Page 47 of Gossip Game

Noah scoffed. “Not private enough.”

His hips bumped against hers when he moved in closer. Charlotte smothered a gasp at the contact. She pressed her palms to his chest, trailing her fingers along the soft waffle stitching of his cotton sweater.

“I have a confession to make,” she told him. “I wasn’t exactly honest with you last night.”

Another scoff. “Do tell.”

“I did come to last night’s game with the express purpose of cheering for you.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And hopefully seeing you.”

He looked like he’d stopped breathing. The streetlight behind his head made his face unreadable.

Charlotte forged on. “I came back to Baltimore because—” A shaky sigh escaped. “Because no matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Noah went still as a statue. She could feel his warm breath whispering against her cheek. Her fingers slid along the stubble of his jaw before they traced his bottom lip.

“And if I have to beg you to kiss me, I will.”

He jerked away from her. Charlotte immediately mourned the loss of his body heat. And very probably her dignity.

“Noah?” she croaked.

He fumbled with his jeans pocket until the locks on the truck chirped.

“Get in the truck, Charlotte.”

Seriously? Was he rejecting her again? She shook her head.

“I don’t understand.”

He reached behind her to open the door, the streetlight illuminating his face. His expression was strained. When she touched his forearm, his nostrils flared.

“Woman, get in the truck so I can take you home and do things to you that I’d rather do in private,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “Please.”

“Oh. Ohhhh!”

As soon as he yanked the door open, she scooted across the seat. He followed, turning the ignition and jerking the truck into motion. The five-minute ride felt like an eternity. If Charlotte had been restless sitting beside Noah on the bleachers and not being able to act on her desire, she was practically burning up with lust now. She started to shrug out of his jacket.

“Don’t.” His rough comment had her pulling up short. He steered the truck into the driveway. “I’ve been dreaming about undressing you for three fucking years. Don’t you dare deprive me of that fantasy now.”

Oh. My.

She froze with her arm halfway out of one sleeve as the truck lurched to a halt. Noah was out of the cab and around to the passenger side before she could right herself. He reached out a hand, but then seemed to think better of it.

“If I touch you now, we won’t make it inside.”

His coarsely uttered words had her panties wet. One by one, the motion-sensor lights blinked on as she marched swiftly toward Meemaw’s front door. He reached around her to punch in the code on the lock. They were welcomed by a single lamp illuminating the foyer, coupled with the sound of his grandmother’s soft snores drifting in from the back bedroom.

Charlotte experienced a brief lick of apprehension. “She wasn’t kidding about taking out her hearing aids, was she?” she whispered.

Noah groaned. “You’re killing me, Princess.”

He jerked his chin toward the guest bedroom. Her pulse kicked up another notch at his assertiveness. Noah was a man of action. There would be no false platitudes or rambling soliloquies about his desire for her when they reached the bedroom. Based on their earlier encounters, his mouth and his hands would do all the talking.

The very thought was already driving her wild. Sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, she began sauntering backwards. He followed, his focus intent on her mouth.

One of the bedside lamps was left on, casting a seductive glow over the queen-sized bed. Backing into the room, Charlotte could feel her annoying self-doubt start to rear its ugly head. What if she messed this up again? This wasn’t like a casual fling with one of the banal trust fund boys of her past. This was Noah prowling toward her.

A man of substance.

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