leaned to hug and kiss one and then the other. “I’ll call you later.”
“I know I don’t need to give you my ‘practice safe sex’ speech, right?” Crystal asked as she hugged her friend back.
Catherine laughed. “I think I’ve got this handled.”
Camille laughed. “Girl, bye! Just go have fun!”
Tossing them both one last smile, Catherine headed toward Noah, her excitement practically beating her to his side.
Minutes later, they were careening down Poplar Grove Boulevard, just six miles from the Hotel Monaco. Catherine had rolled down the window, allowing the cool evening breeze to blow through her hair, the highlighted strands falling past her shoulders. There was a comfortable level of quiet that had settled over them, and neither spoke—no words were needed as they acclimated themselves to the emotion building between them. And something was building, the thickness of it completely intoxicating.
As they waited at a stoplight, she turned toward Noah, the streetlight illuminating her face. There was a halo of sparkle around her head, and Noah thought she had to be the most exquisite female he’d ever known. They both smiled again as they caught each other’s gaze.
“So how long are you in town?” Noah finally asked, breaking the silence.
She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “I’m only here for the weekend. I have to be in Atlanta next week then back in New York.”
“You get around.”
She chuckled softly. “I do,” she said as she shifted her gaze back out the window.
“Is that a good thing?”
She shrugged again. “I never thought about it.”
“How does your fiancé feel about it?”
Her head snapped back in his direction. Her eyebrows lifted in amusement. “My fiancé? What fiancé?”
Noah’s eyes skated in her direction then back to the road. “Someone at the reunion said you were engaged to an artist or something.”
Catherine laughed. The sound was musical, a warm treble that filled the air between them. “I bet it was Crystal or Camille that told that lie. I am not engaged, nor have I ever been married. I don’t even have a steady boyfriend.”
Noah grinned. “Oh,” he said. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Are you really?”
He shook his head. “No.”
She laughed again, and he laughed with her.
As he pulled into a parking spot in front of the hotel they kept eyeing each other, grinning foolishly. Noah felt like he was seventeen all over again. Moving into the lobby, Catherine led the way toward the hotel bar. Grabbing his hand she pulled him along to a cushioned seat in the corner, gesturing for the bartender as she reluctantly released the hold she had on his fingers. They sat down, facing each other, their bodies close as they shared the seat.
“What’s your poison?” Catherine asked as she shifted forward in her seat.
“I’ll take a beer. Corona with a twist of lime.”
“I’ll have a glass of white wine,” she said to the young man who’d come to take their orders.
She sat back as she rested her arm atop the seat’s back and leaned her head on her hand. She lifted her leg so that her knee was lightly pressed against the side of his upper thigh. Her touch was heated, and Noah felt himself break out into a sweat.
She lifted her eyes to stare at him. “So tell me what you’ve been doing since we graduated, Noah Stallion.”
Noah chuckled. “Do you want me to recap the highlights of my résumé or give you the whole spiel?”
“I don’t want your résumé. I know what you’ve accomplished in your professional life, remember? I want to hear about your personal life. I want to know if the guy voted best personality and most likely to marry a supermodel ever did.”
His head moved from side to side, a slight blush warming his complexion as he laughed. He ran a hand over his freshly shaven head. The gesture drew her attention, and Catherine stared.
Noah Stallion had grown into himself. Gone was that baby-faced high-school student. His chiseled features had matured nicely. His eyes were dark pools, his nose almost too perfect and he had the most luscious lips of any man Catherine had ever known. They were full, like thick pillows, and she couldn’t help but wonder what they would feel like pressed against hers. She heard herself gasp out loud, suddenly embarrassed that she’d been staring so wantonly.
“What is it?” Noah asked, meeting the look she was giving him.
She shook her head, desperate to suddenly shake the rise of emotion from her. “Nothing. I was just waiting to hear about you.”
“You were staring.”
“I was.”
“Why were you staring at me?”
She blinked as he eyed her curiously. “Get over it, please. I did it, it was rude, but I’m not going to explain it or apologize for it.”
Their gazes held, and then Noah laughed again.
His deep chortle moved her to giggle. He suddenly reached out his hand to brush a lock of hair from her face. His touch was gentle and easy, like a cool breeze on a summer night. Catherine felt a tingle of heat waft through her, moving her to hold her breath.
Noah finally answered her question. “There’s really nothing to tell. I’ve been focused on my career. And no, I never married. I have no children and no drama in my life other than things my siblings manage to get themselves into. And now, here we are.”
She nodded. “Here we are.”
Noah took his own deep breath. “So tell me about you. About your personal life when you weren’t building a multi-million-dollar empire.”
“Doing that didn’t leave me much time for anything else.” She let out a low sigh.
“Do you regret it?” Noah asked, noting the expression that crossed her face.
She shook her head. “Not at all. I still have time. It’s not like I’m that old.”
“That’s true.”
“Do you regret not having a family yet?”
Noah pondered the question. He’d never really given it any thought. He’d been taking care of people since he’d been a boy. Truth be told it was really all he knew. Being the oldest, he’d always been responsible for his younger brothers and sisters. He’d stepped in to do what their wayward father had refused to do and what his mother hadn’t been able to do by her lonesome. He didn’t miss not having kids because he felt like he’d already raised four of them. But he did miss companionship and having a partner by his side to share his life with.
He met the curious look she was giving him. “I guess regret is not the right word. I wish things were different but the right woman just never came along.”
“Until now?” Catherine’s eyes were wide, her brazen remark surprising them both.
He laughed, his gaze narrowing slightly. “You never know.”
Her smile was wide and bright, warming his spirit. “Noah Stallion, I do believe you are blushing!” she exclaimed, trying to deflect the attention back on him.
“I’m sure I am. I’m not use to a woman putting me on the spot like that.”
“Oh, yes, you are. I’m sure women put you on the spot all the time.”