Never in his wildest dream, he ever saw himself begging a woman to let him stay. Not even to his ex-wife, the mother of his child.

When he found her in bed with his ex-friend and business partner, he didn't bat an eyelash and let her go.

Now, he is following Jess around her kitchen like a puppy, begging her to let him stay the night.

"Baby, why can't I sleep with you tonight." he tried pulling a sad face.

"You are not going to sleep." She said, washing the coffee mugs.

He has been pestering her to stay the night when she told him she has no plan to let him stay, no matter how much he begs or how adorable he looks acting pitiful.

"My, Miss Zimmerman, if you are only worried about that. I can assure you I have no problem sleeping through the night." he grinned. He knew a while ago that he wasn't going to win the argument about staying the night. He just wanted to tease her and also because he was trying to stay a bit longer with her.

Jess slapped him with the kitchen towel that she used to dry the coffee mugs. "Go home, Noah," she said, walking to her door.

"You are so mean, Little Miss Jessie," he slowly followed her but stopped at the middle of the entryway watching Jess standing beside a wide-open door.

"Out!" she arched her eyebrow at him.

"You just used my body." He said, keeping a straight face.

Jess threw her head in laughter. "Nicely played, Tiefenbacher. But, still a NO," she said, giggling.

He stood in front of the laughing Jess, and he couldn't help but smile.

"You are having too much fun out of my misery, minx," he slid his arm around her waist and dropped a kiss at the tip of her nose. "Good night, Jess."

"Good night, Noah." She put her palm in his stomach to put a distance between them because Noah is brazenly pressing his crotch at her navel.

"Baby."

She questioningly arched her brow at him.

"Call me, baby. Then I'll go."

"Noah —" she slightly got irritated. She stared at his eyes, "I'm sending you home not because I'm playing you. I want you to go home because I need to think without the temptation of jumping you."

"Well, baby… you can jump my bones anytime!" He said, teasing. But released her waist.

"I know. And believe me, Noah. I would love to. But for now, just go."

He caught her lips in a chaste kiss before stepping out of her door.

"Locked the door." He said, standing in front of her door with his hands shoved in the back pocket of his jeans.

She pushed her door slowly and when there was about a three inches gap before the door frame, she said, "Goodnight, baby." and quickly closed the door.

She leaned on the closed door, clutching her chest with her hands for her heart was thumping so wildly. She could hear Noah roaring in laughter outside her door.

She pressed her ears on the door, listening to his receding footsteps. When she could no longer hear him, she turned off most of the lights in the living room and in the kitchen before returning to her bedroom.

It is going to be a long night because what she said to Noah was true. She needed an alone time to think and his body and his scent are distractions!

The moment she stepped inside her bedroom her scent was filled with a scent that was not present in her room before.

The scent that lingers in the air is something that she is addicted to. Noah's smell. She gingerly took a deep breath before climbing on her bed.

The blanket and pillows were thrown all over the bed. She had to pick up a pillow that was lying on the floor. But she didn't fix her bed. As she lay on top of the crumpled sheets, she hugged the pillow where Noah rested his head.

She stared up at her bedroom ceiling, softly illuminated by the outside light coming in through the glass window because she hadn't drawn the curtains.

"What now Jessica Joy?" she asked herself out loud. The room remained quiet and she got no answer. From the four walls of her bedroom as well as from herself.

She doesn't know what she will do next. She slept with Noah and the sex was great — like always. But then what? Where should they go next?

He still didn't remember the first night that they slept together. And from what happened today, she was completely sure that Noah didn't remember it. There was no faking it.

He didn't remember her from that night!

He professed his love for her, and her guts were telling her that he was telling the truth, but is she going to be okay with the fact that he has forgotten that night? Or is she now brave enough to ask him why he didn't remember her from the past?

Still so many questions, but she decided to wait out a bit. She wanted to be sure that their relationship was strong enough before she asked him about that one night they shared at Midland Hotel.

"I mean, those should not matter anymore if we love each other, right?" She asked herself out loud again.

She chuckled at what she was doing. Asking the question out loud doesn't mean it would get an answer. Especially if she just kept on asking the innocent walls of her bedroom — well, her bedroom walls and every corner of it, most especially her bed are no longer innocent, like her.

She giggled as she tossed and turned, hugging the pillow Noah used.

'One of these days, I will ask Noah about it' was the resolution that she came up with in her head before the drowsiness of sleep took her into one of the most peaceful nights of sleep she had in a long time.

***

Noah took the short distance between Jess's apartment to his. He shook his head in amusement, recalling what Jess said that she won't stay the night in his place because her place was just so near she can go home anytime.

Seeing that it only took him a few long strides to reach his apartment door, he has to agree, however, it doesn't mean that he wouldn't make sure in the future that Jess would stay the night in his place!

He was grinning to himself as he keyed in his passcode to his door. He was whistling, happily as he entered his foyer. He chuckled softly, thinking, he never thought he could feel this warm fuzzy feeling over a girl.

From the foyer, he went directly to his kitchen to get himself a glass of water. He saw his laptop on the kitchen table. He left it there in a hurry when he arrived home from his meeting to go to Jess's apartment.

Carrying his glass of water, he sat down on the chair and opened his laptop for he knew Antonio would have some documents from the business deal they had to look over.

And when he opened his email, he wasn't wrong. Antonio sent five emails, all with the subject URGENT.

"Geez, Antonio, you should learn to chill and relax. Maybe get a girl. Like that pretty flight attendant has hots for you," he chuckled as he opened all the five emails and answered them.

When he was done answering the emails, he closed his laptop because he doesn't want to spend hours on unnecessary work when he is at home.

As soon as he stopped working, his thoughts turned to Jess. His mind continued to wander over ways he could make Jess agree to sleep over at his place.

He pushed himself up from the chair when he saw the time. It was late. He has to sleep because he will have a busy day tomorrow.

The moment he stood up from the chair he doubled over from the sudden sharp pain that crossed his frontal lobe.

"Ahhhh," he grunted as he grabbed the hair, for his knees buckled and his vision doubled.

His breath became shallow and he cradled his head that felt like it's going to burst open.

"Ahhhh," he yelled. 'I need help.' was the thought in his head as he tried to steady himself.

He patted his pocket for his phone but it wasn't there. He grabbed his laptop on the table, thinking of sending a message to Antonio when felt another sharp pain.

He was grabbing the back of the chair when his knees finally gave in. He found himself slumped on the floor screaming with pain.

His mouth was agape and he was gasping for air. Jess riding on top of him with her long hair cascading on her naked breast, calling his name, was the last image in his head before he passed out on the cold kitchen floor.