“So you were married before?” she said, then immediately regretted the words. His body stiffened against hers as humiliation flooded her and she glanced away from him. Had she really brought up his marriage?
She’d needed to say something. To make sure this wasn’t all some sort of amazingly wonderful dream. And she wasn’t ready to discuss what had just happened. Not yet. Not in the dark, where it was too easy to be far too honest.
“I was. But not for long. And it was,” he hesitated, “a long time ago.”
She almost asked how long ago it could have been. Noah didn’t look a day over thirty. But she stopped herself before the moronic question passed her lips, continuing this inappropriate conversation. He was a vampire. It could have been decades, if not centuries, before. Alice inhaled and parted her lips to speak. Now that she’d already opened this door, she might as well see what was behind it.
“What was she like?”
Hesitation again, longer this time. “I don’t really think this is the best time—I mean, it’s kind of uncomfortable to talk about this right now.”
God, he was right. Why was she even asking about his ex right now? Her timing sucked. But after being with him in such an amazing way, it was hard not to wonder about the kind of woman who was able to make Noah Thorpe fall in love.
Her chest tightened. She must have been amazing, whoever she was.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
“It’s fine. We can talk about it some other time maybe.” He relaxed against her, but his tone left her little doubt of the chances of that happening. The ex was a sensitive subject. How could it not be? She hadn’t even married Brent and she was touchy talking about him.
But the silence was deafening. She had to say something. “I wish Andrew was here.”
Again he tensed. “Andrew?”
She grinned in the darkness. “My brother. And not here, here. That would be the awkwardest thing ever. At the wedding, on the cruise ship, here.”
“Oh,” he said, voice full of relief.
She chuckled. “What did you think I was talking about? Some dude I’d wished I’d called in for a threesome?”
He shifted his weight, and she could feel his smile against her scalp. “I never know what to expect from you. You’re constantly surprising me.”
“And you’re not used to people surprising you.” It wasn’t a question. She pushed down the urge to ask if that’s why he liked her, if that’s why he was attracted to her.
“No. I’m not.” He took a deep breath, face still buried in her hair. “So why isn’t Andrew coming to the wedding?”
The laughter died in her throat. She couldn’t explain all of it, even if Noah had confided his vampire heritage in her. Olivia warned them it would be her head—literally—if anyone found out she’d shared what she was with humans. “He was left at the altar.”
He squeezed her more tightly in his arms. “That’s terrible. How long ago?”
“About six months. Not long enough for him to be ready to come to a wedding yet, I guess. She—” Edited version, Alice. Edited. “I don’t know all of the details. But I guess the gist of it is she decided her lifestyle wasn’t something she wanted to drag him into. It hurt him. Badly.”
“I can imagine,” he said. Something in his voice made her want to ask about his ex again, but she suppressed the urge. “I’m sorry that happened to your brother.”
“Thanks,” she replied automatically. The mood was dimming, she could feel it slipping away, out of her grasp. This might be their only night together, and she’d decided to mention her brother? And ask about his ex-wife? She was practically shooting herself in the foot here, but couldn’t seem to help it. Talk about bringing the night to an abrupt end. Her throat was suddenly dry at the realization. She didn’t want it to end yet. Not like this.
“Since we’re broaching awkward subjects tonight, Brent said something I’ve been wondering about,” Noah said.
Great. Now they’d added her ex to the conversation. But fair was fair, she supposed. “What’s that?”
“He seemed to find it unlikely that you were moving into my house.”
Oh. “Well, you know I’m living in my grandma’s old house, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever meet her?”
“We exchanged waves. But, I never spoke with her.”
“Mister Sociable,” she said, and he chuckled. “Well, I wish you’d had the chance to meet her. She was quite a lady.” Her grandmother’s warm smile and sturdy hugs flashed in her mind, and familiar sadness wormed its way into her heart. “I spent a lot of time in that house when I was growing up. We had a bond, you know?” She cleared her throat.
He didn’t speak, but his fingers slid along her arm, comforting her. “Anyway, she left me the house when she passed away. And I swore I’d never leave it after I moved in when I finished college. That was something Brent and I fought over.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just didn’t get a lot of time with her the last couple of years,” she said. And that was the crux of it, her regret. She’d been young, too obsessed with her own life.
“I’m sure she knew how you felt.” Noah hugged her more tightly against him.
Alice knew she had, but that didn’t lessen her regret. And life was too short for regret.
She’d taken the giant leap to sleep with Noah. Maybe it wouldn’t last beyond the night. Their relationship certainly wouldn’t last beyond the cruise. She wasn’t ready to trust a man again for something long term, and Noah had shown every indication that he wasn’t looking for a relationship.
So she would be damned if she didn’t at least enjoy the night.
She squirmed around in his arms until they were face to face. The night, with the moonlight at his back, hid his expression. But she could feel his body react to her motion.
She kissed him and rubbed her body slowly against his. His erection pressed against her, fully interested. “I’m feeling grubby,” she announced when she broke the kiss. “And you’re definitely dirty.”
“Am I?” he asked mildly.
“Very. And I’m pretty sure that shower is big enough for two. In fact, I’m certain it was designed for two.”
“Well. It would be very rude of us to ignore the design of such a nice shower, wouldn’t it? That would be an insult to whoever crafted it.”
“Mmm,” she said as he kissed her. His tongue slipped between her lips, and she pulled her head back. “Catch me if you can.” The notion was silly, especially since she was still in his arms when she said it, but he allowed her to wriggle away and run for it.
He caught her as her hand touched the bathroom doorknob.
She squealed and he pulled her close for a kiss. They made their way into the bathroom, alternatively kissing and wrestling until they hit the shower. Then, under the water, steam swirling around them, she insisted on washing his back.
She ran her soap-slicked hands over his back. Muscles she’d only seen hints of beneath his clothing tensed under her hands. She’d known he was tall. The top of her head hit his shoulders when she wore low heels. But she hadn’t felt it so much as she did now, reaching up to slide her hands across his smooth skin.
She shifted her hands down to his lower back. Several ragged scars, white with age, ran over his skin. One particularly long one marred his shoulder. “Where did you get these?” she asked, then winced. Would he have to lie to her now? Every question that pertained to his past basically forced him to lie to her. But she couldn’t help her curiosity.
“Let’s just say I had a bad boy complex when I was young.”
She grinned. “When you were young, huh?” They looked like knife wounds. And nothing like a controlled surgery scar. Could he have brawled with knives? Heck, she had no idea how old he was, they could be from combat with swords for all she knew. The idea made her head hurt. She knew he was probably much older than he looked, but the actual idea of him living so long ago was hard for her to wrap her mind around.
“Yes,” his voice rumbled from low in his chest. He turned and captured her gaze with those stormy eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. “I’m an upstanding citizen these days.”
“Are you?” She couldn’t look away from his eyes. God, they were beautiful. Swirling with emotion and strength. She could live and die in those eyes.
He took the soap from her hands and then tugged her into his spot under the pouring water. Hot and soothing, it rushed over the skin on her back. She didn’t want to look away from him, but had to when he made a spinning motion with his finger.
“My turn.”
She obeyed, almost shivering in anticipation, despite the warmth of the water. His hands slid against her back. Slow and sultry, and with far too much soap. Then they moved over her shoulders, his slightly rough hands slid around her breasts, making her gasp. Then he glided them down to her stomach. Why were his hands rough?
“Your hands are rougher than I’d expect for someone in your line of work,” she murmured. His hands stilled. “It feels nice,” she added in a whisper.
He continued his half wash, half massage of her stomach and hips. “I do some woodworking in my garage. It’s cathartic.”
“That sun sculpture in your backyard?” God that was a beautiful woodcarving. She’d asked about it when she’d gone there to ask him on the cruise, and she’d wanted to know more. But he hadn’t exactly been thrilled to see her that day, so she hadn’t wanted to hang around and give him a chance to change his mind. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I carved it.” He sounded pleased.
He explored her hips, and her breath caught in her throat. How could she be this turned on so soon after they’d just had sex? Her breasts suddenly ached to be touched, teased by the water spraying against them. And her sex pulsed as his hands grew closer, caressing her thighs before moving back up to her bottom.
