Under His Billionaire Roof novel Chapter 24

Noah avoided her for two days.

Leighton caught glimpses of him. Leaving early for work. Coming home late. His office door always closed. No midnight texts. No stolen glances across the dinner table.

It was like they'd gone back to the beginning. Strangers sharing a house.

Except now it hurt worse. Because now she knew what his touch felt like. How he tasted. The sound he made when she kissed that spot on his neck.

Friday night, Chloe went out with friends. Left Leighton alone in the house with Noah.

She tried to stay in her room. Tried to focus on apartment listings. On packing. On anything except the man down the hallway who wouldn't talk to her.

At ten, she heard his office door open. Footsteps in the hallway. Then a knock on her door.

She opened it. He stood there in jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt. Dark circles under his eyes. Hair a mess.

"Can we talk?" His voice was rough. Tired.

"Okay."

He walked past her into the room. Paced to the window. Back to the door. Restless energy radiating off him.

"I've been thinking," he said finally.

"About?"

"About you leaving. About this job."

"Noah..."

"Don't take it."

The words hung in the air. Simple. Direct. Impossible.

"What?"

"The job. Don't take it. Stay here."

Her heart hammered against her ribs. "Why?"

"Because..." He stopped. Started again. "Because I don't want you to go."

"That's not a reason."

"It's my reason."

"It's not enough."

"Why not?"

"Because wanting me to stay isn't the same as having a reason for me to stay." She crossed her arms. "Give me a real reason, Noah. One that means something."

"I just did."

"No. You told me you don't want me to leave. That's about you. About what you want. I need to know why I should give up this job. This opportunity. This chance to start over somewhere that isn't here."

He was quiet. His jaw working. Hands clenched at his sides.

"Tell me you have feelings for me," she said. "Tell me this is more than just sex. Tell me you want to try. Really try. Not just sneaking around but actual dating. A real relationship."

"Leighton..."

"Say it. If you mean it, say it."

"It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is. Either you have feelings for me or you don't. Either you want this to be something real or you don't."

"I don't know what I feel."

The words were like a slap. "You don't know."

"I'm trying to figure it out."

"Well, figure it out faster. Because I have a job offer that starts in two weeks. I have a chance to build a life that doesn't involve hiding and lying and pretending I don't care about someone who can't decide if he cares about me."

"I do care about you."

"But not enough."

"That's not fair."

"None of this is fair." Her voice rose. "I made the rules. No feelings. Just physical. Because I was stupid enough to think I could do that. That I could just sleep with you and get over my feelings for you. But I couldn't. And now I'm leaving because staying here, being with you like this, it's destroying me."

"So you're just going to run away?"

"I'm not running. I'm choosing myself. I'm choosing a future where I'm not waiting for you to figure out what you want. Where I'm not the secret you're ashamed to admit."

"I'm not ashamed of you."

"Then tell Chloe. Tell her we've been sleeping together. That we're... whatever we are. Tell her you want me to stay."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because she'll never forgive me. She has one rule. One. And I broke it."

"So you care more about Chloe's opinion than you do about me."

"That's not what I said."

"It's what you meant."

He moved closer. Close enough to touch. But he didn't. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to fight for me. I want you to choose me. I want you to stop hiding behind excuses and admit that you feel something."

"I do feel something."

"What? What do you feel?"

"I don't know how to describe it."

"Try."

"I feel like I can't breathe when you're not around. Like something's missing. Like I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to make this work when everything says it shouldn't." His voice was raw. Desperate. "I feel like I'm losing my mind and the only thing that makes sense is you."

Her breath caught. "Noah..."

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