Chapter 197

“Are you sore here, too?” he murmured. My face flushed; my teeth instinctively worked my lower lip. But I nodded, wanting to see how far he would go.

Slowly and gently, but firmly, he pressed into my thighs. I squirmed, my hips grinding against the soft cushion. Was he going to…? A soft gasp escaped my lips as his fingers moved upward, no longer kneading my muscles, but reaching…for my panties. Like an electric shock, they pressed against the thin lace.

My mouth hung open, but his gaze didn’t waver. Those deep, dark green eyes bored into me as his fingers pressed harder, deeper, until I thought I might lose myself. And all the while, he never looked away.

I didn’t know what was happening, why he was doing this. But I knew why I didn’t move: I wanted it. This. Him.

But it was over as quickly as it began. With a flick of his wrist, he withdrew his fingers from beneath my skirt, slowly raising them to the light. My face flushed even harder at the sheen on his fingertips. I was wet. Gushing, really.

For a moment, I wondered what Noah might do—leap onto me? Take me there, on the living room floor? Or maybe flee? He did none of those things. He sighed, wiped his fingers on his trousers, and stood.

“Goodnight,” he muttered, turning and striding from the room.

Noah’s POV

Noah tossed and turned, the springs of the guest bed creaking. Goddess, he needed a better bed; this was hardly better than the office sofa.

Sighing, he sat up, swung his legs over the edge, and padded shirtless toward the kitchen for water.

“Noah…”

A soft voice stopped him in the dark hallway. His heart pounded. He expected Hannah—a nightmare, perhaps? Or maybe she couldn’t sleep?

But Hannah wasn’t there. The sound came from the next room—their marriage bed, now her private chamber. The door was slightly ajar, a dim light spilling into the hallway.

Chapter 197 + 25 Bonus

“Noah…”

Frowning, Noah leaned closer. If she needed him, she could have called louder instead of whispering like a ghost. But as he approached, he realized she wasn’t calling him—not really.

Carefully, he peered through the crack. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Hannah lay with her head and shoulders beneath the thin white sheet, eyes closed. But she wasn’t sleeping. Her hands moved under the covers.

Her hands moved…

“Noah,” she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. “Oh…”

Noah froze. The bedside lamp cast a gentle glow on her slender frame, illuminating the silhouette of her nude body, her back arching, her fingers swirling.

Was she…?

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, a gasp of fear escaping her lips. Noah slipped behind the wall before she saw him.