Page 109 of Undone

“Oh.”

“What were you going to say?” she asked hesitantly.

“That I’m done fighting this.”

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

“I’m done, I’m done trying to fight this. I want you. I really fucking want you, and not in the Ionly want to fuck youkind of way. I mean I also do want to fuck you, but—” I paused, knowing my words were coming out faster than I could comprehend. “I’ve wanted this since you fell apart in my arms months ago at the hospital. Hell, even before that, if I’m being honest, but I don’t want to risk you in the process. I don’t want to risk dragging you into my chaos.”

Her eyes widened slightly, and I could see the realization wash over her. “Iwantto be part of your chaos,” she said, each word a challenge that struck deep within me. “I want to be here for you, but you have to let me in.”

I pressed on, feeling a rush of emotion spilling out. “I don’t want to run anymore. I’ve been running away from things that made me feel for far too long. I’m terrified of everything that’s happened in the past, but I also don’t want to let it have control over me anymore.”

Noah was fighting this same battle, no doubt these same thoughts going on in her head, but she was the first to admit it, to dare to ask for more.

“Do you want this? You really want us?” I asked, desperately trying to keep my face composed while my mind whirled with possibilities.

Each word was a weight lifted off my shoulders, a chain breaking free. Her face lit up, her smile striking me right in the gut.

“Yes, I do.” A small chuckle-sob escaped her lips, and I felt my heart soar. She placed her hand on my chest, and I fought to stay on my feet. “I’m scared of something happening, to me, to you or Gracie, but staying away from you isn’t going to change that.”

“Nothing is going to happen to us,” I said confidently, for once believing it, letting go of all the worst-case scenarios that had kept me away from her. “I have too much to live for now.”

The storm outside raged on as the one inside me quieted. The rain poured down outside, but I was focused on Noah.

Without thinking, I closed the distance between us, my hands finding her waist, pulling her closer. She let out a little gasp. I leaned in, capturing her lips with mine.

It was a small, tentative brush at first, a question, an invitation. When she responded, deepening the kiss, I felt the weight of our past lift, replaced by more.So much more.

I poured every ounce of my longing and promise into that kiss, vowing silently to protect her, to cherish this moment and every damn moment that followed that I was lucky enough to get with her.

Time stood still as the rain pounded against the windows, a symphony of chaos that somehow harmonized with our newfound clarity. Her body against mine centered me, and I could taste the salt of her tears mingling with the sweetness of her lips.

I would fight with everything I had to look beyond my past and make room for her.

Because in that moment, I knew I was kissing my future wife.

FORTY

Noah - October

WHEN I LOOK AT YOU - MILEY CYRUS

Dorian’s fingerstightened in my hair, tipping my head back as he deepened the kiss, turning what was once a moment of vulnerability into something raw, something so much more.

I let the clothes slip from my hands, my fingers trailing over his body, eager to memorize every inch. Beneath his skin, I felt the hard, corded muscles tense under my touch as I traced the lines of his chest and abdomen.

Each movement I made sent a shiver through him, and I couldn’t help but want to explore every inch, to touch every part of him, even those broken, shattered pieces he believed were too unworthy to be loved.

My hair was soaked from the rain, but the shiver that coursed through my body had nothing to do with the cold. He matched my desire, his hands moving up and down my body with purpose. He pushed us back until I was met with a hard surface. With my back up against the wall, I looked up and saw nothing but pure need in his eyes.

Slowly, he glided his fingers from my arms to my hands, interlocked our fingers, and brought them above my head.

“Are we playing another round of who can stand closest to the door without touching it?” I asked deviously.

He smirked. “It looks like I’ve won this round. But what’s my prize?”

Stepping up on my tiptoes, I slowly ran my tongue up his neck and whispered, “Me.”

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