Page 55 of Echoes of Us

“Att doesn’t smoke,” Colin said almost reflexively. He had seen enough people offer it to me.

Noah turned back at him. “He’s smoked with me before,” he said.

Colin gave me a look.

“Maybe later,” I told Noah.

He took a drag himself. He gave me one patented flirtyNoah look, and I swallowed. Now what? I heard Colin and Holly talking while Noah leaned back, making it feel like it was just the two of us in this crowded place.

“What?” I asked him.

He smiled. “What, what?” he licked his lips, sending my heart into an unhealthy rhythm.

“You know what. You have that look like you’re planning something evil,” I told Noah.

He snickered, kissing the side of my lips lightly. “Nothing. I was just thinking of something I’d like to try with you, if you’d let me,” Noah said and shrugged one shoulder coyly, his casual demeanor not hiding the devilish glint in his eyes. He knew how good he looked doing that. It was impossible he didn’t know. He was so careless about it that it was as if he had done it a million times before and had gotten exactly what he wanted. I had no idea how I had been so oblivious to Noah flirting with me. Now that I knew how it was, it was impossible to miss.

“And what’s that?” I asked.

The grin stretched on his face.

“Well,” he started, and I knew it would be bad. Still, I couldn’t help smiling. “You see, I could take a drag and blow out the smoke really close to you, and then you’d inhale like you were the one smoking. It won’t burn.” He kept his voice low, his breath warm against my skin. He made everything sound so good.

“Fine.”

He shifted his weight to be closer to me, facing me more comfortably. I reached my hand to his waist, holding him in place, feeling the heat of his body through his shirt.

“Ready?”

I tilted my head, agreeing. I watched, enthralled, as he lit it again and took a long drag, watching the tip light up before he drew it away. He handed Holly the joint, and his hand touched my face, keeping me steady. He got really close, hislips just barely touching mine, and his warm breath poured into me. I inhaled, feeling my lungs fill up, and then held my breath. He didn’t move away; he just kept looking into my eyes. It was like being under a spell, being so close to him.

I turned a little away from him and blew the smoke out. I didn’t cough. Our gazes intertwined, and he smiled, his eyes sparkling with satisfaction.

“See, that was good, right?”

I nodded. Yeah, that had been really good. I wanted him so much.

Noah was great at reading my face, because as soon as I thought that, his smile faded, and he leaned down and kissed me. It felt like we were alone in that room. I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he held on to my face, pulling me closer. It wasn’t a rushed kiss but deep and heavy, the kind that lit all my nerves on fire and made my toes curl. He bit my lower lip, and I was grateful for the loud music, because I was sure I had made an embarrassing noise. I grabbed his neck and coaxed him closer still. He shifted his weight on me again, trying to erase the distance between us, and I breathed out through my nose.

“Maybe we should leave,” I told him.

He kissed me again, his hot tongue making all my thoughts blur. The heat settled in my groin.

“I’m serious, let’s leave.”

He didn’t move away or stop kissing me. “Just a little more.”

I let him kiss me like that for a couple of minutes. After that, I was dangerously close to getting hard with him over me like this.

“Noah, I don’t want to stop. I just want to be alone with you. Right now.”

He stopped to look at my face, his green eyes scanning it. His smile grew again. “Okay, let’s go.” He pushed off my lap.

I swallowed and rubbed my face with my hands beforegetting up. My jeans felt a little tight. Not enough to be noticeable, but enough to make it uncomfortable.

“You’re leaving?” Holly asked, surprised.

“Yeah, we’re leaving,” Noah said.

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