Page 28 of Catching My Dreams

Nothing existed between them anymore. Not space. Not Noah’s ever-present dislike of her. Not his idiotic and incredibly off-the-mark comment about her and Asher. Not her anger. All that remained was desire.

And Ella reveled in it.

The feel of Noah’s tongue clashing with hers. The feel of his stubble scratching her chin. The feel of his fingers digging into her waist. The hardness pressing against her and deepening the needy ache between her legs.

She hadn’t told him, had never gotten the chance to, but when she was with him, Ella didn’t feel any uneasiness at his closeness or any of the nervous fear she’d felt with her high school boyfriend. She hadn’t thought it was possible to feel that way around a man after what Brett had tried to do to her, but something about Noah put her at ease.

Not a single part of her wanted to pull away from him. She had never felt more comfortable with anyone, more safe. Which made absolutely no sense, considering how he’d treated her over the years.

But Ella wasn’t about to start questioning why that was. Not when he was tugging gently on her bottom lip with his teeth. Not when his hands were lifting her sweater over her head. And certainly not when he pulled his mouth from hers so he could take in the sight of her.

His eyes darkened as his gaze raked over the pale blue lace of her bra. Ella may not have put effort into picking out clothes, but she was beyond grateful that she’d worn better underwear than the lackluster white bra and panties he’d taken off her the last time.

“Fuck, Ella.” His eyes slowly lifted to meet hers. “You’re beautiful.”

She hadn’t blushed when he’d parted her legs and stepped between them, but she felt warmth rushing to her cheeks at his words. “Noah?”

He hummed, his eyes moving back down and his fingers playing with the strap of her bra.

“I need you.”

She should have been embarrassed by the words and what they revealed, but she didn’t have it in her to care if Noah knew how much she wanted him. Especially not after the speech he’d given her. And she was glad she’d been honest when hunger flared in his eyes and he crushed his mouth against her lips again.

If possible, he was even more ravenous than before. Every stroke of his lips and tongue was suffused with heat and want, and each firm touch kindled longing in Ella that bordered on starvation. When he unclipped her bra and threw it to the side, she returned the favor by tugging his shirt up.

For the brief moment their lips weren’t touching, the space between them was filled with their heavy breathing. But when Noah’s shirt had been discarded, that space was quickly closed. Ella ran her hands over him, her fingers moving over the ridges of his abs and up to the rigid set of his shoulders.

Noah worked hard on and off the field, and the hard lines of his muscles were proof of that. Ella wasn’t a stranger to exercise either, but he was on a level she could never hope to reach. He was pure strength, pure muscle, and she could run her hands over the evidence of his dedication forever without losing interest.

Noah’s lips trailed down to her neck, and his teeth nipped at her throat, eliciting a gasp from her. He cupped one of her breasts, his palm applying just the right amount of pressure.

“Fucking love this body,” he groaned.

“Yours isn’t too bad either,” she managed to get out while he placed more open-mouthed kisses on her neck.

He huffed out a laugh, and Ella felt the vibration of it against her skin. “You really know how to stroke a man’s ego.”

“Would you prefer me to call you an Adonis?”

“Only if you think it’s true.”

Ella smiled, refusing to dignify that with a response. He didn’t need to know how true she thought the comparison was.

“Noah?”

Her breath hitched when his teeth grazed against her shoulder.

“Ella?” His voice was teasing, but she found it cute rather than annoying like she usually would have.

“Take me upstairs.”

She didn’t have to ask him twice. Noah’s hands slipped under her thighs, and he picked her up without showing any strain. She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, biting her lip to keep in a moan.

She could feel him pressing against her core, the sensation only a shadow of how she knew it would feel when there was no clothing separating them.

Noah closed his eyes and gritted his teeth when she shifted her hips, seeking more friction, more pleasure.

“Fuck, Montgomery,” he choked out. “You’re killing me.”

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