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"I want to be here"

"Why?"

"I can’t let anything happen to you"

I closed my eyes in frustration Either Noah didn’t understand what I was trying to say, or he was ignoring it "Should I go?" I asked

His hand was still on my face, and his touch was i I broke away froht when I touched it

I faced him and stepped back into the rooainst the wood and Noah was alainst me

I went in search of Noah with every intention of just sleeping when I found hi, transformed the air around us

I was consumed by the slow lift of the corner of his ers under the hem of his shirt and explore the soft line of hair that disappeared into his jeans To feel his skin under my teeth, his shadowed jaw on my neck

But here, noith hi to stop us, I didn’t led his face closer, lower down to mine But not to my mouth To my ear "I’ll allow it"

His lips brushed rabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled hiainst h My hands were trapped between the hard ridges of his sto, tre with it

But Noah was still

Until his naroan And then his hands were on my hips and his mouth was on my skin and he lifted ainst the door and the copper buttons on Noah’s jeans pressed against h, not at all His rough cheek electrified the curve between my neck and shoulder and I leaned back, coripped ainstfor ether in his bed, a tangle of liues and hair Noah wrapped around me as he unwrapped e of each other and we moved with oneUntil he almost died

Like Jude should have

Like I wished he had

I shuddered against Noah’s ine hi I reain

Noah slid me down

I was breathless and unsteady on my feet "What?"

"You’re not ready," he said as he backed away

I sed "I was thinking about it But then you just--stopped"

"Your heartbeat was out of control"

"Maybe because I liked it"

"Maybe because you’re not ready," Noah said "And I’ to push you"

After a minute passed in silence, I finally said, "I’m scared"

Noah was quiet

"I’ently smoothed my hair from my face "Then you don’t have to"

"But I want to" It had never been more true