Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
My toes curl.
I reach back, digging my fingers into his hip as I come apart around him.
"You're so beautiful like this, Elsie," he murmurs against my ear as the pleasure cracks me open in waves. "So fucking sweet—every sound, every perfect squeeze. You make me lose my mind."
"Noah," I whimper.
"I'm going to make love to you again, slowly this time. Carefully." He finally, finally moves, pushing his hips forward as he speaks. And somehow, after having him still inside me for so long, after being desperate while he cracked me open, that little move is enough to send me hurtling right back to the edge. "Loving you"—he pulls back as slowly as he had surged forward—"completely." His hand curls around my breast again, his thumb brushing my nipple. "Stay very still."
I do as I'm told, too helpless beneath the onslaught of gritty whispers and gentle touches to do anything but listen. He makes love to me as slowly and completely as he promised, crooning as he uses his hands and body to wreck me.
The way he moves against me, the sweet words he whispers against my ear between soft moans and breathless groans—it's intimate, and so much more beautiful than the first time. I don't know how that's possible, but it is.
By the time he's ready to let me come, I'm a stuttering, pleading mess, sobbing his name.
"Fly for me, baby," he says, his mouth at my ear and his hand stroking between my legs as he rocks his hips against me.
Friction builds to a physical ache inside me, more powerful than before.
"I'll catch you. I'll always catch you," he says, his voice low and full of promise.
I sob his name as I slip off that edge again, shattering into a million glittering pieces.
He follows me over, moaning my name as he spills inside me, hot and perfect.
When I float back to earth, he's still whispering, his voice thick with sleep and emotion, his fingers stroking softly across my cheek.
"There you are," he says, smiling down at me.
I can't help but smile back.
We lie in silence for long moments, me watching him as he watches me, as if memorizing my face.
"You never said it," he finally whispers.
"Said what?" I bite the inside of my cheek to hide a smile, knowing exactly what he wants to hear but unable to resist teasing him.
His hand goes still against my cheek. "Don't tease me, baby. I need… I need to know."
My heart aches at the look in his eyes. I've never seen him so vulnerable before, like I have the power to break him. To me, he always seems larger than life. His confidence and strength are a shield against all the brutal shit Chicago throws at him. But right now, he looks…human. He's just a man, putting his whole heart on the line for me, desperately hoping I don't shatter it into pieces.
I cup his cheek, brushing my fingers beneath his eye and along the sharp slant of his cheekbone. "Remember the night you told me about your challenge coins?" I ask him.
He nods against my hand.
"I knew then I'd fallen in love with you."
The breath shudders from his lungs. A slow, easy smile spreads across his face. He flops back beside me, pulling me up against his chest. "Well, damn, Dimples. Why the hell didn't you say something?"
I snuggle against him. "Fear. Doubt. I don't know. It seemed safer to keep it to myself than risk our friendship."
He doesn't say anything for a moment, then, "Yeah, I get that, baby. I really fucking do." He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "Is this worth it to you?"
"Without a doubt." I close my eyes, smiling as the last twelve hours run through my mind. I can't think of anything more worth it than this—than Noah and the soft feeling bubbling through me. It's peace, contentment, and the delicious ache of fulfillment. It's perfect.
"Same here, Dimples," he whispers to me. "Same here."
I snuggle up against him, letting him hold me.
"I hope you know you're never getting me out of your bed again," he murmurs a moment later, his lips against my shoulder.
I peek up at him. "It is pretty comfy."
"It is, but that's not what I'm talking about, baby." He tips my head back until our eyes meet. "I'm talking about the fact that I'm not sleeping across the street from you ever again."
"Are you…?" I bite my lip, trying not to get ahead of myself here.
"No," he says, rolling me beneath him. "I'm not asking, Dimples. I'm telling you that we're moving in together."
"You don't think it's too soon?"
"Do you?"
No. I want to wake up to him every day forever.
"I don't know," I whisper. "I've never done this before."
"Me either." He rests his forehead against mine. "But we're going to do it together, Elsie. Just you and me. We get to make our own timelines and rules here. What do you want? Tell me, and it's yours."