Chapter 6
Chapter six
Cole
Noelle sprints up the stairs, her cheeks flushed and my clothes clinging to her curves. I wait until she’s out of sight before throwing back my head with a sigh of relief, my palm running down my hard length.
I shouldn’t have touched her like that.
Now I want more.
I want her so bad it’s painful—I’ve never felt that for anyone else.
It shouldn’t surprise me; nothing I feel for Noelle have I felt for anyone else, so it makes sense my physical reactions would be like that, too.
Would it be like that during sex? Would I be able to feel more deeply, connect more deeply, if it’s Noelle I’m doing it with?
The thought excites me, though the knowledge I’ll never find out is like a cold shower, ruining the whole thing.
At this moment, though, none of that matters. I need to figure out what’s bothering her. She was unusually distracted just now, and running off like that? That’s not like her at all.
Maybe it’s food poisoning. I haven’t seen her eat anything while she’s been here, but Noelle is always snacking on the café’s leftovers. Add in bad bacteria and you’d get sick alright. She also tends to get flu-ish when she’s on her period; could that be it?
I keep my bathrooms well-stocked with everything she might need—I want her to feel at home here, because it’s not home to me without her—so if that is it, at least she has everything she needs. Still, something just doesn’t feel right.
I have to check on her.
I’m about to knock on the bathroom door when I hear it. Soft, like the coo of a dove, Noelle moans.
Fuck. Is she in pain? Throwing up? I should have stocked up on flu medication and asked the pharmacy lady which pain reliever works best for period pain. That way I might actually be able to help her.
“Cole,” she gasps, and my cock twitches at the sound. My fist lingers on the wood of the door as it dawns on me. She’s not hurt at all.
She’s getting herself off.
To me.
HOLY FUCK. The realization leaves me painfully hard, my cock straining against the fabric of my underwear. You can see the outline through my pants clear as day, twitching and throbbing when Noelle moans my name again.
I have to get the fuck out of here. Noelle can’t see me like this—she can’t know I heard her. I want to kick open that door and fuck her just the way she likes, tasting her before making her come again and again on my cock until she can’t speak a coherent sentence to save her life. But I can’t.
I can’t betray her trust like that. Noelle is my best friend, and though she is the love of my life, I’m not hers. So even if she were to open that door right now and beg for me, I can’t let anything happen between us.
Not until she sees me as something more than a good fuck.
I rush down the stairs and lock myself in the downstairs bathroom, needing the privacy of a closed door. My cock glistens with pre cum when I thrust it into my fist, my forehead resting against the cold tile.
My mind drifts to Noelle, picturing her splayed out on the shower bench, her perfectly manicured fingers teasing her pretty pink clit before sinking deep into her pussy.
Wet fingertips circling stiff nipples. Those pretty lips slightly parted, my name on her tongue.
It’s easy to imagine sliding my cock between those lips.
Those big brown eyes looking up at me as I move her tongue up and down my shaft.
I wouldn’t let myself come that way, if I can help it, but I’m such a sucker for her that I just might.
But, if given the chance, I’d come deep inside of her with her walls clenching down around me and her voice screaming my name into the night.
My orgasm is fast and unsatisfactory, just like it always is when I have to do it myself.
I clean myself off with a sigh before leaning my palms against the edge of the counter.
The window is covered in snow, blocking the view of the woods beyond.
It’s fitting, I guess. A metaphor for me and Noelle.
Being so close to yet so far away, to know exactly what something looks like but never be able to see it.
Wishing she was able to see me the way I see her.
Wait. If she’s up there thinking about me while she comes, that means I’m on her mind. I got under her skin, enough to turn her on. And that means that, defying all logic, I might actually have a shot with her.
Holy fucking shit.
I have been dreaming of a shot like this for the past ten years, wishing for it on every shooting star and birthday candle.
Taking it is not without risk; I might ruin the best thing I’ve ever had, and there is no way to come back from that.
But there is much to gain, too—a life with the love of my life.
If I do this, there can be no hesitation—and no regrets. I have to make it count.
She’s picturing me naked, taking care of her every want and desperate need, but I want more. I want her days, her tears, her smiles. I want to bask in everything that makes her Noelle and know that my arms are the only ones that protect her from the night. How do I get her to see me like that?
I should know this. She’s made me watch dozens of romantic comedies through the years, not to mention those Hallmark movies she has a secret love for.
Those are the ultimate blueprint for this sort of thing, right?
The snow storm limits our options a bit, but surely there’s things I could do. Think, Cole. Think!
I rifle through my memories of those movies, taking note of everything that might work.
A candle lit dinner. Cooking her favorite food. Baking together. Going out into the snow until one of us trips and we fall on top of each other. Cuddling in front of the fireplace, sharing our heart’s desires and greatest fears. Maybe I can even get her to dance with me, if I play my cards right.
Okay, good. Great. We’ve got some options. Hell, some of them are even fun. But if I’m going to pull this off, I am going to need a plan.
And I’m not rational enough to do it alone.
With a sigh, I take out my phone and navigate to the team chat. My teammates might be idiots, but they’re still my best chance at figuring out how to make Noelle mine.
Anyone around?
Kai
Your mom
…
That’s on me I guess
Aiden
What’s up Martin? Need someone to break you out of purgatory?
Hypothetically, what would you think it means if you overhear a girl get herself off to you, like moaning your name?
Aiden
Context ?
Kai
It means you’re a dumbass
Kai
Don’t think context would make it any less stupid @Aiden
We got a big snowstorm and Noelle was about to freeze to death so I went to get her even though it could have killed me and I brought her back to my place and she insisted we share the bed and then when we got in I kinda got a boner and she touched it and then this morning she was being weird and I overheard her and I don’t know what to do
Mason
Grammar and punctuation, ever heard of it?
Aiden
Wait it’s NOELLE???
Kai
Like I said. You’re a dumbass and the context only proves it
GUYS WHAT DO I DO
Jace
Dude I would KILL to have a chance like that with Alina what do you mean what do I do
Kai
You grow a pair and go for it
That’s literally all you have to do
Jace
I hate to be seen agreeing with Kai but I’m with him on this one
Kai
Don’t kid, Jace. I know I’m your fave
I should have known texting these guys would be as helpful as sharpening a skate with a pencil. Still, Kai’s got a point. Maybe all there is to it is me having the confidence to go after the one thing I’ve always wanted.
Aiden
Noelle is a fearful romantic, right? You gotta woo her.
I take it back, Aiden’s plan seems safer.
Aiden
You’re stuck in a snowstorm, so you’re basically living out the plot of those movies she and Jaimie like. Channel that energy. Go all in
Aiden
Do the fireplace thing, fake the electricity going out
Kai
Bone
Aiden
Play truth or dare and lay the flirting on THICK
Kai
Get drunk and bone
Aiden
Love is in the little things. All she needs is for you to show her how ridiculously head over heels you are and she’ll be yours. And then maybe you can stop bugging us about it
Kai
Play strip poker and bone
Jace
I agree with Aiden, you go do whatever you need to stop talking about this
Mason
You two are hardly ones to talk. I had to change the settings on my phone so it automatically mutes you when you mention Jaimie or Alina so it doesn’t die AGAIN
Jace
You’re awfully sensitive about that
Three guys are still typing but I put the phone back in my pocket. I got all I needed to know.
The time for playing defense is over. I have a clear shot at her heart, and it’s time to pull the ultimate breakout.
And I only have one chance to get it right.