Chapter 272

Hannah

Noah and I resurfaced from the bubbling hot tub, out of breath and soaked through our robes. I grabbed the edge of the tub and hauled myself forward, laughing.

“That was entirely my fault,” I breathed, pushing strands of wet hair out of my eyes. “Sorry about that.”

Noah snorted, still spitting up mouthfuls of hot tub water. As he rose to his feet, his robe was slick against his body, soaked all the way through.

“Maybe warn me next time before you tackle me into a body of water,” he teased, then began to vigorously shake himself off like a dog.

I laughed, holding my arm above my head to shield myself from the spray. “No promises.” I paused and watched as he climbed out of the tub and peeled off his sopping robe. “Should we shower, do you think?”

Noah nodded and held his hand out to me with an impish grin. “I think I’d like to do a bit more than just shower with you.”

My cheeks flushed pink at the implication, but I took his hand and let him lead me out of the hot tub. I discarded my soaked robe on the deck along with his as we made our way inside. Instantly, the cool breeze blowing in through the window had me shivering.

Noah quickly moved to the shower and turned on the hot water. Soon enough, the bathroom had filled with steam. We both jumped in, our cold bodies appreciating the warmth.

“I was worried you wouldn’t say yes, you know,” he said, holding me close beneath the stream of hot water. “That you’d be upset that I’ve been doing this behind your back all these months.”

I looked up at him curiously. “I’m not upset. But I would like to know why you didn’t tell me when you first started.”

Noah considered my question for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to surprise you—didn’t want to see you stress over it when you have so much else going on.”

“Not more than you have going on,” I replied.

He shook his head. “You’re a mother. That’s a full-time job in and of itself.” He paused, then added a bit more softly, “I wish I could help more. With Melody, I mean.”

His words gave me pause. It was true; since I hadn’t moved back in with him yet, and Nightcrest and Silvermoon were so far apart, I’d been taking on most of the parenting duties.

Not that I minded, of course. But it wasn’t easy. I was glad to have my family to help, but it just wasn’t the same as having my mate nearby.

I bit my lip and murmured, “Do you want me to move back in with you?”

Noah looked down at me with surprise. “You want to go back to that house? After everything?”

I shrugged. “It’s a nice house.”

“There are a lot of negative memories there. For both of us.”

“If you want to look for a new house, then that’s fine with me,” I offered, reaching up to run my finger across the line of his shoulder, watching as tiny droplets of water trickled down his skin. “But we can always create newer, better memories there, too.”

Noah was silent for some time, thinking. I looked up at him, and I could see the hard set of his jaw from below, the way his throat bobbed when he swallowed.

Finally, he said softly, “If you think we could give that house another chance, then I’m for it.”

I offered him a tiny smile and rested my head against his chest. “I guess we’ve got plenty of time now to decide,” I whispered, my fingers absentmindedly trailing down the peaks and valleys of his chiseled torso. “Maybe, in a few years, we’ll want a new place. And that’s okay.”

Noah shuddered, but not in a bad way, as my fingers trailed lower. I felt his chest move beneath my ear as he sucked in a sharp breath, just when my pinky nudged his warm member.

“We’ll want to fill our marriage bed with new memories, too, you know,” I mused.

“Will we?” Noah leaned forward, pressing his hand into the tiles behind my head. His dark hair fell into his eyes, a husky look taking over his smoldering gaze.

I bit my lower lip and nodded. “I think it’s only fitting.” My hand closed around his member. “Our intimacy nights should be every night this time around.”

He let out a low growl at that, the vibration of it tickling my ear. He dipped his head to kiss my throat, but I twirled away and leaned against the cool tiles, just out of reach.

“Hannah, I swear to—”

“Of course,” I continued, trailing my foot up his leg, “I’d say that we should buy a new bed at least, something new and fresh. But I don’t think the old one will last that long, anyway. We’ll break it within a week.”

My teasing seemed to set him on fire. Noah growled low again and stalked closer to me, his hand coming up to gently wrap around my neck. I clasped my hands behind my back, tilting my head to meet his gaze, and couldn’t help but smirk a little at the desperate look in his eyes.

“I think you’re full of it,” he murmured, his lips grazing the shell of my ear as he spoke. “All talk.”

I clasped a hand over my chest, feigning hurt. “Noah! I’m wounded,” I cooed. “How can I prove myself to you?”

Noah’s eyes flashed, then flicked downward—down to his manhood, which was now fully erect and throbbing between us despite the fact that I hadn’t touched him in a good while now.

He didn’t need to say it out loud for me to know what he was asking.

I grinned as I slid down to the shower floor and tasted him.

…

It was well past our bedtime by the time we were finished that night.

After the shower, Noah had carried me into the bedroom and laid me down, where he’d repaid the favor of what I had done for him—three times over, actually, until I was practically begging him to let my body rest.

Only then, once he made me reach the edge one last time, did we get ready for sleep. I slipped into a pair of panties and nothing else, just savoring the feel of his warm skin against mine beneath the sheets.

Noah laid on his back, his arm propped behind his head as I rested on his chest. His other arm was gently wrapped around me, his fingers trailing absentmindedly up and down my shoulder.

“Thank you, Noah.”

He lifted his head slightly and smirked at me. “It was that good, huh?”

I shook my head and swatted at his chest. “I meant the pack merger. Thank you… for taking the initiative on that.” I swallowed hard and laid back down. “I might not have ever had the guts to do it myself.”

Noah was quiet for a moment before he said, “You don’t have to thank me. You were the one who helped me overcome Zoe’s manipulation. Doing this… It was the least I could do.”

My heart stuttered painfully at the mention of that whole ordeal; just the very thought of it was enough to make me sick. But before I could say anything, Noah was suddenly rolling us so that he was on top of me, brushing hair out of my face as he gazed into my eyes.

“I love you, Hannah. And I’m ready to head into this next chapter with you. Just you and me. No barriers, no one to stand in our way.”

My breath caught at his words, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Gently, I took his hand and intertwined my fingers with his, my eyes never leaving his gaze.

“Just you and me,” I whispered. “Until—”

Suddenly, a lusty cry broke out through the house—as if our daughter were reminding us of her presence at the most inopportune moment possible.

Noah shook his head and laughed, gently disentangling himself from me. “You, me, and Melody,” he said, climbing out of bed to check on her.

I watched him go, a smile on my face.

Just the three of us.

That sounded perfect to me.