Drake. And Noah couldn’t figure out why in the hell this was bothering him so much.
A growl rolled through Noah’s stomach. The thought of food dragged his gaze to his laptop, where he’d been reading a random article about diet and healing. Bored the shit out of him, which was probably related to the struggle of getting through the article more than the content. It was no wonder he never went to college.
His mind drifted to his nieces, Maisy, Stephie, an
d Tabitha. He wanted a different life for them. He wanted them to turn out more like Julia and less like his sister, Becky. Less like him.
His stomach voiced another complaint, and Noah let go of his troubled thoughts, turning toward the fridge.
“She’s not coming back.” He pulled the door open, remembering how easily…eagerly…she’d walked away from him for the third time in twenty-four hours. “Strike three, dumbshit,” he told himself. “You’re out.”
Out of luck. Out of her mind.
But not down and out. Never down and out.
He’d get another top-notch therapist to please Epic. One who wasn’t as bossy and demanding as Julia.
Then he remembered how all her rough edges had softened in the bedroom. So passionate, so giving… The woman had blown him away. He couldn’t remember the last woman who’d made him want more, not the way he wanted more of Julia.
The ache in his gut deepened. And the likelihood of never getting another chance with her left an anxious sensation jumping around in the pit of his stomach.
On a frustrated sigh, he focused on the food in front of him. He pulled a yogurt from the fridge, a spoon from a drawer, and his phone from his pocket as he slid onto a stool at the breakfast bar.
Still no calls. No texts.
A knock on the front door pulled his gaze up. He set the yogurt aside, pushed his phone into his pocket, and walked to the door. He saw Julia standing on the porch through the glass, and his stomach rose to his chest, fluttering around like a caged bird.
She came back.
He swung the door open. Before she had a chance to say anything, he stepped out, looking behind her for Drake. Seeing the coast was clear, Noah curled an arm around her waist, pulled her up against him, and carried her inside.
“Noah—”
He lowered his head and closed his lips over hers. Instant relief swept through his system, draining tension and loosening muscles. She didn’t kiss him back immediately, trying to pull away. But the sight of her, the fact that she’d returned on her own, made something inside him desperate for more. He slid his hand under her hair and around the back of her neck, parting his lips to taste her, and all her resistance melted. Her body leaned into his, her lips parted, and she sighed as she tasted him back.
Noah groaned with relief and pleasure. He stroke his hands over her fuzzy red sweater, the one that had his mouth watering when she’d walked into the living room earlier. It was feather-soft and clung to her perfect curves. He walked her back until she was pressed against the wall, and cupped her breasts, full and firm in his hands.