Chapter 27
Briar
The sound of laughter greeted me first when I stepped back into the main party.
Soft music played in the background, voices overlapping, the sharp scent of alcohol and perfume lingering heavily in the air. People drifted from group to group, while servers moved silently among them with trays of canapés and champagne.
For a second, it felt surreal.
Five minutes ago, he had been on his knees with me pressed against the wall, bringing me to a second orgasm. It had been so intense, I bit my clutch to stop myself from screaming.
Now we were back at this booster party like nothing had happened.
I smoothed my skirt as I walked in, my fingers lightly touching the fabric as if to check that it was still in place.
My hair was a bit messier than before, but you wouldn’t notice unless you knew me, or looked closely.
The faint flush across my chest hadn’t faded yet, and I couldn’t hide it, so I hoped I could pass it off as heat.
I was deliberately trying not to look like the Alabama Lions linebacker had just ruined me with his mouth.
I made it about three steps into the room before Dustin appeared.
“There you are,” he said, lifting his drink. His eyes moved over my shoulder before looking back at me. “Everything . . . good?”
I smiled at him with a calm I knew for a fact I did not feel. “Perfect.”
Dustin’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Right,” he said.
Hadley appeared beside him, sliding her arm through his like she’d been there all along. Her eyes flicked over me once, then to Noah, who had stepped up beside me.
Her mouth twitched. “Oh,” she said softly.
Not a question.
Great.
I reached for the nearest drink from a passing server and took a long pull of champagne. I needed the refreshment, and I needed something to do with my hands.
I almost leaned into him, close enough that my shoulder brushed his arm. Noah didn’t move away.
“You’re staring,” I murmured under my breath.
“You’re glowing.”
“That’s not funny.”
He tilted his head closer to my ear. “You’re the one who said we had to come back.”
I glanced up at him, and the look in his eyes sent heat straight through my chest again.
“Five minutes,” I told him quietly.
“Five minutes?”
“So it doesn’t look suspicious.”
Noah huffed a quiet laugh.
Someone started clapping across the room, and Dustin groaned as Dante looked over at us, a plea in his eye. With a sigh, Dust grabbed Hadley’s hand and pulled her toward the small crowd gathering around the quarterback.
The room swelled with noise again. But suddenly the space between Noah and me felt much smaller.
His hand brushed the small of my back casually, making my breath catch.
“Careful,” I warned him, looking around, taking a step away from him.
“You’re the one who set the timer.”
I turned slightly so I could look up at him properly.
“Three minutes now.” I’d meant it as a tease, but my throat was dry, and I sounded more raspy than confident.
He smiled slowly. That smile was going to ruin me, I knew it was.
“Generous.” He dipped his head slightly. “It’s not until you’re up close that you see the freckles over your nose.” He pulled back with a grin made of sin. “Where else do you have freckles?”
I turned away from him, finished my drink, and set the glass down on a table.
Across the room, someone cheered loudly as Dante finished whatever replay he’d been telling them. Dustin was standing close to him for support. I noticed Savannah and Hadley had both stepped away from the crowd.
Noah glanced over once, then back at me.
“Should you be over there?” I asked him.
“Fuck no.”
I didn’t argue.
“That’s five,” I murmured.
“Your place?” his voice was warm and rich.
This time, I didn’t argue. “I’ll go first.”
“Okay.”
I slipped out the front door without saying goodbye. The night air hit me, cool and quiet compared to the chaos inside.
For a moment, I just stood there in front of the art building, then with confident steps, I headed home. I didn’t know how long it would take him to follow, but I knew he would.
I’d taken off my shoes, checked my hair, applied some lip gloss and poured two glasses of wine when a knock sounded on the door.
I was doing this. He’d be in my bed. Honestly, by this stage, it felt inevitable. God, I hope he was good and knew what he was doing. The buildup was killing me. His mouth skills were . . . yeah. He would know what he was doing. I was sure of it.
I crossed the floor and opened the door. He leaned against the doorframe, his jacket over his shoulder, the top two buttons of his shirt undone.
If he hadn’t already made me a wet mess earlier, the look he gave me would have done it alone.
Noah’s gaze ran over the length of me, then, when his eyes met mine, one eyebrow lifted slightly. “Well?” he asked. “Are you letting me in?”
“I don’t know,” I baited him. “You’re the one who wanted to drag me out of the party.”
His mouth curved faintly. “You didn’t seem to object.”
“Still don’t.”
That earned me a quiet huff of amusement, but he was already walking inside. I closed the door behind him. The soft click echoed loudly in the room as I locked it.
Neither of us spoke, and the air grew heavy. Then Noah turned. Whatever he’d been about to say disappeared the second his eyes met mine.
The air shifted.
Slowly, he crossed the room toward me.
“You’ve been staring at me all night,” I told him softly.
“You’ve been making it difficult not to.” He said it like a fact, not a compliment.
He stopped just close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body through the thin space between us.
“Careful,” I murmured.
“You’ve said that before.”
“And you ignored me.”
“Seemed like the right choice.”
My hand slid lightly up his chest, fingers brushing the front of his shirt before curling in the fabric near his collar.
“Still feeling confident?” I asked, feeling brave even though my heart was racing.
“Very.”
That was all the warning I got before he pulled me into another kiss.
This one wasn’t rushed. Not like earlier. Or the time before in the car.
His mouth moved slowly against mine, confident, tasting something he’d already decided he liked. His hands slid around my waist automatically, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.
I didn’t pull away. If anything, I leaned into it and into him. When he finally broke the kiss, his breath was warm against my mouth.
My fingers slid to the back of his neck, holding him there for a moment longer before I glanced toward the bedroom behind him.
Noah turned his head and looked, then turned back to me.
“Well,” he said quietly.
I laughed softly, stepped back, and took his hand. “I suppose we should stop pretending you came here to talk.”
His smile was devilish as he led me to my bedroom.
He kissed me again.
The tension that had been building all night snapped tight as his hands slid to my waist, pulling me firmly against him. My breath caught when he lifted me off my feet, and my legs wrapped around his waist.
“Impressive,” I murmured against his lips.
“Glad you think so.”
He walked us backward until the back of his knees hit the bed.
Noah sat, taking me down with him, and suddenly I was straddling his lap again — exactly like in the car, only now there was nothing cramped or awkward about it.
Just heat.
My fingers slid into his hair as I kissed him, slower, deeper, like this time I was taking time to learn him. His hands moved along my back, tracing the curve of my waist before settling at my hips.
“This is a very bad idea,” I whispered.
“You keep saying that.”
“And you keep ignoring me.”
“I could never ignore you.”
His mouth found the spot just below my ear, and I tilted my head without thinking, my breath hitching as he kissed the sensitive skin along my neck.
“And you’re the one who took me home with you,” he reminded me smugly.
I pulled back enough to look at him, his eyes dark but steady on mine.
“Don’t get cocky.”
“Too late.”
I smiled at that and then kissed him again, the heat of the kiss growing as he pulled me closer. I unbuttoned his shirt, my fingers tracing over his warm skin as I worked my way down, tugging the shirt tails from his pants.
I slid my hands down his shoulders, impatiently pushing his shirt off, and his fingers responded by finding the side zipper of my top and pulling it down. My top loosened, and he slid a hand beneath it, just enough to feel the warm skin underneath.
Neither of us rushed as we undressed each other. The urgency from earlier had softened into something deeper now — something that felt less like impulse and much more like certainty.
I finally pulled back, my forehead resting lightly against his, my top discarded somewhere behind me, Noah’s bare chest pressing against my breasts.
“Are you still apologizing?” I asked softly.
Noah’s hands tightened slightly at my waist. “More than ever.”
I held his gaze for a moment longer, then leaned in and kissed him again — slow and certain. I slid off his lap and watched him watch me as I unhooked my skirt, letting it fall at my feet.
My G-string was soaked from his mouth before, and the heat was building between us now.
“Turn around.”
I didn’t hesitate, turning slowly so he could see everything. I looked over my shoulder at him, seeing his eyes locked on my ass. He bit his lip as he slowly ran a hand over the tent in his pants.
“Fuck, B. I might not last, you’re so fucking perfect.”
I turned back to look at the wall, slipping my fingers into the strings and slowly pulling my panties down. Giving him a show.
I heard his groan, and I bit back the smug smile.
Warm air at my pussy had me gasping, and then he was there, on his knees behind me, his tongue moving through my wetness hungrily.
I cried out as I came, relying on his strength to hold me up.
Noah lifted me and placed me on the bed. His pants came off, and then he was over me, arms caging me in as he dropped a kiss on my lips.
“I’ve wanted this since the first time I saw you.” His hand slid down my side, his fingers between my legs, rubbing my already sensitive clit.
“I know.”
And I did know. He hadn’t hidden his attraction for me. I don’t think I’d managed any better.
I moved up the bed, and he followed me, never moving far enough away that he wasn’t surrounding me.
“They’re in the drawer.”
He kissed me hard. Dirty. Tongue and teeth, and I met his lust with my own. My hand circled his length, glancing down at it, as he reached past me and lifted a condom from my drawer.
I stroked him, reveling in his size, eager to feel all of him. His body was a work of art. Tight pecs, firm abs, biceps that promised nothing but strength, all wrapped in warm skin and black tattoos.
“You’re ridiculously ripped,” I groaned as I tasted his skin. “I want to lick you all over.”
Noah laughed, sitting back on his heels, tearing the condom wrapper open with his teeth.
“Jesus Christ, I think that might be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I watched him roll the condom on, envious of the latex as it wrapped snugly around his thick cock.
“Spread your legs,” he directed. He was above me again. “Put me inside you.”
I was a mess. I gripped him lightly, hating the condom but not so stupid with lust that I’d let it come off, and I guided him to where I needed him most.
“I haven’t had sex for a year,” I suddenly blurted. “So, um, be gentle.”
He dipped his head and kissed me softly. I almost forgot I was holding his cock as I lost myself in his kiss.
“I’ll be good to you,” he promised. He nudged inside me, and I didn’t stop the whimper in time. “You okay?”
“More.”
Noah smirked, his hips flexing, and my fingers curled around his biceps.
He was stretching me. It was everything I needed. Everything he promised. When he was all the way in, he gave me a moment, and then he started to move.
We shouldn’t have fit. He was about a foot taller than me. His cock was long and thick and filled up every space inside me. It shouldn’t feel like this. As good as this.
His hands slid under my hips, tilting me up to him, and his strokes got longer. My back arched, my hands stretched over my head, gripping the sheets as he fucked into me with skill and precision.
I didn’t recognize the sounds I made. I know I’d never made them before.
When he moved his hand away from my ass and began to circle my clit with his thumb, I was sure I was going to embarrass myself and start begging. I needed to come; the pressure that was building was too much.
“I’m — I’m . . . Fuck, Noah.”
“Come for me, B. Grip my cock just like that.” His eyes were locked on mine, liquid heat, darkened with desire.
He was the sexiest fucking man I’d ever seen.
“Fuck!” I think I saw stars. I know that’s a cheesy cliché, but I still saw something flashing across my vision.
I heard his groan, and his fingers dug into my hips. I opened my eyes just as Noah emptied inside me.
Even his sex face was perfect.
His head dropped on my shoulder, his lips pressed into mine.
“Sorry.”
My eyes opened. “What?”
“I knew I wouldn’t last, you’re so fucking gorgeous.” He kissed the spot behind my ear. “I’ll last longer next time.”
Was he kidding? I looked up at him as he pulled out and removed the condom.
“Um . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I looked down and saw he was still hard. “Noah?”
I was flipped onto my stomach. He pulled me up to my knees, and I cried out as his mouth covered my pussy again. My brain was an incoherent jumble by the time he finished.
I heard the wrapper, then he was inside me again. The angle worked like nothing I’d ever felt before.
Everything was a sensation. Every movement set off sparks over my skin. My hair was a tangled mess, my body slick with sweat, and still he fucked me.
Neither of us stopped.
He was on his back, I was riding him, my hips rolling like we’d been doing this dance together our whole lives. One hand was on his abs, the other was behind me, resting on his strong thigh.
“You look like a goddess,” he murmured in appreciation. He sat up, arms circling me, moving me faster up and down his cock, his mouth at my breast, tongue flicking over my nipple. “I can’t get enough of you.”
He pulled me close, cutting off my reply with his mouth. I was on the edge again. I craved the drug he had me hooked on — his body, his cock, his mouth, his hands. I don’t think I’d ever want this to end.
“You feel so good,” I whispered against his mouth. “So amazing.”
I reached the peak, and he swallowed my cry as I came around his cock. A few thrusts later, his teeth sank into my shoulder as he reached his own release.
The room fell quiet around us as we sank back onto the bed together, the rest of the night fading until there was nothing left but warmth, breath, the solid weight of him beside me, which I hadn’t expected to want, and the slow, undeniable pull of sleep.