The night of the festival, he came to pick me up, and when we arrived at the event, the car had to go through several checkpoints, as the streets had been closed down, just like they’d been at the Oscars.
He explained, “This film festival is tied into a street carnival that the city throws. Traffic will be insane afterward, so I rented a hotel room across the street so we can wait it out.”
I could see for myself why such a thing would be necessary. There were people everywhere; the car was moving along at a snail’s pace.
We finally made it to the theater where the awards were being given out. I saw a glimpse of his costar, Rubie Jorgenson, talking to a reporter. Reina and Morgan met us at the car. Reina was going to take Noah around to the fans and journalists, and Morgan was there to babysit me again and do whatever Reina needed.
Noah kissed me, promising to see me soon, and I could tell the exact moment when everybody realized that he was the one getting out of the SUV because of the explosion of lights and people screaming his name.
Once Rubie and Noah had both gone inside, Morgan had me get out of the car, probably under the assumption that nobody would care about me once the stars had left. She gave me a badge to wear and told me to guard it with my life, because it provided me with all access to the venue.
She took me backstage, and I really enjoyed listening to Noah talk about his role in the movie. He was witty and self-deprecating and intelligent and all-around delightful in his responses. Someone from the crowd yelled out, “Malec Shadowfire lives!” and he responded by laughing and saying he loved Malec and missed playing him.
After he finished, they brought out Rubie, and she was equally charming and also had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. They were both skilled performers, on-screen and off.
I watched as the president of the film festival presented them with their awards and they said a few words from the podium, thanking their professional teams, the cast and crew of the movie, the festival board members, and the fans for their support.
Morgan turned toward me. “Noah might take a little while to catch up with you. He’s still got some press to do and festival board members to thank personally. I can take you across the street to his room to wait for him.”
“Okay.”
There were so many people gathered on the streets, and I could smell funnel cake and hear the screams of people on rides. The carnival sounded fun, and I wanted to take Noah and check it out.
But then I realized I wouldn’t be able to do that. He had this room because he couldn’t mingle with everyone else and had to wait for the roads to clear up. That made me sad for him.
It made me sad for us.
At the hotel, Morgan gave me a key and told me the room number. That was another thing that I had forgotten about when it came to Noah—how often his life was handled and overseen by other people. It made the fact that he’d taken off for Vegas even more amazing.
The room was much plainer than the suites we’d stayed in. More like a regular hotel room, but with a big sitting area. I noticed a small blue-and-white cake on the table that again had the words Mazel tov written on it. I giggled, took a picture of it, and sent it to him with a question mark.
I’d been right in my assessment. He was absolutely the cutest. Even though either he or Kyle had forgotten about things like plates and forks. So I stole a very tiny (okay, not so tiny) chunk off the back, licking the frosting off my fingers.
Deciding that I probably shouldn’t eat any more until he joined me, I sat on the sofa and pulled out my phone. I played a couple of games to distract myself but then ended up doing something I’d told myself I wouldn’t—I googled Noah.
The most recent images were of him and me together. The one from Vegas was in such high definition that you could see all the flaws he didn’t have. There were also some from the kids’ birthday parties. The blogs were speculating about who I was and if I was dating Noah. I didn’t even bother looking at the comments, because I knew there wouldn’t be anything I wanted to see there.
It felt strange, almost surreal. He was this public person that the whole world knew and loved, but he was just Noah to me. Yes, he was an actor and had these roles, and while my brain understood that he was famous and had been before we’d ever even met, none of that mattered to me.
I looked at his picture from Las Vegas, the defiant look in his eyes, his firm lips, his strong hands, his broad shoulders, and couldn’t believe that I got to touch him, got to kiss him.
That I wanted to keep doing those things indefinitely.
About half an hour later, the door swung open, startling me. I’d been lost in thought, pondering my relationship with Noah and what I should do. I hadn’t arrived at any definitive solutions, but it struck me all over again how incredibly sexy he was when he grinned at me. “Sorry for taking so long.”
“It’s okay.” And it was. I was willing to wait for him.
Just like he’d been willing to wait for me.
He put his award down on the table and came over to me. His phone buzzed, and he checked it. “It’s from Ray. Traffic has lightened up enough that we could go. But one of the tires is completely flat and apparently there’s no spare. He has to wait for a tow truck, so we might be stuck here for a while. Any ideas on what we should do?”
“Some,” I said, standing up to meet him. My mouth had gone dry and my heart was beating hard in my chest as I thought about what I wanted to do. “I’ve been thinking about you teaching me and was wondering if maybe we could expand our lessons a little bit.”
Another grin from him. “I like where this is headed. Proceed.”
“I know how to kiss a guy now and how to not freak out after.”
“I’ve definitely taught you well,” he agreed.
“I love how humble you are about it and I hate to encourage you, but yes. So now, oh great and wise one, what would I do if I wanted things to go a little bit further? Not all the way, but maybe next level?”
Before he could respond, an earthquake rumbled through, briefly shaking the room around us. I put my hands against his chest, feeling like I might have another anxiety attack. “I hate earthquakes,” I muttered. I’d grown up in Southern California. I should have been used to them, but I’d never gotten to that point.
“It was just a little one,” he said. “It’s okay.”
“I’m someone who relies on the ground beneath my feet. I need that. Something that’s rock solid.”
“I’m solid.” He put his hands over mine on his chest. “Rock solid.”
He was. Not just physically, but emotionally, too. He’d always been someone I could rely on and trust.
Do the same thing for him. Tell him the truth. Show him he can trust you, that annoying voice said.
Okay. I was going to tell him. I tried ignoring the drumline that had set up residence in my heart and forced my mouth open to speak.
Then he took a step back and sat on the bed. He reached behind his head and yanked off his shirt in one clean motion.
All my reason and rational thought fled.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Oh my” was all my brain could come up with to say. He was magnificent. Perfectly sculpted, only the medium was flesh instead of stone. My eyes traveled from his well-formed shoulders to his ripped stomach. My fingers itched to touch him, all those symmetrical ridges and planes.