The Dealers

Chapter 15 - Lena

Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee pouring in from the kitchen, I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed. The sun had barely risen but the clatter coming from my kitchen and the realization that Noah was still in my house, jolted me awake.

Slipping on some sweatpants under my sweatshirt, I rushed into the adjacent bathroom to brush the tangles from my curls and brush my teeth. Finally heading out into the living room, I could see Noah's finely tuned backside as he stood shirtless in my kitchen.

Good Lord.

Before he noticed me standing there, I drank him in completely. Sober compared to the night before, I couldn't help but admire how easy his was on the eyes. His backside was chiseled like his frontside and he loomed over the stove charmingly as I heard the sizzle of bacon hit the frying pan.

Turning around, his dark joggers hung low on his hips and I couldn't help but get lost in him. He smiled at me and I bit my lip, trying to stifle the urges that were still lingering from the night before.

As tempted as we both were to take things to the next level, we somehow had the will power to hold back. Waking up that morning, I still couldn't believe that despite things getting alarmingly close, we were able to settle ourselves. Being close to ripping each others clothes off, lips burning from being pressed so forcefully against one another, we somehow reigned ourselves back to heel.

Partly, it was my fault because as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was still apprehensive to go there with Noah. He was leaving. That was the short of it and no matter how we tried to finagle it, he would be gone soon. Yes, he promised that he would find a way but that wasn't a guarantee. Anything could happen and what would I have then besides a broken heart?

On the other hand, Noah pulled back as well. I could tell that he wanted to respect my wishes but there was something else looming in the concern on his face. I couldn't quite place it but if neither of us put the brakes on last night, things would have ended very differently.

So, there we both were in my kitchen. Noah was cooking for me and I never thought I'd see the day a gorgeous, shirtless man would be in my kitchen making me breakfast—after sleeping on the couch while I slept soundly in my bed alone, no less.

"Good morning." He smiled as he turned back to tend to the food on the stove.

I admired him as I walked over to the pot of coffee that was nearly finished brewing. Pulling two cups down from the cabinet, I continued watching Noah as he worked. It was a beautiful sight.

"Enjoying the view?" He teased as he stood there and allowed me to gawk at him.

I poured us each a cup of coffee as I gestured to the sweatsuit I was wearing in comparison.

"I am." I teased.

Letting the strong, glorious aroma of the coffee hit my nostrils, I inhaled it slightly while allowing it to cool. The heat from the mug tickled my face as I cautiously took the first sip.

Drinking our coffee, Noah pulled the finished eggs and bacon from the stove and tossed them on a nearby plate. He turned off the stove and strutted over to where I leaned against the counter.

Not having a lot of space in my small kitchen, I welcomed the close proximity we were in. Although things cooled off between us the night before, it didn't mean that we weren't drowning in our urges to finally be together.

Those urges radiated off of us and the pull between us became palpable.

"Hungry?" Noah teased as he leaned in closer.