Page 85 of Hard Hitter

I flipped the lock, useless since the people most likely to walk in had keys, and returned to the bedroom with a smile. Noah hadn’t moved despite all the ruckus.

A stream of light crossed the phoenix spread across his back, and I smiled like I always did at the new addition. The wordtroublescrawled in messy handwriting along the edges of the feathers. It wasn’t my name on his ass, but we were getting there.

I tossed his shirt back on the floor where I’d found it and cuddled next to him on top of the covers. We went to bed under the blankets every night, but Noah was a furnace. By morning, most of the bedding was on the floor.

“Morning, Trouble,” he rumbled, peering at me from under his pillow. “What’s wrong?”

“Eva’s moving out.”

He yawned and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me underneath him. “You knew this was coming.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any easier. She’s pulling away from the group.” I hated it for me, but I loved Eva stepping out of her comfort zone.

Noah kissed my shoulder and trailed his lips down the valley between my breasts. “Eva knows what’s best for her. She’s been intertwined with Mac for a long time. It’s going to be hard standing on her own, but she’ll crush it.”

“Is Mac okay? Really?”

“No, but he’s dealing with the Eva thing in his own way.”

I hesitated a beat to ask my next question, but I’d been thinking about it on and off all summer. “If Eva’s not coming back, how would you feel about moving in? Officially.”

He smiled as his tongue curled around my nipple then flicked the tight bud in an agonizing tease. “You mean I don’t already live here? What kind of a situationship have I gotten involved in?”

I pinched his side as liquid heat pooled between my legs. “A serious one.”

“I love you, Chloe. I want to be wherever you are—I was only waiting for you to ask. Seemed like the polite thing to do.”

I traced the phoenix wing flexing on his shoulder as he scooted lower. “What about the guys? Will they be okay without you? I don’t want Mac to feel lonely.”

“Mac has never met a person he didn’t immediately befriend, and we live across the landing. Do you really want to talk about him right now?” he asked, working his way down my stomach.

“Nope. All done talking.”

He kissed each of the tattoos on my inner thighs, and I shivered at the prickly feel of his stubble on my skin. The heat of his breath against my core made me wiggle trying to get closer. Noah chuckled and laid two big hands on my hips.

“So impatient,” he murmured.

I sank my fingers into his hair and dropped my head back with a sigh. Noah insisted on taking his sweet time. Tormenting me with his tongue and fingers before finally letting me come. I didn’t have time to stop shaking before he grabbed a condom and slid home, exactly where I wanted him.

He groaned as he drove into me with a frantic pace that matched my wild need. My nails sunk into his shoulder, and he wrapped my hair around his fist, pulling just enough to make me crazy.

“Say it,” he demanded with a wicked gleam, driving me right to the edge.

“I love you.IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” I chanted as my body shattered in white hot pleasure.

Noah growled into my neck and followed me right after. “Never letting you go,” he whispered into my hair.

I stroked down his back, letting my fingers ride the ridges of his muscles tight from holding his weight off me even when the rest of him was utterly spent. “You better not. Who knows what kind of trouble I’d get into.”

He rolled to his side, pulling me with him and kissing my temple. “Wouldn’t matter. I’d still be the one you called… and I’d still come running.”

Maybe we’d been stupid for waiting so long to admit our feelings, or maybe we needed the time to get to a place where we could accept the other person. Either way, he was right. I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it, and I didn’t want to.

Old Chloe, the closed-off party girl only looking for a good time, was dead. New Chloe couldn’t wait to see what challenges the future brought. I wouldn’t be facing them alone.

* * *

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