Page 27 of The Billionaire's Secret Kiss

Noah shoved his hands in his pockets. "I enrolled you in school and paid your tuition."

"But . . . you can't do that. Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you, Ella. Because I can. I'm sure that you’re an amazing nanny for Vance and Maggie. But that’s not what you should be doing with your life. You belong back in school."

"I know that. I know, and I've been working on it. You didn't have to—"

"I know I didn't have to," Noah exploded, yanking his hands out of his pockets and throwing them out to his sides. "And I know you probably don't want my money. I don't care. This isn't a loan. This is a gift. For you. Because I love you and I want you to be happy."

"Noah," I said, and trailed off. I didn't know how to take it in. Ever since I'd dropped out, ever since I'd realized how hard it was to pay off the loans, getting back to school had felt like a pipe dream. No matter how determined I was, with every day that passed, it seemed further out of reach.

And now, Noah had handed me back my dreams.

"Look, there are no strings, okay? If you want to walk out that door, if you decide this isn't going to work and you never want to see me again, I still have your tuition paid until you graduate. You can throw it in my face and walk away if you want to. As long as you show up for school in January."

I stared down at those two pieces of paper covered in simple black and white print that changed the course of my life. Sometime between that morning and now, while Noah had been handling his own crisis with his company, he’d found the time to give me the one thing I wanted more than anything else.

More than anything . . . except for him.

Carefully, I folded the pages back up and slid them into the envelope. I folded the envelope in thirds and slipped it into my purse, zipping it closed. I knew later, when I was alone, I’d pull them out and stare at them to reassure myself that they were real.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem like enough."

"I thought you'd be mad."

"I'm confused. Not mad. That was a lot of money, Noah. The whole reason you're here is to try to get funding for your company, and then you go and spend all that money on me."

"The money doesn't mean anything, Ella, if I can't use it to give the woman I love her dreams back. Either things will work out with Vance, or they won't. There are other investors. There's only one you.”

I stared at Noah, taking in the sincerity in his eyes and the relief that I wasn't angry. We had a lot to work out between us, but right then, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to say thank you.

"Is dinner going to get cold?" I asked, eyeing the room service cart.

Noah shook his head.

I reached behind me and lowered the zipper on my dress, dipping my right shoulder until the narrow strap fell to my arm and the bodice sagged. As the zipper reached my hips, I dipped my left shoulder and the top of the dress slipped to my waist, revealing a black satin bustier trimmed in matching lace.

With a deliberate shimmy of my hips, I shook off the dress, stepping away from my discarded clothes. I stood there for a moment, loving the way Noah's pupils dilated and his breath grew shallow as he took in the sight of me wearing the black lingerie and spike heels.

I took a step toward him, reaching for the lapels of his suit coat. Before he had a chance to react, I pulled it down over his shoulders. He shook it off, leaving me free to go to work on his tie.

His dark eyes dazed, he said, "Ella, you don't have to . . . I didn't bring you here just so we could—"

"I know I don't have to, Noah. I want to. You had to leave this morning before we could finish. You took care of me, and I never got to take care of you."

He swallowed hard and went to work on the buttons of his shirt. It didn't take long, between the two of us, before he was naked. I looked around the room and got an idea. Noah reached for me, but I swatted his hand away and said, "Here. Come here."

I led him to the open space beside the couch, diagonally across from a full-length mirror. Pressing my hands up to his shoulders, I pushed him back, so he was half leaning against the wall.

Before he could protest, I dropped to my knees. Looking to the side, I saw us reflected in the mirror, head to toe. I knew Noah got it when he looked down at me and then over at the mirror, swearing under his breath.

I had to admit, we made a striking picture, me with my hair up, my lips glossy pink, my breasts spilling out over the black satin bustier, on my knees in front of Noah, his hard cock inches from my mouth.

I licked my lips, watching in the mirror as his chest hitched with a strangled breath and his eyelids lowered over his dark eyes.

Noah towered above me, his posture dominating but oddly still. He had me on my knees, but I was in control. And what a man to have before me, with his tall body, strong legs, defined chest, and the six-pack he'd somehow managed to acquire out in California.

I’d loved him when he was a gangly teenager. Seeing him like this made me dizzy with lust.