Pull the Trigger | ✓

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Stirring around, I felt a stabbing pain on my left arm as I began to wince. Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I hoisted myself up from the sofa to see Noah sprawled on the other end, shirtless. His defined abs were more prominent as the sun shone through the windows, as if the Gods hasn't blessed him enough. I couldn't help but reached forward for him as I placed the comforter around his shoulders and smiled, allowing myself to admire his beauty.

He looked so calm and peaceful while he was asleep, as if stress never got to him. No one would know that he was running a multi-billionaire company and an underground family of illegal drugs and trading activity. He could've passed as a handsome, driven young man. And yet, there was so much more to him that I didn't know about him.

Chewing on my lip, I made a move to get off the sofa and the second my ass was about to be in the air, I felt a large hand wrap around my wrist and pulled me against a hard chest. I winced at the sudden pain while Noah's arm snaked around my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I asked, making sure that I wasn't talking anywhere near him because he might be disgusted by my morning breath. I was disgusted by it.

"Let's just stay here for a minute," he muttered, tucking my head under his chin as I felt his heart race. "Let's pretend I don't have a fucking company and gang to run. Just let me have this moment."

I wasn't about to argue because the more I opened my mouth, the more I was going to hate my own morning breath so I decided to nod and relax against him. Noah was running his fingers through my hair, lulling me to sleep as he hummed a melody, a melody I didn't know but it made my heart feel at ease and my mind in serene. Why was he acting like a boyfriend? There wasn't anyone here to put an act on for.

Five minutes had passed and Noah and I had ascended the stairs and completed our morning routines side by side. Noah had informed me that he wanted to keep an eye on me at all times in case I was clumsy and hurt myself again. The only times that he hadn't been watching me was when I had to shower by myself which I took forever in seeing as I only had to use one hand. Noah had knocked at least a hundred times to see if I had still been alive.

As I retreated to the kitchen where Noah had been in, cooking breakfast with a navy, tight fitted shirt -defining his muscles even more- and black sweatpants, his hair was falling over his eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle as I slid into a seat at the dining table and sighed. "Do you normally cook?"

Noah glanced over at me with an odd look.

I shrugged. "You know, seeing as you usually live alone, do you cook for yourself?"

Noah shook his head at my question before placing the omelette on the second plate. "I know how to cook but when I'm by myself, I usually just go to work without breakfast."

I opened my mouth and was about to speak as Noah placed two plates on the table before I was cut off by a deafening squeal, light footsteps pacing on the floor. It had to belong to a little girl. Noah's eyes lit up in surprise as we both turned around to find a girl -around the age of ten- with arms wide. Her wide blue eyes were trained on Noah who lifted her up in the air and twirled her around as she let out a fit of giggle before wrapping her arms around Noah's neck. "Mon frère!" She was French.
[Mon frère = my brother]

"Oh, baby girl, je vous ai manqué!" Noah exclaimed as he tackled her face with kisses. Now, ladies and gentlemen, combine a very attractive, tall man with a little girl in his arms and a French accent and you'll have yourself a sexy man. Noah placed the joyful young girl down on her feet, straightening her small, black dress before turning to face me. "Princess, meet my little sister, Juliette." He said Juliette in French and it almost had me swoon. "Juliette, meet Astoria."

I glanced down at the little girl and leaned forward as she waved shyly at me. "It's very nice to meet you, Juliette."

Juliette bounced on her feet before she wrapped her arms around me and giggled. "It's nice to meet you too." She turned to her brother and flared at him as Noah frowned and went down on his two knees and held her small hands. "How come she gets to be princess and I don't?"

Noah chuckled, brushing her brunette hair to the side. "You're my baby girl. She's my princess and, elle est celle dont je t'ai parlé."
[elle est celle dont je t'ai parlé = she's the one I told you about]

Juliette glanced over at me and grinned mischievously before nodding as Noah picked her up again, placing her on the seat opposite of me. She picked up a fork and knife and dig into Noah's place. "You're very pretty, Tori."

I raised a brow at her, surprised that she has created a new nickname for me. "And you're gorgeous, Juliette."

Juliette looked up at me and giggled. "I think we're going to be fantastique friends."

Noah chuckled and took the seat beside her as he sipped on his orange juice, casting me a glance before looking over towards his sister. "Where's your mom?"

Juliette shrugged. "She dropped me off, saying she has important stuff to do."

Noah frowned. "Hm."

Juliette grinned at me again. "So, do you love my brother?"

I choked on my omelette as I patted my chest before taking a sip of the orange juice, hoping to clear my airways. "I mean, I am his fiancé so...yes?"

Juliette tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You said it weird."

A wave of déjà vu hit me as my lips quirked at her choice of words. I had said the same exact words to Noah and I chuckled at the memory. I glanced over to Noah who was staring at me with a blank look. "He's my fiancé."

Juliette only nodded before enjoying the breakfast that Noah had made for himself. I chuckled at her obliviousness and glanced over at Noah again who cleared his throat and placed a hand behind her back. "Why don't you go to your room and get change? I'll take you to the office later, okay?"

Juliette nodded with a bright smile before rushing off, her little feet making noises up the stairs.

"I didn't know your sister was coming today," I said, finishing off my plate.

Noah shrugged. "Neither did I. I guess I have to pay someone a visit."

I nodded. "I'm going to work from home until I'm healed. Karlo will be in and out of here to check on the wound and discuss the shipments of our guns."

"That's fine by me," Noah responded as he stood up. "I'm working on finding the intruder with Javier and I need to talk to the guards at the gates. I promise I'll find out who did this."

I chuckled. "No doubt."

Noah approached me and placed a kiss on my head before squeezing my hand as he left the kitchen without a glance back. I bit my lip and calmed my beating heart, cursing myself for feeling this kind of emotion. What was this feeling anyway? It was some sort of joke that God was playing on me or Karma for killing those men. I didn't know.

"Juliette!" Noah called from a distance. "Nous devons partir!"
[Nous devons partir = we have to go]

I didn't think I was ever going to get sick of Noah speaking in French, or any other language as a matter of fact. Imagine having him whisper French words inside my ear while we were fu-Astoria Mia Moretti, you better have someone throw a dagger at you.

I wasn't going to deny it. God took his time on Noah and I was going to thank Him everyday for it.