PART 4

Allie sits in the drawing room of her home with Lon. They just recently returned from their two week honeymoon in New York City. She loves it there, and it has only gotten better over the years. They stayed at the fanciest hotel one could dream of. Lon made sure she had any and everything she needed. He treats her like a Queen. And she loves and hates it. It's nice to be treated like a normal person at times, so she knows for herself that she is not made of the glass he sees her as.

Allie fiddles with the paper crossing her legs to catch it when it starts to slide down her un crossed knees. The tea cup is shaky in her hand as she reads. 'Seabrook's New Restoration for Sale' She looks at the house. His house. The photo is much like the one she saw that day she fainted, trying on her gown. And 2 months later the house is back in the paper. This time because it just got put on the market in a big way. Her eyes widen as she starts to read the small tid-bit at the bottom of the photo.

"Allie love" Lon comes in fixing the cuff on his sleeve, he looks at her when she doesn't acknowledge him. "Hi" He says his hand smoothing down her head and resting at the base of her skull. He leans down and finds her lips. Her head still not lifting to look at or kiss him. "Allie?"

Allie pulls her eyes away from the paper, and her tea cup drops when Lon's face is directly in front of hers ready for a kiss. "Oh!" She exclaims actually startled by him. "Oh the rug" She says standing up now that he stepped back and she has room.

"Leave it" He bends a little to take her hands. His hands hold her upper arms. The paper still firmly in one hand. "What has gotten you all jumpy?" He says taking the paper out of her hand. "We should buy this house" He says as he looks at what she was reading about.

"We can't" Allie says looking down at the tea.

"Someone will clean it" He tells her. "It can be our summer home, we can vacation with your parents"

"My parents summer home…I'm just going to" She says of the tea, wanting to clean it up. Allie turns around and grabs her cloth napkin off of her tray. She goes swiftly to the floor, to dab the wet patch and pick up her cup.

"Satisfied?" Lon questions her, resting the paper in her empty chair, he gets a nod from his wife, as she throws the cloth onto the tray. "We should buy it"

"You just bought this house" She tells him, Lon surprised her with this house in Charlotte when they got back from New York. "And we can stay in my parents summer house, it is large enough"

"I don't know" He says making a thinking face, as he wraps his arms around her waist pulling her close. Lon takes his time as he kisses her neck gently.

"Lon?" Allie moans his name her hands are wrapped around his neck, staying close also.

"Hmm" He mumbles. "Work, I know" He pulls back kissing her nose and letting her go. "I'll look into this house, just incase" He tells his wife who is looking extremely apprehensive about the whole idea. He knows why too but he just can't seem to muster the strength to care she and her lover shared a night in that house a few months ago. The ball is in his court if he ends up owning it, the changes he could make would make her fully forget about that night. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah" Allie smiles a bit and nods, moving her hands over the front of her robe and she adjusts it to be more shut than it already is. She watches him turn and head out the door. Allie waits for a second or two, her eyes look at the door when she sees it open again, wondering if Lon forgot something. She sighs softly when Fran enters her maid. Allie grew up with wealth and a great deal of service in her home. But living with Lon now she is slowly turning into a child. Her every need is being cartered too. When she was growing up though she had the service she did for herself.

"Good morning Mrs. Hammond, I am here to help you dress"

Allie looks at Fran for a moment. "I-I don't" When she hears the car, she turns and runs to the bedroom window. That window has an amazing view of the front drive. There is a small fountain in the center, forming a circle. Cars drive around it to enter and exit the small but grand estate. She watches Lon's car pull out of the heavy iron gates.

"Mrs…"

"Call me Allie please Fran" She turns and interrupts the older woman. "I can dress on my own, thank you"

"Mr. Hammond told me to come up here and help you" She explains to the lady of the house.

"No" Allie shakes her head. "There will be no more helping me dress" Allie makes it clear. She looks at Fran's worried face. "Don't worry I will talk to my husband, but can you do something for me?" Allie holds onto the ties of her robe as she takes a few steps in Fran's direction.

"Anything Mrs…Allie" She quickly corrects herself. "Anything"

"Can you make sure my car is gassed up and out front ready for me"

"I will get right on that" Fran tells Allie with a smile, happy to be able to do something in her job description.

"Thank you" Allie calls when Fran leaves shutting the door. She runs quickly over to the closet to find something to wear for the day.

Noah sands away in the shed. He is making a side table for a living room. The offers have been coming in for his house, not pouring. But when he gets a good offer he will sell. He needs to move on, a move, out of Seabrook, Charlotte, just move away. He is hoping to fix up his truck and drive the open road. There is nothing left here for him. He didn't think anything was left after his father died, but he had the house. He built the house again, that obstacle has been taken care of, it's time to fully let go.

"What are you doing?" Her voice is high pitched and slightly out of breath.

Noah heard a car, he wasn't bothering with it, because he was hoping whomever it was would just leave when no one answered the front door. Allie knows better clearly. Noah says nothing he only looks up from his task, not even dropping the sander.

"Noah…the house?" She says with a questioning voice and face as she waits for him to say something, say anything. "Say something, Noah"

"Do you want to buy it?" He says almost joking, not trying to be funny or to joke just to say it.

"No" She whispers shaking her head. "Why?"

"It's time, to move on" He says looking back at his work, and he picks up his lost pace again, he knows she hasn't moved but she is not talking, just watching him he is sure.

"Lon wants to buy it" She tells him, hoping that will make him change his mind.

"For you?" He says not looking at her, just listening to her.

Allie looks at the top of his bent head. "Yes"

"If he has the right price it's his" Noah mumbles.

Allie can't quite believe her ears. "Noah" She whispers.

"Look Al, I'm kinda busy here" Noah looks up at her, resting the sander down.

"Don't sell it to him, please"

"If I sell it, and he still wants it, the man I sell it to might end up selling it to him, so really" He says shrugging just a bit to get his point across to her.

Allie looks at him and sighs heavily. Her entire chest expands. She looks around the place, just because she can't bare to look at him anymore. His eyes staring at her make her almost feel naked. "This house was our dream" She says looking around, anywhere but his eyes as she talks. "You're going to give it to my husband"

Noah frowns watching her, because she is making no sense. It was their dream, but they are not together, they haven't been together in seven years, the point is very moot.

"I loved the art room" She turns around to face the outside, her back to him now. Allie folds her arms lightly over her middle.

"I'm glad, feel free to take the things, I packed them up" He tells her back, and he sees her head bed slowly and her body start to tremble. "You should head back home"

Allie listens to him and when she blinks the tears fall from her eyes. She quickly wipes them with one hand.

Noah watches her not sure what he should do. They don't share heartbreak. They would if they were a couple, she has Lon to wipe her tears for her now, it's not his job. Noah rubs his forehead, leaving a trace of light dust on it as he does.

To hell with it, Noah stalks over to her and takes her upper arm, turning her and pulling her close he embraces her lips with his own. "Allie" He whispers into her mouth. His hands cradle her face, not letting her pull away, though she doesn't feel like she wants to pull away. Noah takes steps with her, making her walk backwards.

Allie moves with him, her hands on his shoulders as they move slowly up towards the column of his neck. She holds him securely. Her back crashes into the side of the large shed/barn where he works. The cool summer sea breeze blows into through the door and right up her skirt cooling her down. The material moves against her skin as her legs hit the wooden wall. "oh" She gasps softly into his lips. Allie smiles into his mouth as moves a leg, her feet are pushing up on the balls of her heeled shoes, as she attempts to get closer. Her feet come out of the backs of her shoes as she tries more to get close to him.

"Yesss" Noah hisses pressing her against the side, his tongue licks her upper and lower lip. He smoothes his hands down her cheeks and to her neck, moving his kisses to the side of her mouth. Hearing her gasps when her mouth is finally free is music to his ears.

"Noah" She says there is a bubble in her throat as she speaks.

"Yeah?" He breathes into the skin of her neck, his kisses now there, moving up and then down, then up to her jaw again. His hands slide down her body and grab a gentle hold on her hips, pulling her closer.

"I-I" She says shutting her eyes tightly trying to think with him kissing her and her feet actually aching as they try to get her body closer to his. She is in a small duel. Her head is saying one thing offering her mouth the ability to talk, and her brain to function yet her body is still fighting to get as close as possible. "Um" She shuts her mouth as he nips her skin.

Noah sighs softly and rests his head on the wall next to hers. "You need to stop being around me" He says head pressed hard against the wooden wall of the shed. The pressure is making his head ache. "I won't stop kissing you til its too late" He tells her, lifting his head to look into her eyes. Her face is flushed and she is breathing deeply again. He takes his hands off of her body and rest them on the wall on either side of her head.

"We can't do this"

"Then don't come around" He tells her, his eyes watch her and he feels her wiggle, moving her leg to put her heel back into her shoe. "Go" He says gruffly.

Allie takes her lips into her mouth and looks at him her eyes moving back and forward watching him watch her. "I can't"

Noah just stares down at her, he makes a sexy sound, it comes from deep in his throat, and he lets his arms bend, causing himself to fall against her gently, pressing himself to her. Noah smiles when she gasps softly and turns her head to the side to look out of the shed. "Yes you can"

"No" Allie shakes her head, bringing her eyes away from the outside and back to him. "Noah?" She whispers, her hands come up again and hold onto his neck, her thumbs stroking over his ears and cheeks. "I want to go inside"