Page 86 of Splintered Hearts

“What?”

“Morning breath.” Rolling his eyes, Noah leans in for a kiss anyway.

Smelling good. Tasting good.

“I gotta get ready.” Moving away, he goes to his dresser and grabs clothes, carefully picking out an outfit as I attempt to blink myself into consciousness while watching his ass wiggle to whatever it is he’s listening to. The black spandex shorts leave nothing to the imagination, and the memory of my face between those cheeks makes my dick dig into the mattress. The gray cropped shirt shows off the lines of his lower back. His pale skin glistens with sweat.

Dragging myself upright, I get out of bed, but as I pass the mirror I flinch, forgetting I’m not wearing a shirt—something I’ve been doing less and less. Noah looks behind him with a smile. “What?”

“I just like looking at you. That’s all,” he says. Something crawls under my skin, splitting my ribs and grabbing my lungs, and as I walk into the bathroom, I try to make the feeling stop.

Flushing the toilet, I wash my hands and look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are less shadowed today. I didn’t take medication before bed last night or smoke at all yesterday.

I did take it easy, though. Noah’s shelf still needs work and maybe while he’s gone today I’ll work on it. I’m stiff but not sore, which is a win as far as I’m concerned.

Knocking on the door, Noah pokes his head in. “Mind if I shower?”

“No.” Grabbing my toothbrush, I keep one eye locked on Noah as he undresses and takes off his running clothes, chucking them in the basket. As he steps into the shower, I freeze in place, not able to do anything else. Noah didn’t ask me to leave, and I really don’t want to. My eyes can’t look away from his blurry body.

After he washes quickly the water shuts off and Noah grabs a towel to dry himself. His body is beautiful, and not for the first time my mind goes back to that morning—to kissing him, tasting him. The way he felt in my mouth and against my tongue.

My eyes drag down the lines of his abs before landing on the neatly trimmed hair above his cock that disappears under the thong he slips on. Great. All I’ll be able to think about today is his supple ass inside that tiny piece of fabric.

Slipping on dark blue jeans and then a navy blue sweater, a smile slips onto his lips. A small one, but a smile nonetheless. As he comes over to the mirror, I spit and make room for him.

Grabbing one of the many bottles on the bathroom sink, Noah washes his face before moisturizing it. “Here... smell.” He holds the bottle out for me and I lean in. Minty and warm, it smells really good.

“That’s nice.”

“You’re welcome to use any of these.”

Does he think I need to?

Of course he does.

I make zero effort while Noah actually gives a fuck. It shows too. His skin is glowing—dewy and soft. His lips are baby pink from the tint he dabs on before smoothing his lips together. While I’m not into makeup myself, it looks really good on him. I like that he wears it. His green eyes lock with mine in the mirror before he puckers his lips, blowing me a kiss. Squeezing something white into his hands, he runs it through his hair—it’s messy, but on purpose, and so damn adorable—then grabbing a tube, he dabs a little pink on his cheeks before blending it in.

When he picks up his contact container I frown. “Why are you wearing those?”

“My glasses look nerdy.”

Looking down at his black glasses, I shake my head. I prefer him wearing them. I know the contacts bother him, and I don’t see why he needs to go through that. “I like the way your glasses look.” They make his green eyes even bigger.

“Really?” I nod, splashing water on my face, and definitely not smiling when I see Noah reach for them, putting them on instead.

Giving himself a once-over before looking up at me, something in my chest crumbles at the sight of him. “Have a good day, alright?” Noah squeezes my arm. “Bye,” I say as he walks out.

“Oh.” Noah peeks back in, startling me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I forgot, though. I know it’s last minute, but can we have a small game night tonight?”

“Small . . . game night?”

“Yeah. Mark and Hunter. Maybe Bri if she can. Maybe some other people. I don’t know if Xavi wants to come. I just want to have a fun night. It’s Friday.” Because sitting here with me everynight is boring as fuck.

“Uh, yeah.”

Noah frowns a bit. “You okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Just tired.”

---