Running From Noel Read online

  “That baby is going somewhere, just like her mama.” Auntie Gracie gave me a reassuring wink.

  She knew more than anyone how I’d felt like a failure. I’d come home to take care of my mom only to find out I was pregnant. It was as if I’d come home with my tail between my legs, dropping out of law school, and failing to meet my potential. I’d originally planned to go back to school after taking time off, but ending up pregnant, I couldn’t go back. I had to find a new path.

  “And her father,” I allowed free with a sigh.

  “Her father?” Auntie Gracie paused and stared me down.

  I never mentioned Madison’s father. I’d only told my family he was a one-night stand and I didn’t know his name or any information about him. That was a bold-faced lie. I knew exactly who her father was.

  It was the very man who walked into my office this morning, Noel Canali.

  “Yeah,” I admitted with a shrug. “I never thought I’d see him again. Not since the night, we … well yeah.”

  “The night you got yourself knocked up, go on.” Auntie Gracie stood with her hands on her hips as she waited for the rest of what I had to say. Fuck, there was so much to say but I didn’t know how to compartmentalize all my emotions.

  “He started working at my firm today. I’m still in shock,” I admitted before stuffing the rest of the roll into my mouth. It was definitely time to eat my feelings.

  “Does he know about Madi?” she asked concerned.

  I shook my head. “I never wanted anything with him. He’s this rich playboy who just got me under his spell one night in the library. Now? Oh my God, I have no idea what to do. I know he needs to know but how do I tell him I had his child ten years ago and kept her a secret from him?”

  “I ain’t have no idea in hell but it would be nice for Madison to know her father. And wait, did you say rich?”

  “He comes from a pretty wealthy family and he’s a corporate lawyer now,” I explained.

  “You’ve been busting your behind all these years and this man could have been providing for this child?”

  “I wanted to do it on my own. I didn’t need his help. I didn’t want to be that girl.” I mean what kind of woman would that make me? I didn’t know how he’d take it then and I sure as hell didn’t know about now.

  “Are you going to tell him?” She asked.

  I shrugged. I didn’t know what to even think yet alone telling him about our daughter. “I told you how it would be good for her. She came home today telling me that there was a father-daughter holiday dance happening at school. All her friends are going with their dads, but she doesn’t have a dad to take her.”

  Guilt instantly gripped the strings of my heart. Madison was constantly missing out on events like this and every single time I felt guilty. I didn’t even list a father on her birth certificate. Madison had nothing to cling to when it came to a father, but I’d made my bed and I was in it.

  “Maybe it’s just the right gift this Christmas,” Auntie Gracie said with a nudge.

  “A dad for Christmas?” I rose my eyebrow as I looked at my aunt.

  “Yeah, a dad for Christmas. Sounds like a Cinderella story, a Christmas miracle.”

  I smiled. It really did but I knew it wouldn’t work out that way. Noel was bound to have some resentment toward me for keeping Madison a secret from him for ten years. It was Christmas at least and maybe he’d see it as a gift too. If I could bring myself to do it, but that meant actually facing him. And that meant facing those feelings which bubbled up from the moment I saw him this morning.

  Arriving home after dinner with Auntie Gracie and my Uncle Joe, Madison got straight to her homework as she did every night. I helped her when she needed, and we had ice cream sundaes for dessert.

  “There is a flyer for the father-daughter Christmas dance in my backpack. You can just throw it away,” Madison mentioned to me as she climbed into her bed. There was that guilt again, buzzing through my veins. I could hear the disappointment in my little girl’s voice.

  Glancing down at her, she peered up with her bright green eyes. People always complimented her eyes. They were exactly like Noel’s, no mistaking that one.

  I sat on the edge of Madison’s bed and stroked her smooth cheek with my thumb. I remembered the early days of being a single mother to my beautiful daughter. I had this tiny little apartment not far from campus. My Aunt Gracie would come by and baby sit while I was in class and she’d sit with Madi while I studied.

  “I’m the only one of my friends not going. Even Casey’s dad is flying in from New York City,” Madison mentioned in awe of her friend’s dad flying all the way across the country to be at the dance.

  “I’m sorry, babes,” I sighed, knowing I had the power to change her sadness but that meant owning up to my own shit. “How about we go to San Diego?”

  “Yes! I want to go to the zoo,” Madison squealed.

  “All right sounds like a mother daughter date to me,” I beamed down at her before kissing her forehead. “Night-night my little bug.”

  “Goodnight Mom, I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I whispered down to her before giving her forehead another kiss and standing up.

  I strolled to her door and flipped the lights off before closing the door behind me to allow her to drift into dreams of a weekend at the San Diego Zoo and not the fun she’d be having at some lame father daughter dance. I knew I couldn’t keep the sadness from her forever, but I’d do my best to distract her while I could.

  Entering the kitchen of the condo I shared with Madison, I went directly for my wine fridge and pulled out a bottle of red wine and poured myself a glass. With my glass of wine in hand, I flipped off the light in the kitchen and took a leisurely stroll toward my bedroom.

  I passed through my bedroom quickly and went directly into my bathroom where I flipped on the lights but kept them dim as I sat my glass on the edge of the tub and started to run myself a warm bath. After my day, I needed it badly.

  As the bath filled, I stripped away my clothes, starting with the skirt that hugged me tightly. I loosened it by the button and let it fall to the floor. I unbuttoned my soft blush shirt and dropped it into the now growing heap of discarded garments on my bathroom floor. My pantyhose, panties, and bra were next until I was completely bare.

  I pulled my hair until a bun on the top of my head and tiptoed to the tub where I turned off the water and dipped a toe in first. The heat engulfed me before I lowered my entire leg and my other joined it before I sunk into the water.

  I moaned as the heat wrapped itself around me. My limbs were finally coming loose after a long day.

  With a sip of wine, I closed my eyes and placed my head on the edge of the tub. I took another sip and another until I felt the alcohol begin to take effect on my body.

  Noel’s face entered my mind. He was still just as hot and just as infuriating as he was all those years ago but somehow, I still wanted the man. The ease at which he moved through the company rubbed off as arrogant even though it was just his overwhelming confidence that filled the air.

  I sighed as my hand entered the water, sliding over my breasts, down my stomach, and between my heated thighs. Noel still had this ridiculous bit of power over me, the same power he held that night in the library.

  Even though it was just a quickie, it was still some of the best sex I’d ever had in my life. Nothing came close to it. Noel just had something about him that even made a quickie stand out above everything else.

  My legs spread for my fingers as they brushed over my curls and between my awaiting folds. A soft whimper left my mouth as I roamed over my clit, just brushing it enough before I rubbed over it again. This was single life for me. It was me in the bath with a glass of wine and my fingers between my legs, touching myself.

  I sat my glass of wine down as I upped the speed of my eager fingers and allowed my head to drop back. I imagined Noel’s face, his kissable lips, and that swagger he still held. I remembered the dis
tant feel of his hands on my body. I’d thought of that night so many times when I’d pleasured myself. It was still too good to be true, but it had happened once upon a time.

  With my fingers of my free hand gripping onto the edge of the tub, I bit down on my lip as I worked my way toward the height of pleasure. With the rapid movement of my hand and heavy breathing, I broke and allowed a small moan to escape my mouth.

  Sitting back in the tub, I picked up my glass of wine once more and took a long sip. I would have to tell him about her, but I didn’t quite know how. I wished that bitch fate would pop up and help me out. This was more of a Christmas nightmare than a miracle.

  Chapter 3

  Noel

  I stretched out over my bed and my arm contacted warm flesh. The night before came back to me. I had drinks with Ashlee. Getting her drunk was easy and she spilled all she knew about Everly which wasn’t much. Everly was good at keeping her business to herself and even a nosey one like Ashlee wasn’t able to get much information.

  Everly still remained this mystery.

  Ashlee got pretty smashed and I managed to call her a taxi to take her home, but this cute Brunette had caught my eye and I wasn’t going to let her get too far. Which I didn’t. Turning over in bed I opened my eyes to see her stretching as well. She was pretty fucking hot and an easy one-night stand, but I barely knew her name and the only name I wanted on my lips was Everly’s.

  I felt like I spent the night searching for Everly again with a stranger. I’d repeated that multiple times over and over again since that night eleven years ago. There was this connection we’d forged I could never let go. She still lingered after all these years and that meant something to me. It meant for the first time; something could be real.

  Allowing myself to rise, I allowed the girl in my bed to do what she needed to do. I slipped my boxers on and staggered into the kitchen for a hot cup of coffee. That would wake me up and force me to get into the day. I just knew it.

  Standing at my kitchen counter, I fumbled around with the machine until I was able to get coffee to emerge. The aroma of the roasted beans entered my nostrils and was already waking me up. I’d need to be as awake as possible if I was going to get a start on my already demanding new job and figuring out Ms. Everly Anderson.

  “Mmm you made coffee,” a seductive voice came from the kitchen entrance. The brunette whose name had slipped my mind was wearing my button up shirt from the day before.

  “Yeah, just something to wake me up before heading to work,” I mentioned casually as she approached me and ran the tips of her fingers over my chest. She was trying hard, but it wasn’t going to work. She was clearly another one nighter to me as every girl had been since Everly. Nobody could match her and had never matched her. “So, I’m going to take a quick shower. You can have a cup and then I’ve got to head to work.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her voice was small. She was disappointed but I couldn’t give her anything else. I could always fuck her again but that’s all she’d get, another fuck.

  I took my own mug of coffee and left her behind. I figured by the time I was out of the shower she’d have figured her way out of my apartment and that’d be that. Easy.

  After a long swig of coffee, I entered my bathroom and turned on the shower. The apartment I found at short notice was decent. It was spacious and when my friends finally managed to make their way out to visit, we’d have some epic parties in my bachelor pad.

  I stepped into the heated water and let it trickle over my body. With each pitter of the water on my skin, I thought of Everly. Her perfect dark skin, plump lips that I’d had the pleasure of tasting, and sensual hips that I clearly remembered the way they rolled over mine when I had her pinned to the wall of the library.

  My ears could almost hear the whisper of my name on her lips as she gasped for me. My fingers pulsed at the memory of digging into her doughy ass as I held her tightly to me. Everly was mine, she might not know it, but she’d been mine since that night. I’d never been able to let go and I was going to claim her as I should have that night.

  With my hand on my hard cock, I stroked at the memory of being inside her. I picked up my speed as I thought of how having her now might be. Her hips were wider and her body more experienced. She’d already broken me before and now it would be beyond fucking anything I could imagine.

  My balls tensed and I grunted her name with my teeth clenched before I spilled my load into the trickling of the shower.

  She’d been through some things since I’d last seen her. Everly was a mother now but one thing still remained, she was a fierce hard worker who kept her walls high. I had my work cut out for me, but I was going to fucking tear her walls down.

  Learning my lesson yesterday, I managed to get to work on time despite the LA traffic. Only on my second day and I was getting shit done. My job wasn’t too hard. I had to make sure that any of the advertising ideas, jingles, wording, and scripts weren’t copyrighted material and ensure that the firm nor the company hired by the firm could get sued for any of the content. I had some interesting advertisements already come across my desk from a tooth whitening chewing gum, to vodka, and flavored condoms.

  A highlight was spotting Ashlee, who didn’t arrive at work until nearly noon and was a gray-looking mess after drinking with me. She was still trying to flirt with me which was hilarious even though she smelled like straight booze still.

  The one person I didn’t see at all was Everly. I’d passed her office on multiple occasions, but her desk remained empty. I growled to myself as I passed by for what felt like the millionth time. Where the hell was she?

  I was frustrated as all fuck waiting for her to finally arrive in the office. Then I thought, maybe her daughter was ill or there was some type of emergency in her life. I was worried until I spotted the elevator open and Everly strolled in with a huge box of what looked like toy prototypes. She was the manager for the toy advertising department, it made sense.

  Deciding I’d take the time to mess with her. I left my office behind and stood in her doorway until she noticed me there. Her hooded eyes rose to meet mine. Fuck, she was hotter than I saw in my dreams. Her hair today was over her shoulder and she wore a form fitting red dress with her lips painted to match. The contrast of the red on her chocolate skin was enticing and the thought of her red lips sucking me off was making my cock strain in my pants.

  Damn, I was going to have her one way or another.

  “Having fun?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

  “A little,” she answered with a small smirk. “One of the companies I work with sent me this box of goodies. I’m going through it to see if I find anything for my daughter. Most of it is too kiddie for her but I’m bound to find something.”

  “What’s your daughter into?” I asked in honest intrigue.

  “Science. She loves science. She actually placed second in her class science fair yesterday. I wish I could have been there when she got her ribbon, but Mom has to work.” Everly shrugged but I saw a sadness wash over her. She was a badass for all she’d done and to have a smart kid on top of it. I was in awe. “I’m thinking of planning a trip up to UC Berkeley over spring break. I want to get her thinking about college. I know it’s early, but I want her intrigued. The Berkley Hall of Science is pretty boss, and I know she will die and go to heaven there.”

  “You’re one kick ass mom,” I let me thoughts flow out of my mouth unchecked.

  “Thanks. I do my best with her.”

  “She’s going to be successful, there is no doubt. I mean, you were the top of our class. You have the fucking brain of an elephant or whatever animal it is that doesn’t forget.”

  Everly laughed at my attempt to compliment her. “Thanks, I guess. I just hope she turns out better than me even but until then, I want to snag her another Christmas present from this box.” Everly was back digging through the box of gifted toys.

  “It doesn’t feel like Christmas. I’m used to fucking blizzards and shit. I g
et here and it is sunshine and palm trees. I realize now why you were always freezing at school. Coming from here into that was a huge difference,” I commented as I thought of how Everly was constantly wrapped in a million layers back in college. She was like a cute little Matryoshka doll, having to unpeel the layers until you go to her.

  I had the urge to unpeel her again, layer by layer to get to her warm center. Warm and dripping with honey.

  I shook my dirty thoughts from my head. First, I had to get her to go out with me. The office wasn’t the place for this. I had to get her out to dinner where we could really talk, especially after I got a couple drinks into her.

  “Winter in Boston as an LA girl was the fucking worst,” Everly laughed out loud. “I froze my ass off. I was so grateful to be back home in warm southern California. I don’t know how you people survive out there.”

  “I don’t know how you do Christmas with lights on fucking palm trees, it just isn’t right. We need snow, hot cocoa, and some mistletoe.” I made a mental note of that last bit, mistletoe. Chicks dug that kind of shit, at least it seemed like they did.

  “Welcome to California, East Coast Boy,” Everly winked at me. There it was, that sensuality about her I remembered laced with her feisty attitude. I loved all of that. It made her one of those girls worth fighting for in more ways than one.

  I’d never fought to have a girl in my life, but I was going to fight like hell for this one.

  Chapter 4

  Everly

  “Found one!” I pulled the science kit out of the box. It was a little young for Madison, but she would love it, nonetheless. It had a beaker, some random science things, and all the other stuff an emerging scientist would need to survive the apocalypse.

  “Looks like you did finally find one. What about this?” I watched as he reached into the box and pulled out a gem growing kit. How I had missed that I would never know, but I was grateful he had caught it.