Alpha's Regret After Her Rebirth (Hannah and Noah) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 0196
Hannah & Noah
Hannah’s POV
My leg tensed instinctively as Noah reached for it, a questioning look in his weary eyes. Frowning, he muttered, “Do you want the massage or not?”
Even though I knew I shouldn’t and that it would only make things more complicated, I slowly extended my leg. Noah grabbed my ankle almost impatiently yet with a surprising amount of gentleness and pulled it the rest of the way, setting it on top of his thigh.
The tips of my ears instantly turned red. Whether Noah noticed or not, I wasn’t sure; but he certainly must have noticed when his fingers slowly began working the soft flesh of my calf, considering the fact that my face flushed the deepest crimson known to man.
For a few moments that felt like an eternity, the room was mostly silent-save for the soft sound of music. still playing on the record player. My throat bobbed as I swallowed hard and looked away, averting my gaze to the floor, the curtains, the empty champagne flutes scattered around the room.
Anywhere but at him.
Finally, he cleared his throat as he ran his fingers along my leg. “What were you and Drake talking about earlier?” he murmured.
There it was. My leg tensed again, although when I tried to pull away, Noah just tightened his grip and shot me a reproachful look through his lashes.
I sighed and pushed a curl out of my eyes. “Nothing, really. He was just telling me what happened between him and Zoe after that failed date.” A half-lie.
Noah pursed his lips. “I see. And?”
“I guess he’s giving up. He and Zoe aren’t compatible.”
“Are you two more compatible?”
His words made me freeze. For a moment, my eyes remained fixed on the fringe lining the edge of the carpet, too terrified to look at him. When I finally did, though, he wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was still on my calf, his fingers still smoothly running up and down my skin and kneading into my sore muscles.
“What are you saying, Noah?”
He merely shrugged. “It’s clear that Drake likes you now more than he does Zoe; maybe you share those feelings.”
“Noah, I-”
“I’m not mad. If you want him, that’s up to you; all I ask is that you wait until we’re divorced to act on anything,” he muttered, his green eyes finally lifting momentarily to meet mine.
1 didn’t know what to say; if there were even any words that could be said at that moment, then they died in the back of my throat.
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Chapter 0196
After a long, heated moment, I looked away again and clenched my jaw. “I don’t see Drake like that. You know what my plans are after we get divorced, and he’s not a part of them.”
“Not yet, anyway.”
My throat tightened at that, but I didn’t respond. I wasn’t interested in Drake in a romantic sense, but I also knew that there was no convincing Noah otherwise. Still, his fingers continued to work at the sore muscles of my legs, and I couldn’t help but lean my head back against the chair and shut my eyes.
We stayed like that for a long time, the only sounds between us that of the music once again. Noah’s hands worked skillfully and methodically, trailing heated paths up and down my calves and over the soles of my sore feet.
Then, his fingers began to move upwards-past my calves, skimming over my knees… And they began to push the hem of my skirt up ever so slightly to get at my thighs.
When he began to massage along the soft skin there, my eyes snapped open of their own accord. Flushing once more, I looked down to see that Noah was staring at me-perhaps he had been this whole time.
“Noah…”
He didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. Slowly, his fingers slid up beneath my skirt, gently massaging my inner and outer thighs. Despite my best efforts, I felt myself squirm in the chair, an undeniable heat creeping up from where his fingers grazed my skin and radiating throughout my lower body.