Page 53 of Sacrifice Bunt

Hearing him say he wanted her that badly—so badly that they could barely make it home— had her squeezing her legs together again. Shit, she just had two orgasms and she was already wanting him again.

“What was that?” he asked, running his hand up and down her arm.

“What was what?” she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, feigning innocence.

“That little shiver that just went through your body.”

This man didn't miss anything. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

He turned her in his arms until they were facing each other. “Are you still turned on?” There was definitely amusement in his voice. “Even after two orgasms?”

There was no use in denying it. “When you talk about ripping clothes off my body, it makes me hot.” She'd always been honest during sex with any guy she was seeing, but somehow, being honest with Noah was just slightly more challenging. Probably because her heart was involved and that had never happened before.

She’d never had feelings other than friendship and enjoying sex with any other guy.

“For the record, I always want to rip the clothes from your body and tomorrow night, it's definitely happening.”

She sighed, content to lie there on the floor in his arms even though her back and hip were hurting. She wasn't even 30 years old but that didn't mean her body could handle cuddling on a hard floor.

She liked big fluffy beds with a million pillows and soft couches that you could sink into. Those were where you cuddled.

He stood, lifting out a hand and helping her to her feet. She took a few moments to admire his naked body, his cock already hardening as they stood there.

“What do you say to some food?” Noah asked. “There's this cool place around the corner that I planned to take you to but then you sidetracked me with sex.”

“I sidetracked you?” She raised an eyebrow in question.

“Yes, with all your talk over wearing an Emperor's shirt to the game tomorrow night. And for the record, the only thing that would make it better was if you were wearing a shirt with my name on the back. We’d never leave this house.”

She stopped walking, her back going stiff. She was at a loss for words, something that rarely happened. He wanted her to wear a shirt with his name on it. Could she do that? Go out in public wearing something with his name on it, declaring that they were together for the whole world. Before she even knew what she was doing or saying, she stepped away from him, shaking her head. “I can't do that.” She knew her voice sounded stiff and cold but she couldn't control it.

“Zara.” The way he said her name, sweet but also firm, made her want to wrap her arms around him, sink into his warmth and let everything else disappear. “I wasn't asking you to wear a shirt with my name. I think I'm starting to know your limits by now and what you can and can't handle. I know that wearing a shirt with my name would be a very big step for you. It would be a big step for me too. All I was saying is that I would like it. I was saying how it would make me feel. But that’s on me, not you. You are not responsible for the feelings that I have or the things that I want. I don't expect you to wear a shirt with my name on it. I didn't expect you to wear a shirt with my team on it and if you aren't comfortable with doing that, you don't have to.”

She heard everything he was saying. Every word. But that didn’t stop an image from appearing in her mind of her wearing a shirt with his name and his number on the back, with her cheering loudly for him as he played. She liked it a little too much.

But she was also afraid.

And this time, fear won out.

“You know, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I think I should probably just go.” And still, she stood in front of him, frozen in place. Her brain was telling her to get out but her heart wanted something completely different.

“Fuck,” he swore, the word angry, but not directed at her. He rubbed his hand over his forehead. “I’m sorry, don't go. I take back everything I said. You don't have to come to my game or wear my team’s shirt. We don't even have to talk about any of this.”

“Noah,” she said his name quietly but resolutely. “I'm not saying I don't want to do this," she gestured between them. “I'm just saying that I need to go back home. I need to think about this. I need to think about what I want and what I'm capable of. I should have done more of that before I jumped on a plane on a whim and flew here.” The sadness on his face was almost too much to handle. “I’m not giving up on us, you need to know that, but I need a minute. I need to take a breath. Tell me you understand that.”

He nodded. “I understand. I don't like it and I hate that my actions or words are what have provoked you into feeling like you need space. But, I think I’m starting to understand you.”

Placing a hand on his chest, she closed her eyes and tried not to get caught up in all the emotions she was feeling. She needed to think and decide what she could and couldn't do. Her desire to see him and be with him had brought her to him without a second thought because that's who she was. This moment called for something else. She needed time to make sure her heart and brain were aligned. “You deserve more than me being wishy-washy. I don't want to have these feelings of doubt. This is new. All of it, not just you and me, but feeling this way for me. Don't give up on me.”

He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers. “I don't even think that's possible.” He gave her the softest of kisses and she could so easily get lost in it, but knew if she did, she would never leave. So she pulled back even if it was difficult.

She tried for a smile. “Any chance I can get a ride to the airport?”

“Always,” he said. “And I mean that, Zara. Anytime you want to come see me, I will pick you up or drive you back. There's never pressure to stay. I just want to see you whenever it's good for you.”

She swallowed back tears, wondering where they were even coming from. She never cried.

Every ounce of her wanted to stay with him in his house, locked inside where the world couldn't find them. But that wasn't how life worked. They couldn’t stay in their bubble. She needed to figure her shit out and fast. Because as much as he said he’d wait, she couldn't make him wait forever.

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