Noah Read online

  Noah

  A Forbidden Desires Novel

  Justine Elvira

  Edited by: Eileen Proksch

  Cover by: Robin Harper

  Wickedbydesigncovers.com

  Published by Justine Elvira

  Smashwords Edition

  ©2016 Justine Elvira

  [email protected]

  All rights reserved. This book contains material under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any Unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events, places, businesses, or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  Cover image used under license from shutterstock.com

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Note to my Readers

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Skye-Age 8

  Chapter Two

  Skye-Age 14

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Skye-Age19

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Skye-Age 21

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  Justine's Books

  Levi

  Changing His Game

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  This is dedicated to all the single women in the world who need a Noah in their life.

  He's out there somewhere.

  Note to my Readers

  I didn't create a playlist for this book like I have with the past few books, but there are two songs that I listened to on repeat. The first song I listened to religiously while writing intense scenes. The second I listened to on repeat while editing. I want to share them with you in case you want to get in my headspace when you're done reading Noah.

  How Are Things, Love? – Butch Walker

  Fun – Coldplay

  Links to both songs are on my website.

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  Welcome to Forbidden Desires, Inc.

  What's your pleasure?

  Prologue

  Red.

  Violent streaks of red and orange cloud my vision, casting a fiery haze over everyone at the party.

  Did he really show up to my engagement party with some two-dollar tramp who wouldn't know classy if it bit her in the ass?

  This is my day.

  My party.

  He may not agree with the choice I made. He doesn't have to agree with it, but he could at least show me the respect of not showing up to my engagement party with another woman.

  He wants to hurt me. It's the only explanation.

  "Skye and I are incredibly lucky to be celebrating our upcoming nuptials with our family and closest friends. We know some of you have traveled from out of state to be here and your love for us does not go unnoticed. We're truly touched you chose to celebrate with us tonight."

  Caleb's arm that is wrapped around my waist pulls me in closer to him as his other hand squeezes my hip softly. Tilting my head I smile up at him encouragingly as he continues his speech to all of the important people in our lives. Caleb always knows just what to say.

  I try to focus on his words, I really do...but it's hard when two brown orbs attached to a face with perfect soft lips tucked behind a coarse, sexy beard are staring intensely in my direction. Especially when those lips were kissing me yesterday, and then again this morning.

  Yes, everyone in the room is staring up at Caleb and me, but his eyes cut through me like no one else’s can. He may be mad at me, he may want to talk to me, even though I've been trying my best to ignore the infuriating man all day, but that gives him no right to show up here with some whore and glare at me like I've done something wrong.

  As Caleb continues to speak next to me, I watch below as the bimbo leans into him at their table and rests her hand on his upper thigh, slowly inching her fingers up closer to his groin. I'm starting to see violent streaks of red again.

  Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I look away disgusted and try to focus on the eloquent speech my fiancé is giving.

  He probably doesn't even know her name...

  God, why can't I focus?

  The crowd all around us begins to clap with a few of Caleb's buddies whistling and hollering, as they hold on tight to their bottles of beer. Caleb's speech must be over. As great as tonight is, I wish I had a moment alone to process all of my thoughts.

  Caleb's family approaches us first. His mother's short blond hair is slicked back. She's in a long pastel and sequined dress that covers most of her body. Draped over her neck is a sparkling diamond Cartier necklace. I only know this because she loves to show and tell all the wealth she has and what she's acquired over the years.

  Caleb's father stands next to her all stoic and serious in a three-piece suit. He's looking around the room, nodding in greeting to different people as they walk by.

  "Skye, dear, I love how quaint this place is, but it's kind of stuffy in here. You knew how many people were going to be coming to this party, didn't you?"

  "Yes, Mrs. Benton. I got each and every RSVP." She can't even get through one night without taking a dig at me.

  "Then you should have talked to the management here and made sure they had the proper ventilation system required to accommodate all these people. You could have avoided this mess with just one phone call."

  There is no mess to be avoided. Everyone seems to be having a good time. Maybe it's stuffy in here because of her big head and inflated ego.

  I look up at Caleb, hoping he'll say something to stand up for me, but of course his mouth stays wired shut. He'll never stick up to his mother for me, no matter how horrible she treats me. After all, he has a trust fund to think of.

  Sucking up my pride I respond, "You're absolutely right, ma'am. I'll remember that for the next party we throw." Hopefully it'll be her funeral. "If you'll excuse me, the stuffy air is getting to me, too. I'm going to step outside for a moment."

  Squeezing past Caleb and his parents, I put my head down and walk briskly towards the side exit of the restaurant, wanting to avoid being stopped by any of the party's attendees. I also don't want to see him again.

  Reaching the side door that leads out to the patio, I push down on the metal bar and the solid black door opens for me. The cool night air hits my face and I immediately take in a deep breath, before exhaling out in relief. I am so glad to be away from everyone and out of that room.

  I walk over to the railing and look out at the miles and miles of open green. When I booked this golf club it was because the Italian restaurant inside served the best Eggplant Parmesan I've ever tasted, and I wanted to impress Caleb's mother. She only tolerates the best and I thought this place was the best. I should have known nothing I booked would ever impress her.

  My back is to the door so when I hear it open, hitting the outside of the building, I turn to see if I'll be forced to make small talk with someone. Noah walks out in black dress slacks and a black button down dress shirt. I can't even remember the last time I'd seen him so dressed up. He looks...good. I hate that he looks good.

  His date to my engagement party is hanging all over him as he walks towards me across the dimly lit
patio. I want to yell at his date to pull her dress down because it's too short, but that would only create a new problem and I'd have to find a way for her to cover the two water balloons trying to topple out of the top of her dress.

  One of her hands is hidden somewhere inside the collar of his shirt, while her other hand plays with the buttons on the outside. This can't be a comfortable way to walk, which is obvious by the way she's stumbling in her heels trying to match every step he takes.

  I bring my focus back on the man who really should not be here. "Noah," I say, glaring at him. Hopefully he's smart enough to realize I'm about to blow up at him if one wrong word slips by his tongue and out between those perfect lips.

  "Skye," he greets me. His arm wrapped around his date tightens to bring her in closer to his firm body. "I didn't realize you were out here."

  He so knew I was out here. His eyes have been on me all night, ignoring the bimbo next to him unless I was watching.

  His arm-candy smiles at me, as if she's just noticed for the first time someone is out here with them. "Hi. Congratulations on your engagement. You look so pretty tonight and I love what you did with all the hanging lights in there," she says, releasing Noah's shirt to point back at the building. "It really adds to the ambiance. Hopefully one day I'll be able to have an engagement party as beautiful as this." She giggles and looks up at Noah, sending him a flirtatious wink.

  This chick thinks she's going to be engaged to Noah one day?

  I think I'm going to be sick.

  Trying to look indifferent I chime in. "Last I checked Club Desire doesn't do engagement parties."

  I'm just stating the obvious.

  Noah's demeanor instantly changes. He stands taller, loosening his grip around his date as his eyes narrow on me. "What is your problem?"

  "I don’t have a problem. I just want to make sure your date knows that your club isn’t the type to hold fancy celebrations...but I'm sure she assumed that already since she probably works for you." It would explain her inappropriate outfit.

  Noah's eyes narrow further and his cheeks flush in anger, something that I've always found irresistible. His brown eyes never leave mine as he directs his next words to his date. "Xaria, why don't you go inside and get something to drink, while I finish talking to Skye. I'll meet you in a few minutes."

  The way he viciously spits out my name makes me cower a little in fear. Maybe I went too far with that last dig.

  Xaria watches us both with a puzzled look on her face, but she doesn’t question Noah. Instead she turns around and walks back inside the same way she came out.

  Once we're alone, Noah takes a step towards me. I quickly thrust my hands in front of me with my palms out. "Can we not do this tonight. It's my engagement party for God's sake."

  He ignores my request and takes another step, and another step, until there are no more steps to take and he's standing right in front of me. I inhale his scent and I'm immediately dizzy with all the memories I have associated with that smell. I shouldn’t be out here with him. It's not right...it isn't fair. But as his hand comes up to cup my cheek in a familiar act of tenderness, and his fingers grip my chin to bring my eyes up to meet his, I'm immediately reminded of why we work...and why it's so hard for me to see him here tonight.

  "No, Skye. Today is your unbirthday party. You just want to tarnish the day with the celebration of your engagement.”

  Chapter One

  Two months earlier

  "Do you like that, baby?" he whispers against the sensitive spot below my ear. His mouth travels lower to kiss the back of my neck. My answer is a soft sigh as his body pushes me closer and closer to a sweet release with every deep, penetrating thrust.

  Caleb inside me is one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy afternoon.

  When I came home from work early this afternoon and slipped in bed to take a nap, his tender kisses woke me up surprisingly. In those first waking moments, when my eyelids flutter open and my pupils adjust to the light, I sometimes find myself reflecting over the day so far. But there are other afternoons, like today, when I'm startled awake by the soft hands of my boyfriend, as he wraps his arms around me and claims my body as his.

  He takes his time, caressing every curve of my body with his fingertips, as he slowly takes me from behind. His left hand dips down to my swollen mound as his thumb plays with my clit and I feel my climax approaching. My head falls back on his shoulder and I close my eyes, ready for the feeling of ecstasy to take over. I reach back and wrap my hand around his head and knot my fingers in his hair, needing to hold on to something.

  Chills run up my arms in anticipation of what's to come.

  But then I'm ripped out of my happy place as the front door of our luxury apartment slams closed and I hear the low, sexy rumble of Noah's voice as he calls out from the front room, "Honey, I'm home."

  I let out a frustrated, needy groan as Caleb chuckles gently against the back of my head. His thumb continues to move against my clit as he controls his laughter and yells back, "We'll be out in a minute, sugar."

  Caleb's hips grind against my ass but the moment of extreme high is gone. There's no way I'll be able to finish, or even let Caleb finish, with Noah able to hear everything in the other room.

  I grab Caleb's forearms and shove his hands away from my body before rolling away from him and climbing off the bed.

  "What the hell, baby?"

  "I'm not...finishing with him in the other room," I hiss, loud enough for Caleb to hear but quiet enough that Noah won't be able to.

  Frustrated, Caleb drags a hand through his blond curly hair and slides off the bed to stand up. While I'm getting dressed, I toss him a t-shirt to throw on, and when he catches it he looks down at his hard cock. "What do you expect me to do about this? I'm not going out there with a hard-on.” He fists his erection as if to show me exactly what he means and I roll my eyes as I finish throwing on sweats and a t-shirt.

  "Go take care of it in the bathroom and I'll keep your buddy company."

  Caleb's facial expression softens as he strolls over to me and rests his hands on my shoulders. "Come on, baby. He can wait two more minutes. Let me have two minutes and I promise to make all one hundred and twenty seconds worth it for you."

  A part of me feels bad for stopping the release we both obviously need. My southern region is still screaming to be satisfied, but I've never been into public fucking, and even though we're in the privacy of our own home, knowing another person can hear us ruined the mood for me.

  Standing up on my toes I lean in and kiss Caleb on the cheek, while giving him an apologetic pout. "I'm sorry, honey, I just can't. We can pick this up later and I'll make it up to you." Before he has any time to distract me I walk past him and out of our bedroom so I can go greet our unwanted houseguest.

  My stomach aches with unwelcome knots every step I take.

  The man I'm walking towards who gives me this unwanted stomachache is Noah. He's my boyfriend's best friend, a title I used to share with Noah until the end of my freshman year of college. Noah and I grew up together and were inseparable our entire childhood. We did every activity imaginable and he even played dolls with me because there were no girls my age on our block. As we got older he'd beat up the boys who teased me during my awkward phase. When I learned how to drive, he came home for a week and taught me how to change my own oil and fix a flat tire.

  Although he was my best friend growing up, we had entirely different plans for adulthood. While I knew I wanted to get married and have a successful husband, three kids, and a career to fall back on when the kids started school, Noah was more of a free spirit. He had no plans. He lived life by his own schedule, and never let anything get in his way. Now he can barely take care of his dog.

  When he graduated high school, he left to go travel Europe, leaving me to finish high school and prepare to attend university alone. Noah believed anything worth learning was taught through experience, not in a book.

  Back then, my teenage self th
ought he'd grow out of his Peter Pan phase and eventually go to college and settle down. I wanted a marriage and love like my parents had...and I wanted that with Noah. I knew that when he was ready to, I'd be right by his side and hopefully he'd look at me as more than the little girl he grew up with and more like wife material.

  My teenage self was dreaming because that never happened. A few years after he began traveling the world, he visited me in the spring of my freshman year of college. He didn't come alone. He brought his friend, Caleb, with him.

  Caleb was the textbook for the type of guy I envisioned settling down with. He had goals for himself, great goals that included getting an education, a stable job, and then settling down with a wife and kids. Noah had no plans of settling down with a girlfriend, let alone a wife.

  And Caleb was incredibly sweet and unbelievably reliable. Their different lifestyles and goals made it hard for me to believe they were such good friends.

  Caleb and Noah had met briefly in Prague over the previous summer and after traveling together for a week, Caleb left to go back to the States so he could start his senior year of college, while Noah continued on to another city and adventure. They kept in touch and when Noah invited him to come with him to visit me for the weekend, Caleb took him up on his offer.

  I wouldn't say Caleb and I hit it off right away, but when Noah ditched me to hit on a sorority girl, Caleb and I got to talk and we've been together ever since.

  Six years, one cross-country move, and a graduation from law school later and I'm still with Caleb, one of the most promising new lawyers at his law firm.

  As I enter our bright purple kitchen with white cabinets and a variety of paintings I found around the city, Noah's back is to me as he pours himself a cup of black coffee. He turns around when he hears me enter and smiles my way. His eyes trail up and down my body as he takes a sip of his drink.