The next morning Belle woke up with her body still humming with the sensation from last night. The warmth of Noah’s presence lingered like a shadow over her skin. She rolled over in bed, her hands absentmindedly tracing her own body, the same paths Noah’s hands had traveled hours ago. It felt different, more intense, more alive, like her senses had been amplified in some way.
His cryptic words from last night echoed in her head again. “Things are going to change.” What did that mean? Was this more than just the physical connection they shared? Belle’s heart fluttered nervously as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Despite the excitement of being with Noah, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was stepping into something far more complicated.
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The dim light filtering through the curtains cast long shadows across Noah’s apartment, the room thick with the tension that had been building for days. Belle stood in front of Noah, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she felt the heat of his gaze burning through her. His hands, firm and possessive, gripped her waist, pulling her closer, as if he could no longer restrain the need he had so carefully hidden.This was the moment she’d been craving since their arrival in Chicago, but now that it was here, her pulse raced in anticipation of what was to come. Her body trembled with anticipation, the promise of what was about to happen making her pulse quicken.Without breaking eye contact, Noah leaned in, his lips brushed against her neck. Belle shuddered at the soft contact, her body responding instantly to his tou
The early morning light spilled through the thin curtains of Noah’s apartment, casting a soft glow on the disheveled bed where Belle lay nestled in Noah’s arms. She woke up to the feeling of Noah's hands on her body, his fingers tracing the curve of her breast, his thumb brushing against her hard nipple. She moaned softly, her body arching against his as she felt the heat building inside her, her body aching with need. For a brief moment, Belle savored the sensation, her body still tingling from the night before.Noah stirred, his lips brushing against the bare skin of her shoulder. “Good morning, kitten." His hand moved from her waist to her breast, fingers curling gently around her, teasing the sensitive skin.Bella turned to face him, her eyes meeting his dark, intense gaze. "Morning." She whispered back.
The evening was calm, but Belle’s heart wasn’t. The evening sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across Noah’s study. Belle hadn’t meant to snoop, but something about the drawer in the corner desk had drawn her attention. It had been slightly ajar, like it was inviting her to look closer.As she pulled it open, her fingers brushed against a pile of old papers and she found a worn envelope, marked with her father’s name. Curiosity got the better of her and she carefully unfolded the contents, her heart pounding in her chest.It wasn’t a letter exactly, but a contract, a business deal between her father’s company and Noah’s late father. The deal mentioned dates, amounts of money and something vague about Noah’s family estate, but the most disturbing part was her f
Belle woke up with a sense of unease clinging to her like a second skin. The morning light filtered through the blinds, casting soft shadows across the room. Noah was still asleep beside her, his arm draped casually over her waist, his breathing deep and steady. It should have been comforting, but instead, her heart raced in her chest, the weight of last night’s revelations pressing down on her like a suffocating fog.She carefully slid out from under his arm, not wanting to wake him just yet. Padding across the room, she grabbed her robe and pulled it tightly around her body. The letter, the contract flashed in her mind again. Her father’s signature, Noah’s late father’s name, the vague, unsettling clause that had made her stomach twist. The connection between their families, hidden for years, felt like a bomb waiting to go off. And she was standing at ground zero.
Belle sat quietly in the passenger seat, her eyes trained on the road ahead as Noah drove them back to his apartment. The city lights blurred past them, casting fleeting streaks of color across her face. She felt Noah's gaze flicker toward her every now and then, as if he could sense the storm brewing inside her.It had been a long day, longer than she had expected. The outing had started well enough. They spent hours exploring the city, laughing and sharing moments that reminded her of why she'd fallen for him in the first place. But the weight of the contract, the implications of its existence, hung over her like a dark cloud, tainting every beautiful moment with an undercurrent of dread.Now, as they neared Noah's place, Belle felt the familiar knot of anxiety tightening in her chest
Belle’s entire body went cold the moment she saw Luke standing in the doorway. Her heart stopped, and she sat frozen on the couch, eyes wide with shock. Luke’s expression was dark, his jaw clenched so tightly she could almost hear the grinding of his teeth. His eyes, which usually held warmth and protection for her, were now cold and filled with barely contained fury.Noah stood tall in front of him, blocking most of the doorway, his body tense and alert, as if ready to defend himself or her from whatever was coming.“Luke!” Noah greeted him, his voice steady but edged with tension. “What are you doing here?”Luke’s eyes darted over Noah’s shoulder, finding Belle sitting on the couch. His lips curled into a grim line, and for a
The door’s echoing slam lingered in the silence, a final punctuation to Luke’s fury, and the weight of the moment pressed down on Belle like an avalanche. She sat on the floor, staring blankly at the door, still reeling from everything that had just happened. Her world, once filled with the thrill and excitement of secret meetings with Noah, was now fractured into jagged pieces she didn’t know how to put back together.Beside her, Noah sat slumped against the wall, his hand still pressed to his bloodied lip. The silence between them was thick, but it wasn’t the comfortable kind they used to share. This silence was suffocating, heavy with the reality that their secret was no longer just theirs.Belle turned to him, her voice a shaky whisper. “Noah, are you okay?”
The days that followed after Luke’s explosive confrontation felt like a slow, agonizing descent into limbo. Belle could feel the tension gnawing at her from every corner of Noah's apartment. The apartment that had once felt like a safe haven now seemed oppressive, the walls closing in on her. The bruises on Noah’s face were fading, but the weight of what had happened between them and Luke still hung heavily in the air. Noah was quieter than usual, distant, lost in thought most of the time. He had told her things would work out, that they would find a way through this, but Belle couldn't shake the dread in her chest. Luke’s betrayal wasn’t something either of them had fully come to terms with. The days blurred together in a haze of silence and uncertainty, until one evening, Noah came into the living room where Belle was curled up on the couch, staring blankly at a book she hadn’t even tried to read. “We can’t leave things l