Awake At Dawn (Wildflower Series Book 2)

WITH A WICKED grin, Noah whipped his shirt in a circle until it made a rope, which he used to tie around my wrists, snapping them together.

“Come here, Em,” he murmured, leading me a few steps backward to the multi-use exercise rack he’d been leaning against earlier. “Now, arms up.”

I lifted my hands above my head, and Noah looped his shirt around the end of the pull-up handlebar that protruded from the front of the rack. I stood stretched out and helpless as Noah stepped back, admiring his work. And even though he looked pleased as all hell, he said, “We can be done whenever you want. Just tell me. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, but his words bounced around in my head.

Done.

I didn’t like that word.

I didn’t like the idea of being done with Noah. Of us being done.

I wondered if he realized how much I’d struggle to find the strength to say those words. Today or in the future.

But my troubled thoughts disappeared when Noah crossed those beautifully tattooed arms over his chest. I clenched my legs at the sight, needing to dull the ache between them before it overtook me because I knew Noah was about to draw this out. He fucking loved to do that.

Noah noticed my reaction, and his grin cocked to the side. “I know you like looking at me, angel, but I want you to look at yourself.”

He stepped to the side, giving me a direct view into the mirror. Then, he circled around me until his face hovered over my shoulder. And because it was an incredibly handsome face, my eyes gravitated toward him in the mirror.

“Not at me,” he reminded, a soft but lethal edge to his voice. “Look at you. Look how fucking perfect you are.”

Knowing he wouldn’t stop until I did as he wanted, I flicked my eyes back to my reflection.

“Good,” he continued, satisfied. He stood behind me, hands outlining my curves as he spoke. “Now, listen to me when I tell you I wanted you when I saw you in this outfit the first time, but God, I want you so much more now.”

My eyes widened as they trailed his hands and the path they made over my body. I’d been worried that his interest in me would dwindle. That he—a guy who didn’t sleep with people more than once—would think the sex was repetitive. That the changes to my body might affect his attraction.

But here he was saying he wanted me more?

“Yes, Em,” he reaffirmed, reading my mind. “More. And it fucking pisses me off that you’re having a hard time believing that.”

I gave in, really looking at the woman in the mirror before me. Her eyes were round and bright. They looked…awake, lit with all the emotions tumbling inside her. The curves of her body were more noticeable than before because she never really had curves. Not like this. And honestly, it felt good. She felt voluptuous, sensual. She felt desired, especially by the man raking his eyes over her greedily.

Noah plucked at my spandex. “I’m dying to peel this off of you. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thought about it.”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever wanted to be naked under Noah’s touch more than I did now. But…

“What if someone comes in?” I rasped.

“Locked the door,” he said before curling his fingers underneath my sports bra. “No one’s coming in. Not until I’m fucking done with you.”

“What if there’s cameras?” I looked around the room half-heartedly because I didn’t really want to find a reason for Noah to stop.

“I’ll buy the security tapes off the skating club. I’ll spend thousands, millions, I don’t care. Just let me touch you, Em.”

“Yes,” I groaned as a grin split across Noah’s face. He yanked the bra over my head, sliding it up my arms before tucking the fabric beneath my fingers. They tingled, but I was able to curl them around the discarded top.

“Hold that so I can touch these pretty tits,” he said, his husky voice making my stomach somersault.

I nodded, indicating that I’d hold anything so long as he touched me. His eyes sparked, even the reflection of them making my blood boil. Noah held my gaze in the mirror as he smoothed his hands up my sides and curved them around to cup my breasts. He groaned as he squeezed, flexing his capable fingers.

I stared, captivated, as he tweaked my nipples between his thumbs and middle fingers, rolling them until I cried out. Instinctively, I pulled at my restraints, needing to move, to do something with the energy Noah injected in me with his touch.

His gaze blazed as he watched me squirm against him, helpless. All I could do was stand here and take his slow torture.

He stood behind me with such confidence that I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done something like this with other girls. If he knew just the way to tease me because he’d teased them. Jealousy ripped through me at the thought, but I tried to swallow it. It didn’t belong here. I had no right to be jealous. Not really.

Noah frowned, wrapping his arm around my rib cage and pulling me back into him. His hot skin burned against mine.

He nipped at my earlobe. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I lied.

Noah’s expression grew dark. “I’m not going to do anything but edge you until you tell me.”

Fuck, I definitely didn’t want that. This was torture enough.

“It’s silly,” I insisted. “I just…I was thinking that maybe you’ve done this with other girls, and I⁠—”

“Gemma,” he cut me off, his tone sharp. “I have never, not ever, been as desperate for someone as I am for you. If I possessed any self-control around you, I’d have dragged you home first. I would have waited until you were under my roof before tying you up. I would have used your favorite little vibrator to tease your clit until you begged me to fuck you.”

He paused, dragging in a breath as his grip tightened around me. “But I don’t have that self-control. Not around you, Em. You think this is something I’ve done before? Fuck no. This is something I’m doing because I fucking need you. But, more importantly, because I want you to see why I need you, how much I need you. Got it?”

“Got it,” I said breathlessly. He’d somehow managed to both reassure me and turn me on even more.

“Good,” he grunted before releasing his hold on me and dropping his hands to the waistband of my leggings instead. “Now it’s time for these to come off. I can’t wait any longer. My fingers are itching to touch you.”

His eyes smoldered as he dragged my leggings down my body, and I squirmed, feeling his heat burn hotter with every look he gave me, every touch, and every word.

“Yeah,” he said, cocky satisfaction dripping from his voice. “You’re wet for me.”

I lifted a brow. “How do you know?”

“Oh, I know.” He stood, retaking his place behind me. His head appeared above my shoulder, and while my eyes stayed firmly on his face, his wandered my reflection. “Oh, fuck, look at you.”

Then, his hands took over. They roamed my body, squeezing and pinching and caressing as they went. I trembled beneath his touch, pulling at my restraints as desperation coursed within me. I needed to feel him. I needed to have him. I needed more.

And Noah knew it. He knew I needed more, but he wanted to toy with me. His lips tilted when he finally brushed a single finger between my legs, and I damn near screamed when he immediately retreated again.

“You want it?” he asked, his lips grazing my neck. When I didn’t answer immediately, he nipped and sucked until my head tipped back with a reluctant sigh.

“Yes,” I admitted through clenched teeth. He knew I fucking wanted it.

“Then watch,” he commanded, forcing my chin back down with his other hand. My pulse ticked up as I obediently trained my eyes on the mirror, watching his hand. It slowly cupped between my legs, covering my pussy. “Watch me touch you.”

“I’m watching,” I gasped.

I couldn’t look away.

“Good girl,” Noah praised. “If you look away⁠—”

“Let me guess, you’re going to stop,” I mouthed.

Noah’s movements paused, stopping just like I suspected he would if I didn’t follow his directions. But then he shook his head. I felt his hair rustle against mine.

“No, baby.” His voice was low, so deep and delicious that I squirmed, wishing I’d never said anything. “I’m not stopping.”

“But then⁠—”

Noah cut off my words with a sharp slap to my clit, shooting pain tinted with pleasure through me. I sucked in, and if it weren’t for the shirt tied around my wrists, I never would have stayed upright. As it was, my knees shook, and my toes curled as I groaned. “Oh my God, Noah.”

“Look away, and this pretty pussy is getting slapped,” Noah warned, an edge to his voice.

But his fingers worked in contrast, soothing my aching core as he caressed between my legs with tenderness. Eventually, he let his fingers sink deeper and deeper until I felt one prod my entrance, sliding in. I held my breath as I watched, wishing he’d move faster, wishing he’d give me more.

And wondering if maybe I should look away again.

My eyes drifted to his face, and the sexy grin there told me he’d been waiting for my disobedience. I held his gaze as he delivered another smack to my clit, my jaw dropping with wonder as a flood of sensations wracked my body.

“You’re a naughty fucking girl,” he murmured in my ear. “Aren’t you, Em?”

“Just for you,” I admitted with a strained breath.

Because it was the truth.

Just for Noah.

Just for him.

“Fuck, you always know how to tell me what I’m dying to hear,” he groaned as he plunged two fingers deep into my pussy. “Just for that, I’ll give you what you want, too.”

“Yes,” I moaned, my limbs turning to jelly as he touched me just as he knew I liked. His thumb rubbed over my clit steadily, and I wasn’t sure I could hold myself up much longer. My wrists would be raw by the end of this, but I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want any of this to end.

“I got you,” he breathed, all-knowing as usual. “I know you won’t ask, but I know. I’m always here.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist and supported my weight, pulling me against him. He cradled me against his chest, and my head rocked back onto his shoulder, my gaze still locked on our reflection as Noah abruptly cupped my pussy. With two fingers still deep inside me, he used his hold to jerk my hips back into his, grinding his erection into my ass.

“You feel that, baby?” His voice was as hard as his cock. “You feel how fucking bad I want you?”

I nodded because words were beyond my reach at the moment. Oh, I felt him. I felt him, and I ached for him.

“Don’t forget it,” he ordered, the words cutting straight to my core as I heard and understood the desperation in them. God, I understood it. “Don’t you ever forget it, Gemma.”

“I won’t,” I whispered and then cried out when Noah continued his blissful torment, finger fucking me until I was writhing in his arms, panting with the need for release. And just like he wanted, I watched. I watched everything that hand of his did as he worked me into an upward spiral that I knew would tear me apart.

“That’s it, gorgeous,” Noah murmured as I felt my pleasure start to crest. “Fuck, do you see that? Do you see how good you look with my hands all over you? With my fingers inside you?”

“Mmm,” I crooned, struggling to speak. All I knew was that I could watch Noah’s hands work all day long.

“You’re so pretty when you come,” he continued, his breath coming in short spurts as his fingers increased their pace between my legs. “Let me see it.”

My breath hitched, my whole body tensing. Noah fed murmured praises into my ear as an orgasm ricocheted through me. His grip tightened as I lost the ability to stand altogether, his fingers pumping me through my release.

The second I slumped, spent and exhausted from that unbelievable orgasm, Noah slipped from my body and licked his fingers off with a moan. He swore under his breath before unhooking my hands. They fell in front of me, still bound. The prickles of a thousand tiny needles spread up my arms.

I shivered as Noah untied his shirt, letting it slide from my wrists and drop to the floor. He walked in front of me and lifted my hands, pressing kisses to every inch of skin that was pinched. And then, before I could melt to the ground from the weight of my release and the sweetness of his touch, Noah gently spun me around and guided my steps backward, urging me to sit on the padded bench behind me.

I sat, blinking up at his intense expression, watching how his chest heaved as his gaze wandered over me. I wanted to feel it, wanted to feel how fast his heart beat for me. Because my pulse was out of control, and I wanted to know if it was the same for him.

Noah shuddered when I flattened my hand on his chest, trailing it down his muscled stomach to the waistband of his pants, just above where his erection strained against the stretchy fabric, practically right in front of my face.

“Take me out,” Noah demanded before I could tease him any further.

I did as he asked. I wasn’t sure if it was an aftereffect of my orgasm or anticipation for the next one, but my hands shook as I hooked my fingers into his waistband and worked his pants down over Noah’s hips, revealing his hard cock. The tip was swollen and leaking precum.

“Suck me into your pretty mouth, Em,” Noah said, his voice raw. “Get me nice and wet.”

I nodded, happy to oblige. I swirled my tongue around his tip, licking the salty evidence of his desire, before slowly sucking him between my lips, taking him deeper at a torturous pace that made an ungodly sound rise from Noah’s throat. He murmured my name, letting little praises shower over me as I started to make a sloppy mess on his cock, getting him wet like he wanted.

Just as I was getting into a rhythm, Noah abruptly grabbed me by my hair and yanked me off his cock, using just enough force to make me clench my thighs together in response. Noah’s smirk as I looked up at him told me he noticed. Of course he noticed. He always did.

“Lie back,” he commanded as my spit dripped from his tip. “Push your gorgeous tits together for me.”

Too stuck in a Noah-induced daze to do anything but exactly what he told me to, I fell back, laying out on the bench. I let Noah watch the way my breasts rocked for a moment, enjoying how his eyes tracked my movement, and then pressed them between my palms like he asked.

The heat in Noah’s gaze was blistering as he straddled me on the bench, letting his cock trail a mess up my body as he positioned himself above me. Then he paused, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You’re unreal, Gemma. Every inch of you. I need you to understand how badly I want every inch of you.”

I nodded, unable to talk, unable to breathe. I believed him. How could I not after what had just happened?

“I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been dying to see you like this. How long I’ve been dying to fuck your pretty tits.” His eyes raked over me as mine grew wide. “Can I?”

“Yes,” I breathed, and Noah didn’t hesitate to thrust his cock between my breasts as he groaned loudly.

“Fuck, Em.” He threw his head back, his eyes closing momentarily before he looked back down at me. With his golden-brown hair flopping over his forehead, he watched as he drew back and thrust again. This time, he nearly hit my throat; something dribbled at the base of it. “Fuck, you always feel so good.”

“You should have told me you wanted to do this earlier,” I said, my voice soft as I studied the way pleasure worked over his face, realizing I would do anything to make him look like this.

Noah gave a tight nod as he thrust again, sliding easily between my breasts. He rocked back and forth, his hips flexing deliciously. “You’re right, but I just knew it would drive me wild and make me lose it, and I have this thing about coming inside of you.” Noah reached down, tweaking one of my nipples and making me gasp as he withdrew. “So now we have to stop.”

I bit my lip, unsure what I should be encouraging—him continuing so I could watch him lose it from this glorious angle or him stopping so I could feel him inside me again. But before I could make up my mind, Noah’s demanding touch vanished, and he leaned down to cover me in kisses. The curve of my neck, the dip near my collarbone, the swell of my breasts.

My stomach.

His lips lingered there, and when his eyes found mine, the intensity in his gaze made me lose my breath.

Without looking away from me, he placed one of his large hands over my bump, spreading it possessively. His eyes lowered to his hand, staring at it.

“I fucking hate that it’s his,” he said, a bite to his words. “He doesn’t deserve to be a dad.”

My breath hitched from the rare steel in Noah’s tone.

“He’s not,” I said when I found my voice. “Noah, I⁠—”

He cut me off by moving back up my body, slamming his lips to mine. Which was fine because I wasn’t sure where I was going or what I was saying. Probably things I shouldn’t.

I moaned, immediately letting his tongue in to sweep against mine. Noah reciprocated, a gruff appreciation vibrating in his throat as he kissed me back just as eagerly, greedily showing me just how much he really did want me. This wasn’t a polite kiss or a tender one. This was hunger. Blisteringly raw desire.

Noah’s hands cupped the back of my neck, urging me to sit up. I followed his movements in a daze, not wanting to separate, needing his lips and hands on mine. And thankfully, they didn’t leave. Noah smoothed his hands down my back until they cupped my ass and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, even though I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold on, and as though he knew, Noah walked us a few steps to the wall covered in mirrors, anchoring me against it.

I gasped as we collided, and Noah wasted no time finding what he wanted. The head of his cock dragged between my legs as he kissed me, frantic and deep like he couldn’t get enough. His skin was feverish, his warmth enveloping me.

And while I knew I was about to get fucked until I saw stars, all I could think about was the way Noah had possessively spread his hand over my stomach. The mixed emotions I saw in his eyes.

My emotions on the matter were clearer, and I—shit, this man. I wanted things I wasn’t allowed to want.

“Need,” Noah panted between kisses, “you.”

“Yes, Daddy,” I gasped, my words betraying my thoughts. “Fuck me. Please.”

“Oh, God.” He groaned before following my orders for once and slamming into me. And then another grumble filled his throat again as he slid deeper, his forehead dropping to mine as his rough breaths ghosted my lips. “Gemma,” he growled. “What the—shit, what the fuck are you doing to me?”

I shook my head, clinging onto him for dear life. Clinging to this.

I didn’t know. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Noah swore again before pounding into me with deep strokes that I felt everywhere. I cried out into the crook of his neck, feeling the vibrations of his groans as he kept going. Never stopping. “Oh my—shit, Em.”

I tipped my head back, letting it fall against the cool mirror behind me as I memorized how my name sounded when he said it like that. Noah’s lips flirted with the column of my neck as his pace quickened. He drove into me repeatedly, slapping his hips against mine, trapping me between his body and the wall. And I was in heaven.

“So wet,” Noah murmured, more to himself than to me. “So fucking wet.”

My eyes rolled back, and I could hear the smirk in Noah’s voice as it slid into my ear.

“You love the feel of my cock, don’t you, baby? You like the way it claims that pussy. The way it makes you mine.”

“Yes,” I admitted because there was nothing else that I could say. “Yes, yes, yes. Noah.”

“Are you gonna come for me again, Em?” he gasped, and I could tell he needed me to. He needed me to come so that he could.

I nodded, a whimper escaping my throat as Noah hit that spot within me. And then he did it again. And again, and I was gone. Unraveling. Free-falling. Climaxing harder and faster than I ever imagined possible. Bits of black dotted my vision, and I gasped for air. My fingernails dug into his back, scratching, marking.

“What a good girl,” Noah murmured. “That’s it. So good. So fucking good.”

He said the last word with a grunt, violently shuddering as his release threatened to wash over him. His muscles tensed, his jaw clenched, and his beautiful face twisted with passion.

“Yes, baby,” I sighed, loving this part when I got to watch him lose all control.

“Fuck,” he swore, his voice gritty and rough. “You’re gonna take every last drop for me, right?”

I nodded, and that was all he needed to drive into me one last time and fill me to the brim. He pulsed. I could feel it. I could feel his cum slowly dripping out of me, turning me into even more of a mess than I already was. Not that I cared.

I whispered his name, and our gazes connected. His green eyes, usually so calm, were wild. I stroked a hand down his back as my claws retracted, and I tried to catch my breath. His chest heaved against mine while he tried to do the same.

I thought he’d put me down, but he didn’t. He pressed me tighter to the wall, driving deeper inside me as he closed his eyes.

“Just give me a second,” he muttered. “Just give me another second inside you.”

My heart jumped into my throat, and I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. I couldn’t find my voice, but he could have all the seconds he wanted.

True to his word, a few moments later, he pulled out and let my feet fall back to the floor. He didn’t let go, though, which I was grateful for. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand on my own. Not without his support.

He wordlessly helped me dress and then deposited me on a bench, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before he found his own clothes to pull back on. My eyes roamed over the scratches on his back, wondering if I should be embarrassed or concerned at how reckless we’d been. But it was hard to regret what just happened.

“Drink some water,” Noah directed, his voice hoarse. “You need to make sure you’re staying hydrated.”

“I fill and drink that huge water bottle you got me every day,” I assured him. “I’ve been doing some research about water intake with pregnancy, so I’ve been really careful about it.”

He gave a curt nod. “Good girl.”

I watched Noah clean the gym equipment with far too much interest than it warranted, and by the time he walked back over, I had enough energy to stand on my own. Barely, but I managed.

Noah gave me a once-over, studying my slow movements. His lips tugged upward. “I can carry you to the car if you want.”

“Because that wouldn’t cause any gossip at all,” I said, rolling my eyes.

He shrugged. “Maybe I don’t care about the gossip.”

“I’m fine, Noah.” I smiled at him because it was an understatement. He’d destroyed me in the best way possible. “Let’s go home?”

He nodded and followed me out of the gym. We walked through a narrow hallway toward the back offices, where the rest of my stuff was, our footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

Or at least I thought it was empty. But then another pair of footsteps bounced off the walls, and I realized we weren’t alone in the hallway at all.

I stopped short when I saw him round the corner, my breath leaving my body. He looked pissed. Oh God, he looked pissed. Determined. His eyes flared, and I knew it was too late. He saw me. He saw Noah. God, what was he even doing here?

Noah ran right into me, caught by surprise by my sudden halt. He clearly wasn’t paying attention, his arm wrapping around me as we collided. It took him a second to regain balance, and his hand slid down possessively over my stomach when he did.

Fuck.

That action alone made Julian stop in his tracks, his gaze dropping to Noah’s spread fingers. And to what was beneath them. I felt Noah stiffen as he realized—as he saw who was standing at the other end of the hallway.

When my brother looked up from my stomach, murder was in his wide eyes.

So I wasn’t surprised when he looked straight past me to Noah and spat out words I’d been hoping to avoid.

“Oh, I’m going to fucking kill you.”