Awake At Dawn (Wildflower Series Book 2)

WHEN I DIDN’T respond right away, Noah repeated himself.

“You heard me, Gemma. Take. The shirt. Off.”

His eyes glittered as they raked over me. It was an odd mix of anger and arousal, and I loved how dangerous it looked. Like Noah was one second away from snapping, and I couldn’t wait to be on the receiving end of it.

But I didn’t fully understand what his problem was. He didn’t care when I wore his shirt to bed the other night, so why did he care about this?

Ignoring his demand, I twisted my hips and let the shirt billow out around me. “Why? It fits me perfectly.”

“It does not fit you perfectly,” Noah argued. “You’re drowning in it.”

I looked down at the shirt, assessing it. “Yeah, it’s a little bigger than your other shirt. But at least this one covers my ass better.” I turned around, bending slightly to prove it to him. “See?”

“Goddamnit, Gemma.” Noah ran a hand over his face. When I spun back to face him, he gritted his teeth and pushed his next words through them. “All I see is you standing there in my brother’s shirt.”

Oh, so that was why he was pissed. I momentarily doubled over with laughter as understanding dawned. Of course Sully wouldn’t want to make his brother’s life easier on him.

“It’s bigger because it’s Theo’s,” Noah added icily. “My mom gave us each a different color to wear when we went to the State Fair one year because she thought it would be cute.”

“I bet it was cute,” I laughed. “Four adult men who love their mom enough to wear matching shirts around in public. Do you have any pictures?”

Noah glared at me, not answering. Instead, he asked, “Why the hell do you have my brother’s shirt?”

“Because Sully put it in my suitcase as a souvenir.” I tried to wipe the smile from my face, or at least tone it down, but I just couldn’t. “I assumed it was yours.”

“Fucking Sully,” Noah swore. “It’s not. Take it off.”

I twisted my lips, pretending to consider whether I should.

“If you want a guy’s shirt to wear, it’ll be mine,” Noah added, his voice lethally soft. I could practically feel it caressing my skin.

“You know, Noah…while you’re hot when you’re jealous, you don’t need to be,” I said, mimicking his line from the bar.

Noah caught the reference. His lips tipped up in a cocky smirk. “Good. But I still don’t like seeing another man’s clothes on you. Especially when that man is my brother. Take it off, Em.”

“And if I don’t?”

Noah crossed his tattooed arms over his bare chest, making his biceps bulge. It made it no less difficult to slow the ache blooming within me.

“Then I’ll do it for you,” he said, determination set on his face.

I lifted a brow. “I’m not wearing much underneath it.”

Noah’s eyes flashed at my words, and then they took their time trailing over me, as though if he stared hard enough, he’d be able to see right through the shirt. When his gaze snapped back to my face, he cocked a brow back at me.

“It’s your choice, Gemma,” he said, his words little more than a hush. I’d never heard anyone say my name so intimately. So reverently. “Walk away and change into different clothes, preferably something that’s from my closet…or stay here and find out what happens if you don’t.”

I wanted to know what would happen.

Even though I knew I was walking straight into a dead end, I’d never forgive myself if I turned away now.

I needed to know what would happen.

My fingers toyed with the hem of the shirt, and Noah’s eyes zeroed in on the movement. His throat worked as he swallowed.

“I don’t know why you think I could walk away from you,” I said honestly.

I wondered if he realized that the tension thrumming in his veins danced in mine, too. And while I likely should walk away, I didn’t know how.

Noah cursed beneath his breath as he took tentative steps toward me. He knocked my hands away, taking their place, curling his fingers around the hem of the shirt. He breathed my name, our eyes locking. I nodded, letting him know I wanted this. I wanted him so fucking much.

It hurt to breathe the air between us, knowing there was air between us. It felt thick, and Noah’s movements were slow—as though he were wading through water while he lifted the hem of the shirt.

He looked down, watching. The heat of his gaze warmed my thighs, and then it trailed upward as he peeled the fabric off, revealing more and more skin. Fingertips brushed up my sides, setting fire to my senses. His attention was unwavering as he bared me, and he bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough that I worried he’d draw blood.

Once the shirt was over my head, he threw it on the ground between us. I shook my hair out, letting the damp strands fall around my face.

To my dismay, Noah took several shaky steps back.

“That better?” I asked breathlessly.

I wasn’t sure if Noah had heard me. His distraction was clear as he stared at me, gaze wandering over every inch of exposed skin that he could find. My heart beat wildly, my breaths coming quickly. My bra felt too tight, like it was squeezing the air out of me, and I knew my breasts were just a tug from spilling out over the top of it.

Noah noticed, his eyes lingering on my cleavage as he scrubbed a hand over his mouth, looking like he was in a state of disbelief.

“Fuck, Gemma,” he swore, still staring at me.

He clearly didn’t realize that my knees were seconds from buckling under the weight of that stare. And I needed him to do something before I ran back into my room and slammed the door.

I cocked my head to the side. “So…what’s gonna happen?”

That got Noah’s attention. Those sharp green eyes lifted to mine, and the intensity of his expression momentarily took my breath away. He shoved his fists into his pockets as he took a single step toward me, his movements wooden as though he was trying to hold himself back but failing.

“What’s gonna happen?” he repeated, mimicking me by tilting his head to the side in mock consideration. Without looking away from me, he kicked the shirt at his feet, swiping it to the side. “You really wanna know?”

I tipped my head back slightly, watching Noah beneath my lashes. And even though I could barely breathe, I murmured, “I wanna know, Noah.”

Noah surprised me by chuckling. He ran a hand through his hair while shaking his head, and I would kill to know what he was thinking. Especially when he groaned and swore under his breath.

“God, Em.” He dropped his hand to his side, and his feet started to move. Toward me, closing the distance between us. “You’re gonna be the goddamn death of me, that’s what’s gonna happen. But fuck it. I don’t even care.”

As soon as the last word left Noah’s lips, he slammed his mouth over mine, and a million butterflies erupted within me.

God. It had barely been twenty-four hours since our last kiss, but it had felt like forever. And now Noah wasn’t just kissing me. He’d picked me up and cupped his hands beneath my ass as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He was moving, walking, but I couldn’t pay attention to that. Not when his lips brushed over mine in sweet little attacks.

Noah didn’t put me down until we made it to his room, and then he tipped me back onto his bed, reluctantly letting go. His fingers slid along the length of my legs before finally releasing me. He hovered over the bed, leaning with his hands on either side of my body. Slightly damp hair hung over his face as he took shallow breaths.

“If you don’t tell me to stop right now, I’m going to strip you down and do dirty fucking things to you.”

I sucked in, my pulse racing with the anticipation of him following through with those words. Finally.

“I’ve been practically begging for you to do dirty things to me, Noah.”

Noah flashed me a wicked smile before swooping down to kiss me again. It caught me by surprise, and I gasped into his mouth, which gave him the chance to taste me, letting his tongue stroke mine. And then, just as abruptly as he’d started the kiss, he pulled away.

“Nah, you haven’t begged yet,” he murmured across my lips. I felt his grin grow. “But you will.”

I nipped at his bottom lip. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Noah groaned. I felt his hand find my hip, squeezing hard. “You have no fucking idea.”

“Give me an idea,” I gasped.

Without missing a beat, Noah’s lips returned to mine as he rocked his lower body, letting me feel how hard he already was. I instinctively let my legs part, grinding back into him until I felt that hot spark when we collided perfectly.

I moaned, tipping my head back while shamelessly enjoying the slow spread of heat throughout my body. Noah took the cue, letting his lips drift from my mouth to my neck, sucking a hot trail across my skin. It wasn’t until I felt his lips brushing over my stomach that I propped myself up on my elbows so I could see him—see this image for myself, so I could forever catalog it away in my memory.

The gentle swelling of my stomach would probably go unnoticed by most people. But the bump’s small size didn’t stop Noah from cupping both of his hands around it and pressing gentle kisses across my skin.

This is just sex, I reminded myself. Just sex.

Noah was just sweet. And I couldn’t confuse that sweetness with anything it wasn’t. He was simply a sweet, soft guy who⁠—

“God, I can’t wait to bury my face between your perfect fucking thighs,” he growled before ripping my underwear from my body. It floated to the ground in pieces.

Okay, maybe I was getting an intermission from sweet, soft Noah.

And I was perfectly okay with that.

“I just knew your pussy would be this pretty,” he murmured as his lips flirted with the inside of my thigh. I let my legs fall open wider for him, shocked that I didn’t feel even a flutter of nerves. Just a flutter of a million other things.

Noah’s lips stopped their exploration right when he reached the apex of my thighs. Instinctually, I lifted my hips, silently begging him to continue, but Noah was too busy staring down at me. Or, more specifically, staring between my legs.

“Holy hell. Look at you,” he muttered, sounding like he was talking more to himself than to me. “All wet and ready for me.”

“What can I say?” My words were breathless, fighting past the surge of desire. Of lust. Of need. “You’re a really good kisser.”

“Oh, please, Em.” He looked up, our eyes connecting with a surge of heat. “We both know I don’t even need to touch you for your cunt to get this wet for me.”

Damn him for being right about that.

“You’re cocky in the bedroom.”

Not that I was complaining.

Noah proved my point, smirking in a way that was devastatingly attractive. “There have been a lot of things I’ve been unsure of since you moved in. But you know one thing I’m one hundred percent positive about?”

“What?”

“That I can find your clit.” He grinned wolfishly. “And I know what to do with it.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Noah’s smirk didn’t waver as he trailed a single finger up my inner thigh before swiping it lightly between my legs. I jolted off the bed at the tease, and Noah swore under his breath before dragging his finger through me again. Harder this time.

I groaned, shocked at how such a simple touch could burn with such intensity. I felt that tiny brush of his finger everywhere.

“You’re not just gonna see it.” Noah slid his fingers back down through my pussy before thrusting one inside me, causing a cry to burst from my lips. “You’re going to feel it.”

He was right. I felt it. I felt his finger curl inside me while his thumb traced right below the outer lips of my pussy, ghosting around my clit just to mess with me.

“Noah,” I gasped. “What are you doing?”

He glanced up, eyes dancing with amusement and heat. “Your clit is more than just that one spot, you know. It’s all through here,” he murmured, swiping his thumb down to a pleasure point I didn’t even know existed. It felt good. But it didn’t feel good enough.

“But that one spot is the best spot,” I argued breathlessly. “Stop mansplaining my anatomy to me.”

Noah chuckled as his eyes flicked back down to watch his fingers pump in and out of me leisurely.

“You mean this spot?” he asked before he lowered his face between my legs and pressed a kiss just above my clit.

I shook my head, sure I looked like a desperate mess. “No,” I groaned.

Noah laughed, his light scruff brushing against my skin. I shivered, and his free hand clasped my outer thigh in response, rubbing up and down as though he wanted to soak in the feeling of the goose bumps he’d caused.

Then he kissed just below my clit, making me squirm. “What about here?”

“Noah.”

“I want to hear you say please, Em.” His lips hovered in the same spot as he whispered across sensitive skin. But his eyes flicked up to mine, watching me with a dark expression. “You never ask me for anything. I want to hear you ask for this.”

“Please, Noah,” I whispered, willing to give him anything he asked for if he just gave me tonight. If he just gave me this. “Please.”

The corner of his mouth kicked up as he circled his thumb around my clit, slowly closing in. “Please what?”

“Please show me that you know how to eat a girl out properly.”

“Funny.” A cheeky smile cracked onto his face. “I’ve been dying to do just that.”

With that, Noah swirled the tip of his tongue over my clit, and I barely withheld a scream, clapping my hand over my mouth to muffle my cries.

“Don’t do that.” Noah reached up and yanked my arm down, holding it at my side. His voice was gruff and gritty, nothing like the Noah I’d grown used to. But shit, I liked this Noah, too. “I want to fucking hear you, Gemma. If I wanted you to hold in your cries, I would have played with this pretty pussy last night and let you muffle those hot noises with a goddamn pillow. Scream for me, Em.”

My throat ran dry from his dirty mouth, and I wondered how I’d manage to make any sound now. But after one more warning glance, Noah returned to his task, using his tongue to toy with my clit, lapping at it while making every stroke harder and more demanding than the last. He fucked his fingers into me at the same pace, and my back arched from the pure bliss of it.

And the sounds…oh, they flew out of me. I didn’t need to worry about that. A desperate moan was the first thing to slip between my lips, and Noah groaned into my pussy in response. I’d never had a man do that before, never had a man find pleasure from giving it to me.

I loved it. Loved that I didn’t have to feel guilty or selfish while taking what I really wanted.

“You taste so good,” he breathed, sounding dazed, and I didn’t doubt for a second that he meant it. Noah sounded as lost to the moment as I felt. “God, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to taste you like this.”

All I could do was moan. And then he used my moans to figure out the pace and pressure that I liked, and then he honed in on it, flicking his tongue steadily over my clit in a way that had me gasping for air. With every touch, I felt my body wind up tighter, readying for a release that I knew would send me spiraling.

“Noah,” I groaned, shamelessly rocking my hips up to meet his every lick and every thrust. The need I felt was like wildfire, spreading faster than I could keep up with. I twisted my fingers into his soft, damp hair, using my hold on him to buck higher.

Noah responded by burying his face deeper between my legs and refusing to let up. One of his hands grabbed my outer thigh, gripping it with a desperation I recognized. He steered me straight to the finish line, building up the fire inside me until it exploded, and I had to grip his hair tighter to keep from losing myself completely to the ashes.

Most importantly, though, I screamed. I let his name saturate the air, just like he’d directed.

Noah licked and sucked and used his fingers to fuck me through my orgasm, not giving up until he’d wrung every last cry and whimper from my body. And only once I collapsed onto the bed with a heavy chest and almost no breath did Noah brush one last kiss across my clit and lift his head.

“That’s it, Em,” he muttered with a crooked grin, wiping a hand across his chin. But he missed half of the arousal that glistened in his five-o’clock shadow, and I felt a flush work up my body at the sight of Noah crawling up my body, looking mighty satisfied with himself. “God, I like when you’re loud for me. And I love when you follow my directions like the good fucking girl you are.”

My stomach flipped, and something must have shown on my face because Noah let out a husky chuckle.

“You like that praise?” He cocked a brow. “I’ll give you all the praise you want, just so long as you keep blushing like that for me.”

“What if I did something else for you?” I bit down on my lip, assessing his handsome face. “If you take off your pants, I’ll show you exactly what I mean.”

The way Noah just worshiped me emboldened me to do the same to him.

But to my utter disappointment, Noah choked on air before tipping his head back with a groan. “I wish, but no.”

“No?” I repeated in disbelief.

“This wasn’t meant to be about me,” he murmured, softness seeping into his expression. “I just thought you needed an example of a man who knows how to properly find your clit.”

I frowned. “I think I also need an example of a guy who knows how to fuck me properly.”

Noah froze. He stared at me, blinking as though my words had stunned him. I couldn’t imagine why, considering how up-front I’d been about wanting him, but he didn’t look like he believed it. Like he didn’t believe me.

I lowered my voice before speaking again. “When I told you that I trusted you last night, I wasn’t saying that I trust you not to touch me. I was telling you that I was trusting you to touch me. To do…anything, really. Honestly, Noah. You don’t have to worry. I know what this is, and I want it.”

“Don’t fucking tempt me, Gemma.” Noah sat back on his knees with a growl, running his hand through his hair. “I want you more than I even have the words to describe.”

I waited until his eyes made it back to my face before I made myself perfectly clear.

“So shut up and take me alr⁠—”

Noah cut me off with a searing kiss, letting me lick my taste from his lips before he slid off the bed and dipped his thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants.

“Get the fuck over here and show me what you mean, then.”

His voice was low, soft…but his eyes glittered with the hardness of diamonds. Or emeralds. His smirk made its return, sliding up his handsome face. God, he was so unfairly handsome.

“If you’re as good with your mouth as you claimed the other night, I might even reward you by letting your sweet cunt come around my cock,” he added and then punctuated that mouthwatering statement by dropping his pants to the ground.

And my jaw dropped to the floor with them.

“Get on your knees for me.”

He didn’t have to say it twice. Within seconds, I’d sunk to the ground in front of Noah, struggling to look at anything but his erection. And thinking about how it would likely split me in half.

Noah noticed my preoccupation.

“You’ll take it,” he murmured, the husky words a mixture of reassurance and promise. “And you’ll look so fucking good while you do.”

I smiled up at him, feeling heat spread to my cheeks. Noah cupped my face, his thumb grazing my skin in a wandering line. It felt like he’d traced a path through my freckles.

“There’s that pretty blush,” he said, a reverence to his tone.

“Keep talking like that and you’ll see it a lot more,” I replied before letting my gaze trail down his bare, muscled body, shamelessly taking him in. When my eyes returned to his erection, my mouth started to water.

Noah London was a work of fucking art.

He groaned. “I’ll talk however you want me to talk, as long as you keep looking at my cock like how you are right now.”

“And how’s that?”

Noah leaned down, speaking in a soft, sinful hush as his lips flirted with my ear. “Like you’re hungry for it.”

I really was. I’d imagined us in this position before and was eager to finally watch Noah unravel for me. But a touch of nerves ran through me as I tentatively wrapped my fingers around his hard length.

It only lasted a moment, though. Noah’s immediate moan at my touch had my heart racing, propelling me forward. I twisted my hand up his length, enjoying the feel of his silky smooth skin. I rubbed my thumb over his tip, using a bead of precum as a lubricant as I slid my hand down and up again.

“I am,” I whispered, looking back up at Noah to find him staring at me, eyes blazing.

“Open your mouth, Em.” His fingers trailed to my chin, tipping it up. “If you’re hungry for my cock, let me feed it to you.”

I did as he asked, opening my mouth and sticking my tongue out ever so slightly. With one hand, Noah tangled his fingers into my hair at the back of my head and tugged, making my lips part further. With the other hand, Noah fisted his length, giving it a single pump before sliding it onto my tongue. Then he paused, letting it sit there. Meanwhile, the pulse between my legs grew, and I squirmed.

“Don’t worry,” he rasped, amusement laced in his tone. “Your pussy will get the same treatment your pretty mouth is getting.”

I wasn’t able to respond, but my heart leaped into my throat with anticipation, and my lips inadvertently curved around Noah’s erection, showing him how ready I was for it.

His eyes wandered my face once before he shook his head with disbelief. “Fuck, I can’t believe this is happening,” he grunted before thrusting further in, gasping as my mouth surrounded him.

I moaned at the feel of him, and then I took over, sucking him deeper and deeper before popping him back out between my lips.

“Does it feel real now?” I asked, then hollowed my cheeks and took him further into the back of my throat.

“Oh my fu—” Noah’s words broke off in a grunt, but based on how hard he was gripping my hair, I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say. “Gemma, fuck.”

I pulled him back out of my mouth. A bit of spit dribbled down my chin as I sloppily wrapped my lips around his tip and sucked him back in, slower this time. Meanwhile, I twisted my hand around his base, feeling him swell even larger beneath my touch. When I increased my pace again, bobbing my head, my hair fell in sheets around me. Noah collected it, making a ponytail with his hand and using his grip to direct my movements, encouraging my pace.

Flicking my eyes up to his face, I found him watching me with a clenched jaw and wild gaze. Despite my mouthful, I gave him my best smile, and he responded by rolling his eyes back with a string of curse words.

When his eyes returned to mine, he bit down on a wolfish grin. “I’ve seen you give me that look in my fucking dreams, but it’s so much better in real life.”

My stomach flipped, but I didn’t have time to think about his words. Not when I had a job to do.

I let Noah thrust deeper, gagging slightly when he hit the back of my throat, but I’d never felt prouder to look up at him with watery eyes. Not when that little gag was causing him to lose it.

I doubled down, lowering my gaze back to his cock to give it my full attention. Like he did with me, I paid close attention to the things he seemed to like, and then I did them repeatedly until Noah’s grip on my hair made tears spring to my eyes.

I’d never been happier to let my pain bring him pleasure.

And truth be told, it was bringing me pleasure, too. My inner thighs slicked together, arousal coating them.

“I want to see your mouth filled with my cum,” Noah gasped, barely getting his words out. “Do you understand?”

I nodded as I once again pushed myself to the limit with how far back I drew him into my throat.

His hand shifted to my chin again. “Give me your eyes, Gemma.”

I did, looking up and finding his heated gaze.

“Tell me you’re okay with that,” he demanded.

I nodded again, but even more than that, I tried to convey with my eyes just how okay I was. Even when his words were harsh or clipped, Noah knew how to make me feel safe. Comfortable. And tonight, I’d do anything this man asked me to do.

“God, yes,” Noah grunted, but I wasn’t sure if it was in response to my consent or how I gave his tip an extra hard suck before licking the spot right beneath the head. “You’re killing me with that mouth, Em. I’m gonna⁠—”

He choked on the last word as he swelled in my mouth and came a second later, shooting his release out with a loud cry. I let it pool on my tongue, careful not to let any slide down my throat. After wringing every last drop from Noah’s cock, I slipped it out of my mouth and looked up at him.

His chest heaved while he smirked down at me. He tapped my chin with a single finger and then let it linger along my jawline. “Let’s see it.”

Tipping my head back, I parted my lips and closed my throat, letting Noah see his release slide down my tongue.

“Shit,” he groaned, gaze sizzling as it landed on my mouth. “You are the hottest thing I have ever experienced. Oh my fucking God.”

I flashed him the sultriest look I could manage while my chest warmed.

“I already know you’re good at swallowing,” he said, letting his hand trail down to my throat and gently wrapping his fingers around it. He squeezed with just enough pressure to feel my throat work. “Go ahead, gorgeous.”

I swallowed. Slowly, making a show of licking my lips afterward and watching as Noah’s jaw ticked in response.

“That’s a good girl,” he murmured.

Fire danced in my veins from the soft praise.

“Get on the bed,” he directed with a cocky grin because he knew what he fucking did to me. “I want a better look to see if you blush all over.”

I pushed to my feet with tentative movements, my limbs feeling like jelly but also shaking with anticipation. With need. My body didn’t seem to care that Noah had already gotten me off—and gotten me off good. My body only cared for it to happen again.

Noah watched as I sat back on the bed, spreading out for him. His eyes flicked up my body once before he dropped to the mattress, too, crawling over me until his face hovered above mine. We stared at each other for a long, heated moment before Noah abruptly dropped to cover my lips with his, coaxing me to let his tongue in to tangle with mine.

It was a bruising kiss, but I let him have it all, the taste of our arousal mixing between every flick of our tongues. A low growl ripped from Noah’s throat as he deepened the kiss, wanting more, needing more. It was precisely how I felt as I wound my hands around his neck: like I wouldn’t ever get enough of this feeling.

And for a second—a split second—that realization destroyed me.

Because I would have to get enough. Tonight, or maybe a couple of nights if I was lucky, would have to be enough.

But as Noah pulled back from our kiss and whispered how beautiful I was across my lips, I let go of those thoughts. I’d take whatever he was willing to give me and love every minute of it. I’d capture every single butterfly he released inside me, and I’d cherish them while I could.

Noah started nipping his way down my throat, and I gasped at the sensation spreading across my skin from the combination of his hard bites and soft lips.

“You’re still wearing a bra,” he rasped when he’d made it to the dip by my collarbone. After sucking on the sensitive spot, he pulled back. “I need it off. Now.”

A silly giggle slipped out of me as I pushed myself up, letting Noah grumpily reach around my back to unclasp my bra. He was staring at it like it had offended him just by being on my body and in his way.

Once I felt the straps loosen, I shrugged it off, and Noah hastily threw it to the floor before sitting back and staring at me, slack-jawed. He froze mid-movement. All except his eyes, which grew rounder as I fell back onto the bed and let gravity do the work.

“Holy…fuck.”

I wasn’t sure if Noah even realized the words left his lips. Based on his starry-eyed expression, I wasn’t sure if Noah even realized he was still on Earth.

A sly grin worked its way onto my face.

I never imagined I’d be able to make Noah London speechless, and God, it was a damn good feeling.

But I also felt impatient, the pulse between my legs quickening with every moment that passed while Noah’s eyes roamed my body. His attention was on me, but mine was focused on how achingly attractive he was. From his tattoos to his sex-mussed hair to all those gloriously defined muscles, Noah was so devastatingly perfect.

And for tonight, he was mine.

“Noah,” I breathed, letting my gaze drift to his face. Our eyes met with a clash of desire, and he understood me without needing words.

Dropping back onto the bed, Noah skimmed his lips up my stomach as he took my breasts in his palms, squeezing slightly as though testing the feel of having me in his hands. With a low moan, Noah’s mouth found my nipple, and he wrapped his lips around it before moving to the next, sucking and tugging in ways that made my back arch off the bed, crying his name.

“You’re a dream, Gemma.” His gravelly voice scraped against my skin, making me shiver. “An absolute dream.”

I closed my eyes, letting those words wash over me and wondering how much of this could truly be real.

“You don’t have to say things like that,” I gasped in an attempt to hold on to reality.

I didn’t want him to think he had to whisper sweet nothings for this to happen. I wanted him to know that I understood where we stood and why we stood there.

But Noah paused, pulling back and frowning. Something intense, powerful, and raw worked over his expression, taking my breath away. “Yes, I do,” he argued. “Because I mean them. I mean everything that comes out of my mouth, especially when it comes to you.”

When I couldn’t figure out how to respond, Noah spoke again, his husky voice sounding like a goddamn fantasy.

“I have been begging for your number for years, Em,” he murmured, his throat working as he struggled to get the words out. “I have been imagining how you would look in my bed for years. I’ve thought you were a goddamn angel that I couldn’t wait to corrupt for fucking years. Don’t tell me you’re not a dream because you are. And I don’t ever want to wake up.”

I blinked up at him, unable to comprehend what he was saying. Unable to believe it. But I didn’t have too long to think about it because a second later, Noah swooped down for another kiss, and this time, I was ready for him, grabbing his neck and pulling him closer until I could feel all of him. Until our bodies writhed together and our movements became increasingly frantic, desire threatening to wreck us.

“Corrupt me,” I begged between kisses. “Show me what you’ve dreamed of.”

Noah’s rough laugh grazed my lips. “I don’t think I have the control to do everything I want to do. I already feel like I’m seconds from losing it again.”

I pulled him closer, letting my lips find his ear, my teeth tugging on the lobe. “Better act fast, then.”

“Goddamnit, Gemma,” Noah growled before nudging my legs open with his knee and sinking into a position that let his cock—already hard and ready to go again—brush against my clit. “I need—fuck, ah, condom.”

“I’m not going to get pregnant twice,” I laughed, mostly at how his thoughts came out garbled and scatterbrained. “And I was tested at my first prenatal appointment.”

“Right.” He dropped his forehead to mine with a gentle chuckle. His hard, bare chest pressed against my soft one, our breaths slowing slightly to move in sync. “I’m good, too. I get tested regularly.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” I whispered, rocking my hips up, spurred on by a need I didn’t know how to control.

Closing his eyes, he shook his head. “Just trying to mentally prepare myself for how good fucking you bare is going to feel so I don’t immediately lose it.”

“Maybe I want you to lose it,” I countered.

His eyes flashed open again, that brilliant green boring into me. “Remember when I said you’re going to be the death of me?” he said, voice scratchy and strained. “I stand by that.”

I rolled my eyes while wiggling my body beneath his, desperate to feel the friction between our bodies just a bit more. When I found what I was looking for, feeling his cock rub between my legs perfectly, a hot and electric shock ran through me, momentarily taking my breath away.

“Noah?” I rasped.

He kissed my forehead before murmuring against it. “Yeah?”

“Just fuck me,” I begged, thinking he wasn’t the only one who might not make it through the night if something didn’t happen very soon. “I—I need you.”

He pushed onto his hands, satisfaction playing on his lips. Meanwhile, he tipped his hips down, purposefully dragging his cock through my wet arousal, a look of pure bliss washing over him at the feeling.

“Say it again,” he said, the words falling out in a slow roll. As slow as his hips as they moved against mine.

“Fuck me,” I groaned.

This was what I got for getting into bed with a cocky player, wasn’t it?

He shook his head, torturing me with long, languid strokes between my legs that only made my blood boil hotter. “Not that. The other thing.”

“I need you.”

It came out whiney, but I didn’t care.

His grin was wicked, but his eyes were soft. “Now add my name,” he whispered.

“I need you, Noah. Please.”

“Love it when you beg,” he said gruffly as he slid one of his hands between us to line his cock up. “And I think giving you what you need might just become my favorite thing.”

“Please,” I whimpered.

I’d beg for him all he wanted. Just so long as he gave me more. Anything to soothe the ache. Fuck, I’d never felt like this before. Jittery and desperate. Noah’s weight on top of me was a delicious tease, and just a taste of it had me wanting more. Wanting everything.

“I got you,” Noah breathed before he inched inside me, and my lips parted with how satisfying it felt. “I love watching that pretty face of yours while you take me,” he added when he noted my expression, and his devilish smirk was the icing on the cake as he slid in further. “You feel that, angel? You feel how hard I am for you?”

All I could do was whimper and nod, which made Noah groan. His hand drifted back up my body, stopping to give one of my breasts an appreciative squeeze. “Fuck, being inside you…Gemma, you feel so goddamn good.”

Watching my reaction, he gradually slid the rest of the way in until he was buried deep. Completely. Entirely. At least, that was my assumption based on how full I felt, how much he’d stretched me with that massive goddamn dick of his.

Noah paused while breathing heavily, and his slow, careful movements made me wonder why he was holding back. Why he was being careful. I didn’t want that. I needed to feel. And I needed to feel him.

“I’m good,” I panted. “I promise. Don’t treat me like I’m fragile. Not tonight, Noah.”

“Never.” Noah’s voice suddenly sounded hoarse, and he pulled out of me in a leisurely draw. “You’re so fucking strong, and I know what you can handle.”

Did he, though? Because he was so protective by nature, and I didn’t want him to hold back. “I don’t want you to think that because of the preg⁠—”

Noah’s deep, twisted laugh cut me off. “You’re making a lot of assumptions tonight, Em. Like that I haven’t researched exactly—” He took that moment to thrust back inside me, and I gasped at the pleasure rocketing through me. “—how hard I can safely fuck you. Because I’ve been wanting this. I’ve been wanting you, even when I shouldn’t. God.”

I didn’t have time to think about the implications of what he was saying before he drew back and drove into me again. Bliss spread through my bones, racketing higher and higher as Noah let me feel every inch of him with his thrusts.

“Noah.”

Unbelievable. It felt unbelievable.

“Oh God, yes.” The words sounded like they barely escaped his throat. “Again.”

“Noah,” I cried, and he slammed into me harder. My eyes found his, and they were watching me with an intensity that both ignited and startled me. But as his gaze roamed my face, I realized he wanted to soak it up. He wanted, like he said, to watch my face and see for himself what he could do to me.

And fuck, the things he could do to me.

Noah didn’t let up. It felt like he was pushing deeper and deeper into me with every stroke, finding undiscovered parts of me. Parts that I wanted him to find over and over again. And when he finally slammed into me so hard that I could practically feel him in my throat, he stilled and grinned down at me.

“I told you.”

I was panting. Breathless and gasping for air, but I wanted to know. “What?”

“That you could take it.”

He tipped his hips, scraping at my G-spot, and I cried out at the explosion of heat that it caused. It felt like the flicker that happens before the lights go out. A little warning before being reduced to nothing.

“And that you’d look so goddamn pretty while doing it,” he added, his words slurring like he was drunk on fucking me. “Fuck, it’s incredible.”

“So good,” I agreed because they were the only words I could muster. “It’s so, so good.”

“I know,” he groaned before tucking his head into my neck.

Wanting him to hit that spot inside me again, I rocked up, meeting him at every slam of his hips. I dragged my fingers down his back, through the sheen of sweat that covered his skin. Then I flattened my palms over his hot skin, urging his body closer to mine. Because despite what Noah had said, he kept a protective bubble of space around my stomach. And right now, I didn’t want it.

Almost like he knew what I was trying to do, Noah intervened, distracting me by winding his hands between our bodies and slipping his finger over my clit. The ghost of a scream escaped my lips, and I felt Noah’s smile grow against my neck. And then he lifted his head, and I got to see it: that ridiculously attractive smirk of his.

It was a masterful smirk, an acknowledgment that he knew the recipe he needed to follow to make me fall apart. He rubbed my clit while pumping his cock into me at the perfect angle. I felt that spark I’d been chasing, and Noah urged me toward it, watching as it blossomed into something so much more. So much hotter. Wilder. Inescapable.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, feeling like I was on a roller coaster that was about to drop. “Oh my God, Noah.”

“Yeah, angel?” He pressed a breathless kiss to my lips that he probably meant to be quick, but I caught his lips and didn’t want to let go. So Noah deepened the kiss, and soon, he was ruthlessly fucking my mouth at the same pace he was fucking into me with his cock. “That’s it, isn’t it?” he breathed against my lips when he finally came up for air. “Come for me, Em. I need to feel you.”

“Yes,” I cried, and then it quickly became a chant when Noah’s strokes all hit so perfectly. Bullseyes, all of them. “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Gemma,” Noah groaned, clearly just as lost as me. His movements grew sloppy and imperfect, but the accuracy no longer mattered because I was gone. I was free-falling, floating, crashing.

My orgasm ripped a scream from my throat, and I dug my fingernails into Noah’s skin, not thinking of anything other than the mindless pleasure surrounding me. Noah followed my lead, coming with a cry as he stilled above me and gasped for air.

Christ, what a sight. I wanted to see it over and over again.

“Oh my—oh my God,” he rasped. “Holy shit, Em. That was…fuck.”

I nodded breathlessly, agreeing.

Oh. My. God. That was…fuck.

Dropping his head back to the crook of my neck, Noah kissed the column of my throat before finding my ear.

“I think I like flooding your pussy with my cum even more than your mouth,” he said with a gritty, sexy voice that made my eyes roll back.

“You have to stop doing that,” I begged.

“What?” I could practically hear the frown in his voice.

“Ruining me. Ruining all other guys for me.”

Noah froze momentarily. And then he snapped his hips, thrusting his semi-hard cock deeper, causing me to suck in with delight.

“Don’t talk about other goddamn guys while I’m inside you, Em,” he growled. “Tonight, this pussy is mine. Don’t you fucking forget it.”

I wouldn’t forget it. How could I? I was sure I’d be replaying tonight, the night when I belonged to Noah London, for years to come.

So I whispered, “I won’t.” And there must have been something about my voice because Noah relaxed. I felt his body melt before he slowly resigned and slipped out of me.

I didn’t know what would happen next, but Noah made it simple. He always did.

After toppling onto the bed beside me, he drew me closer, wrapping an arm around me like he did two nights ago. Except this time, he wasn’t trying to hold anything in. His chest rose and fell quickly against my back as he tried to catch his breath, and his fingers lazily traced over my stomach. I felt those swollen lips of his brush against my temple.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Soft, sweet Noah was back.

I knew it was dangerous to snuggle into him, but I did it anyway. Noah didn’t seem to mind, his soft chuckle ruffling my hair.

“I’m more than okay,” I replied after I figured out how to speak again.

“You’re comfortable?” he checked, and I laughed.

“Yes, Noah. I’m comfortable.”

“Good,” he muttered, dropping his head to trail kisses down my neck. He nipped at all the spots he now knew were sensitive, and I wondered what the hell he was trying to do to me. “Because you’re staying with me tonight.”

I wasn’t going to argue with that.

Not when Noah was making it clear he wasn’t done with me tonight.

And especially not when I didn’t know how to ever be done with him.

Fuck.