Morning Light: A Day of Pleasure, Book 1 Read online

  Dedication

  For Matt, who never doubted I could do it. Even when I did.

  Chapter One

  Moving down the stairs from the apartment to the pub below, Noah heard the distinct sound of someone cussing up a storm. He quickened his pace to reach the door separating his living space from his workspace and gently opened it.

  There, standing on top of his immaculately gleaming mahogany bar, stood Tennyson Sharpe in her bare feet. All five feet two inches of her. She was on her tiptoes, reaching for one of the light fixtures with one hand and a light bulb in the other. The stretch caused her white, fitted tee to slide up her belly and expose a sliver of summer-tanned skin.

  She stuck her tongue out at an angle—in concentration, he supposed. As she twisted the used bulb from the fixture, she uttered a soft, “Gotcha.” The final motion to remove the bulb caused her to dip forward on her toes and lifted her jean skirt higher, offering a delectable view of her plain white cotton panties.

  Noah instantly hardened at the sight. He’d been in lust with this girl since she was sixteen to his nineteen, and after ten years apart he was finally home. And here she stood, flashing him the sexiest view he’d seen in years. He leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene unfold, never happier to have given her a key a few months back.

  As she placed the fresh bulb in the fixture, she stretched again. Her whole body lengthened, straining to reach the fixture. She was all tan limbs and womanly curves. Her body was at enough of an angle that he could see her breasts tight against the fitted tee, but more importantly her cute behind as she placed both palms on the bar to hop down from her perch. As she braced herself she lifted her perky behind and flashed him.

  The curve of her sex flashed before him as those white panties intimately hugged her. In a flash, both feet were planted on the floor and she was picking up the used bulb from the bar, then slipping her sandals back on. Time to turn around and head back upstairs before she caught him with a full-on erection and he embarrassed himself.

  Noah eased the door shut and sprinted back up the stairs as quietly as he could, hoping to give himself a few moments to calm his erection before she unceremoniously showed up in his apartment for their breakfast plans.

  He needed a cold shower before they left or he’d never survive the meal. He was going to have wet dreams about her white panties for weeks to come.

  Stripping off his jeans and plain black tee, he dropped his clothes where he stood and snapped the bathroom door shut as his apartment door opened.

  “Noah?” Tenn heard the shower start as she closed the door behind her. Well, that was unusual. Noah was nothing if not prompt. Ten years as an Army Ranger kind of beat that into you. She rapped on the bathroom door with a knuckle. “Hey, are you alive in there?”

  “I’ll be out in minute. Got a late start to the morning. Give me five.”

  She glanced down and saw a pile of clothes. Strange. Noah was also one of the neatest, cleanest people she’d ever known. His place was always immaculate, with nothing out of place. Let alone a pile of clothes tossed by the bathroom.

  Now she was starting to sweat. Did he have a girl here? Had she interrupted the morning-after? Shit. That Amber bimbo had been making a play for Noah ever since he’d come home. And if she was in this apartment right now, Tenn was going to die of embarrassment. Right after she beat Noah to death.

  They had plans. Even if they weren’t the romantic kind, they were definitely plans. They’d had Sunday breakfast as a standing date since his return from overseas. And he’d never had a woman here.

  Who was she kidding? He had every right to get freaky with anyone he wanted. She was just the trusty sidekick, the platonic friend who was always there. Like a lapdog.

  Picking up the clothes, she folded them and set them on the back of the couch a few feet away. The apartment was neat as a pin and pretty spacious, as far as it went. It was an open floor plan with only two separate rooms off the main living area, the master bedroom and the bathroom. Everything else was one large, airy space. From this angle she couldn’t see into the bedroom and was half-afraid to know if someone was still in his bed. Warming it for him, so to speak.

  Deciding she needed to know, she took a step toward the bedroom after picking back up the stack of clothes she’d set down a moment before. It was a perfect excuse to check out the situation. His dirty clothes needed to be tossed into the hamper. Right.

  She was about to fully push open the bedroom door when Noah yelled, “Hey, Tenn. I left my clothes out there. Could you grab them for me?”

  And before she could whip around and not look guilty he popped his head out of the bathroom door. As she turned in his direction, she could only see a portion of his upper body, with the rippling muscle and just-now-fading tan from his time in Afghanistan, but it was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The man was masculine perfection and her panties got a little wet looking at him.

  “Oh, did you want these? Um, I was about to put them in your hamper.” Belatedly she whirled around and held up the clothes in question. “I thought they were dirty.”

  For a moment he looked like he blushed. Really? “Sorry, I wanted to take a quick shower before we headed out and I tossed them on the floor in my rush.” He reached out a hand and beckoned her forward.

  She was going to combust before she reached him. Not only was the man deliciously muscled, he still dripped from his shower. His dark hair, cut in a military-style buzz, glistened in the morning light. Eyes the color of the ocean on a sunny day, clear and crisp-blue, tracked her progress. She cleared the edge of the couch and his gaze skated down the length of her body, snagging on her legs before coming back to her face.

  Once within reach of the bathroom door heat crept up her neck and face when she realized Noah stood naked on the other side of the door. His body was positioned so she could only see a naked hip and the curve of a well-defined ass, but it was obvious he hadn’t bothered wrapping a towel around his waist before popping his head out the door.

  She dropped his clothes before he could get a grip on them and they fell to the floor with a soft impact. Unbelievably, as she bent to retrieve the clothing, her face flamed even hotter in embarrassment.

  Noah watched Tenn flush a pretty pink as she bent down to scoop up the jeans and tee. Her wave of chocolate-brown hair fell forward and obscured her face for a brief moment. The movement, combined with her sexy jean skirt and tee, caused his dick to rise to the occasion for the second time in less than ten minutes. What this woman did to him should be illegal.

  She peered up at him from her crouched position and her hair fell back into place as she lifted her chin. She was kneeling before him, offering him a shy smile, with the additional bonus of a very impressive shot of her chest. Her shirt strained against the heavy globes of her breasts and he could see the outline of her bra, another serviceable white cotton piece of lingerie from the look of it. She had curves like no other woman and they were on perfect display.

  His erection strained painfully and he had to resist the urge to take it in hand to relieve the pressure. From her position she could have leaned forward and offered him his long-standing fantasy. Well, one of his fantasies anyway. There were many when it came to Tenn.

  He reached out, taking the clothes she held and hastily retreated, attempting to not display his raging erection or his bare ass in the process. Though of the two, he’d happily offer up his bare ass. The lesser of two evils, as it were. The door clicked shut and he gave a manly sigh at having escaped that situation without embarrassment.

  Tenn watched Noah retreat into the bathroom from her precarious perch on the balls of her feet, still crouched
outside the bathroom door, and continued to gape at the door. Noah’s impressive erection had flashed in front of her for a brief moment as he leaned away from the doorframe to close the door in her face. She was ready for a cold shower and a stiff drink. And a date with her vibrator.

  And his erection had just confirmed there was a woman here. It was the only explanation why he hadn’t been ready for their date and was so obviously aroused at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning. Short, heavy girls like herself were not Noah’s type of woman. In high school he’d dated other star athletes, those girls with perfectly lean bodies and mile-long legs. Tenn was the shortest in her graduating class and could compassionately be called thick.

  It was painful to consider that out of duty he would leave a willing and warm partner to have a pity-breakfast date with his brother’s best friend. In all the years she’d known Noah he’d always treated her with respect and care. With three years separating them, she’d grown up as part of his family. His brother Chris had become her best friend in fourth grade and they’d never looked back.

  Regardless of the friendship she shared with Noah’s brother, she resented becoming an object of pity to him. It made her stomach hurt to think about it. She had loved him for years. Weeping when he joined the military at nineteen and left their hometown, as only a broken-hearted sixteen-year-old could. Fretting about his safety for all those years as he took on risky military missions as an Army Ranger, as only a friend could. And weeping again when he’d announced he was finally coming home for good, as only a grown woman in love could.

  With Chris and Noah’s parents retiring to sunny Florida, the family pub had been about to go up for sale. Instead, Noah had left the military and come home to run the business. It was his dream—to follow in his father’s footsteps—but he had wanted to experience the world before settling down. And now he was back. And offering her pity dates, while his date du jour was in the other room.

  Damn it.

  When Noah opened the bathroom door, Tenn was in the same spot. And she did not look happy.

  His forward motion came to a quick halt and he towered over her small frame as she finally stood. The movement brought her into the perfect position for a kiss, but this was obviously not the time to take that step. One of these days he was going to man-up and make his move, but not today.

  Thinking about taking a chance with her, how sweet it would be to taste those lips after all the years he’d spent dreaming of them, made him hot with desire. But it also scared the shit out of him. What if she didn’t want him and it ruined their friendship? Not only would he never forgive himself, but his brother would kick his ass.

  How Chris and Tenn had never hooked up was beyond him, but Chris swore Tenn was nothing but his best friend. Had absolutely never hooked up, for fear of ruining their friendship.

  Ironic that his younger brother was so much wiser than he was. Because he was biding his time until he could make a calculated move.

  Noah watched Tenn lean in and, for a split second, he thought she was going to reach up and kiss him. He caught his breath. Instead, she put one hand behind his neck and pulled him down a good ten inches so she could whisper in his ear.

  She smelled like fresh soap and lemon lip-gloss.

  “Is there a woman here?”

  What? He pulled back and gave her an incredulous look. “What?”

  Whispering with a deadly hiss, she repeated the question. “Is. There. A. Woman. Here?”

  “No.” He said it slowly, aware she was one scary female when pissed. And for whatever reason she was fully pissed right now.

  “Then why…” And she cut herself off, without finishing the question.

  Intrigued now, he said, “Go ahead. Then why…what?”

  “Never mind.”

  She huffed out a breath and sent a lemony puff of air past his face. She stepped back and her body visibly relaxed.

  “Come on, let’s go to breakfast. Your brother said something about meeting us there this week.”

  And just like that, the anger had passed from her face. She stepped past him and offered a delightful view of her perky little ass as she swept down the stairs to the pub.

  Chapter Two

  Nearly a week later Tenn found herself cussing a blue streak—yet again. Pulling up in front of Chris’s apartment was a special kind of hell. For a small town, his street had very little available parking, making it an ordeal. For a brief moment Tenn thought maybe she should have arrived in style on her scooter. Not that Chris was willing to ride on the back of it, but it was definitely easier to find a spot when driving her Vespa.

  Instead, she was stuck driving around the block in her sedate Toyota for the third time. Deciding it was a lost cause, she dialed his number on her cell.

  As soon as the line engaged she skipped the formalities and said, “I give up! Meet me on the street corner for our hot date. There is zero parking in this neighborhood.”

  “Who is this?” offered the decidedly feminine voice on the other end of the line.

  Damn it. Chris dated the most annoying women. And every one of them was always wicked jealous of Tenn.

  “Hi, Lexie. This is Tennyson. Is Chris available?”

  “He’s in the shower. It might take him a while. I was about to join him.”

  Ewwwwwwwwwww. Definitely too much information. Jesus, where did he get this woman?

  The bitchy part of Tenn was more than happy to point out, “I found a parking spot. Could you let him know I’ll be up in a few minutes? We have plans to meet his brother at the pub tonight.” And without waiting she added, “Thanks. See you in a minute.”

  By the time she knocked on the door, Lexie was on her way out of it. With a venomous look on her pretty face, Lexie swung the door wide. Without a word the women brushed past each other and Tenn shut the door behind herself.

  “Christian Ashley Harper!”

  Chris popped his head out from behind the bathroom door. “Is she gone?”

  “Yes, you jerk. If you ever sic that psychopath on me again in the hopes I’ll get rid of her for you, I will totally leave your sorry ass without a date.”

  He gave her his best puppy-dog face. It had no effect on Tenn.

  “Get dressed. We’re going to be late.”

  Chris disappeared behind the bathroom door as Tenn flopped down on the couch and kicked her shoes off. Getting dressed up for a night on the town was a little out of her comfort zone. Her feet hurt already and the night hadn’t even started. It was obviously a man who’d invented high heels and thongs, both of which she was wearing tonight.

  She smoothed her wrap dress down her thighs and decided if Noah noticed, it would all be worth it. It was a pathetic thought, but she couldn’t help herself. She felt sexy tonight and wanted him to see her that way. For one moment she wanted to be more than the platonic friend. She wanted to be the hot chick he watched walking through the door at the pub.

  Chris emerged from the bathroom fully clothed and gave her a once-over. “Damn, Tenn. You’re looking hot tonight. Trying to impress me for once?”

  She offered him a scathing look, one perfected by the time they’d turned fourteen. He might have been a clone of his brother, with the same baby blues and nearly black hair, but it had never been Chris tying her up in knots. “Sorry, bud. Lexie has dibs on your naked ass. I could never stand in her way. She’d probably cut me.”

  “Oh, aren’t you the funny one tonight?”

  “Seriously, Chris, why do you date that girl? You know one of these days she’s going to make your life miserable.”

  “When did a couple of dinner dates mean we are dating?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Probably about the same time you started sleeping with her. She assumes you guys are an item.”

  “Come on, Tenn. You know me better than that. We’ve never done the deed.”

  Obviously he wouldn’t lie to her, but it was still surprising. “She implied she was here to jump your bones while you were in the shower!
”

  “Well, I’m sure that was her plan when she got here. But I locked the bathroom door. I think she was waiting for me to make a break from the bathroom.”

  She shot him a sly look. “Are you afraid of the crazy chick?”

  Chris looked slightly chagrined. “I’m not afraid of her.”

  “You wait until I tell Noah. You will never hear the end of this!”

  “Get your sexy ass off my couch and back into those killer shoes. Noah’s going to be pissed if we’re late.”

  “And I’ll totally explain to him you have the worst taste in women and you were too busy hiding in the bathroom to get dressed before I got here.” Slipping her shoes back on with a slight wince, she added, “Are you driving? I think we should arrive in style.”

  “Only if you keep your lips zipped about Lexie. I’ll even let you drive the Camaro.” He tossed the keys to the ’69 Chevy Camaro her way. A car he’d spent nearly the past ten years rebuilding with his dad in the old man’s garage. It had only recently come from the body shop with a fresh coat of perfect black paint. Tenn had never been in the driver’s seat.

  It was exactly the right bribe to keep her mouth shut about the Chris and Lexie situation.

  “Deal.” The pain of her sexy shoes completely forgotten, she practically skipped down the hall and out the door to the garages in the back of the complex.

  Chris watched her disappear from his sight. Following in her wake, he could practically feel her glee at finally getting her hands on his baby. It was his weekends-only car and his pride and joy. He was always going to let her drive it once it was finished, but he wasn’t above letting her think he had caved. She was the only woman he knew who had a deep and abiding respect for a classic American muscle car.

  Not to mention she was a damn fine driver. Her dad had raced on the local circuit back in the day, and Tenn had spent a great deal of her childhood weekends hanging out at the track. Her mom had bailed before Tenn was five, and she’d been raised by her doting father and grandfather.