Thirty-Eight Days (7 page)

Letting out a yawn, he walked to the door of the guest room, opened it and looked out into the lounge. She wasn’t there, but he heard her. He walked over to the kitchen and opened the stainless steel fridge, the cool air hitting his skin, causing him to shiver. His throat was dry and he needed to quench the thirst that started to drive his body crazy.

He grabbed a carton of orange juice and contemplated drinking from it, but it wasn’t his. Looking around the kitchen, he wasn’t sure where a glass was. Clara’s kitchen was big and had a classic French country theme to it. It was cozy.

Damn, it’s all Clara. Why does she have to be so annoyingly adorable one minute and then unexpectedly hot the next?

The thought made him frown. Excitement and adrenaline coursed through his body when he remembered last night, when he stood close to her and watched her cheeks blush. He wasn’t sure if her blush was because she felt an attraction toward him, or because his close proximity was too personal and uncomfortable for her. Noel looked up and started to search through the first top cupboard above the sink, only to come across shelves of plates and bowls.

He was getting frustrated, and contemplated buying Clara a brand-new set, because he found the search to be ridiculous. Noel took a second look at the carton and had to forcibly refrain himself from grabbing the juice and chugging it down.

He came to the next cupboard and thought about pouring the juice in a bowl and drinking it straight. Noel would feel like a thirsty dog on a hot day, but he was just that. He placed a hand on the cupboard knob and opened it. He caught sight of what he finally wanted.

You sneaky bastards!

A victorious smile developed as he reached up to grab the glass. The slight shift of footsteps sounded behind him. Clara was behind him. He would explain that he’d replace the juice if she wanted.

“Ah, Noel, maybe you want to put on some pants?” Clara asked with a hint of humour to her voice.

Noel glanced down, realising he’d messed up. He quickly placed the glass down, instincts taking over as he moved his hands below his waist.

Fuck, I’m naked!

He usually slept without clothes on back home. In his sleepy state and without the cool Boston air hitting his skin this morning, he’d completely forgotten the need to slip on underwear.

There was an awkward moment of silence. Clara didn’t say more and Noel had no idea what to say to explain his nudity.

How do I brush this off? I don’t need Clara making this awkward between us.

If it had been any other woman, he’d turn around and seduce her until they were in bed. But it was
Clara Lawrence, and she wasn’t any other woman. His plans to keep her at a distance were proving difficult. He wanted her. She was getting under his skin and the pull he felt around her was consuming.

He couldn’t seduce her. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t. Noel wasn’t allowed to lay a finger on her, let alone allow her to rebound with him. He had to control himself. His inner demons were not going to be set free. He wasn’t, and shouldn’t be, thinking about Clara like
that
. The only way he could keep her at a distance was to act like he didn’t care. To make sure he never crossed that line. And the only way he could move on from this was if he used his charm. Make light of the situation.

“Like what you see, Clara?” He turned to see her reaction. Noel lowered himself down so he was leaning on the counter and his lower region was out of sight.

“Please,” Clara replied as she made her way to the bar and placed her bowl on it. She was either a really good liar, or she had no attraction to him. Noel couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed by the latter; though, he wouldn’t let that show.

“Why are you naked in my kitchen?” she asked, raising a brow. Noel liked the way she had asked him that.

I need a lie, and a good one to explain this.

“Pit stop before a shower. You’re welcome to join.” He winked. He watched as surprise crept on her pretty face.

“I’ve had better offers than that,” she replied in a softened voice that made her sound
very
sexy.

Ahh, damn.

Clara turned and walked toward the hallway. Moments later, she returned to face him, and handed him a towel. Noel took it, a little stunned at her reply. She sat down at the kitchen table to Noel’s right and started to read a book that was already placed there.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he let out a heavy sigh. He turned around to pour himself the juice he had been wanting and chugged it down. Without another word to Clara, he made his way to the bathroom to scrub off the humiliation she’d delivered.

“Noel,” she called out again. That sexy voice of hers was definitely affecting him.

“Yeah.” Noel turned back around and walked to Clara. He stopped when he saw that she was looking up at him. There was a moment of sexual tension, and Noel knew it.

“Remind me…”

This is it! I won’t have to seduce Clara. She wants this. Screw Alex. This isn’t about him.

“To burn those sheets of yours after you leave,” she replied, and she returned to her book. He could have choked on air if he had any in his lungs. He didn’t care that she just insulted him; that look in her eyes made his blood run hot through his veins. He wasn’t sure if it was actually lust, or something else, but he was determined to find out.

It is going to be so hard to stay away from you, Clara.

He gave Clara a shrug and made his way to the bathroom. He needed to blast his body with cold water to remove any bad thoughts he had of her, and there were many. She was making it difficult for him. Noel had to be good, but she was, intentional or not, setting his demons alight.

Once he dried his hair and his body, he wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way back the bedroom. On his way, he caught sight of Clara standing in the kitchen, staring at the counter as she chewed her bottom lip.

She was deep in thought and the way her nose crinkled a little made him want to go over there and hold her face in his hands. He wanted those cheeks to turn red again, but he refrained. Instead, Noel walked over and stood next to her, looking in the direction she was also staring.

“What are you thinking about? Me
…
naked?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Clara was still in thought, and didn’t flinch when he reminded her about his being naked.

“No.” She turned to face him; her brown eyes flickered as those gold tones became visible. “I was thinking…”

Noel waited for her to continue, still staring into those warming eyes of hers. He liked the colour more than he should.

“I might need to disinfect my kitchen,” she finished. Noel let out a struggled groan. All she did was speak, and she had completely turned him on. Like what she said made something in his brain snap. He was in serious trouble now.

She has no idea the effect she has on me.

N
oel didn’t reply. He stood there staring at her like what she had said excited him. For a moment, she wanted it to be true, but the look on his face had her hoping not. She couldn’t see him in any way more than her brother’s best friend. Those lines were drawn, and she wasn’t going to cross them.

Who am I kidding? Noel has the body of a god! This is not okay!

She let out a sigh. No matter how beautiful Noel was, she needed to keep him at a distance. Whether he had a body of a god or not, he was out of reach.

“Well, I’ll leave you to get dressed.” It was all she could come up with. She needed to be away from him. Their bodies were close, but barely touched, and she didn’t want to know what that would do to her. Without waiting to hear a word from him, she walked towards her room. There was a sense of need to walk faster, but her head told her to act normal.

I don’t think I can act normal after that.

In the safe and private sanctuary of her room, Clara looked around to see her blanket hanging off her bed and pillows thrown across the room. This was not a situation she wanted to be in. She leant against the door and let out an exasperated sigh. She never imagined that she’d find herself attracted to Noel, not in the slightest.

This was trouble, and she knew it. Pushing off the door, she knew they needed to stay platonic. It would be easy for him, but hard for her. She walked over to the foot of her bed and picked up her blanket. Deciding that the best way to forget a naked Noel was to not think about him naked.

Clara walked over to her bookcase and started to collect her thrown pillows off the floor. She had next to no sleep last night, caused by pure frustration. She knew the reason; he had come to town, and he had come to stay.

Turning, she dropped her pillows on the bed and started to rearrange them back to perfection. Since she lived on her own, she had a certain way she liked her apartment to look. Moving out of home as an almost eighteen-year-old would have been hard for any teenager, but with her parents not caring, it was easier than she thought. Clara wanted her parents to care and ask her to stay, but they never gave her a second of their time.

It was Alex’s idea for her to move out. Clara never argued. She felt like more of a burden than a daughter for her parents. She hadn’t heard from them since. Walking around her bed, she reached her large window and pulled the curtains back. The view was the reason why she chose her apartment. Although it was smaller than the ones Alex desired, it was the beautiful picture of the city that had her begging him for the apartment. It was worth every penny Alex spent.

Like every morning, Clara lowered herself onto the window seat and pulled up her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. The view was one that calmed her, made her forget about the ruins of her complicated life.

Untangling her arms, she reached into her jeans pocket and retrieved her phone. She still hadn’t discussed Alex’s willingness to offer her guest room to Noel. It didn’t take Noel long to convince her to let him stay. They had one thing in common, and that was Alex. In the end, Clara had no choice but to show him the guest room. Whether or not she liked it, Alex sent Noel her way.

As she unlocked her phone and pulled out her contacts, Clara looked out her window. Melbourne was offering yet another picturesque day; unfortunately for her, Melbourne couldn’t get rid of her roommate problem.

She would have to find a way to adapt to her new lifestyle, one that included Nolan Parker. He had made it loud and clear that he would not be leaving until Alex returned. His loyalty to her brother was one thing, but his egotistic personality was another.

I don’t know if I can tolerate Noel for two weeks.

Straightening her legs, she pressed on Alex’s number and hoped he’d pick up. She wanted answers as to why Noel was here and why Alex insisted on him babysitting her. The phone rang a few times before he picked up.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hey, kiddo? Alex, I think you know why I’m calling!” She didn’t mean to sound annoyed, but she was.

“Clara.” He sighed. Paper ruffled before silence.

“Don’t ‘Clara’ me, Alex. I could have made it on my own for another two weeks. I’ve lived on my own for over a year. You know I have. Did you really need to send the asshole down?” Clara moaned. Alex sighed into the speaker, and she felt the guilt.

“Clara, I couldn’t leave you alone on your birthday. Mum and Dad are on that cruise with the Parkers, and Noel was already going back home. So why not stay at your place?”

“You could have had Rob check in on me. But Noel, really?” Clara bit her lip as she thought back to their kitchen fiasco.

Alex definitely doesn’t need to know about that!

She knew for certain she was blushing and she hated that more than anything.

“Look, Clara, I know he can be an asshole, but he can be the good kind.”

There’s a good kind of asshole?

“But Alex!” She realised she sounded like a whiny child not getting what she wanted. “I don’t need him here.”

Her brother let out the annoyed hum he did when he was frustrated. “Clara,” he breathed out exhaustedly.

She knew her brother was working late nights, and she was adding to his stress. Clara let out her own sigh. They never fought or argued, so it was new for the both of them. She knew she had to let it go. Noel would stay, and she would not make a fuss.

“Kiddo, I know you’ve been stressed with university and other things. I know I haven’t helped by just springing this on you. I’m sorry. But my career is on the line here, and if things in New York weren’t so hectic, I would have been there instead of Noel. You know I love you, Clara. But right now I can’t be there for you.”

“I just wish you’d have told me about your babysitting plans. I could have, you know, prepared myself a little better. I’m sorry, Alex. I’ve added to your stress and I know I’m being unbelievably selfish right now. It’s not fair on you. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me and…”

“And?” he asked.