Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 20: A Lazy Night In

    Clocking out of work, I keep my head down and try to hurry out the front to Noah's waiting car. It's been a long day with Sophia wanting to talk nonstop about Eddie and me having to keep my mouth shut and be cautious of every single thing I say. I manage to make it the car and climb in, but before Noah can put it in drive, Sophia is standing at my door, knocking on the window. I roll it down and plaster on the best fake smile I can muster up.

    "Hey Soph. What's up?"

    "I just wanted to see what you were doing Wednesday night. Eddie had a lot of fun the other night and wants to do it again if y'all are free."

    "Oh damn! We have plans that night for Noah's uncle's birthday, but maybe we can reschedule and do it over the weekend or something if he is free."

    "That sounds perfect! I'll talk to him later and let you know! I'm gonna run though. Have a good night y'all! See you tomorrow Emma!" Sophia turns and jogs away from the us and over to her car. As I roll my window back up, I lay back in my seat and let out a small sigh.

    "If I didn't know any better, I would say you are relieved that you have other plans on Wednesday, but surely I can't be right. You love hanging out with Sophia, so what's going on with you?" Noah asks, cutting his eyes in my direction before focusing back on the road.

    "Nothing is going on and I do love hanging out with her, but she has completely exhausted me today and I'm gonna need all week at least to recover." I reply, thankful that for once what I am saying isn't a complete lie. "She has talked and questioned me nonstop about this guy, Eddie ALL day and I'm not sure I can handle much more for a while."

    "I think you are in need of a long hot bath when we get home, how does that sound?" Noah chuckles at my clearly worn out face. "I'll even cook you dinner and serve you in the tub by candle light. A dinner fit for a queen." he smiles wide at me.

    "I've never been one to turn down food or a hot bath, so that all works for me. Now, hurry the hell up and get us home, because I'm ready to start my night." I sit up in my seat, my mood slightly brightened by the thought of what my evening holds. Once at home, Noah heads straight for our room and into the bathroom, starting a scalding hot bath for me, throwing in one of my favorite bath bombs when the tub is about half full. When it is completely full, he cuts the water and lights a few candles before coming into the room and slowly helping my strip from my work clothes, placing sweet, gentle kisses everywhere his hands touch on my body. The feel of his lips brushing against my bare skin holds no s****l sensation for me at this time, instead it relaxes me nicely. With me now completely naked, he takes my hand and guides me into the bathroom and just through the doorway, he scoops me into his arms and walks over to the tub, carefully lowering me into the steaming water; slow enough to allow my body to adjust to the heat. When he moves his arms from under me, I sink into the depth of the water, allowing it to consume me and ease my aching muscles. 

    "I'm gonna go start on dinner for you, love. I'll be back shortly to serve you." Noah bends down and places a kiss on my forehead before turning and leaving the bathroom, turning the light off behind him. The bathroom, lit only by the flickering flames of the candles, slowly fades from view as I drift off into a fairytale world in my head; a world free of lies and distrust. I'm not sure how much time has passed, but I am suddenly startled back to reality when I hear Noah walking into the room. "Hey beautiful. I picked up pizza and made a stop to grab your favorite wine and chocolates to go with it. I hope that's okay?"

    "Yummy! That's perfect baby!" I quickly jump up out of the tub and go to reach for my towel, when Noah stops me, grabbing ahold of my hand. "Umm.. Can I please get my towel sir?"

    "No you may not. Sit back down in the tub and enjoy your bath a bit more while you eat." Noah attempts to push my gently back down into the tub, but I refuse.

    "I'm done with the bath, babe. Now I just want to cuddle in bed with my sexy man while we stuff our faces with junk and guzzle wine." I smile big at him as I stretch around where he is standing and grab my towel. I wrap it tight around myself before stepping out of the tub and heading for the room. "I will let you drain the tub and blow out the candles for me though." I hear him chuckle softly behind me and then the sound of draining water takes over. Pulling open the dresser drawer, I grab a pair of panties and one of Noah's t-shirts and throw it all on, tossing my wet towel in the hamper. Walking over to the bed, I grab my phone up just as a message comes through from my dad.

    Dad: "My office tomorrow. 9 a.m. Come alone. Don't be late. Love you sunshine."

    I quickly swipe the message from the screen and stick my phone on the charger before laying myself across the bed to wait for Noah. What my dad found must not be good for him to reply the way he did, because normally he would just tell me in a text or call me, but not this time. I can feel my nerves starting to kick in, so I try to distract myself with channel surfing on the T.V. just praying that Noah will hurry up and come lay with me.

    "Okay babe. Everything is cleaned up in the bathroom, so now we can just eat, watch a movie or something, and enjoy our evening together; just you and I being lazy." Noah announces as he walks into the room and plops down on the bed beside me. "Here is your spill proof wine glass and chocolates and a plate for your pizza." he reaches over to the bedside table and grabs my stuff, handing it to me before picking up the pizza box and laying it on the bed in front of us. "Have you picked a movie or show you want to watch?"

    "Uhh yea, I think so. There is a Hilary Duff movie on, 'Raise Your Voice' and I haven't seen it in years. It's a chick flick, so  hope that's okay."

    "Of course it is my love. Tonight is all about treating you, so if a chick flick is what my girl wants, then that's what she gets." Noah leans over and kisses the top of my head and then quickly grabs the biggest piece of pizza and shovels it into his mouth, attempting to smirk at me around the saucey mess hanging from his mouth. I roll my eyes and laugh at how goofy he is and take this silly moment and stash it away in my memory bank for later.

    Halfway into the movie, we've finished the pizza and wine and I'm working on my chocolate, trying to eat it all before Noah steals anymore than he already has from me. Once done with everything, Noah clears the bed off and we cuddle into each other to finish the movie, only I never finish watching it. Somewhere between laying my head on Noah's chest and the end of the movie, I end up falling fast asleep and I remember nothing after that.

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    "Good morning my love. Rise and shine." Noah's hands gently shake me out of my deep sleep. The smell of strong coffee immediately hits my nose as I rub the sleep from my eyes and look around our too bright bedroom. "You're dad called about an hour ago to remind you of your breakfast date you promised him and I don't want you to be late." turning he picks up the coffee cup on the side table next to him. "I went ahead and made your morning coffee for you so that you could wake up and get moving in a good mood for your dad." he helps me sit up in the bed and then hands me the coffee, kissing my forehead softly.

    "What did I ever do to deserve you, handsome?" I lean over and kiss his lips gently, pulling away sooner than he would have liked. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you about breakfast. We made these plans weeks ago and it must have slipped my mind with everything going on."

    "It's okay, love. I know things have been rough lately. Plus, I have to work today and I really hated leaving you home alone, so I feel better knowing you will be with your dad. Now, get that cute little butt of yours up and dressed before your dad sends a search party after you." he snatches my now empty coffee cup from me, setting it down and then climbs out of bed, pulling me behind him. After getting dressed, I send a quick text to my dad letting him know I will be headed his way shortly so that he doesn't get mad if I'm late and then I follow behind Noah as he heads out of the room and to the living room.

    "I'm gonna grab a banana and head out to my dad's office so that I'm not late." I say to Noah as I walk past him to the kitchen, picking up a banana from the counter and then turning to go to the front door. I stop right in front of Noah on my way through the living room and give him a quick, gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you this afternoon when you get home from work. I love you."

    "I love you too, baby. Be careful on the road and I'll see you in a few hours." Noah kisses my lips softly, pulling away and hovering a fraction of an inch from my face. "Tonight I will treasure every inch of this beautiful body of yours." he whispers before kissing me one more time and walking away, sparking a fire deep inside me. "Have fun today babe." he calls over his shoulder as he heads over to the couch, smirking, and plops down. I walk slowly to the front door, smiling like a dork the whole way and grab my keys and purse before walking out the front door to my car.