Beneath It All (Beneath #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

out . . . it’s not pretty looking.”
    He placed the ibuprofen pills on the counter with a glass of water. I could see the anxiety in his eyes when he finally sat down; I could feel the tension rolling off him. There was no sense in acting like the world had come to an end, and we needed to keep moving as if nothing was happening. In all honesty, nothing was happening—or at least nothing was confirmed wrong—so why should I let it beat me down?
    “Do you need to go into the office today?” I asked before putting a spoonful of yogurt into my mouth.
    “I had a few meetings scheduled for today, but I already called Whitney and told her to reschedule them, as well as the rest of my meetings this week. I can’t focus right now.”
    He suddenly grabbed my legs and turned me toward him. “Victoria, what do you say to hopping on a plane and going to Chicago overnight? We weren’t able to do much exploring in New York with the conference, and Chicago is the next best city to visit and it’s only an hour flight. What do you think?” He seemed a bit anxious suggesting it, but I found it down-right sweet.
    “Really? Just hop on a flight to Chicago?” I questioned. He made it sound so easy. We’d never done anything spur of the moment like that before. This was new, but I was actually warming to the idea of getting away. I arched an eyebrow, letting him know I was giving it some consideration.
    Noah countered: “Why not? It would be a quick trip, a day or two at most, and we haven’t enjoyed a getaway without work involved in a very long time. It’s perfect.” He gazed at me with puppy-dog eyes.
    “I suppose it would work. I don’t have anything major at work the next few days and an escape for just the two of us would be good. Let’s do it.”
    He tried to control the excitement on his face, but it didn’t work very well. “You’re sure?”
    I laughed. “Yes, I’m sure. And while we’re at it . . . I’d like to visit the Bean and Navy Pier and go up to the Skydeck at the Willis Tower.” Then it was my turn to flash my best puppy-dog eyes. “I think I’ve finally worked up the courage to tackle my fear of heights. Would you do it with me? I might even want to step out on the Ledge.”
    It took him a moment to process, but when he replied, I could see that his wheels had been turning and I should prepare myself. “If I agree, I’ve one request.”
    “And that is?”
    “That you hurry up and finish your breakfast. I’ll go book our flight while you finish and then we need to grab a quick shower and throw a few things in a bag.” He leaned down to my ear. “Hurry up, because it won’t take long for me to book the flight and be prepared . . . it isn’t going to be a fast shower.”
    Well damn! I looked at his sexy little smirk and thought to myself: Two can play this game .
    Reaching for my coffee, I took a sip while holding his gaze. Then I picked up my yogurt and licked my lips before lifting the last spoonful to my mouth. With a steady hand, I pulled the spoon out from between my lips slowly and proceeded to lick it clean. The heat in Noah’s eyes was rising, and I knew that I was asking for it.
    Feeling brave, I saw the fruit bowl was in reach and a nice looking banana was begging to be eaten. He followed my eyes to see what I was looking at and let out a low chuckle. “Since when do you have a banana with your breakfast?”
    After the ache we were both feeling emotionally, we needed to lighten the mood, and this was the perfect distraction. I grabbed the banana and casually started to peel it. “My breakfast left me feeling unsatisfied and I needed something more to . . . satisfy my appetite.” I could see humor and heat dancing in his eyes, which only encouraged me more.
    “Now this I’d like to see.” He smirked as he leaned against the back of his stool with his arms crossed over his chest.
    Game on!
    As I finished pulling the last section of peel down, I rolled my tongue