to explain herself.
“Realize what?” Noah persisted.
“I don’t think you realize the power you have with women. You’re the whole package. You’re intelligent, good-looking, well-rounded, good-looking, kind, good-looking...”
Noah laughed, a wave of embarrassment flushing his face. “I got the good-looking.”
“And that’s my point. You don’t see what women do so you’re not full of yourself or arrogant, and that makes you even more desirable. I bet half the time you don’t even know when women are hitting on you.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I don’t.”
“Which leaves you blushing a lot, I’m sure.”
“So, are you hitting on me?” His expression was just shy of smug.
She smiled, meeting his gaze evenly, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she took a slow sip of her drink. The look she gave him made Noah laugh heartily. She changed the subject.
“I was sorry to hear about your mother passing,” she said, her tone soft.
“Thank you.” Their gazes locked for a moment before Noah dropped his eyes to the space of sofa between them.
“Is your father still living?”
Noah shrugged his broad shoulders. “He is, but we never knew our father. You might know him, though. Nolan Perry?”
Her eyes widened. “Reverend Perry is your father?”
Noah nodded. “The one and only. My mother followed him here to Utah from Texas when she was fifteen. He was the love of her life but he abandoned her and never had anything to do with us kids.”
She pressed a hand against his arm as he continued.
“I went to see him once but he wouldn’t even speak to me.”
“I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”
He shrugged again. “It is what it is. I don’t think about it much anymore.”
A look of sadness flashed in his eyes, and Catherine sensed that wasn’t quite true.
“You came from a big family, didn’t you? You had a lot of brothers and sisters, right?”
“Two brothers and two sisters. My brother Nicholas plays football for Los Angeles and his twin, Nathaniel, is an orthopedic surgeon.”
Catherine nodded. “I remember the twins.”
“And then there’s my sister Naomi. She’s a holistic life coach, and my baby sister, Natalie, is a high-fashion model.”
“I don’t remember Natalie but I know Naomi. She and Crystal are good friends. Crystal uses a ton of her hair care products.”
“Naomi’s actually built a very successful organic health care business. I’m very proud of her.”
“I don’t remember you guys socializing much while we were in school.”
Noah shrugged. “We couldn’t afford it. Besides, you and your click weren’t interested in hanging out with us poor kids.”
“That’s not true. I remember we spent a lot of time together after football practice and at the games.”
Noah laughed. “I remember you used to give me a hard time.”
She grinned. “See, I was even hitting on you back then and you didn’t have a clue.”
Noah thought back to the times they’d spent together. Catherine and her friends hadn’t cut him any slack. The teasing had been formidable. A slow smile pulled at his mouth. Back then, Noah didn’t say much but he didn’t run from situations, either. Having the cheerleaders hanging on him had, in some ways, been a badge of honor, giving him favor among his peers. But what he remembered most about that time was that it had taken little for them to leave him hard and wanting. Back then a warm breeze would leave his teenaged body with an erection. Catherine Moore and the cheerleading squad were a warm breeze times ten. He laughed out loud, and Catherine laughed with him.
Before either realized it, they’d been talking for almost two hours. It was almost midnight, the bar had closed and they were still sitting together in the hotel’s lobby, completely enamored with each other. Noah had never told anyone as much about his childhood as he found himself sharing with Catherine. They talked about his family, her parents, their dreams and their fears. They had more in common than not and they made each other laugh. Their conversation was comfortable and easy and Noah imagined that it could have lasted forever without any effort.
“So, what made you want to leave your job?” Catherine asked. “You sound like you really enjoy what you do.”
“I actually haven’t made a decision. I was very flattered that your organization was interested in me but I’m not sure if that’s what I really want for myself.”
“So there’s still a chance that you might not work for Fly High?”
“There is.”
She pondered his statement for a moment. Crystal’s comment days before suddenly popped into her thoughts. She had never before given any consideration to pursuing a relationship with a Fly High employee. But technically, Noah didn’t work for her, and might not ever.
Noah stared intently as she drifted off into thought, his gaze skating over her face as he inhaled her features. Catherine Moore was incredibly beautiful. Her complexion was a warm coffee with much cream and her features were fine and delicate. There was an air of fragility about her, her cover-model looks belying her authoritative personality. It was her strength that he found most attractive. Everything about her moved him like no other woman before her. He found the sensation only slightly unnerving.
She suddenly stood up, turning to stare down at him. A wave of anxiety flitted across her face as she looked him in the eye. “So, either this is going to be a monumental mistake or it’s not.” She took a deep breath and then another, blowing the air out in a loud gust. “I think we have great chemistry, Noah Stallion. And since you don’t work for me yet and I think you and I could be very good together, would you like to come up to my room?” Her hands were clenched in tight fists at her sides, her nervousness blanketing her posture. “And please don’t think this is something I do often, because it’s not,” she said, suddenly feeling like she needed to explain herself. “You’re the first man I’ve ever invited back to my hotel room like this.”
Noah moved onto his feet beside her. He stepped in close, and she gasped, the nearness of him so intense that it drew the oxygen from her lungs. When he eased an arm around her slim waist and pulled her even closer, she thought she might faint. She grabbed the front of his leather jacket to steady herself, her hands grazing his chest.
“What’s going to happen if I do take the job?” he questioned, his voice dropping to a loud whisper. “If we do this, then how...” His voice trailed.
She took another deep breath. Her eyes darted back and forth, purposely trying to avoid his. “We’re both adults. If you do decide to take the job I think we can be mature about the whole thing. I just know that...well...I just know what I’m feeling right now.”
“And what’s that? What are you feeling?”
She finally lifted her eyes to his, falling headfirst into the stare he was giving her. In that moment everything in her head became a muddled mess. Seconds earlier it had all made sense, now it didn’t.
“I... Well...we...” she stammered. Her face was flushed, heat tinting her cheeks a brilliant shade of red.
Noah puller her even closer. Both his hands snaked from the curve of her waist to around her back. She felt amazing in his arms, like she’d been born to be there. He dropped his head slightly, his mouth just millimeters away from hers. His warm breath was teasing and her own lips parted in anticipation. Noah hesitated as he pressed