Awake At Dawn (Wildflower Series Book 2)

SOCIALIZING WITH THE rest of the wedding party while trying to be a good maid of honor was incredibly difficult when one of the groomsmen wouldn’t stop staring at me.

I wasn’t sure I’d comprehended a word of what Grayson had said so far as we sat together at a high-top table in the corner of the Bellflower Bar. All of my concentration was currently being used to resist the temptation that was Noah London. Or, more specifically, resisting the urge to look at Noah London.

If I risked a glance at Noah right now, who knew what kind of expression would cross my face. And Grayson Everett, star NFL wide receiver and my brother’s best man, was sharp as a tack. Luckily, his wife, Nessa, otherwise known as the famous singer-songwriter Wednesday Elevett, drew his attention with something she said, giving me a short reprieve from Grayson’s knowing gaze.

A short reprieve that Noah took immediate advantage of, walking past where I sat and swiping my ignored drink off the table. He took a quick gulp before sliding it back in front of me and dropping his hand, letting his fingers graze along my arm before disappearing again.

My skin burned where he’d touched me.

I’d spent every night this week in his bed, and every morning, I spent dawn in his arms. There hadn’t been a lot of sleeping involved, leaving me both exhausted and horny since today was the first day since we’d returned from Minnesota that I hadn’t gotten laid. Noah went into practice early this morning, and I had to finish organizing the details for tonight, leaving little time to fool around.

“Do I need to buy London his own drink?” Grayson chuckled, and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized he had seen our interaction.

Shit.

At least Grayson said it quietly.

“No,” I said slowly, pushing the drink further away as I processed how else to respond. “No…you don’t need to do that.”

Grayson frowned, looking down at the drink as though realizing for the first time that I hadn’t taken a single sip since one of my sisters set it in front of me. “Do you not like it?”

“It’s not that,” I said before biting my tongue because it would have been so easy just to say that I didn’t really like it. But the people-pleaser, non-complainer in me answered before logic could kick in.

Grayson, still frowning, looked over his shoulder toward Noah again. He was standing at the end of the table between Cameron Bryant, one of Juniper and Julian’s colleagues, and Beau Bryant, Cameron’s brother-in-law and another one of Julian’s college friends.

Noah stood between them, but he was watching us over the rim of his own drink.

Shit again.

Grayson’s eyes slid back to mine slowly, sweeping over my nearly full drink in the process. He cocked his head to the side, and then, almost as though his subconscious had taken over, his eyes darted to my stomach and back. A sheepish look overcame his face when he realized what he’d done, and I pointedly fluffed my dress, draping it over my knees so it didn’t curve over my bump.

Triple shit.

I sighed. “Just ask it,” I groaned under my breath.

Grayson’s brows lifted. “Nu-uh,” he said. “My moms raised me better than to ask any woman that question.”

“Can you just pretend the last two minutes didn’t happen?” I asked hopefully.

“I can pretend anything you want, Gemma.” Grayson rarely drank because he was born with a congenital heart defect, so he pushed his nonalcoholic drink toward me, swapping it out with the glass Janie put in front of me. “But just tell me this…exactly what level of protection is London gonna need from your brother? I need to know what to expect.”

I considered, biting down on my lip. “Maybe not quite as much as you think,” I admitted.

I suspected that Grayson assumed Noah was responsible for the reason I wasn’t drinking. And while I didn’t mind the idea of that nearly as much as the truth, it wasn’t the truth. It would never be the truth.

Grayson narrowed his gaze and lowered his voice. He leaned closer to me, and I followed suit, even as I felt Noah’s hot gaze surge stronger. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you since you sat next to me, Gemma. Which, don’t get me wrong, isn’t surprising. The man’s had a crush on you since you walked in the door at our shitty college house nearly eight years ago. But something’s different, and you can’t tell me otherwise.”

“Something’s different,” I allowed, willing myself not to smile at what he said about Noah. And me. “It’s just a long story.” I darted my eyes around us, indicating that now wasn’t the time to tell the long story.

Grayson leaned back with a nod, oddly satisfied with my nonanswer.

“Well, I’ll order all the nonalcoholic drinks you want,” he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, attempting to be discreet. “No one will think differently of it. They’ll certainly think less of it than if you keep letting London steal sips of your drinks for you.”

I laughed softly, thanking him, and then he said something that made my heart momentarily stop beating.

“How was Minnesota?” he asked, eyes twinkling.

But before I could answer the question or ask why he was even asking that in the first place, Julian came up and clapped a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to say something in his other ear.

Goddamnit.

Noah must have told him. Right? There was no other explanation. It was probably the reason he was so suspicious about the drinks and Noah in the first place.

I brushed it off, deciding it didn’t matter. Grayson didn’t seem eager to spill any of my secrets. In fact, for the next several hours, he kept me well supplied with nonalcoholic drinks, which he either slipped to me or Nessa, who handed them over to me without asking a single question.

Considering how many drinks Gianna and Janie kept forcing on me, combined with the cocktail some random guy at the bar insisted on buying me, Grayson and Nessa were lifesavers, switching out the drinks before anyone could notice, and they did it all without batting their eyes.

I wasn’t sure whether they were helping me for my sake or the sake of the party, which would surely get derailed if my secret slipped out, but it didn’t matter. I owed them.

If my sisters noticed I was still sober after three steady hours of drinking, they didn’t say anything. I wasn’t worried about Gianna, Janie, and Genevieve; they were too drunk to pay attention to me. I was more concerned about Josie, who was just shy of twenty-one and, therefore, as stone-cold sober as me. But she seemed too engrossed in a conversation with Sofia, Juniper’s half sister, to be aware of anything else.

Taking advantage of everyone’s preoccupation, I slipped away to find the bathroom. At least no one would second-guess me needing to pee after all the drinks being pushed in my direction.

But there was one person who I didn’t account for. One person who wasn’t preoccupied with anything or anyone…but me.

As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, a familiar muscled body pulled me into the dark corner across from it, flipping me around to push me up against the wall. A startled gasp fell from my lips, even though I should have expected this.

“You seem to have a habit of following girls to the bathroom, Noah,” I breathed when I found my voice. “If you ask me, it’s a bit questionable.”

“Just you, angel.” He rested his hand on the wall behind me, leaning in. His eyes glowed through the dim lighting. “I just follow you.”

I smiled up at him, trying to play it cool despite the fluttering in my stomach. “Should I be concerned about your stalking tendencies?”

He shrugged, his lips tipping up in amusement. “Some call it stalking; others call it worrying.”

“Well, I’m fine,” I assured him.

“Fuck yeah, you are,” he said in a husky murmur, pulling back slightly to let his gaze roam up and down my length. Eventually, it landed where I knew it would: on my cleavage. A soft groan escaped his lips. “You look stunning tonight. I haven’t been able to look away from you for more than a minute.”

“Noah,” I muttered. I had meant for it to sound like a warning. If he kept looking at me and talking to me like that, it would only make the rest of the night harder. Not to mention, someone was going to notice. Well, someone else. Besides Grayson. But Noah’s hands started drifting up my sides, and his name came out in a sigh instead.

His mouth curved into a wolfish grin as he traced the underside of my breast with his thumb.

“Yeah?”

I melted into his touch, just like I always did. My pulse picked up, and fuck, I wanted more. I always wanted more from him, and he knew it.

“Noah, I⁠—”

My voice broke off as he brushed his thumb higher, grazing my nipple. I pressed my lips together, trying not to let a moan out.

“Cat got your tongue?”

“You’re teasing me,” I whined, breathless as his thumb still made slow circles around my breast. I could feel the heat of his touch through my dress, lighting me up inside and out.

Noah leaned in until his lips nearly touched mine. His breath grazed my mouth when he spoke, sending a shiver through me. “I don’t want to tease you. I want to have you. I want to kiss you until you’re gasping for air, Em. But all it takes is a taste of you to get me hard as a fucking rock, so I’m trying to resist.”

“Tomorrow,” I breathed, my body straining towards his. “We’ll be home tomorrow.”

“We will.” Trailing his lips to my ear, Noah nuzzled in close, nipping my skin in a way that sent little jolts of need through me. “And then I’ll give you anything you want,” he promised. “Until then…I just need to settle one thing.”

“What?”

“I saw that asshole buy you a drink, and it killed me that I couldn’t tell him off without people noticing. So I need you to know that while I’m fucking that pretty pussy of yours, no one else better go near it,” he growled, pressing me further into the shadows and spurring on my lust. “It’s mine, Em. Got it?”

The thought of hooking up with anyone else never crossed my mind, especially not tonight when all my energy was focused on making sure Juniper had a good time. But I’d be lying if I hadn’t thought about Noah and what he might do while out with the guys.

“I’ll only agree to that if you can promise me the same.”

I snuck my hand between us, running my fingers over the growing bulge in his jeans. But Noah hissed through his teeth and grabbed me by the wrist, yanking my hand away.

“Angel, you can’t do that right now. I’m down so bad for you that I’m gonna be in a world of pain until you’re back in my bed. Trust me, if you’re not touching me tonight, no one is.”

“Okay,” I whispered, satisfied with his promise. I knew he meant it. Noah might have a reputation as a player, but even more than that, he was loyal, honest, and kind. And goddamnit, I wanted to kiss him.

But to my dismay, he took a step back. “I’m surprised you’re still here,” he said, clearing his throat. “I thought you and the girls were only going to be here for one or two drinks.”

“I thought so, too,” I admitted with a wry twist of my lips. “But I can’t get Juniper away from my brother.”

When I’d left for the bathroom, Juniper had been dancing with Julian, a full drink dangling in her hand and looking like she had no desire to leave. Sofia had the bar’s weekend DJ on lockdown, requesting song after song of whatever Juniper wanted. Meanwhile, Genevieve and Janie had been passing out an entire tray of shots to the wedding party.

“It’s probably easier this way since it might be hard getting Josie into the other places,” I added. “At this point, everywhere else will be closed by the time we make it out of here. I have a feeling our next stop will just be the hotel bar.”

“Where are you guys staying again?”

“The Deluge. We have a girls’ day planned for tomorrow. I booked us spa appointments at the hotel in the morning, and then we’re getting brunch and going to Juniper’s favorite bookstore. Instead of lingerie, we’re all going to buy her smutty books.”

Noah’s lips twitched, and I could tell he wanted to say something about that but was holding his tongue.

“Hey, it’s probably better for her sex life than lingerie,” I defended. “Gets the ideas going, ya know?”

Besides, then I didn’t have to buy her something lacy that I knew my brother would be ripping off.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Noah said, still fighting a smile.

I shrugged. “I was pretty proud of it.”

“You should be. I know how much Juniper loves her books. You’re a great friend.” Noah brushed his lips across my forehead, and I let my eyes flutter shut, wondering how a kiss on my hairline could get me so…messed up. “Are you getting a massage at the spa?” he asked.

I nodded, unable to form any other words.

“Make sure you let them know about Baby,” he said, his hand taking up its usual residence and palming my stomach. “I know you don’t want any of the girls to know, but⁠—”

“I let them know when I booked the appointment that I was in my second trimester,” I whispered, reassuring him. “They said that was okay.”

“Sounds good. I should let you go before someone notices,” he said, his lips still a breath from my forehead. “But I don’t want to.”

I forced my eyes open with a sigh. “I don’t want to, either, but you’re right. Pretty sure Grayson already put two and two together.”

Noah didn’t seem as bothered by that information as I suspected, which made me wonder again if he’d told his friend about me coming to Minnesota. Noah took another step back, lifting a shoulder in a slight shrug.

“Grayson might be Julian’s best friend, but he won’t say anything. He’ll do anything to keep the peace and make sure everyone’s happy. He urged Julian to make a move with Juniper because he knew it would make him happy. And I’d bet he’d—” He cut himself off, rubbing a hand over his mouth before ending the conversation. “Don’t worry about Grayson, Em.”

I nodded because I didn’t know what else to do or say. “Okay.”

He jerked his head to the side with a tiny smile playing on his lips. “Now, go get out there.”

“Okay,” I said again, forcing my legs to move as I brushed past him.

I didn’t expect it to be so hard. I didn’t expect to struggle walking away from him without leaning in for a hug or a kiss. I didn’t expect the cracking feeling in my chest that crept up on me without warning.

It was just one night apart.

But it was a reminder that there would be more nights apart. With the way things were now, we’d hit our expiration before we knew it. And then there would be a lifetime of them.

Because as much as I was curious if maybe, just maybe, we could make this last longer than a few months, especially considering the way Noah had acted tonight and the things Grayson admitted, I knew my reality, my pregnant reality, didn’t have time for my fantasies.

We never did make it to another bar after leaving the Bellflower. Juniper hadn’t wanted to leave the place she knew and loved, and more importantly, she didn’t want to leave Julian. Dragging her away from him so we could head to the hotel had been a challenge enough.

“I just really love him, okay?” she said sloppily as she kicked her shoes off on her way into the hotel suite we’d booked for the night. “He’s just…so…ugh.”

“He loves you, too,” I said soothingly, holding the door open for the rest of the girls as they filed into the room. “He’s been in love with you for over a decade, Junes. We’re all just happy you both figured it out finally.”

Juniper flopped back onto the bed, her white frilly dress fluffing around her as she stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t sure she heard a word I’d just said. “Not to mention, he has a⁠—”

“If you say anything about his dick, I’m gonna have to leave,” Janie cut in.

“I’ll stay, but I might throw up,” Genevieve muttered as she kicked her shoes off next to Juniper’s.

Juni lifted her head, a sly grin playing on her face. In her drunken state, it was clear she wanted to say something, but she also didn’t want her fiancé’s five sisters to be mad at her for divulging dirty secrets about their brother.

“You can tell me,” Nessa laughed, flopping onto the bed next to Juniper. “Julian might be my children’s godfather, but at least we’re not related.”

“You can tell me, too,” Sofia chimed in, wiggling her brows as she fell onto the bed beside her sister.

Juni grinned at Sofia and Nessa but shook her head as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “I think we should talk about someone’s sex life who isn’t sleeping with someone who most people here are related to.”

Nessa sighed. “Count my sex life out. Grayson and I really shouldn’t have any more kids, but do you know how challenging that is when the man has a breeding kink?”

Juniper giggled, glancing over at Nessa. “Something tells me you’re well taken care of in the bedroom, breeding kink or not.”

Nessa had a look on her face that told me she really couldn’t argue with that. Juniper, meanwhile, swiveled her gaze to look directly at me.

“What about the rest of you?”

I bit down on my tongue. I wanted to tell her. So badly, I wanted to tell her everything. She knew there was something I wasn’t saying. She knew it, just like I’d known something was happening between her and Julian when they started working together.

But Sofia jumped in with a dirty joke about her husband, saving me from making a decision. I leaned against the wall and looked at the petite brunette, trying to focus on her storytelling.

Considering how Juniper’s eyes were still stuck on me, it was hard. Giving in, I met her gaze, cocking my head to the side as though to ask, “What?”

But she just narrowed her gaze and then flopped back drunkenly on the bed.

Soon.

I’d tell her everything soon.