Page 34 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

“Well, maybe you should just trust in your father’s charismatic ways with women.”

More like threateningways,Noah thought. He was certainly not to be trifled with. Nobody wanted to be on Noah Hunter’s bad side.

“You can sleep on the bed,” he said. “I’ll crash out here on the sofa.”

Aria frowned. “Can you please lie down with me for a bit, until I fall asleep?”

Noah was a little apprehensive at first, but he eventually acquiesced.

As they headed back to the bedroom, he decided to tease her. “By the way, you snore really loud in your sleep.”

“I do not!” She looked mortified.

“Do too …” He laughed, gently nudging himself against her arm.

“Do not!”

“How do you know? Do you listen to yourself when you sleep? You were snoring so loud, I had to shut off the movie because I couldn’t concentrate.”

Just as quickly as the laughter had come, it faded. She was taking the joke too seriously. Noah could see it all over her sullen face. It was as if he had sucked all the life out of her eyes.

Shit, maybe it’s too soon to joke with her like this. He wanted to make it right, and fast.

“Aria, I’m just kidding.”

Her expression remained frozen for five seconds, and then she tackled him so hard that he collapsed onto the bed.

“You are so mean! Don’t joke around with me like that!”

“I’m sorry, it was too tempting.” His laughter didn’t end as she mounted him and playfully slapped his chest.

“Quit laughing at me!” She giggled.

Noah asserted his brute strength and grabbed Aria’s waist, rolling on top of her and pinning her wrists above her head. He was like a lion, challenging his disobedient lioness and declaring his dominance. Her giggling slowly ceased and she stared up at him, seemingly lost in the intensity of his eyes. Noah was unsure who was drowning first. Aria’s eyes were mesmerizing, yet bewitching. She could beguile any man with just one look, and she didn’t even know it. But Noah did.

“Do you surrender?” He smiled wickedly and tightened his grip.

“Never!” She laughed, shaking her head.

Noah grinned darkly this time and lowered his face so that his lips were nearly brushing her earlobe. “I was joking.” He laced his voice with a silent seduction. “No need to get violent.”

“Maybe I like violent.”

“Maybe it’s time to get changed and go to sleep. Tomorrow is a school day, Missy.”

“Maybeyou should get off me first.” Her subtle smirk revealed nothing but sass.

“Good point.” Noah released her wrists and hoisted his weight off of her.

CHAPTER TEN

NOAH

I went through my closet and found something for Aria to wear, knowing it would be too big on her. It’s not like I owned anything in a size two. “I can give you a pair of my shorts and a T-shirt, since we didn’t exactly buy you nighttime attire.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

With luck, I was able to find my Harvard shirt and a pair of navy blue shorts, and tossed them over to her. It had a pull string, so she could tighten it around her skinny waist. “You’ll probably disappear in my clothing, but at least you’ll sleep comfortably.”

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