Running From Noel Read online

  Running From Noel

  A Very Alpha Christmas

  Janae Keyes

  Edited by

  Deliaria Nicole Davis

  Running From Noel: A Very Alpha Christmas

  Copyright © 2019, Janae Keyes

  All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. References to real people, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely fictional and not meant to be considered real.

  Cover Design by.

  Shannon Youngblood

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Janae Keyes

  Prologue

  Everly

  Fall Semester 2008

  His gaze continued to penetrate through me as we sat across from one another in the sweltering old library. My eyes peered up into his for a split second. The green pierced right through me as I anxiously glanced away. Feeling my cheeks warm slightly, I buried my face deeper into my textbook to avoid his gaze.

  I didn’t understand the way he made me feel. There was nothing remotely attractive about the insufferable and cocky Noel Canali. Well, there were his dreamy green eyes, deviously sexy smile, and his hair that I couldn’t help but have the ache to run my fingers through. Even with all that made him the pinnacle of hotness, his personality killed it for me, but his eyes though. Sigh.

  Letting out a grunt of frustration, I slammed my textbook onto the table and peered out the windows to the snow falling outside. I wasn’t the biggest fan of winter, especially going to school on the East Coast, and I couldn’t wait to get back home to California. I sighed loudly at the simple thought of having to walk outside in the fresh snow.

  “Someone is cranky,” Noel mentioned as he leaned back in his chair and gave me that knee-weakening smile and raised his eyebrows.

  “Yeah, I am,” I confessed. “We’ve been over this chapter three times and you still aren’t getting it. Honestly, I know most of the questions on our final will be over this chapter, it is the hardest and has the most information. Can you at least try?”

  “I’m trying over here, honeybuns,” he said nonchalantly as he placed his hands behind his head leisurely. He didn’t look like he was trying.

  “Look, I agreed to tutor you and help you pass this test, but you need to work with me here.” I didn’t have time to waste on him with my own test to worry about, but he came to me with an offer I couldn’t refuse.

  He was desperate for a tutor and the rich, little Italian boy was willing to give me five grand. It was five thousand dollars more than this girl had and with my mom going through cancer treatments that our family could barely afford; it was something to help my parents with some bills.

  “I’m trying, fuck.” Noel leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands. “It’s just a lot. You know?” This loud and obnoxious cocky guy was opening up. I sat back in my chair without a word.

  I knew school was hard. I’d busted my ass to get this far. From undergrad to law school, it was all a challenge, but I applied myself every moment I could, even with my mom back home in her current condition. I had to be a success to get my family out of poverty.

  “Do you ever feel like you aren’t where you’re supposed to be, but a certain level of success is expected of you?” He clearly wanted an honest answer by the way he peered at me.

  “I know I’m exactly where I need to me,” I proclaimed instantly. I knew I was meant to be a lawyer from the time I was ten years old. It was a dream I held onto and would achieve. “God, how did you even pass the LSAT?”

  “Do you really want to know?” There he was with that raised eyebrow again. I shook my head not wanting to know the dirty things he did to get himself into law school in the first place. “I don’t know. Criminal law really isn’t my thing.”

  “Too bloody for you?” I smirked as I remembered seeing him squirm in class when looking at some pretty grimy crime scene photos while we examined a case.

  Noel chuckled. “Just a tad. What kind of law do you see yourself practicing?”

  “Any kind that will get me a job,” I answered truthfully. A job with a living wage was a dream. I was already working two jobs plus tutoring to pay for my education while rich kids like Noel could throw money around like candy on Halloween.

  “I think something a little more white-collar like corporate law attracts me,” Noel thought aloud.

  A throat clearing interrupted us and we both jumped at the sight of the librarian standing at the end of our table. I’d gotten to know the older woman with pronounced crow’s feet around her eyes from the ever-constant scowl she gave every single student that stepped through the doors.

  “Fair warning, twenty-five minutes until closing and I want to be out of here on time,” she grumbled as she eyed our ginormous stack of books on the table. I knew that look, she expected us to put them away.

  “Somebody’s got a hot date tonight,” Noel joked. I rolled my eyes as I stood and began grabbing some of the books off the table. “What are you doing?”

  “Putting the books away. I don’t need a bad rep with the librarian. She can be pretty cool at letting me stay after hours sometimes because I’m on her good side and I put my own books away,” I continued what I was doing. I wasn’t going to mess up the hookup I had. The library was the only quiet place I had to study. I lived in a cramped apartment with four other roommates and there wasn’t going to be any studying going on at all.

  Noel watched me as I packed up my bag and finished stacking the books we’d taken from the shelves for our study session. It would be our last session before the exam, and it was up to Noel to retain the information to at least get a passing grade.

  Gathering the pile, I struggled with the books and they nearly toppled over out of my arms before Noel jumped in and stopped the books from falling before he took half the stack in his hands.

  “I might as well be useful, eh?” he asked with that trademark devilish smirk that made me shake my head at how lustful I was. I wasn’t that girl. I wasn’t one to drop my panties for the ridiculously hot guy just because he looked my way. College wasn’t for sex. College was for getting my degree and making something out of myself.

  “Come on, let’s just get these put away,” I huffed in partly mock annoyance.

  Honestly, I did like studying with him. It gave me another person to connect with in quiet moments between my crowded apartment, hectic work schedule, and long classes.

  Stepping through each row, we carefully put our books back into place before we were left with the last few which came from the older textbooks in the basement. As I stepped toward the door that leads down into the depths of the stone building, Noel touched my arm to stop me.

  “What’s up?” I asked as I twirled back to face him. I saw concern in his eyes. I chuckled as I turned away and faced the door again. It was sweet that he was worried though. “We’re only going down to the archived books. We are allowed down there.”

  Springing open the heavy door. The dusty scent of old paper wafted into my nostrils. I loved that smell. Sometimes I wondered if in another life I was a librarian. Books gave me this thrill and the older th
e better.

  With Noel behind me, we trotted down the metal staircase and into the depths of the library. As far as we could see there were rows and rows of old books covered in dust. Most hadn’t been touched in years. As we walked along down to where I’d gotten our books, I could hear Noel’s breath.

  “Does anyone else ever come down here?” Noel asked as we arrived at a dust covered shelf that had clear disturbance marks.

  “Nope,” I answered easily as I motioned for Noel to hand over the books he held.

  As he handed them over, his fingers just slightly grazed my hand. My entire body shivered at the jolt that rushed through my body at his simple touch. Trying to ignore my palpitating heart, I continued to put the books away and slapped my hands together to get rid of the dust they’d collected.

  Turning to Noel, I gasped as I realized he was much closer. Our bodies were barely an inch apart. He raised a hand and used his finger to move one of my braids from my face, the tip of his finger just grazing my cheek before he settled the braid behind my ear.

  “We should...umm...get out of here,” I stumbled over my words before swallowing hard.

  “Do I make you nervous?” His voice was a low and menacing hum as he took another step and closed the gap between us, his body pressing to mine.

  “Nervous?” I questioned with a shaking voice. “No.”

  “Are you sure?” He raised an eyebrow as his hand gripped my hip and pulled me into him. “You seem a little...nervous. I kind of like it. It’s sexy.”

  A smirk came across his lips before he licked them.

  His breath on me and the smell of his cologne made me dizzy.

  “You want me to kiss you, don’t you?” The thumb of his free hand ran over my pouty lips. My breath hitched at his touch.

  Physically, yes, I was attracted to Noel, I would admit that. I would also admit being so close to him was giving me a natural high, and my desire was burning from inside.

  The only thing which held me back for a moment was knowing he had a reputation. He was known for hitting it and quitting it. Girls fell all over him, only to have their hearts broken. I knew better and knew I had to protect myself from his spell, but it was hard when he touched me the way he did.

  “Yes,” the word slipped from my lips easily before he crushed my body into the nearest wall and his lips latched onto mine with eager intensity. Fuck, I was doomed from the moment he kissed me.

  His tongue fought with mine and his hands studied my body in ways his brain should be taking in our class work. With a hand under my sweater, his fingers grazed over my stomach and up my torso until they slipped under my bra and roughly handled my nipple.

  I gasped against his mouth at his tantalizing touch. Noel knew every right move and did so swiftly and easily.

  Unable to help it, I began to unbutton his jeans. I was crazed by him and not using my brain. I wasn’t thinking at all and just did what my body wanted me to do. Noel removed his hands from my shirt and began to work on my jeans.

  It didn’t take long before we were both naked from the waist down and my shirt was disheveled. Without much effort, Noel lifted my body and my legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed inside me. I gasped as my head hit the brick wall behind me. My fingers gripped onto him as I ached to feel more.

  Slowly, Noel pulled slightly out before slamming back into me. I could barely breathe at the sensual assault on my body and senses.

  “Fuck, you’re so fucking tight, Everly,” Noel grunted as he slammed back into me for what felt like the millionth time, but each time felt like pure heaven. I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue. It was so sexual and desperate. He only drew me into him more. “You know this pussy is mine?”

  “Yes,” I gasped aloud into the thick air of the practically abandoned library basement. “All yours.”

  In all honesty, I could have been going insane but at the moment I didn’t care. All I wanted and needed was Noel. This was a pretty damn good Christmas gift.

  With one hand gripping my ass to keep me in place, Noel’s other hand was gliding up my shirt and back under my bra. The electricity of his fingertips on my skin was like fireworks to my overindulging brain.

  “Cum for me, Everly,” he whispered in my ear.

  I was already so close but holding back as I didn’t want to scream out in the library, but I couldn’t stop it and allowed myself that release. I screamed his name out into the air as he gripped onto me harder, my own name on his lips.

  I’d never been the type of girl to hook up, but tonight was different. It all felt different. I shook my head to remind myself that this wasn’t love. This was a quick fling before the semester ended. Noel Canali didn’t want anything more with me than what we’d just had.

  Noel allowed my feet to the ground and I suddenly heard the school’s clock tower toll. Shit, we had to get out of the library before we were locked in.

  “We should go,” I told him as I began to grab my discarded clothes from the floor. “The librarian is going to hate us.”

  “Yeah, let’s roll,” Noel noted as he also started to get dressed.

  The two of us were finally dressed as we jogged up the staircase and into the library. Finding our table, we snatched up our belongings and began toward the front door where the librarian stood sneering at us while she stood with her arms crossed and a foot tapping.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled as we passed her and exited the old building.

  Standing outside in the cold with a few snowflakes falling. I glanced up at Noel who was watching me intensely.

  “I hope you do well on the final,” I said as I shivered at the cold. I had to pick a school on the East coast when I was longing to be back home in California. I couldn’t wait until the last of the finals and I’d be on a plane to spend Christmas with my family.

  “Hopefully, but I think with your help I’ll do better than I would have.” Noel gave me a smile. “Want to come to my place? We can warm up.” He winked at me.

  I knew Noel wasn’t the type of guy I was looking for, plus, I wasn’t looking in the first place. I had school to focus on, not a relationship nor some random hookup. Noel and I would have just that moment in the library and nothing else. I wouldn’t be the next girl crying about how she had her heart broken by the infamous Noel Canali. Nope, not me.

  “Sorry, I still have some studying to do. I was going to head home and do that.” I offered a shrug.

  “Oh, okay. I’ll see you around though. Maybe we can get dinner one night. I know this great Italian place not far, one of my distant cousins or something owns it. The food is great,” Noel rambled on about this place that apparently always had a spot for him when he made a phone call.

  “Yeah, I’m going home in a couple of days.”

  “Well, after break.”

  “Mmmhmm, after break.” I gave him a quick wave before I turned away from him and carefully jogged down the snow-covered stairs and hugged my coat around my body.

  Every place he touched was still red hot and burned for more, but I couldn’t turn around. There was no turning back to Noel. I had to run from him and into my future.

  Chapter 1

  Noel

  11 Years Later - December 2019

  “Son of a bitch,” I growled as I punched my steering wheel. LA traffic was fucking hell and I was already running late on my first day. Jesus Christ this was a nightmare.

  Everyone around me inched toward their destination and I clearly spotted my highway exit coming up. It wasn’t even a mile away. I was close, yet so fucking far.

  It was nearly Christmas and to be in my convertible with the top down and sunglasses on was a little unreal to me after growing up in the Boston area. I was used to the snow and freezing cold; not palm trees and sunshine. LA was dramatically different but where I’d decided to start over after I’d snagged my latest job.

  Giving up with the traffic, I snatched my opportunity and slipped into the emergency lane and sped toward my exit. If I got a ticket
, oh fucking well. I had to get to work and not look like a total shit hole on my first day. My parents always told me that being timely showed great work ethic. Maybe that was why I was always so fucking late everywhere.

  Getting off the highway, I could already see the high rise building I was going to start working at today. It’d been a long road for me. I wasn’t the most studious guy, but my parents expected a lot from me. I had to push past what I wanted, which was partying and girls, and give my parents the satisfaction of knowing they’d raised a decent guy they could brag about.

  Law school was shit and I was terrible at it, but somehow, I passed enough to get my law degree. Now, the Bar exam was another hurdle. I took that shit six times before I finally, barely passed. I was a lawyer.

  Arriving at the valet parking, I tossed the valet my keys and handed him a hundred-dollar bill.

  “Don’t scratch my baby,” I noted to the young guy who could only give me a huge grin at my extravagant tip.

  I spun through the revolving doors into the air-conditioned building. I shook my head at the thought of the A/C running in the wintertime as I arrived at the elevator. I’d only been to the office once before, but my memory served me well as I pressed the button for the twenty-second floor.

  As I stepped inside, others joined me in the elevator and pressed the buttons for their prospective floors. In front of me was a dream. She stood on heels that made her chocolate legs look deliciously warm. Her skirt wasn’t short but hugged her round ass nicely. I licked my lips at the sight of her back but couldn’t see her face.