Page 63 of Keep Me Safe

“Are you sure about that, princess? Because I seem to remember my mouth on you just the other day.”

His fingers are toying with my swimsuit bottoms, threatening to untie the strings. My breathing is ragged from need, and all I can think about is kissing him.

The sound of the sliding door breaks us from our spell. Noah takes a huge step back as I try my best to sort myself out. The light flicks on, and Jared stands in the doorway. He glances at his dad and then back to me.

“Whatever you need help with can wait. Come on, Kira, the fireworks already started!” he exclaims as he runs over to grab my hand. I follow him out, glancing back at Noah. His eyes are full of promise. This conversation isn’t over.

I sit on the dock to watch the fireworks with Jared, Maddie, and Brennan. Maddie turns to look at me, a silent question in her gaze.

Are you okay?

What happened?

I nod to her, and that pacifies her for the moment. Brennan slides over to sit beside me, his hand resting on the dock on the other side of my hip. I can feel Noah’s eyes burning into my back.

I turn to face him, the light from the fireworks illuminating his face. I can tell it’s taking everything in him not to kick Brennan into the water. The explosions increase in frequency, signaling the grand finale. It’s jaw-dropping. Keith really knows what he’s doing. When the sky returns to its natural darkness, everyone claps and cheers, and I hear an engine sputter to life on thewater.

“Jared and I are going to Jake’s after this. Do you want to come with?”

A voice from behind me sounds before I can respond.

“No, sorry, she already promised she’d help clean up.”

I turn to face him, and his body language says it all. He hands me something, and it takes me a second to realize what it is. It’s his shirt. The same one I was wearing earlier.

“Really, Dad? You can’t clean up on your own?”

“It’s fine, I promised,” I tell Jared. Even though I did no such thing. To be honest, going to that party with them is the last thing I want to do tonight.

After some more grumbling, the boys finally leave. Maddie glances between us and mumbles something about having to get home to do homework tomorrow.

The rest of the party guests have already started filtering out until, eventually, I’m left there alone with Noah.

chapter eighteen

noah

“You enjoy it, don’t you?” I ask as soon as we’re inside.

She turns to look at me, our bodies only inches apart. The defiance is visible in her eyes as she responds.

“Enjoy what, Noah?”

She isn’t fooling me. She knows what she’s doing. It took all I had in me not to yank that fucking kid off of her. Reaching up, I lace my fingers into her hair, tugging lightly and forcing her to look at me.

“Driving me fucking crazy.”

Her eyes flutter up to mine, giving me my answer.

“Do I need to remind you who you belong to?” I ask, pinning her to the counter with my body. Her eyes are heated, but the need to defy me remains. Gliding my hand down her torso, I graze the top of her swimsuit bottoms, moving to whisper in her ear.

“Do I?” I ask again as a soft moan escapes her lips.

After a moment, she gives me a quick nod and that’s all the permission I need. My lips brand hers in a bruising kiss. She meets me with the same ferocity, her hands sliding up my neck to the back of my head. I try to remind myself that we shouldn’t be doing this, I need to stop this, but those thoughts dissolve as her hand reaches for the hem of my shorts.

“Fuck,” I mutter, tracing my hands down her thighs, hoisting her onto the counter.

Sliding my hands up her hips, I pull my shirt off of her, tossing it aside, leaving her in nothing but that tiny green bikini. The same bikini that’s been driving me crazy all day. Our kiss deepens as I reach behind her, my fingers tugging at the strings of her top. It falls away, revealing her perfect, round tits. I can’t stop myself. They’re perfect.

---