Page 84 of It Was Always You

He was worriedIdidn't want to get mixed up withhim? "It's not." I looked straight into his eyes, so he'd know I meant what I was saying.

"But what about your dad?"

"What about him?" My dad didn't get to control everything in my life. He didn't get to control my heart. I'd had a hard-enough time controlling it over the past couple of years when I tried to force it away from Noah.

But my heart wanted what it wanted. It wanted Noah.

"I don't have the perfect history, Lexi." He spoke in a husky voice. "I have a past."

I curled a strand of his shaggy hair around my finger. "It doesn't matter."

It was almost as if those words released a barrier between us, because when he kissed me again, it was different somehow. It changed and deepened and made all my thoughts disappear.

His hands traveled down my sides until he gripped my waist in his hands, pulling me even closer to him. We were already so close, but I loved how he didn't seem to want any space between us because I didn't want any space, either.

"Hey Noah, your phone keeps vibrating, you might want to get it." Easton's voice drifted up the stairs.

Noah pulled back from me and yelled back to Easton, "I'll get it in a minute." Then he turned to me with a smile and spoke in a quieter voice. "I'm a little busy right now."

I could have died from the suggestive look on his face. But he didn't give me a chance to do anything because a second later, he was kissing me again. This time his lips were rougher, hungrier, and I worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with him.

I pulled back. "Wait, don't you need to get your phone?" I asked, needing a moment to catch my breath.

He shook his head. "My mom’s probably just calling to make sure I'm not sleeping in my car again. I'll get it when I'm done with you."

He tightened his grip on my waist once more, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the end of the counter amidst all my baking mess. I gasped. "Noah, what are you...?" I let my question hang in the air, looking down so he'd know I was talking about suddenly being on the counter.

His gaze softened. "Just think of it as one of your step stools."

30

NOAH

What was I doing?I must have been crazy to kiss Lexi in the middle of her kitchen, right where her dad or Easton could have walked in on us. But my brain seemed to have left me the moment my lips had touched Lexi's again, because all I could think about was how I wanted to kiss her forever and never stop.

This was crazy. I had never even considered kissing my best friend's sister a week ago, but now that was all I wanted to do with my time. I wanted to hold her close and spend every waking moment with her, talk to her, laugh with her, get to know her better, and yes, kiss her. Especially kissing her.

But she was two years younger than me. And I knew she wasn't experienced with guys...at all. But that kind of made the pull I had for her even stronger. She was sweetand innocent, untainted from the hard realities of the world. And I wanted some of her sweetness to rub off on me. Having Lexi in my life was making things so much more manageable.

But I had no idea how I was going to break the news to her brother that I was falling for his little sister. What would Easton say? Would he even let me finish my sentence before he punched me in the face and told me to keep my hands off his sister?

And what about Mr. Stevens?

I pushed the thoughts away. I didn't want to think about them right now. I could figure that all out later. For now, I would just enjoy this moment and let Lexi's sweet lips continue to cast the calming spell over my mind.

I lost all sense of time and space, but when I felt her legs wrap around my waist, I knew it was time for me to say goodnight.

"I should probably go home." I pulled away from her slightly, letting my forehead rest against hers as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn't trust myself to keep her sweet and innocent if she was going to do things like that. My brain was still too hardwired as a hormonal guy.

"Already?" she asked, having no idea what she was doing to me.

I nodded. "I don't want to push things too far."

"You don't have to worry about that with me, Noah," she whispered.

"I know I don't have to worry about you...but you should probably be worried about me." I found her hand and rubbed my finger across her purity ring. "I know my limits, and you don't want me trying to find reasons to sneak into your bedroom again tonight."

Her eyes went wide like she couldn't imagine I would be tempted to do something like that with her. It was kind of sweet how she was.

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