Page 82 of I Never Stopped Loving You

Her hair is sprawled around her on my pillow. The strawberry blond glowing in the moonlight from the skylights above us. Between that and her pale skin contrasting against my black silk sheets, she looks almost ethereal.

I want to lean in and kiss her again, just feel those soft, plump lips on mine, but I can’t. As I pull my hand away from her, she lets out a contented sigh and snuggles deeper against my pillow. If the house wasn’t dead silent, I wouldn’t have been able to hear the next word that falls quietly from her as a small, sleepy smile forms on those lips.

“Noah.”

CHAPTER 37

WILLOW

The warm sunlight on my face was what woke me up first. It felt calming, but then I smelled the dark, smoky scent of cologne near me and felt a warmth against my back. The soft snores caused me to wake up more.

With my eyes still closed, I run my hand along the soft silk sheets. These are much nicer than mine. That’s the second clue that I’m not in my own bed. The first was the sunlight. I always have room-darkening curtains to block out the morning light. The third, well, the sounds. It’s dead silent here. You don’t hear the neighbor’s dog barking its head off. You don’t hear the standard hustle and bustle of cars racing past on the street.

Where am I?

I crack an eye open, squinting in the bright light. How the hell is there so much sunlight? When I look up, there are three large skylights above us and a large glass French door that leads to the balcony facing over the water. It’s long past sunrise but not quite afternoon…I hope.

A large arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back against a chest. As I stare down at the hand placed protectively over my stomach, I know exactly where I’m at.

I’m at Noah’s.

Last night is slowly coming back. How much did I drink? I thought we said one drink, then we were taking an Uber back to his place. Did I do more…Oh fuck. He asked what my favorite shot was. Damn it. I have zero self-control with those liquid marijuana shots. Those fuckers are so delicious.

He shifts forward and buries his face in my hair, nuzzling his lips against my neck before taking a deep breath. Oh God. I hope I smell good.

“Willow,” he whispers my name. “I’ve missed you so much.”

With those words, his arm tightens, holding my body fully flush against him. I can feel his heart racing.

What the fuck happened last night?

Wait…He said he missed me so much. How? We just met on Friday, and I’ve seen him twice since then. How could someone miss someone they just met? But then I think back to when I was at the house. I just wanted him there. His strong presence. His protectiveness. His kiss.

My body sighs with the memory of the kiss at the bar last night. I’ve never felt such passion and desperation in a kiss before. His fingers tighten against my stomach, and his breathing hitches. I can tell he’s awake.

He tries to slowly pry himself away from me, but I don’t want this to end just yet. It’s calm and peaceful here in his arms. I place my hand over his, holding him against my stomach. His body tenses, and I can feel his hesitation for just a second before he gives in and presses our bodies back together.

It's strange. No words need to be spoken. Not a single sound, and yet we are both perfectly content in each other’s arms. A warmth seems to spread through my entire body as he pushes aside my hair and places his lips against the side of my neck. My eyes close, and my body relaxes fully against his.

I feel safe. I feel protected. I feel loved…but how can someone feel this connected to someone after two fucking days? I know Jenna would be all over this. It’s meant to be, she would say over and over. She’d tell me to stop fighting it.

Maybe I should listen to her.

Maybe, for once, I can put my fears aside and just let myself be happy. In my mind, I know it can’t last forever. Nothing good ever does. But maybe I can just enjoy whatever this is for however long it lasts.

CHAPTER 38

NOAH

Ijust wanted to watch her for a little while. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was enjoying the sight of her in my bed after all these years of dreaming of this moment, and apparently, my body decided it was then that it would stop having insomnia issues. I fell asleep lying next to her and somehow ended up under the covers at some point during the night.

I even had a peaceful dream. One that didn’t end with hearing her screams. There was no little white rabbit lying in a pool of blood on the linoleum floor. No running down an endless dark hallway toward the sounds of her crying.

No, last night was just a peaceful dream. I was nine years old again, back in her living room, celebrating her eighth birthday. It was the day I gave her that little white stuffed rabbit with the bright blue ribbon tied around its neck and forest-green marble eyes, colored just like hers. That was the same year that I lost her.

Except this time, when she hugged me in the dream, thanking me for her little rabbit, it felt real. I could feel her warmth. I could smell her sweet perfume. Even in the dream, I could feel my throat tighten as tears threatened to fall. She hugged me tight, and I wished I’d never let her go.

I should have fought harder to get someone to see what her father was doing to her. I should have told the police, but if the teachers didn’t care, the school nurse, or even the school therapist, I didn’t think the police would do anything. I should have killed the fucker myself.