Pure Seduction by Frank, Ella (first ebook reader .txt) 📕

something happened to Noah? He wasn’t the kind of guy who’d sleep with a girl and then leave her to wake up in a hotel room alone.

That wasn’t him. So that could only mean…what? I hit his number and waited. And waited. And waited. When the call finally went to voicemail, I ended it and tried again. Sinking down on the end of the bed, I could feel my head starting to spin and brought my hands up to my face. I was starting to overheat and my hands were all clammy.

I took in several breaths, trying to calm myself, but it was no use. There was absolutely no good reason as to why Noah was gone. Not one. But then the phone finally connected and I shot to my feet. “Hello? Noah?”

“Is this Laurel?” The gruff voice at the other end was definitely not Noah’s, and I was so shocked to hear it that I couldn’t seem to find my words to answer. “I’m going to take your silence as a yes. My name’s Harry. I’m Noah’s father.”

Oh shit, the whole town, including me, knew of—or about—Harry Chamberlin. He was tough, cutthroat, and one hundred percent business. According to Noah, he spared little time for his kids, and any effort he did expend on them was usually to tell them what disappointments they were.

The fact that he was answering Noah’s phone automatically made me think that something bad must’ve happened. But before I could ask, he was talking again.

“I’m going to say this once and hopefully that’ll be enough for you to understand, because after this, the number you’ve been calling will be disconnected. Noah is gone.”

Gone? What did he mean?

“He was recently accepted at one of the finest universities abroad, and is currently on a plane halfway across the ocean. So, this little high school romance of yours? It’s over. It’s time for Noah to live in the real world now, Miss Anderson. I suggest you do the same. Don’t call this number again.”

As the phone went dead, I reached for the wall to steady myself, but it was no use. My knees began to shake, and the next thing I knew, they collapsed out from under me. I fell to the floor, dejected and in shock, then reached for Noah’s jacket and drew it to me. Unable to move, I curled up in the darkness all alone, and as tears ran down my cheeks, I buried my face inside it.

This couldn’t be real. Noah hadn’t said anything about going overseas. He’d talked about going to L.A. and studying at USC with me. Harry had to be lying.

But as my heart began to break, I knew the truth.

Noah was gone, and the best night of my life had actually turned out to be the very worst.

I WOKE UP with a jolt and the porch swing began to sway. I reached for the arm of the seat to steady myself.

Oh my God. My heart was racing and my cheeks were damp. It was just a dream. Just a really horrible dream. I hadn’t thought about that night in years, but it was no surprise it had resurfaced now.

As I tried to calm myself, I couldn’t stop the shiver from racing up my spine. No. I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to let myself get upset about the past, especially not tonight. I closed my book and got to my feet, and with a glance at my watch I saw I had time to go in and redo what I assumed was a messed-up face.

I headed for the door and pulled it open. As I stepped inside, I made a promise to myself: I would enjoy tonight no matter what, then I’d replace my first time with Noah with whatever the night brought.

21

Noah

IT HAD JUST turned eight as I made my way out onto the front porch of Wilhelmina’s and took a seat on one of the rocking chairs to wait for Laurel.

It was a beautiful night. There was a cool breeze in the air but nothing that would make you avoid being outside. The sun had set a couple hours ago, and I had a feeling that today might just be the first day that I didn’t resent Harry for bringing me back here.

The midday make-out session under the bleachers hadn’t hurt either. Along with the baseball game, which had been fun, despite that jackass Laurel knew trying to crack me in the head with his hard swing. But I wasn’t going to think about him. I was focused on one thing—or person—only, and she was currently walking my way.

Damn. Laurel knew how to dress to kill, that was for sure. If her goal was to prove I was a slave to her every move, then she was going to get her wish.

As she made her way up the stairs, I drank in the sight of her red heels, long legs, and the little black dress and sheer shawl she wore. Her blonde hair was styled in a sexy wave that made it look as though she’d just spent the day rolling around between the sheets. “Wow.”

She softly laughed and smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Good, because it’s about all my brain can think of right now.”

“Then I should just go home?”

She went to turn away, and I reached out and took her elbow, halting her. Then I stepped in closer and ran my fingers down her cheek. “Don’t even think about it.”

Laurel angled her face up toward me, and under the lights of the balcony, her blue eyes twinkled. “No?”

“Definitely not.” I touched her lower lip with my thumb, and when she sucked in a breath, my brain kicked back into gear. “You promised me dinner.”

“I think you have that the wrong way around.”

“Hmm, well, either way, I’m not letting you leave just yet.”

Laurel nodded, and when I released her, she turned around to walk away from me.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding