Page 65 of It Was Always You

I turned back, my heart in my throat. "Yeah?"

He took my hand in his, stepping closer. After just a moment's hesitation, he leaned closer and pulled me against his body in an embrace. "Thank you for being there for me," he whispered in my ear, sending warm, blissful chills down my spine.

I hugged him tighter, taking advantage of this rare moment to breathe Noah in. He smelled amazing. He felt amazing. I didn't ever want to let go. "I'm here for you anytime you need me. Always have been."

I expected him to step away, but he didn't. Instead, he just kept holding me. We were so close. I could hear his heart beating against my ear. I wasn't a doctor or anything, but it seemed like it was beating a little fast. Possibly as fast as mine.

Hewasaffected by our closeness.

I could actually make his heart race. All these years of thinking the feelings between us were one-sided, and I finally had evidence that Noah Taylor might feel something for me.

He slowly pulled back, and when our eyes met, I burned. Because the way he was looking at me was like nothing I'd seen before. His eyes were full of desire, and when his gaze flicked down to my lips, my stomach muscles tightened. He was going to kiss me.

But he didn't. He just kept looking at me in a way thatmade my stomach twist up in so many knots I didn't think it would ever come untangled.

"What do you think is the most appropriate way for me to show you my thanks?" he whispered as he ran his thumb across my lips. My nerve endings went nuts, and I had to bite my lip to keep from going crazy.

I swallowed. "Um..." But I couldn't say anything more because Noah Taylor was touching me and making it impossible to think. Impossible to talk.

He smiled in a detached sort of way at my reaction, and then his hand traveled down my neck and along my shoulder, a path of fire following everywhere he touched.

Maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to wear a tank top to bed after all, because the way his electric touch was making me feel made it hard to remember why I shouldn't just throw myself at him right now.

I blinked my eyes shut.

This is Noah Taylor. He's a player. My dad would kill me if I got involved with him.

But when I looked back at him, all I saw was the guy I'd wanted for years. And he was looking at me the way I'd wanted him to for as long as I could remember.

"Lexi, I..." he started.

"Yes?" I asked, my heart swelling with anticipation. This seemed like it might just be the most important moment of my entire life.

"I—" He blinked his eyes shut and shook his head.When he opened them, the look in his eyes had changed. "I-it's getting late. We should probably go to bed."

I swallowed, feeling my hopes drop into a tailspin of broken dreams. "Yes. W-we should."

It took all my strength to make myself step back from him and break the magnetic hold he had on me. I slowly turned, trying not to let him see the disappointment crashing over me like waves on a sailboat in the middle of a storm.

I moved one foot out of the closet. Then the next. Forcing myself to leave when all I wanted to do was stay.

"Lexi, wait." He gripped my arm and my pulse turned frantic.

Knock. Knock.

"Can I come in?" Easton's voice sounded from the hall.

I jumped away from Noah like he was on fire and pushed him back in the closet, shutting the door on him. Then I quickly turned around to make sure Easton hadn't opened the door already. Thankfully, he hadn't, so I launched myself onto my bed.

Just as I was about to tell him to come in, I saw Noah's backpack in the middle of my floor.

"Just a minute," I called, my heart beating wildly in my chest. "I'm just putting on my pajamas."

He hadn't seen me already wearing them when I was in the kitchen making a sandwich, right?

I jumped off my bed and swooped Noah's backpack up, and quickly shoved it at him in the closet. I didn't get a chance to actually see him since he'd thankfully thought to shut off the light, but I heard him groan like I'd just hurt him with his backpack.

I'd probably thrown it at his head, like everything else he'd bumped into today.

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