“Absolutely not. Now that thing is covered in your germs.”
She rinsed off his toothbrush under the running water. “It’s no different than kissing.”
“But at least I get something out of kissing. What am I getting out of this?”
She turned around to face him, lifting her eyebrows in a playful manner. “My charming personality without halitosis?”
Something happened in his eyes then, the annoyance shifting to something she didn’t recognize, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. “Just remember paybacks are a bitch.”
A grin spread across her face as she stalked closer to him and rested her palms against his chest. “Am I supposed to be scared, Noah McMillan?”
His eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
His tone was teasing, but the combination of their proximity, their playful banter, and the suggestive words he’d just uttered sent an unexpected wave of heat coursing through Libby.
That was the thing. She wanted to find out what he was capable of . . . .
Her hands were still on his chest, but her fingertips were on fire now. She inhaled sharply, trying to make sense of the war being waged in her head. Her body demanded she grab the back of his head, pull his mouth to hers, and drag him to the very available bed less than ten feet away, so they could have what she was sure would be the most amazing sex of her life. But her head commanded her body to stop. She had too much to lose with a spontaneous fling. It wasn’t worth the risk. Even if she let herself think they might have the potential to have something long term, she had a hard time ignoring what was plainly written in her palm. She was destined for a man who was creative. She was certain an engineer who worked in an office didn’t qualify.
“Lib?” he asked, concern in his eyes. One minute she’d been playing around with him, the next she’d practically turned to a statue, her hand glued to his chest.
She forced a smile and stepped back. She would not make things awkward between them. She needed Noah. No matter what her heart wanted, her body wanted, she couldn’t afford to do anything that would risk pushing him away, especially now. She tugged on the sweatpants in his hand. “Thanks.” Confusion wrinkled his brow as she pushed him out of the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
When she emerged several minutes later, he was looking at his laptop again. He glanced up at her with a sly grin before closing the lid.
He wanted her to try to wrest his secret plans from him, so she gave him a haughty smile instead. “I’m starving.”
“Good thing for you they have a continental breakfast here,” he teased, packing his computer into his messenger bag. “We can take our things downstairs and leave after we eat.”
She noticed his bag on the bed, the lid open. He brushed past her, and into the bathroom, as she turned her attention to the wedding dress he’d arranged on the bed next to it.
Noah came back out and packed up his toiletry bag. “What do you want to do with your dress? It won’t fit into my bag.”
“Leave it.”
He spun around to face her. “You’re the one who picked it out, not Mitch, right?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“Do you love it?”
“What?”
He released a sigh, looking embarrassed. “Megan’s mother picked out her wedding dress, but she had her heart set on another one. Josh bought it for her.”
“I know. I was there,” she teased.
He forged on. “Libby, do you love the dress?”
She tilted her head to the side and gave him an ornery grin. “If I say no, does that mean you’re going to buy me a new one?”
Groaning, he grabbed her shoulders, then enunciated his words slowly. “Do you love the dress?”
She did, but she couldn’t very well wear it again. What man would tolerate her wearing a dress she’d bought for her wedding to another man? She could hardly explain that her reasons for almost marrying Mitch weren’t exactly honorable.
Noah grabbed the room key and walked out the door without another word.
Had she pissed him off? She couldn’t figure out what she’d done other than borrow his toothbrush.
But she didn’t have long to contemplate it. The door opened a few seconds later, and Noah walked in with a clear trash bag. “Hold this open.” He shoved it toward her.
There was no denying him, so she did as he’d asked. He folded up the gown and crammed it into the bag. When he finished, she looked up at him with an inquisitive gaze and he shrugged. “We couldn’t leave it. If nothing else, you can sell it on eBay or make an art piece out of it.”
She sucked in a breath, then released it, thrown off by an unexpected rush of emotion. “Thanks.”
She slipped on her wedding shoes, then stood in front of the full-length mirror. Noah’s black T-shirt hung to her thighs and his gray sweatpants were rolled up to her ankles. The drawstring in the waist was pulled so tight it looked like she had a life preserver hidden under her shirt. The beaded, two-inch white heels topped off the ensemble. “I look like I’m about to join to the circus.”
Noah grinned. “You look better in that shirt than I ever did.”
She’d seen him in this shirt before, and she had to admit he filled it out quite nicely. It swam on her. “You liar. You’re loving every minute of this.”
“Okay, you look like a homeless person who stole a bride’s shoes. Happy? Let’s go eat.”