Page 51 of Echoes of Us

“Say hi to me too,” he said with a grin of his own.

“Hi, Noah.”

His grin stretched. He tugged on my shirt again, the warmth of his hand seeping through the fabric. “Not like that. Properly.” He held the strap of my bag and pulled me closer.

I glanced around at the very public setting and Holly’s smirking face. “Noah,” I tried.

“Come on, kiss me.” He lowered his voice to a teasing whisper.

“We’re in the middle of the school grounds.”

“So what?” he asked, his tone light but insistent.

“So, everybody’s going to know,” I told him.

His eyebrows drew together. “Who cares? I’ve kissed you in public before.”

“Yeah, I know. I haven’t been completely comfortable with that either.”

“Are you serious right now?” The smile slowly left his face.

“Yeah, Noah, I am.”

“But why do you care what people think?”

“I’m not out, Noah.”

“Out of what? Who fucking cares? You’re allowed to kiss whoever you want,” he said, and I sighed. “You don’t have toannouncebeing with me. You just have to be with me.”

“That simple?”

He smiled again. “That simple. I just want to kiss my incredibly hot boyfriend when I see him. Is that too much to ask?”

I blinked at him. “Your what?”

He licked his lips. “You heard me.”

My heart beat furiously at his words.

He touched my neck, his fingers cool against my skin, and drew me closer. “So, are you going to kiss me now?” heasked, looking at me with those eyes, giving me a flirty look that we both knew I couldn’t resist.

I stepped closer and did what he asked. His lips were soft and warm, and he smiled against mine as he wrapped his arms around my neck. His friends started cat-calling and he grinned.

“Don’t listen to them,” he whispered, kissing me again.

I never would have dreamed Noah would ever call me his boyfriend. I didn’t think he had serious relationships, but this was it. Noah was mine. I kept kissing him, even though I wasn’t a big fan of public displays of affection.

“This means you won’t see anybody else, right?” I asked, breaking away from him but still close.

He nodded and kissed me again, his breath warm on my lips. “I don’t need anybody else if I have you,” he whispered.

I smiled. He kissed me again. God, I loved feeling his lips under mine. I didn’t think I could ever tire of it.

“Do you have class, or do you want to head over to my place?” The words pressed in between kisses.

“I have class.” I checked my watch. “Um, I’m going to be late. I have to go.”

He groaned, kissing my cheek and jaw. “Cut it.” His voice turned into a playful growl.

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