Page 48 of My Kind of Trouble
‘You don’t know what you are asking for, Noa.’
He knew that she had talked about a rebound in the past, but if she thought any of this was a one-and-done situation, then she was mistaken. It was taking everything in Alex to hold back right now to make sure she knew that.
If she thought he was a good choice because of all his one-night stands in the past, he needed her to know that applied to everyone but her. He had never felt this way around any other woman, felt so undone. Because she’d always felt like more. Her eyes had always been the only ones that had made him feel truly seen. Her lips had always been the only ones he craved. She’d always been the only one he’d been able to share his fears with, who’d seen through his anger and challenged it, challenged him. Understood.
So, now, he wanted all of her. Not just one night. It wasn’t enough then, and it wouldn’t be enough now.
She looked down, like she was suddenly self-conscious. His hesitance had made her question whether or not he wanted her, and that he couldn’t have. Placing his forefinger and thumb against her chin, he lifted it so that she was gazing up at him.
‘You don’t want this, Noa. You never did. Not back then anyway, and I will not be your rebound guy. I will not have you only to watch you walk out on me again.’
‘I want this. Ineedthis,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing, Alex. All I know is thatthisfeels right. I overthink and analyse every aspect of my life, and I don’t want to do that now. Not with this. Not with you. Please don’t ask me to.’
She was looking at him with pleading eyes.
The tension crackled between them like static electricity. The room felt smaller than it did minutes ago, and something inside him snapped. The last thread of control he had over his untameable desire for her, it seemed.
‘Fuck it,’ he rasped, and in the next breath, he was on her.
His lips crashed to hers and she opened up for him like her lips had been made for him. He licked a trail across them before she gasped, and he took the opportunity to nip at her full bottom lip before he kissed her again to sooth the sting she likely felt.
Nothing had felt like this since that night. No one’s lips felt like home the way hers did.
Grabbing her under her thighs he lifted her into his arms easily and pressed her back to the wall. Her breath caught in her throat, and he knew she could feel how hard he was right now. He smiled into her neck as he planted little kisses there. Her skin was hot, and he loved knowing that he had done this to her. She should know what she did to him, too.
‘That’s all on you baby,’ he rasped, as he pushed his hips into her, grinding himself against her centre.
A gasp escaped her lips, followed by a whimper, and it sounded like heaven. She grabbed his hair, pulling his mouth back up to hers. This greedy girl, asking for exactly what she wanted.
They were fully clothed, and yet this already felt so much more fervent and wilder than their first time. Back then, they’d been quiet, gentle, maybe a little unsure of themselves. But this version of Noa was letting him know what she liked, and that elicited a feral need in him to give it to her.
And hewouldgive it to her. He would give it to her every single time. They kissed, and there was nothing gentle about it. It was hard and passionate, and as his tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring her, he knew he would never get enough of this. He kissed her until they were both breathless and panting, then he pulled away and rested his head against hers.
‘You make me so greedy for you, Noa. I want everything that’s happened here, but I want to be patient with you. Iwon’t rush this,’ he managed to get out, even though all he wanted to do was rip her clothes off and explore every inch of her incredible body.
He’d rushed before. This time, he wanted to worship her like she deserved, to make it impossible for her to ever leave again, to unravel her the way she had unravelled him. He wanted to see her come undone for him over and over. He’d thought of nothing else since she had walked back into his life.
But it was the thought that she had left before, and could easily leave again, that kept him from going any further. He wanted to be patient with this, to make sure she wanted this the same way he did. After all, when it came to him, people didn’t tend to stick around. For all he knew, this could just be a holiday fling for her. A rebound. But, on the off-chance that she did want more, he’d wait until she realised it and he was certain he wouldn’t be left in the dust again. He wouldn’t survive the loss of her again.
She just nodded, but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. He didn’t want that. He wanted her to know that she could have all of him when the time was right.
‘It will be worth the wait,’ he said before grinding into her one last time, then, begrudgingly, putting her down. She swayed a little before she got her balance and looked at him again with glazed eyes and a wide smile.
‘It’ll be worth the wait,’ she agreed.
Chapter 30
Noa
Noa stood on the jetty in Coron, waiting to board the boat that would take them on a four-day expedition to El Nido. It was the part of her travels she had most looked forward to, having heard so many amazing reviews online. She’d be island-hopping each day and camping in tents and huts each night. It sounded like an experience so stripped back from reality, and she was so excited.
But the fluttering in her stomach as she watched people busy loading colourful wooden boats with all their gear, were not caused by her anticipationfor the trip.
No. They were a result of her thoughts constantly wandering to her and Alex’s kiss days earlier. Though ‘kiss’ felt like too tame a description for what they had shared.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she pulled her eyes from the turquoise waters to see the family group chat.
The Fab 4:
