Page 13 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

THIRTEEN

Noah

“Alright, kid, it’s time for bed.”

During the first couple of rounds of Mario Kart , she struggled with the buttons, but since I picked the same map every time, she picked up on the mechanics after a few games.

“Awww, already?”

“Yeah, your sister will be mad that you’re up this late. The game is always here, so we can play whenever.”

“Do I have to play with someone?”

“No, you just have to make sure your homework is done and that someone is around until you know how to set it up.”

“Yes, sir,” she says with a smile.

I know Luna is worried that she might not do well with all the changes in a short amount of time, but I don’t think she realizes how well she did when she had to navigate everything on her own.

The difference is that Jess is in a healthy, supportive space and won’t feel like she has to be on the run.

I grab the controllers and dock them on the charger as Jess heads off to her bathroom.

When I check my watch, I see that I have about thirty minutes before Luna gets home. Doing a quick cleanup, I hear the water shut off in the bathroom and yell down the hallway, “I have your water bottle filled up and ready to go.”

She walks back into the kitchen in her pajamas and grabs it. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome. I can’t wait for you to try your next new food, but it’ll have to wait a couple of days because we need to see how the pizza reacts with your stomach. Now, off to bed with you. Holler if you need anything.”

“Okay, but next time we play that game, I’ll make sure I beat you every time.”

I laugh. “Whatever you say, squirt. Good night.”

“Good night, Noah,” she says and walks back to her room.

The closer it gets to the time Luna should be home, the more nervous I am.

What if she isn’t interested?

I don’t want to scare her away. But why would she ask me why I haven’t kissed her if she wasn’t interested?

Why is dating so hard the older I get?

Possible date night ideas have started to roll around in my head.

Maybe an early dinner picnic and some stargazing, but maybe that’s a stupid idea.

It’s been so long since I wanted to impress someone. Maybe I should just ask the girls what they think.

Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.

Checking my watch again, I see I still have like twenty minutes left. I grab my work laptop from my bag and sit at the island. Since I’m going to wait, I might as well work on the report for the vandalism call I took this afternoon.

As soon as I put the finishing touches on the report for not only the department records but the insurance claim, I hit save, making a mental note to talk to Mike about this because the damage done to the house is the worst I’ve ever seen and doesn’t seem like teenagers, or maybe I’m overreacting after everything that happened with Amelia.

I roll my head to the left and right to try and get the stiffness out. I love my job, but the desk work isn’t my favorite part.

How people sit at desks most of the day is beyond me.

My eyes snap to the door as the lock disengages. Seeing her walk through the door after a day at work stirs feelings in me I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

It’s like my soul settles when she’s around.

This is where she belongs, here with me. Now, I have to show her that I’m not just acting like a good Samaritan.

She hangs her keys up next to mine and toes her shoes off.

Her long hair is braided, as it is most days. Wearing a Griffin Farm’s Bed-and-Breakfast shirt and black leggings, she’s the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

She finally looks up, and the moment our eyes meet, she jumps up and brings her hand to her chest. “Holy smokes, Noah, you scared me.”

“Sorry, I was just finishing up a report for work.”

“I thought you would be in bed. How did it go with Jess this evening?” she asks.

“We had pizza. There are leftovers in the fridge on a plate for you.”

She walks into the kitchen. “Did she like it? Did it make her sick?”

“She asked for it. Well, she described it to me based on seeing the janitor eat it during lunch. She liked it, and no, it didn’t upset her stomach yet. Although I do think that if it does, it might be later in the night once her body digests it.”

“I hope she doesn’t have as much trouble as I did. I feel like I was sick for the first couple months after leaving The Family,” she says, opening the fridge to grab her plate.

“I do expect the cheese to give her a problem. Mostly because I don’t know how much dairy she had access to.”

“Not a lot, unless things changed in the last ten years,” she says as she heats her pizza.

“I also taught her how to play Mario Kart . I’m hoping she gets good enough that she can kick Sam’s ass.”

“You boys and that game.” She smiles, shaking her head, and walks to the island to sit and eat. “What’s your schedule like for the rest of the week?”

“I work all afternoon shifts and have this weekend off, and I’m not on call. What about you?”

“I also work the rest of the week, and I told Ann that I would come in if we have someone checking in on Saturday morning since we got a request but not an official booking. I was thinking about going to the farmers’ market with Jess on Sunday. Do you think it’s too soon to take her there?”

“No, I think if she sticks to either Am’s area or with Farmer Joe and his booth and isn’t serving customers, she should be okay. It’s honestly only a matter of time before she gets sick, but her immune system needs to build.”

She just nods as she finishes off her pizza, and I know it’s time to stop beating around the bush and bring up my feelings.

When she gets up and walks to the sink, I follow her and lean against the counter. “So a little birdie told me you were unsure about my feelings for you.”

She keeps rinsing the already clean plate. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re my friend.”

“And if I said I want to be more than friends?”

“I would say I’ve never been more than friends with anyone.”

She turns the water off, and I take the plate from her and dry it with the towel hanging by the sink.

Turning back to her, I place my hand on her shoulder so she faces me.

“I know, which is why I’ve been going slow.

I also had to work through my own stuff because my last relationship didn’t end on the best note.

I was afraid my feelings might scare you.

So, me not voicing my exact feelings for you is on me.

I like you, Luna. I told you the other day that I enjoy having you and Jess here and that you weren’t ready for everything I wanted.

I realize that saying that probably confused you more. ”

She nods but doesn’t say anything.

“So here’s the plan. Saturday evening, we’re gonna have the gang over for dinner and some games or a movie or whatever.

They’re all going to spend time with Jess, and that way, they can all get to know each other, so one or more of them can watch Jess while I take you out on our first date. How does that sound?”

“What if Jess isn’t comfortable with them?” she asks and bites her lip.

“That’s virtually impossible, but if she isn’t, then we’ll see if Joe and Ann can watch her for a couple hours.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Using my thumb to pull her lip free, I don’t even fight it anymore. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Her eyes go wide, and she nods.

I lower my head, and she brings her hands to my arms to steady herself as she rises to meet me. I stop myself from moving any further because I want her to make the first move to make sure I’m not pushing her to do anything she doesn’t want.

As soon as her lips meet mine, I fight to hold back the moan building in my chest. I slide my hand from her chin to the base of her neck, lightly pulling her hair to tilt her head the way I want.

Luna lets out a soft moan that is music to my ears.

Taking advantage, I softly lick her bottom lip, and as her tongue explores mine, I pull her closer. As my tongue rolls with hers, I know I have to end this before it goes further than I want it to tonight.

With one last kiss, I pull away and open my eyes. Seeing her with her eyes still closed, her lips swollen from my kisses, makes me want to beat my chest. As her eyes flutter open, her pupils are blown wide with a glassy look, and I bring my forehead to hers.

“More than friends, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, now it’s time for you to go to bed because we have to be up soon to take Jess to school.”

“Okay. If we’re more than friends, does that mean we can do that more often?”

A laugh bursts out of me. “Yeah, my Lunabella. We can do that more often.”

“Okay. I’m going to go get ready for bed now,” she says, but neither of us makes a move to leave first.

Realizing that I’ll have to break contact first, I lean down and kiss her forehead, then take a step back, adjusting myself.

Her eyes drop to my hand as I do, and she shoots her gaze back up to mine. I just shrug and tell her, “I can’t help it around you.”

“I made that happen,” she says, eyes wide.

And it hits me. I don’t know how much she knows about the birds and the bees. Do I have that conversation with her, or do I have one of the girls talk to her about it? Maybe a little of both.

“Yeah, baby, you did. I’ll see you in the morning. How do pancakes sound for breakfast?”

As she starts to back away, she says, “Sounds good to me. Good night, Noah.”

“Good night, Luna.”

With that, she turns around and walks down the hall, and I watch her until I can’t see her anymore. Once the door to the room she and Jess are sharing shuts, I check all the windows and doors and make sure my Taser and gun are secured before I head to bed.

Hopefully, we can go on a date sooner rather than later because I want that woman more than my next breath.

After climbing into bed, I shoot off a text to the guys, asking if anyone has any plans or is working on Saturday.

Not expecting a response since it’s late, I plug my phone in and set it on my nightstand.

The last thought I have is that it’s going to be a long week but so worth it.