Page 72 of Cross My Heart

My nostrils flare as I shove him off me. “Go kiss Thomas,” I tell him as I try to walk past him, and he grabs my arm and pulls until we’re chest to chest. “Stop it.”

“No,” he growls, grabbing the back of my neck and biting my bottom lip roughly, then kissing it better. “Not when I want to kiss you instead.”

I shiver, a chill running down my spine as I close the distance between us and moan. I suck on his bottom lip slowly, the kiss languid, and he slips his tongue between my lips. Our tongues tangle and stroke, and then I push him away. His chest heaves as he pants, and I shake my head. “I’m going to make it to where you never think of him again. I’m going to fucking ruin you, Noah.”

His eyes widen, and I step toward him once more.

“You’re going to fucking burn for me,” I whisper. “Your heart is going to bleed for me. And you’re going to go out of your fucking mind with want for me—just the same way I feel for you.”

Noah gulps but doesn’t say anything else, and with that look burned into my mind forever, I walk away.

Just as we’ve been walking away from each other for the past decade.

But this time it’s different.

This time he’s going to chase me.

Chapter 37

NOAH

The red haze of the sun blinds me as I look over into the distance, trying to make out the outline of what looks to be vehicles speeding toward us. I shield my eyes by cupping a hand over my brows to better understand what is quickly approaching, only to gasp.

A convoy.

An enemy convoy.

I wake with a groan, sitting up quickly and clutching at my throat. I hate that all I can remember are bits and pieces. It feels like there’s so much missing. So much I don’t know, and it’s killing me. I don’t know if I want to remember it all for my sake, or for theirs. It feels like a betrayal to not know how everything happened. How my friends died. It feels like a betrayal that I’m alive.

Getting out of bed, I don’t bother putting on clothes. I’m in my boxers without a shirt on, but I’m just getting a glass of water and coming back to take my anxiety medication. Maybe that will help me go back to sleep.

I open the door quietly, and it doesn’t even creak, which was the goal. The last thing I want is for either of them to wake up, especially since it’s Scarlett’s night off. It’s a fucking miracle she didn’t see what happened earlier in the driveway. It was late though, so I’m sure she was asleep anyway.

My footsteps are quiet as I walk through the hallway and to the kitchen. I set the refrigerator setting to get water and place a cup underneath to fill it up. Bringing it to my lips, I down it in one go, then fill it up again to take with me to the room. But before I can turn around, a warm body stands behind me, caging me against the kitchen counter.

Tyler’s body is warm against mine and bare. His skin is soft against my back, and I close my eyes. His arms come to either side of me, caging me in, and his hard cock nestles between my ass cheeks. I suck in a sharp breath, my nostrils flaring with the effort to not turn around and demand to know what the fuck he’s doing right now. But instead, I stay still. Mostly out of curiosity.

He’shardfor me.

“Couldn’t sleep, baby?” he whispers against my ear, then kisses my temple. “Nightmares?”

I clear my throat. “Yeah.”

“Want me to get your mind off it?”

“Tyler—” I start. “What are…what are you doing?”

“I want you, Noah,” he says softly, for my ears only. He’s clearly being quiet to not wake Scarlett up, and I’m tempted to ruin it for him. Then again, I’m more tempted to take him up on his offer. “Ineedyou. I can’t wait anymore.”

“You need me?” I smirk, removing one of his arms from caging me in, then turn around on him. We’re so close our noses are brushing against each other. Our lips are centimeters apart. I can taste the mint on his breath.

“So. Fucking. Bad.”

“Don’t play with me, Ty,” I growl, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back. “You know I couldn’t care less about your little wife sleeping right next to my room.”

“Then don’t,” he groans when my fingers tighten in his hair. “Idon’tcare.”

“You say you know what you want, but you never show me,” I whisper against his chin, biting it roughly. He whimpers, caging me in again with his arms, pinning his hips against mine. “Hmm?”

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