Chapter 4
Andrea
He leaned down to experience the softness of her lips once more, to mate her tongue with his and blend their tastes until they were one and you could no longer distinguish which belonged to whom.
And then he heard it, the rattle of keys trying to find the lock and not succeeding, trying again until a frustrated groan escaped the owner of those keys, his sister, Andrea. He stepped back from Sophie, but she followed, trying to get closer.
“Sophie.” He said softly, but she had a mind of her own and was clearly not aware Andrea would enter the room at any moment. “Sophie, Andrea is home. Stop.” He said firmly, his hands on her hips pushing her gently away.
She finally seemed to recognize the ringing bell announcing someone was at the door, waiting very impatiently to be let in.
***
Huh? What...
Her insides felt like a nest of butterflies taking flight. She could not believe this just happened. Noah freaking Crawford had just kissed the living daylights out of her. And it was everything she ever imagined it would be, only about a thousand million times better.
Oh! My! God!
Her lips still tingled from where his explored and nibbled, his taste in her mouth when his tongue literally branded hers. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever competing with what she experienced only moments before.
She was still a little dazed, and the word surprised would be an understatement. To go from what she always believed, that he never even noticed her or cared about her the slightest bit, to him practically devouring her mouth and pressing that deliciously hard and incredibly aroused erection to her belly, making her moan with each slight, deliberate thrust of his hips, was a dream come true. And one she wouldn’t mind repeating over and over again.
She clung to his shoulders, his shirt, anywhere she could reach. She went on her tiptoes to get as close as possible and he obliged. He was still holding back, she didn’t know how exactly she knew that, but something inside her, something instinctually female was telling her the man in her arms was holding a part of himself just out of her reach. And she refused to accept it.
She wanted him. All of him.
She would take what he gave her regardless of her desperate need for more, she knew, at least for now, it would have to be enough. Until she could make him see how good it could be, if they both let go and surrendered to this passion surging between them. This incredible ecstasy filled desire to be touched by him and to be allowed to touch and explore in return.
She heard him calling her name, pulling away from her, but she wasn’t ready to let him go yet, she needed for this newfound passion blossoming between them to continue for just a little while longer.
She needed just one more kiss to reassure herself this wasn’t just another of her too vivid dreams that plagued her when she slept and haunted her even during waking hours.
But he was insistent, his hands on her hips firm but gentle when he stepped back and wouldn’t allow her to follow. “Sophie, stop,” he said, and something about Andrea.
Her mind was still too clouded by his earthshattering kisses to comprehend anything he was saying. And then she heard a ring, somewhere in the distance of her mind she knew what it was, the doorbell, Andrea, and the haze began to clear.
A silent curse behind the door and she gasped at what just happened. She jumped away from him, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment. Oh, God. Andrea could have walked in while she was practically climbing his body.
Great, Sophie, just great. Andrea would never have forgiven her if she walked in on that.
She didn’t know where to look or what to say, and she was blushing so hard she was surprised her face hadn’t caught on fire yet.
“I’m going to let Andrea in, nothing has to be said right now. We’ll talk about it later when we’re alone and have more time. Are we good?” He asked.
She looked up at him, trembling slightly at his expression, or the lack of one. How can he be so cold with what they’d just shared, with what they’d done. Was it all really just in her head? Did she imagine Noah being as affected as she was?
“Sophie, are we good? Can I let Andrea in?”
She shuddered. “Yeah, we’re good.” She said softly, turning away, trying to regain her lost composure and will some sense into her confused mind.
She watched absentmindedly, while Noah went to unlock the door, sadness running through her veins, chilling her insides and she had to restrain herself from rubbing her hands over her arms to stop the tremors shaking her body.
She watched Noah step aside from the door to let his sister in, she watched them embrace, Andrea burrowing her much smaller almost fragile body in comparison, into his bigger muscular one, his strong powerful biceps flexing when his arms went around her, completely enveloping her, as if shielding her from any harm.
The love between them was clear as day. No matter how much they fought sometimes, they were always sure in their love for each other. And she hated herself for being jealous. She hated her own insecurities and the heartfelt desire for being loved by this man, a desire she knew would never be fulfilled.
The soft indulgent look he gave Andrea made Sophie’s heart squeeze in pain. Andrea was his sister, of course he loved her, and it showed in the way he spoiled her. Even in the way of some of the restrictions he posed on her outings, despite Andrea’s protestations and her anger, Sophie saw he only did it, because he cared for her safety.
She wished someone cared about her enough to consider her safety. Sure, her parents ordered her around, but not because they were concerned about her safety. No, it was because they wanted to control her, wanted to establish power over the other, to show they were the victor in whatever argument they were involved in at the moment.
It was always about power and control for them. Not to mention the self-serving pleasure they gained from the revolving door of lovers and their own importance in the society they resided in. They used to be a power couple, now, after the divorce, for appearances sake and for retaining that power they still stood united, on some occasions at least. Most of the time they fought, and played games to one-up one another, like she said, victory at all cost, even their own daughter.
She accepted it a long time ago and tried to avoid the debris from the wreckage they caused along the way. The young girl’s fears and confusion of her own worth still plagued her in the privacy of her mind, not that she would ever speak of it out loud, she didn’t need anyone’s pity.
She was the girl that always smiled, that was always up for some sort of mischief with her friends, she was the one people confided in, the one that comforted, yet never accepted comfort herself, not that anyone thought she needed it or noticed when she was sad. She made sure her life looked perfectly normal to anyone paying attention. The only one who knew the real her was Andrea, and even she sometimes forgot and believed the act and the façade Sophie fought so hard to keep in place.
Not that Sophie could blame her, Andrea’s home life was vastly different from hers, and Sophie didn’t want to mar her friend’s view of the world by dragging her to the dark seclusion of hers. Andrea and her family were a godsend to her, the time she spent at her place growing up almost made her feel normal and accepted for just being herself. They were always kind and good to her and those sleepovers saved her life, literally.
She didn’t know what she would have done otherwise, she couldn’t stand the constant arguing, and the forced pleasantness at social events was even worse, because she knew what would follow. As soon as they got in the car, on the drive home, which was Hell, and when they finally arrived she thanked God for her room being on the other side of the house from her parents. And that their house was a really big one, about eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms separated her from her parents’ room.
The room they kept for appearances, they didn’t actually sleep in the same room for years, even before the divorce. It seemed the only thing the room was good for was the arguments they had there, and the make-up sex afterward, eww right, but the servants talked, a lot. Her parents were always a hot topic for discussion and the gossip they spread around.
That was always confusing for her as a teenager, if they hated each other so much how could they stand to touch and engage in sex of all things. But at the time she was too young to know that passions run deep and sometimes you needed an outlet in any way you could get one. And sex, wild and angry, was just that, a preferable outlet from a physical confrontation, as in actually hitting each other or committing murder.
She supposed that was better than seeing one or both of her parents behind bars. Though at the time she wouldn’t have thought so, anything would have been preferable than the life she was forced to live behind closed doors and the one she pretended to have in front of everyone else.
Only Andrea knew, and even she didn’t know everything. Sophie kept everything close to heart, wanting to protect her friendship with Andrea, it was the only thing that brought joy to her life at that time.
Well, her friendship and the sight of Noah, even though he didn’t acknowledge her as anything but his baby sister’s best friend, the one with stars in her eyes every time she gazed into his, and then blushed like crazy when he actually paid her any attention. Smooth, real smooth Sophie. Yeah, that was her.
She got better at hiding her reactions through the years, but not by much, and the blushing didn’t stop either. She could stand up in a ballroom or a classroom full of people and argue her point with a clear head and stubborn determination to get her point across loud and clear, but get Noah in that same room, staring at her with those penetrating crystal blue eyes and she became tongue tied while her face looked like overcooked lobster.
Seriously, that bad boy every girl wanted, now very much a man women still dreamed of and lusted after, flustered her more than anything and anyone she knew.
That devil may care attitude of his, mixed with the incredibly successful businessman, all wrapped up in a package so sinfully sexy, with his ripped body and ruggedly handsome looks, it drove women crazy and he took full advantage of the gifts Mother Nature gave him. Much to Sophie’s dismay, as she was stuck watching other women enjoy what she hoped would one day be hers.
But as the years progressed and she matured, nothing changed, he still didn’t see her as anything but a little girl who was his sister’s friend, instead of the young woman she became. A woman fully ready to explore her budding sexuality and he was the man she wanted to explore it with.
She waited and dreamed of him for six years, hoping he would one day wake up and realize she was always right there before him, the girl, the woman he wanted. And he never did. Until today when she walked into her living room completely naked, not even a towel obstructing his view of her body. That certainly woke him up and sprung him into action.
Well, if she knew all she had to do was walk naked in front of him she would have done it years ago, blushing the whole time, but still, somehow she would have found the courage to do it. Although all those times he saw her in a bikini didn’t do her any good, and some of them were pretty skimpy. Bought on purpose, just for him and yet at the time it didn’t even seem to faze him. Hmm. So why now?
He said they would talk later, but she had her doubts. He cooled off pretty quickly when Andrea rang the bell, nothing showed on his face or in his body language to indicate what happened between them earlier. She on the other hand was still blushing, and her heart was beating so fast she barely kept herself from hyperventilating let alone speak to either of them.
Andrea was talking animatedly to Noah about something, but she missed the whole conversation. She needed to get herself under control and fast, if Andrea asked her something she had no idea what she was supposed to say.
She tuned into their conversation and caught the gist of it in a manner of seconds, since Andrea had been filling her ears with ideas for weeks now. She was so excited about their parents’ 30th anniversary coming up, she was planning a surprise party for them and she wanted to get Noah involved.
With all of his connections he had a lot of clout, and when things needed to be done quickly and done well with as much extravagance as possible, Andrea-stile, of course, that was what was needed to get things rolling with light speed ahead. Also Andrea-stile, last minute and with as much pomp as possible, yet all done with understated elegance and class that was the envy of everyone who knew her.
“Sophie is going to help, so you won’t really have to do much, just get her in touch with people that can help us get things done quickly and within the standards that I require. I mean that we require.” She corrected herself and Noah laughed in her face, petting her head teasingly and mussing up her hair. Andrea swatted his hand away angrily, but Sophie saw the delight in her eyes over the gesture, annoying as it was.
“Dammit, Noah. I just did my hair and now it looks like a bird’s nest.” She complained.
“It looks fine. Here, let me help you.” And of course he made things worse. He tried to comb her hair with his fingers which made every perfectly layered strand of hair into a complete mess of curls that would require more than a brush to untangle, but also a curling iron to redo the ruined curls into the artful perfection that was Andrea’s hair.
Sophie couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s disgruntled expression and the bird’s nest on her head, courtesy of Noah, the hairdresser extraordinaire.
“Noah!” She screamed. “Sophie stop laughing. This is so not funny... Noah, I’m serious, I’m gonna deck you.” Noah lifted his hands in surrender, but Sophie saw the mischief in his eyes. The laughter he was holding back, and couldn’t help but let escape every few seconds.
“Argh. Why do I put up with you?” She asked with annoyance.
“Because you love me.” He said smiling.
“That’s debatable right now.” She puffed her hair out of her face.
“Then it’s because I’m your brother and you don’t have a choice.” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or the other, but he couldn’t control the slight shaking of his shoulders from his silent laugh.
Sophie thought he clearly didn’t want to antagonize his sister even more by laughing out loud, but he couldn’t stop himself from being amused so he tried to hide it. It wasn’t working though, if Sophie could see it so could Andrea. But her friend was looking at him with fondness again instead of anger, and Sophie knew all was forgiven.
Not that Andrea wouldn’t make him pay for it, very soon, but she would wait until he won’t expect it and then she would strike. She was sneaky that way. And she always managed to drag Sophie in the middle of it somehow. Over the years they pulled a lot of pranks on Noah, mostly when he was entertaining some overinflated bimbo neither she nor Andrea liked.
She looked at Noah and her heart skipped a beat, her chest was so tight inside, she could barely breathe and her lips, swollen from his all-consuming kiss, tingled with sensitivity. She turned around trying to hide her reaction, her confusion. She was flustered and unsure, and she didn’t want Andrea to question her odd behavior. She was usually more vocal when it came to her opinion on one of Andrea’s hare-brained ideas, but now she just stood there, somewhat shell shocked in Noah’s presence and what happened between them.
He on the other hand looked fine, completely indifferent and unaffected. She wanted to punch him in that perfect face of his, make some damage, maybe he wouldn’t be so damn appealing then, he wouldn’t tempt her so.
He just laughed with Andrea and ignored Sophie as if she wasn’t even there. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her predicament. God, she was pathetic. Sophie, you need to get it together. That man is like a shark that smells blood, show him even the slightest bit of vulnerability and he’ll strike and go for the kill.
Ok, she was watching way to much animal planet... and discovery channel. She needed to get a grip and not let him have so much control over her, she needed to be cool, and indifferent, like he was. Not flustered and emotional, barely controlling her trembling body.
She heard him say goodbye to Andrea and call her name. She stopped, looked up, and gasped in surprise when she realized she was almost in her room. When did she leave the kitchen? She didn’t even notice she moved from the spot she was rooted at and started walking towards her bedroom.
She heard her name again and slowly turned around. “Hmm?” She tried to avoid eye contact, but he was right there, looking at her, with that secret meaning in his eyes.
“I’ll call you later then.” He looked all business-like, powerful and in control of every situation he encountered himself in. She wished she could have that, that confidence and self-assurance.
“Huh? ...Why?” She blurted out in a panic.
“To make arrangements for the party, remember.” He smirked at her, with the corner of his mouth turning into an almost smile. An appearance of that dimple that made her knees go weak.
“Um, yeah, sure. Whatever you guys need. Um. Call. Sure.” Yeah, smooth Sophie, really smooth. You didn’t sound brain-dead at all.
“Okay then. I’ll talk to you later. And don’t let Andrea bully you in doing all the work for her.” He gave a pointed look in his sister’s direction, making his comment more into a command.
“Hey! I would never.” Andrea sounded outraged.
“Sis, I love you, but yes you would. You enjoy bossing people around, taking charge. You’re a Crawford. It’s in your blood, the drive to succeed, at all cost.” Huh, that explains a lot. He just shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.
He gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and a hug, but when he turned to Sophie he gave her a nod with an “I’ll talk to you later”, then he turned around and left.
Sophie took a deep breath and just stood there, staring at the door for a long moment, before she made her legs move to walk into her room again. She ignored Andrea and her babbling, hoping she’ll go away. She closed her door and felt her chest slowly loosening, she could finally breathe again.