Fear bubbled in her chest, stealing her breath. Blair was right about her previous breakup behavior. What if she was right about this too? But there was no way in hell she’d let Blair know she’d gotten to her.
“Libs”—Blair’s tone softened—“I love you and I don’t want to see you get your heart broken again. Noah is a user. He’ll take what he wants and move on. If he doesn’t cheat on you first.”
“How can you say that?”
“You know he never stays with one woman for more than a week. And yeah, I know he was in a month-long relationship with that woman in Seattle,” she said dismissively, “but that only proves my point. He’s in a relationship with some woman and then he just up and marries you? It won’t last.”
“I’ve had my own share of men, Blair. I’m not exactly the Virgin Mary.”
“True, but you were always looking for love, deep down. He’s just looking for his next lay.”
“So if Noah is just looking for his next lay, and we both know I’m an easy conquest, why did he marry me?”
“I didn’t say you were an easy conquest.”
“Why did he marry me, Blair?” she repeated with more force.
She paused. “I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to figure out his angle.”
“Well, figure it out without me.” She hung up and scowled at the phone in her hand, wishing she could throw it against the wall. Megan would want to hear from her too, but she couldn’t deal with her right now. Especially since the claws of Blair’s accusations were sinking deeper and deeper into her head.
What if Noah got tired of her? The feelings she had for him were so much deeper and more intense than anything she’d experienced before, but what if it wasn’t the same for him? There was no denying he was a good friend. Could he have married her, in part, to make her feel better? And worse, what if this was just another of Libby’s many desperate attempts to find someone to love her?
Was she really that pathetic?
But then she thought about everything she had shared with Noah, both before and after their wedding. She could trust Blair or she could trust Noah. Which one would it be?
The temptation to go to him swept her into the bathroom. He was leaning against the wall of the shower, his forehead buried against his arm. His hair was wet and water dripped down his muscled back. He really did have the face and body of a god. No woman had ever held enough of a lure to keep him for very long. Why did she think she could?
He heard the door open and looked up, anguish on his face.
Who did she choose to trust?
Staring into his eyes, it was really no choice at all.
She stepped into the shower and pulled his mouth to hers, pressing her body against his chest.
His arms were around her back, pulling her close, his mouth hungry and desperate to claim hers. His hands were everywhere and so were hers—seeking, demanding, begging, claiming. He grabbed her ass and lifted her against the shower wall, entering her as she clung to him. There were no words; their bodies said everything that needed to be said. She came quickly, Noah following right behind her. She buried her face against his chest, still shocked that he was really here with her. That he was hers.
She would believe what she held in her hands, the proof in front of her eyes.
Her friends could go to hell.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Noah,” Libby murmured against his chest, then looked up into his eyes. “I’m so sorry about my friends.”
Her words sent a new jolt of fear through him. He stiffened and started to pull out of her and put her down, but she locked her legs around his back and tightened her hold on his neck.
“Don’t shut me out. Please.”
The fear in her voice caught him off guard. He rested his forehead against hers and her body relaxed.
“I love you. I don’t care what they think.”
He shook his head. “They’re your friends. Of course you care what they think.”
“I’ll admit that Blair infuriated me and hurt me with her judgmental attitude . . .” Her voice wavered. “But she doesn’t run my life.”
“In their eyes, I will never be good enough for you. They will always be waiting for me to fuck up so they can tell you I told you so.”
She flashed him a tiny smile. “That will be a lot harder to do with them in Kansas City and me in Seattle.”
“I can’t ask you to give up twenty-five years of friendship for me.”
She grabbed his face and looked deep into his eyes. “Don’t you see? You’re not asking me to choose. You’re giving me the freedom to make my own choice. Blair sees me as an incompetent toddler incapable of making a responsible choice.” She took a breath. “I don’t think I can ever become the responsible person I want to be because it still won’t fit in with their vision of a responsible adult. They’re always judging me against their standards.”
“Libby. I can’t be the person who comes between you and your friends.”
“Don’t you hear what I’m saying? You aren’t coming between them and me. They are coming between us.” She kissed him—a gentle brush of her lips against his—her touch full of so much love it took his breath away. “I love you, Noah McMillan.”
“And I love you, Elizabeth Gabriella St. Clair McMillan.” He forced a grin. “You never told me your name is Elizabeth.”