Exposure - Kelly Moran Page 0,41

melded together in the span of seconds. Finally, she swallowed, her voice husky and raw when she spoke. "I don't know if it's possible to recover from you."

Just like that, the room tipped. The floor fell out from beneath his feet. The air evaporated. Yet neither of them moved. The clock on her wall kept ticking.

"Sage." It was the only thing he could think of to say, the only thing that seemed to make any damn sense. All things considered, he was surprised he could force the word out.

Confusion wrinkled her brows before they lifted in surprise. Her lips parted in a gasp. "Noah?"

Yeah. He was invoking the safeword. "It appears that you leaving is my hard limit." When she didn't say anything, he took another step closer. "I don't know what in the hell happened, but giving up on us because the time clock punched out doesn't feel right. What could it hurt to try?" He swallowed hard. "Stay, Raven. Stay and see where this goes."

She let out a breath, hand fisted over her chest. "I told you sex would change everything," she whispered, tears clinging to her long, dark lashes.

"You're still my best friend. I'd still do anything for you, anything in my power to protect you. Sex didn't change that. It enhanced it." He closed the distance until they stood toe to toe and she had to crane her neck to look up at him. He skimmed the back of his hand down her arm, linking their fingers. "Sage, baby."

She shook her head, the motion conflicting with the hope in her eyes. "God, Noah. You really want to do this? What do we know about relationships? Hell, people don't get more broken than us."

In his opinion, scars weren't a thing to hide behind. Having them meant a person went through hell and was still around to tell the tale. He dropped his forehead to hers. "If you can honestly say to me you haven't thought about it, that you aren't tempted to try, then I'll walk away. Can you say that, Raven?"

Her eyes fluttered closed, the pulse in her neck beating erratically. "I can't say that because you're right. I have thought about it, about??s."

He cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. Leaning in, he brought his mouth to hers, kissing her long and thorough and deep. He edged back enough to look in her eyes. "I think it's time you met my family."

Chapter Ten

To Have

Raven grabbed the armrests of her seat and pinched her eyes closed. She'd been in Noah's float plane before, but this was different. The helicopter didn't offer the same smooth ride or peace of mind. Sure, she was being silly, but with her stomach in her throat it was hard to think rationally.

After his rather cryptic announcement back at her apartment, Noah had told her to change into comfortable clothes and then ushered her out the door. God. He had a helicopter. His own helicopter. At his disposal. They'd taken off in Anchorage and were heading to destinations unknown somewhere north. He refused to tell her where.

She wondered what he meant by meeting his family. Having been introduced to his parents a few times in college before their fatal car crash, she'd known he had no other living relatives besides some distant cousins on his mother's side. What could he possibly have meant by that statement?

From the seat beside her, Noah patted her hand. "You okay, baby?" His voice came through her headset as he yelled over the noise.

Up front, Max turned to offer her a reassuring smile. "Almost there, Miss Crowne."

She nodded and faced the window. Several mountain ranges, lakes, and villages passed as the copter ventured overhead. They were low enough to make out some vegetation and lights from the houses at their elevation.

"I didn't know you could fly, Max."

He turned and grinned again. "Yes, ma'am. I have a license and everything."

"Ha," she barked. "Funny guy."

His shoulders shook with a chuckle, but he said nothing more.

Noah rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, the coarseness of his skin causing her to shiver. The touch succeeded in calming her a bit. "Max flies me up to the estate once a month. He was an Air Force pilot before finishing his last tour and coming to work for me. You're in good hands."

Max threw a thumbs-up over his shoulder.

The next twenty minutes passed with nothing but the wide expanse of the rough Alaskan terrain. He was truly taking