Page 172 of Echoes of Us

He froze. “I’m here. I’m okay. I promise. But you don’t really want to be doing this.”

I planted my lips back on his. “Let me take you to bed.”

We used to say that to each other all the time, and he looked wrecked.

“I can’t, Atty. You know I want to. You have no idea how hard it is for me to say no, how much I want you like this, but I can’t do this to you.”

“Please, I need to get you out of your clothes.” I kissed his jaw, feeling the stubble rough on my lips. I lapped at his skin. “I have to feel you under me, over me, however you want it.” I mouthed the words to his neck, my hand going to his backand down his backside, feeling the firm muscle before pressing his groin to mine. He was hard against me.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

“Yes.”

He huffed a laugh before shaking his head. “No.” He sounded less firm by the second.

I kissed him, and his hand tightened in my hair, tilting his head back and giving as good as he got. He was so good at this. Nobody kissed like Noah. He kissed like he was going to run out of air if he didn’t, and it worked perfectly for me. I needed him to breathe. I felt like I had been stranded without air for years without these kisses.

Another wave of fear went through me as I thought about almost spending the rest of my life without them.Fuck it.I knew how much he wanted me too. I grabbed his thighs, pressing them to mine, and lifted him off the counter.

“Shit, Atty, wait,” he said, breaking away from my lips.

“No, I don’t want to keep waiting.” I started walking towards his room, lifting him to get a better grasp. It was harder than before, and I loved that.

I stumbled near his door, and we almost went down. Noah managed to step down and hold me up.

He let out a chuckle. “Atty.” He tried again.

“You’re just heavier than before. I’m fine,” I insisted, and his laughter roared through the room.

“That’s not very flattering,” he said before I kissed him again and kept pushing towards his room.

“You look better than you ever have, and that’s saying something.”

He melted at my words, his resolve faltering.

“Besides, you used to call me heavy all the time,” I pointed out.

He laughed again. He groaned and turned his face from me.

I grabbed him and tugged him back. “Stop doing that.”

We reached his bed and stumbled onto it, Noah making a noise like I had knocked the air out of him by falling on him, and he chuckled again. “You’re still heavy. Heavier, I think.”

We both laughed, breathless. I leaned my weight on my forearm, my other hand on his waist. He bent his knees, his legs by my sides.

“You’re not taking me seriously,” I complained, while kissing his neck.

He pulled on my face to get me to look down at him. He was smiling, but earnest too. “I’m taking you very seriously. I’ve just never seen you this drunk, and it’s cute, and I’m really happy that you’re here kissing me like this.”

I leaned down to his lips again.

He pushed me back. “But you’re drunk, Atty. I can’t let you do this. You’re just stronger than me, and it’s hard to keep you back. Mainly because I don’t want to.”

“Then stop doing it.” I licked my lips, looking down at him. It had been so long since I’d had him trapped under me. I tried to steady myself. Getting on the bed had made the room start spinning again, making my stomach churn.

“Are you okay?”

I reached my hand to the back of his head, pulling on his hair, and kissed him again, trying to get him back into it. I stopped and laid my forehead on his. It was spinning faster than before. I moved from over him, lying on my back and closing my eyes. Nope. That made it worse.

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