Rough and Rugged: A Meet Me In Milwaukee Charity Anthology

Chapter Seven

Alex

When I asked Noah to stay, I was harboring ulterior motives.

We’ve been flirting and kissing and touching when we’ve been together, but all I can think about is how long he’s going to be gone and how much I want to take our relationship a step further. I was hoping that I could find a natural segue during the show to bring up staying overnight.

But, so far, he’s putting up a truly valiant effort to keep things strictly above the belt.

I’m not blind, and I can see the way just being near me affects him. It’s heady, knowing that he’s so attracted to me that he’s struggling to resist.

How do I tell him I don’t want him to?

I’ve never been a very forthright person outside of the classroom, and definitely not with my romantic partners, but Noah makes me feel more bold. Braver than I have ever felt before.

When the episode ends, I turn into him more, letting my chest press against his side. My fingertips trail through the slightly curling hair at the base of his neck. His cheeks tinge pink, and when I glance down, I see the bulge in his pants he’s been trying to hide all night.

With his free arm, he reaches toward the throw pillow and shifts it so that it’s half lying over his lap. Feeling more in control than I have in a long time, I reach up and cup his cheek, turning his head so that we can look at each other. “Noah?”

His eyes flit down to my mouth, then lower to the cleavage exposed by the V-neck shirt I’d put on. “Yeah?” He swallows and drags his eyes back up. The hand he’s had wrapped around my shoulders slides in so that his fingers splay across my upper back.

I don’t answer. Instead, I lean closer, pressing our lips together and praying that he’ll get the message that I need him. Each tease starts light, but when I open my lips, licking deep with my tongue, something inside him seems to snap.

He forgets about the pillow and instead his hand finds my hip, tugging and shifting us so that I’m straddling him. The kisses turn devouring. Each brush, each clench, is needy and restless. One of his hands fists in my hair and the other presses into the small of my back, encouraging me to keep close so that every time I shift, I can feel him underneath me.

“Alex,” he moans. “We have to stop.”

“Why?” I whine but lean back so I can look at him.

His pupils are blown, and his whole body is a mess of taught muscle underneath me. “I don’t want our first time to be right before we won’t see each other again for the next few weeks.”

Sound logic, but I also feel like I’m going to die if we wait. “Isn’t that a good reason we should?” I try to sound confident so he’ll concede to my logic.

“I don’t think it’ll work that way.” His fingers clamp down on my hips when I shift. I meet his glower with a knowing smile, sliding my palms down his arms and linking our fingers together.

“Why not?”

“Because.” He heaves a deep breath and squeezes my hands. “Once is definitely not going to be enough. I’ll never make it two weeks away from you. Not once I’ve tasted you. Not when I’ll know the sounds you make when you cum.”

My heart does a little trippy dance in my chest, and my stomach swoops in anticipation. All-consuming passion is not something I’ve experienced before, but that’s what I’m feeling for Noah.

And thank God, that’s what he’s feeling for me too.

“What if we just didn’t go all the way?” I’m still hopeful that we can still take this a step further.

His Adam’s apple bobs and his eyes squeeze closed. “You’re a terrible influence.”

I lean forward, letting my chest brush against him when I whisper in his ear. “Think of it like an appetizer.”

His teeth graze against the side of my neck, and he licks over the sharp points. “I don’t think I could resist.”

“I don’t want you to.” I suck on the spot just below his ear, and I can feel him strain against me in response.

“Two more weeks, and I’ll give you whatever you want. I promise.”

My sigh sounds pitiful even to me. “All right.” I lay against him, and he wraps his arms around me. He’s so warm and so much bigger than me, it’s like being snuggled in a blanket. I love how he makes me feel delicate with his presence but strong and powerful because of the way he treats me.

His hands trace up and down my back, and my eyelids drift lower with each pass of his fingers along my spine. While his body is starting to relax, I can still feel the hard ridge of him underneath me, and guilt makes me want to give him at least some relief. My hand drifts lower, hovering between us. I toy with the buckle on his jeans. “Maybe I could…”

“Alex,” he growls, and I can’t help the laughter that bubbles up.

“Fine. But you can’t tell me that’s something you can ignore.”

“Not when I’m around you,” he grumbles but pulls me against him again. “Just let me hold you a little longer, and then I have to go home.”

We’re quiet for a long stretch, the TV still paused on the end credits for the episode we finished. “I’m going to miss you,” I whisper.

“Me too.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll call and send updates whenever I have reception.”

“You’ve got everything ready?” He’d told me a little bit about the myriad of things he does to prepare for one of these expeditions.

“Yeah. Guys should be here tomorrow morning.”

I climb off his lap and stand, watching as he lifts his big body off my couch and straightens up. He tugs me in for another hug, and I steal a few kisses before he heads for the door.

When he steps out onto the porch, I grab his hand. Worry for him urges me to keep him here. “Stay safe.” I know he knows what he’s doing, but anything can happen.

“I will. I’ll come back to you, try not to worry about that.”

With one last smile, I let him go and start counting down the hours until we can be together again.