Page 37 of Fifty-Fifty

I’m about to start without Beau when the stairs creak, grabbing my attention.

My jaw drops on its own as my eyes travel from her bare feet to her tanned legs. Hovering on the jean shorts that barely cover her ass, I finally finish my perusal by taking in my button-up flannel shirt that she’s tied below her ribs at her cute little belly button.

Shit.

I harden instantly, taking deep breaths in through my nose to stop myself from pouncing on her.

“Hi.” She waves awkwardly as her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. “Sorry I took so long. Thanks for lettin’ me steal your shirt and all. Should we get started?”

I swallow thickly, trying to keep my eyes on her face instead of her exposed stomach and legs. “Uh… Yeah.”

“Good.” She goes to grab the roller, bending down at the waist.

I groan.

Turning around, she peeks over her shoulder. “What?” she asks, her doe eyes pinning me in place.

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

She doesn’t believe me. “Nah. It ain’t nothin’. Somethin’ wrong? You look a lil’ pale.”

I close my eyes before tilting my head toward the ceiling. Groaning, again, I debate what the hell I’m supposed to do right now. “I’m fine, but did you really need to dress like that?” I can’t help the annoyance that seeps into my tone.

She flinches before taking a step closer to me. “I’m sorry. Is what I’m wearin’ a problem? I told you I didn’t have any clothes I wanted to get dirty. And you’re the one who gave me a shirt that is ten sizes too big. That ain’t my fault, mister!”

Her fire doesn’t tame the beast that’s threatening to maul her. Quite the opposite, actually. I take a step forward, nearly putting us chest to chest. “You’re the one that asked me for the damn shirt. And you didn’t have to tie it. What are you trying to do? Kill me?”

Her nostrils flare on her cute button nose for a split second before her hands go to the shirt she borrowed and start untying it. “Fine. You don’t want it tied? Here.” She loosens the knot, letting the flannel material swallow her whole until it completely covers her jean shorts. “Now it looks like I’m naked underneath. Is that what you wanted?” she spits.

“No,” I growl, my eyes burning a hole in the stupid shirt as the same dirty images from earlier make an appearance.

“That ain’t good enough for ya, either? Fine. I’ll just take the damn thing off.” She starts unfastening her shirt, one simple button at a time with her heated gaze practically glowing.

She’s pissed, and it only turns me on more.

When the black lace of her bra starts playing peek-a-boo, I snap.

Literally.

Fiercely, I grab her wrists that are furiously working toward giving me a stroke and push her up against the nearest wall. Thankfully, it’s still untouched, or we’d be pressed against wet paint that would stain the shit out of our clothes. She gasps on impact but it doesn’t stop me from raising her arms above her head and leaning closer until we’re breathing each other’s oxygen.

“Stop,” I grit out as my chest brushes against hers.

Her eyes are an inferno as she stares up at me from her vulnerable position. “Or what, Noah? What are you gonna––”

She never finishes her sentence. I stop her by leaning forward and slamming my mouth against hers. It’s not a soft kiss. It’s not gentle. It’s not half of what she deserves.

It’s fire. And lust. And frustration. All rolled into one heated kiss as our tongues battle for domination. Her wrists fight my hold for about two seconds before her entire body melts into me, slumping slightly until my chest and grip on her hands are the only things pinning her in place and keeping her from sliding to the floor in a heap.

As soon as I let go of her hands, convinced she won’t fight me, she drops them and starts pulling on the hem of my t-shirt in search of more skin. She moans when I let her fingers explore my abs that were hidden from her only moments before. I swallow every one of her sounds, making sure to commit each of them to memory.

Gripping the sides of her––my––shirt, I rip it open. The action gives me full access to what was teasing me in the first place.

Now it’s my turn to explore. My lips pull into a wicked grin, effectively breaking our kiss.

After I pull away from her addicting mouth, I start placing open-mouthed kisses along her chin, down to her neck, and over to her shoulder before heading lower.

Her skin tastes like peaches, I note, releasing a breath of laughter. I should’ve known.

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