Page 81 of My Kind of Trouble
‘Why did you call me that when we were younger? Trouble, I mean.’
He didn’t even hesitate before he replied, ‘Because I have wanted you every minute of every day since you walked into my life. Back then, I was thirteen and stupid, and then, as we got older, I wasn’t man enough to do anything about it. To see past the complication of you being Ryan’s sister and fight for what I wanted. I saw you as trouble waiting to happen and the name was a reminder that I needed to stay away because we couldn’t be anything else.’
Her uvula felt like it had swollen ten sizes as it obstructed her entire airway. She gasped both at his words and wanting to gulp in the air that felt thicker than it ever had.
‘I really hope there’s a but coming…’
‘But…’ he added. ‘I won’t make that mistake again. I wasn’t man enough then, but I am now. And I will fight for you, Noa. I will go to bat for you again and again, even if I’m on my knees, broken down and bloody, because you are worth it. I don’t want to play it safe anymore, not if it doesn’t lead me to you.’
She didn’t let him say another word. She launched herself into his arms, wrapping herself around him and, quite literally, climbing him like a tree. Just like Lola had suggested months ago.
What came next was the result of years of yearning and pent-up emotion. They weren’t graceful as they found their way back to the bedroom. They frantically fumbled through his flat, bumping into every wall and piece of furniture in their wake, but not once did they break their kiss. He bruised her lips with the intensity of it, marking her as his in the best way possible. They clawed at each other with a desperate need to be closer, and rid each other of every item of clothing that separated them.
‘Off,’ Noa demanded, tugging at Alex’s boxers.
Her entire body shook with her need for him. A storm of desire whirled around them as Alex rid himself of his boxers and removed Noa from his T-shirt, strewing them on the bedroom floor.
Once they were undressed, Alex carefully laid her down on the bed, cupping the back of her head and peppering delicate kisses down the base of her neck. It was such an opposition to the frantic way they had made it in here. He moved himself on top of her and her legs instinctively wrapped around him, keeping him close. She felt him against her wet centre, and she sucked in a breath, anticipation driving her higher. She knew it wouldn’t take much to get her there.
He knew it, too, but for a moment he didn’t move. He just hovered above her, drinking her in.
Alex looked at her with such tenderness and said, ‘You are perfect.’
He eased his way inside her, not once removing his eyes from where they were locked on hers. A hiss escaped his lips as he bottomed out inside her, and Noa loved the way the muscles in his neck tensed with his effort to remain in control. He rolled and pumped his hips so painfully slowly that she thought she would cry with the need for more. Yet, the moment felt so perfect. She wouldn’t ruin it by rushing. This wasn’t fucking like they had done up until now. No. This was ‘making love’ in every sense of phrase.
Alex continued to move, kissing his way down her body and making her feel truly worshipped. He nipped and sucked at her collarbone, kneaded her breasts in his hands, and played her body like a musician playing their instrument. He was skilful and knew exactly what she needed to get her where she needed.
‘First, I am going to take my time with you, explore and worship every inch of your body, so there is no question who loves you.’
Noa threw back her head in euphoria as the pleasure coursing through her took control of her body.
‘A… a… and then?’ she managed to choke out in her delirious state.
It was a wonder she could communicate at all. Her mind and body didn’t feel like hers. They felt like his, and nothing had ever been more freeing.
‘And then… I am going to fuck you so hard that you’re going to be screaming my name for the entire town to hear.’
‘I… oh… I… Fuck yes, Alex. Don’t stop, please,’ she whimpered.
He touched just above where they were joined, creating purposeful circles that made her toes curl and her back arch. She pushed at Alex as the sensation building inside her became too much, but quickly pulled back, not wanting the space she was creating between them. She was greedy to have every inch of him touching every inch of her, until there was no way of knowing where she ended and he began.
Wrapping her legs around him and digging her ankles into his back to anchor herself to him, Noa continued to rock her hips, chasing her release. Alex met every one of her movements with a thrust of his own and she felt him everywhere and, yet, it still wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.
In her frenzied state, her internal thoughts must have accidentally slipped free, because there was a satisfied rumble from Alex’s chest in response. She could feel it in her core before he picked up his pace, not relenting with his fingers still pressed between them.
A delicious ache that she felt from her head to her toes pulsed through her in waves until she was nothing but raw need. It was agony. It was incredible. It was a build-up of everything that had come before—chanced glances and suppressed feelings, years and years of yearning and hiding from feelings bigger than either one of them. It was too long running from what was always meant to be. It was a new beginning.
Their movements were clumsy and uncoordinated as they both tumbled further towards the edge. And then, she fell. Her vision blurred, lips parting in a whimper. She gripped Alex’s shoulders like he was her life raft, as if she was shatteringinto a million pieces. She was on the precipice of sweet oblivion, and all she could do was cling on for dear life, keeping him right there so that the moment would never end.
The stars behind her eyes started to fade, quickly followed by Alex grinding out her name in a tone that she had never heard before, but would never get enough of. She wanted it burned into her brain so she could pull it out on lonely nights and remember this moment forever. Her body vibrated with the aftershocks of what had just happened. She knew she had always craved more from sex, but she had never even imagined it could feel like that.
They curled into one another under the covers, bodies limp and slick with sweat, satiated in a way Noa had never felt. The sound of heavy breaths and pounding hearts filled the room as they both remained cocooned in each other, coming down from a perfect night. And all Noa could think was, ‘I could do this forever.’
Chapter 49
Noa
Walking into her family home, Noa felt her gut twist. She didn’t know what her parents’ reactions would be, but if Ryan’s was anything to go by, then she had every reason to be as nervous as she was.
