36. True
I was in trouble.
I knew that already. But I liked Noah. Liked him so much, everything else in my head kinda turned to static when he focused his attention on me for too long.
Liked the way he wanted to take me on dates.
Liked the way he gave me his undivided attention.
Loved the way he held my hand tighter and moved me to stand behind him when Beetlejuice walked into Noir as we were leaving and called out my name like he was a fucking sports announcer.
“True? Is that you?”
Noah’s broad shoulders blocked his view of me when he tried to step around him and invade my space. “Who are you?” he questioned, an unfamiliar hard edge entering his voice.
“Ask her,” was all Beetlejuice said, a little too cockily.
I rolled my eyes and tried to drop Noah’s hand, but he held onto me tighter, pulling me closer to his side.
I groaned. It was bad enough Greyson had seen me on a date with this man, now Noah had to witness it too?
My guardian angel had a twisted sense of humor and I knew her name was Promise St. John.
“I don’t know his name,” I said coolly. It was the truth. His real identity was still a mystery to me.
Before he could hit me with a response that was probably a lie, a short woman with pretty sienna skin walked up and let her gaze dart between the three of us.
Noah’s whole body was rigid except for the hand he had wrapped around mine.
“You know, just a few weeks ago she let me bring her on a date and left with another man. Claimed they were neighbors.” His brows jumped. “Be careful with this one.”
“James, who’s this?”
James . At least I finally knew his name.
The man in question jumped as if he’d just remembered he was with someone and tore his eyes away from us. All I could think about was that scene in The Office when Angela walked up on Dwight while he was flirting with another girl, and it took everything in me not to let out a snort of laughter.
I didn’t know this woman but she was too good for him.
“Just an old friend,” he answered, rocking on his heels. I was happy to report he wasn’t wearing that godawful suit or those Crocs tonight.
“She ain’t your friend. She ain’t shit to you.”
My eyes damn near popped in their sockets when I peered at Noah beside me. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscles tic. And his usually friendly stare was so lethal, I had to look away.
Oh, shit.
I’d never seen Noah mad before. Why was it working for me?
With a shake of my head, I reined in my thoughts, reminding myself of where we were.
“I would say it was nice running into you, but I don’t wanna lie. Either way, enjoy your night.”
James scoffed, and I knew from the stubborn tilt of his chin that he wasn’t about to make this an easy exit.
He aimed his attention at Noah. “Didn’t you hear me? She was just here with another man. They left together. I’m trying to look out for you.”
Calmly, Noah stepped closer, forcing James to take an involuntary step back. “I heard you the first time and it sounds like you mad she ain’t leave with you. Which I can understand. I’d be mad too if I looked like that and had to belittle women to make myself feel better.”
James sputtered and my heart kicked up in my chest as I added another like to my list.
Protective Noah.
“But she—” James continued to sputter and Noah continued to not give a fuck.
“I don’t need you to look out for me. Stop fucking talking to us. Worry about your date.”
The woman beside him stared at the floor, her face a mask of mortification. I wanted to warn her that her embarrassment would reach new heights when she had to pay for this date later, but we’d already been standing here too long and Noah was gently tugging my hand, pulling me out of the restaurant.
“Let’s go, True.”
That was all he had to say and I followed him.
“What the hell was that?” Noah asked the question through a laugh and pushed the start button for the truck.
Giggling, I shook my head. “Nothing. Just some guy I matched with on a dating app. Greyson crashed our date. The end.”
“That’s why you were mad at him?”
Mad was a strong word. I’d been more mad at myself, but nevertheless…
“Briefly.”
“That’s crazy, Red.” He shook his head, his lips lifting. “Look at you, breaking hearts around town.”
Hours later, I straddled Noah’s hips, staring down at him as the moonlight streamed through his open bedroom window.
The bright glow of the full moon kissed his dark coppery skin in ways I never wanted to forget.
I wanted to remember the way he looked right now. Under me. Smiling lazily. With something akin to adoration etched all over his face.
I was not okay when he looked at me that way. And yet, I couldn’t look away. I was addicted to the attention he gave me. Addicted to the feel of his rough hands on my legs. Addicted to the way he hardened beneath me, his dick jumping in his sweats to nudge against my pussy.
“What’s on your mind, Red?”
I shrugged coyly. “Thinking about how much I like being on top of you.”
Noah smirked and his lids fluttered before he trained his sleepy gaze back on me. “I love having you on top of me.”
As if to prove his point, his erection pushed against my middle again, coaxing wetness out of me while I fought the urge to grind on him.
“I love your body, True. You’re so perfect,” he whispered, his voice fading as his right hand left my thigh and skated over my soft stomach. “I could spend forever looking at you.”
His left hand moved between my legs and his fingers teased the damp material of my panties.
The only thing I’d put on when we got home was a threadbare T-shirt I’d left here before, so he found what he was looking for easily, pushing my panties into my wet center with his thumb.
My hips bucked on their own, chasing the friction he’d created, even though it was fleeting.
“I wanna watch you come for me tonight, True.”
And I wanted to come for him tonight. I wanted to come for him every night.
He pushed harder against my clit before he tugged at my panties. But he didn’t pull them to the side. He pulled them just enough so that the material rubbed over my clit every time his hand shifted in the slightest.
“Noah,” I gasped, squirming on top of him. Having his hard dick beneath me while he teased me like this was unfair. It didn’t matter where I tried to turn, sensations took over and I gave in without a fight.
He finally slipped his fingers inside, touching me without the barrier of my panties and my knees dug into the bed on either side of him.
The calloused length of his middle finger worked from my entrance and back to my clit, spreading my wetness around the sensitive nub until I was a quaking, moaning wreck on top of him.
Need pooled in my gut, low in my stomach until it spread lower and ignited into an orgasm that crashed into me. I was expecting it, but it still hit me with enough force to make me cry out before a muffled string of whimpers followed close behind.
Noah watched me fight to stay upright, that same smirk on his face and that undeniable adoration clear in his gaze.
Fuck. I was fucked.
“Please tell me you have condoms in here,” I groaned, voice hoarse and pussy leaking.
I needed a lot of things right now. To catch my breath. A glass of water. The ability to slow my heart rate in point five seconds. But all I really wanted—all I really needed—was his dick in me to chase the aftershocks of my last orgasm and give me another while I gave him one in the process.
Noah nodded, his hair fanned out against the pillow beneath him and I leaned forward, kissing him as his fingers slipped back and forth against the hypersensitive flesh between my legs.
“I have condoms,” he said against my lips. “I haven’t been with anybody in two years and my last physical was two months ago. I’m healthy.”
That made me kiss him deeper before I pulled back and fixed my eyes on him, clearing the lustful fog I’d been in since we got home.
“I got tested four months ago and I haven’t been with anybody besides Grey since I got tested,” I shared.
“Okay.” He lifted up and I didn’t register what he was doing until I felt his hot skin beneath me instead of the cool fabric of his sweats.
I sat up on my knees, giving him space to get his pants off. Then looked down between us and my mouth formed an O .
Oh, my god.
Noah pulled a condom from the drawer by his bed, ripping the foil before he fisted his dick and rolled the latex on.
Before tonight, I’d already had enough reasons to obsess over this man but the universe kept dropping more in my lap.
Literally .
Glancing down at his sheathed dick again, I was sure my eyes glazed as I tried to make sense of what was in front of me.
I knew it was heavy when I made him come for me Saturday. But I didn’t know all the work his briefs were doing by hiding all of that from me.
Noah’s lips curved and he ran a hand over the length of it again, making sure the condom was snuggly in place.
My mouth was slightly ajar from the width and curve of it. “God, you have a pretty dick,” I breathed.
“Then sit on it, Red.”
Everything after that was a blur of decisions and movements.
I bit my lip and widened my knees, knowing I would need the leverage to sit on him like I wanted.
Then I hovered over him, letting his dick run along my clit and slit a few times before I lined him up with my entrance.
Every time an inch disappeared inside of me, I circled my hips and hissed at the way he stretched me.
I did that until all of him was inside of me and a dull ache filled my core, making my thighs shake prematurely.
Noah watched it all with his bottom lip trapped between his teeth, giving me time to adjust. Then he grabbed my hips and rocked into me. Slowly. Deliberately.
The friction. The fullness. It made my eyes roll back and my hands covered his, needing the connection while my body stretched. And stretched.
“Yes, Noah.” The fullness was everything I wanted and the man beneath me was everything I needed.
When I finally started riding him, I was so soaked, the sound of my wetness hitting his torso every time I came down drowned any other noise in the room.
Noah’s hands stayed at my hips, steady in the midst of my jerky, frantic movements.
And I promise you, he grew thicker inside of me. I didn’t know what kind of magic it was, but I wasn’t complaining. The more I had of him, the more I wanted.
My chest burned, tightening from the oxygen I wasn’t giving it.
As if he read my mind, Noah’s fingers dug into my hip until I felt a bite of pain, a silent warning and plea for my attention.
I met his gaze and slowed my hips enough to hear his rough words.
“Breathe, Red.”
I was breathing. It just wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough for the way this man felt inside of me.
And when I stopped moving to give my legs a break, he moved me up and down his dick with a finesse that made my toes curl and a raw scream leave my throat.
“Noah.” I was weeping. A whole fucking mess on top of this man and I didn’t care.
When my legs shook uncontrollably, he went from controlling my pace to holding me down while he fucked into me from the bottom.
Every upward stroke stole a piece of my soul.
Every thrust kissed my clit with friction.
Every flex of his fingers made me want more. And more. And more.
Each time I caught my breath, I lost it again. Until I came careening over the cliff and fell into his chest with as much grace as a hurricane.
Noah caught me easily, somehow still pumping into me until his body stilled and we both shook around each other.
I didn’t know whose heart was beating harder, mostly because I couldn’t tell our heartbeats apart. We were so close, everything was touching and all I wanted to do was get even closer to him.
“You’re fucking amazing, True.”
Funny, I wanted to say the same thing to him, but my mouth wouldn’t work as he softened inside of me.
I needed to get up and use the bathroom.
I needed water.
I needed to wrap my hair.
I needed to put my phone on the charger.
But the only thing I managed to do on that list was make it to the bathroom on shaky legs, clean myself up with the warm washcloth Noah gave me and climb into bed when he left to grab me a bottle of water.
When I woke up, however many hours later, the water bottle was on the nightstand on my side of his bed and Noah was sleep behind me, his arm thrown over my waist.
I finished the water in record time and stared up at the ceiling, expecting sleep to reclaim me. When it didn’t, I groaned when I remembered my laptop bag was in the living room because Greyson had packed it and not me.
I wanted to write until this restlessness left my body. So, I climbed out of bed and tiptoed to Noah’s door.
Pulling it closed softly behind me, I padded to the front of the dark house by memory and flicked on the light when I reached the kitchen, hoping it was far enough away to not wake Noah.
I clamped my hand over my mouth and clutched my heart when I saw the figure looming near the island.
“Greyson, why are you standing in here in the dark?”