Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1) (11 page)

"
L
adies and gentlemen, we will be landing in Las Vegas shortly. We hope you've enjoyed your flight with our airlines and will choose us again soon."

Tessa stared out the window of the plane from her seat and a thrill shot through her. She'd been to a casino or two in Reno, but nothing compared to Vegas. She'd taken a trip out there with her girlfriends on her twenty-first birthday and had taken Dana for her milestone birthday, but she hadn't been back since.

She could see the strip in the distance and could already feel the electric pulse of the city. It was Friday morning and they were staying until Sunday evening. They had a lot of plans jam-packed in the few days they were visiting and Tessa couldn't wait.

"What time are you meeting your brother?" Tessa asked.

Isaiah looked at his watch. "I'm going to shoot him a text after we get our bags and a taxi," he said.

Tessa nodded and Isaiah leaned over, kissing her neck. "You sure you don't want to come with me while I shoot his part."

She waved off his offer. "No, you get your filming done and spend some time with your brother. I know you said he's super busy."

"What are you going to do while I'm gone?"

Tessa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe get some shopping in, go to the salon or get a massage."

"I can do that last one for you," he murmured, as he pulled her ear between his lips.

"I just may take you up on your offer," she sighed.

The plane coasted onto the tarmac and up to the terminal and soon they were making their way off the plane. After swinging by baggage claim, they left the airport to find a taxi.

They arrived at their hotel, got checked in and headed up to their room.

"My brother just responded," Isaiah said, tapping the screen of his phone. He'd sent Ian a text as soon as they got in the taxi. "I'm going to meet him at his place. You sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked again. He shoved his phone in his pocket and pulled Tessa into his arms.

"I told you," she said, rising on her toes to give him a kiss. "Enjoy your time with your brother. We'll meet up later for the show."

Isaiah nodded and kissed her again as the elevator dinged, alerting them that they'd arrived on their floor. They got to their room and Isaiah unlocked the door with his keycard.

"Oh my..." Tessa gasped as she entered their suite. She looked around and then headed over to the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Las Vegas. "Isaiah this is amazing."

The suite was bigger than her house in Sweet Rapids. After she was done admiring the view, she continued looking around. The bedroom was spacious with its king sized bed and the bathroom was immaculate with its oversized infinity tub, flush with a marble edge, as the main attraction of the room.

"I think I know what I'll be doing while you're gone," Tessa murmured as Isaiah came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Maybe I should reschedule my meeting with my brother," he groaned, squeezing her tightly.

"You'll do no such thing." Tessa turned and pushed him out of the bathroom. "You go and meet your brother. After you are done, come back and change so we can head out for the show."

Reluctantly, Isaiah released her, but not before giving her a kiss good-bye.

"I'll try not to take too long," he promised.

Tessa waved good-bye and after he left, she looked around the suite again. She pulled out her cellphone and hit the video chat button then tapped her sister's name.

A minute later, Dana's face popped up on the screen. Her brow was furrowed as she said, "Why in the world are you face calling me instead of letting the neighbor's know your man's name?"

Tessa shook her head at her sister. "Isaiah went to do his filming of his brother's interview for the documentary. This trip isn't all play, you know."

"How's the room?"

Tessa grinned. "That's why I called you. Check it out." She hit the button to reverse the camera on the phone and began the tour of the suite all over again, this time with Dana on video chat.

"Wow!" Dana exclaimed. "That place looks spectacular."

"It's even better in person," Tessa said, flipping her camera back around so she could see her sister again.

"So, since your man's off working, what are your plans?"

"I figured I'd head down and shop at some of the stores in the hotel, before coming back up here to soak in this gorgeous tub."

"Ugh! I'm so jealous," Dana pouted. "You're out there in Vegas with your man and I'm here."

"You could always call that hot neighbor of yours, whom you've already–"

"I am
not
calling him. That was a one time...lapse in judgment."

"If you say so," Tessa said, deciding not to argue.

"What did Mama say when you told her you were going away for the weekend with Isaiah?"

Tessa rolled her eyes. "She was just too excited. Has she come in yet?"

Dana lowered her voice. "She's been out front all morning, 'keeping an eye' on the newbies."

Tessa's eyes grew wide. "You didn't put any of the samples out, did you?" she whispered.

Dana shook her head. "We agreed we wouldn't start until you got back. I'm not taking Mama's wrath on by myself."

"Okay, good," Tessa said.

"Well, you go on and have fun," Dana said. "I've got to get back to work."

"I'll see you Monday," Tessa said.

"Love you."

"Love you back. Call Aiden!"

"N–"

She hung up before Dana could finish her argument with an amused grin on her face. She looked down at her phone when she heard it ping.

Isaiah: I'm here. Ian says he can't wait to see you.

I know! It's been so long. Tell him I can't wait to see him either. Or try one of his burgers I've heard so much about.

Isaiah: Are you naked yet?

Tessa laughed out loud, before responding.

No, decided to hit the stores first, then come back and soak after I've shopped til I dropped.

Isaiah: Cool. Talk to you soon.

Okay...

Tessa grabbed her purse, made sure she had her room key and left the suite.



"Hey! How 'bout you get off that damn phone of yours so we can get this done."

Isaiah chuckled, looking up at his mirror image. He tucked his phone into his pocket and turned on his camera. "Excuse me, Mr. Soon-To-Be-TV-Star. You ready?"

Ian turned on his TV smile. "Always."

Isaiah spent the next hour interviewing his brother about their parents and Noble Naturals.

"That's it?" he asked when Isaiah was done.

"For now, we're going to do a lot more when Izzy and Ivy get back to the states."

Isaiah shut off the camera and sat down in the chair across from Ian. "How have you been?"

Ian shrugged. "Busy with the restaurant, in talks about this cooking show. Life is good. What about you? How is it being back in Sweet Rapids?"

"Not as bad as I thought it'd be," Isaiah admitted. "It's grown so much."

"What about working with Noble Naturals?"

"For the longest time, I thought it would feel like having a noose around my neck. But putting this revamp in motion and this documentary, I'm actually enjoying myself."

"Next thing you know, Dad's gonna be trying to get me to come home next."

"We could always use that chemistry degree of yours," Isaiah said. "Now that we're coming up with these new lines for bath, body and make-up products, we could use some of that creative magic of yours. I know you're busy, but I may need to call you and pick your brain for some ideas."

Ian nodded his head. "Whatever help you need, let me know. I've got an old journal full of ideas from back in the day. Lotions, soaps; all kinds of shit."

Isaiah's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you ever say anything? Especially to Mom and Dad?"

Ian shrugged. "They were all about hair care. I only came up with them because of a project in college. Plus, you know I was all about food. But I've got it boxed away somewhere here. I'll find it and you can take it with you."

"Thanks man," he said. "With Giselle's ideas, this should be great."

"Who's Giselle?" Ian asked.

"Oh, Giselle Warren's one of the cosmetic chemists at Noble Naturals. She's been working in quality control, but she's got a bunch of great ideas too, so I think I'm going to have Pop transfer her to Formulation Development. She's eager to create some things. I can't wait to get my hands on your notes man, this is gonna be great." Isaiah was excited for the company's upcoming changes.

Laughing, Ian said, "And here I thought my days with Noble Naturals were over and done."

"I said the same thing. And look where I am now."

Ian's eyebrow rose. "You thinking of hanging up your headphones and camera for the family business?"

Isaiah sighed. "You know music and film are my true loves. But...I'm coming to the realization that we can't push Noble Naturals away forever. It's always gonna be a part of who we are."

"I can't disagree with you on that," Ian said. "So when are Izzy and Ivy coming home?"

"I spoke to them last week, they're making arrangements to fly home within the next few weeks."

"Great," Ian said, nodding as he stood from his chair and stretched. "It'll be good to see them."

"Yeah, I was looking forward to hanging with them in Europe, but–"

"Pop conned you into going home instead."

"Yeah..."

But it had been worth it, with Tessa in his life now.

As he'd done so many times growing up, Ian seemed to read his brother's mind. "So," he said, as he ambled to his kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of beers. "You and Tessa Everett."

He slid a bottle across the island and Isaiah caught it.

"Me and Tess," Isaiah confirmed with a nod. He twisted the top off.

"How'd that happen?"

"I went into the bakery one morning and she was there. I ran into her again a couple days later and I hadn't been able to get her off my mind, so I told her I wanted to see her again." Smiling, he added, "She told me I knew where to find her."

Ian smiled as well. "She always was a bit spunky. And Dana..." He whistled. "She was a spitfire."

"Still is," Isaiah said.

"Tessa was always cute back in the day."

"She's a lot more than cute now," Isaiah said. "She's sexy, smart and funny."

"You're really feeling her, huh?" Ian asked, studying Isaiah.

"Yeah, man," Isaiah said. "I am."

"So it's serious?"

Isaiah took a swig of his beer before answering. "I brought her with me on this trip to Vegas. What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy for bringing sand to the beach," Ian teased.

"You would say something like that."

"You know I'm messing with you, bro. Seriously though, what's the deal between you two?"

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about his brother's question.

"Tess is great," he said. "We've been enjoying our time together."

"And is time going to be up soon?"

"What do you mean?"

Ian laughed. "You know what I mean. What happens between you two when you leave? Your home is in L.A. And I don't see her leaving Sweet Rapids. Isn't she and her sister running Everetts’ Bakery now?"

"More or less," Isaiah said. "Look, we're just focused on right now. I figured you, of all people, would get that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means, if you even get a whiff of the word commitment in your vicinity, you break out in hives."

"Because when you live in Vegas, you get a buffet of beauties," he said, his arms outstretched.

"Don't remind me," Isaiah said with an eye roll.

When Isaiah had arrived at Ian's place, a woman was on her way out the door.

Ian told Isaiah he'd met her at the restaurant the night before. Apparently, she was in town for her birthday and she just
had
to 'compliment the chef'. She'd complimented him in more ways than one, and he returned the favor.

"Anyway," Isaiah said. "Don't forget, I have a place in Zephyr Cove. And with this revamp of the company, I'll probably be in Sweet Rapids for an indefinite amount of time."

"Holy shit..." Ian rasped.

"What?" Isaiah said, furrowing his brow.

"Are you thinking of moving home?"

Isaiah took another swig of his beer.

When he was with Tessa, everything seemed perfect and when he wasn't with her, he was counting the minutes until they could be together. For the last few weeks, she'd spent more time at his house than her own and he definitely wasn't complaining about it.

"You know what, moving home might not be so bad..."

"
T
ess?"

Tessa opened her eyes and lifted her head off of the bath pillow.

"In here," she called from the tub.

Isaiah appeared in the door with a grin on his face. "Looks like I got back just in time," he said, eyeing her as she soaked in the tub filled with bubbles.

Tessa watched as Isaiah simultaneously pulled his shirt over his head, while he kicked off his shoes, and then his socks.

The mere sight of this man made her heart skip a beat. Watching him strip down to nothing made her mouth water.

"Looks like it," she murmured.

"I see we're going to have to check another bag on the flight home," he said, moving into the bathroom towards the tub.

"About that," Tessa said, nervously biting her lip. "Don't get mad."

"Don't get mad about what?" Isaiah asked, stopping.

"I wasn't aware that this was one of those hotels where they charge all your purchases to your room."

"Oh," Isaiah said.

"I'll pay you back for everything."

Isaiah waved it off as he joined her in the tub. "Don't worry about it."

"But...I spent quite a bit."

"Tess, I said don't worry about it." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I told you, anything you wanted this weekend was yours."

He deepened the kiss and she melted in his arms. She braced her hands on his shoulders and pushed out of the kiss.

Searching his eyes, she asked, "Are you su–"

He cut off her question with another kiss.

"Sometimes you get way too far into that pretty head of yours," he said, nibbling her bottom lip. Tessa gasped when he lifted her out of the water and placed her on the wide edge of the tub. He pushed her legs apart, moving closer until his nose was pressed against her center. Her entire body shuddered as his tongue flicked out to taste her.

"So sweet," she heard him murmur, his warm breath teasing her now cool, wet skin. He lifted her legs, draping them over his shoulder. His fingertips dug in to her thighs as he kept her legs open wide, while he planted hot open mouth kisses on her pussy, before sliding his tongue inside of her, causing her to cry out.

Her head fell back and her heels dug in to his back and he continued making love to her with his mouth. Soon her legs began to violently tremble around him.

"Isaiah," she moaned.

That ferocious growl that seemed to come from him only when they were intimate, bubbled up and vibrated against her clit as he suddenly stood. Her breath got caught in her throat, and she held on tightly to his head as he palmed her ass, his face still buried between her legs. She felt her back hit the wall above the tub, as the sound of her hitched breathing tangled with the trickling sound of the water going over the edge.

She was going over the edge herself, as he pulled her clit into his mouth, sucking her hard and making her buck wantonly against his face as her orgasm slammed through her.

He finally pulled away from her and eased her down the wall until she was sitting on the marbled edge of the tub again. He stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel and then went back over to her. He held his hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to help her out of the tub.

He took his time drying her body off, before he picked her up, carried her to the bedroom and spent the rest of the afternoon making love to her.



"This is
so
good," Tessa moaned.

Isaiah sat back with a grin on his face. Tessa took another huge bite of the burger, delicately chewing as she wiped ketchup from the corner of her mouth.

After their afternoon romp, they napped for a few hours before they got up, took a shower and got dressed before heading out to the show Tessa had wanted to see. She'd loved every single minute of it and told him as much when they first sat down at the restaurant.

"It was absolutely spectacular," she'd said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You know, Laurel recently mentioned that she's been offered a Vegas show."

"Really?" Tessa asked, eyes lighting up. "Is she going to do it?"

Isaiah had shrugged, saying, "I think she's seriously considering it. With being a newlywed, she's mentioned that she would prefer not having to travel so much."

"At least with Rowan's job, he can travel with her. I can't imagine being away from someone you love that much."

"Neither can I," he'd murmured, before the waitress had come to take their orders.

Chuckling, as he now watched her devour her burger with as much grace as she could, Isaiah said, "We were never hungry during undergraduate school."

"Is that where you learned how to make your amazing risotto?"

Isaiah opened his mouth to speak, when an identical voice rang out, "There's no way in hell his risotto is as good as mine."

Isaiah turned to see Ian standing over his shoulder.

"Even if I did teach him," Ian finished, patting Isaiah on his shoulder. He went around to the other side of the table.

"Tessa Everett." He held his hand out and she placed hers in his, he leaned down and kissed it, before pulling her up to stand while eyeing her up and down. "Look at you, girl! As fine as you wanna be."

"How are you, Ian?" Tessa asked, her cheeks darkening.

"I'm much better now that I'm in the presence of such beauty."

"Laying it on pretty thick, aren't you?" Isaiah asked in a deadpan voice. "You can let go of my woman's hand now."

Ian chuckled before releasing Tessa's hand and she sat back down.

"The food is great," she complimented.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. Is my bum brother taking care of you?"

Tessa nodded, her eyes drifting over to Isaiah. "He's the best."

"Damn right," Ian said. "So you make sure you're taking care of him as well."

"She is," Isaiah said, eyes still locked on Tessa.

"Good. Well I can't stay, got work to do, but I had to come out and see you. I'll be home soon, so I'm sure we'll see each other again, Tessa."

Ian turned to Isaiah, who stood. They embraced quickly and Isaiah said, "I'll call you soon."

"No doubt. Love you, bro."

"You too," Isaiah said.

Ian turned to Tessa again, and bent down to kiss her on the cheek, causing her to giggle.

Isaiah glared at his brother, who laughed as he took off for the kitchen.

Isaiah knew his brother was just trying to rile him up. Once Ian was out of sight, he looked at Tessa, hiding an amused grin.

"You're not considering switching brothers, are you?"

"What?!" Tessa croaked as her head shot up. When she realized he was teasing, she laughed and threw her napkin at him. "There's only one Noble man that I lo–" She didn't finish her sentence, but her eyes widened with what looked like revelation.

"That you...what?" he asked, his eyebrow raising.

"That I love...being with." she said, before grabbing her glass of wine to take a sip.

"Hmm," he said, nodding. After talking to his brother earlier, he'd come to a few revelations of his own. "Well," he said, lowering his voice and leaning closer to her. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Just so you know, I
love
...being with you as well."

"You do?"

"Yeah...I do."