“He was brand new, and he’d been flirting relentlessly, making it sound like he couldn't wait. Like he wanted me so desperately, it had to be right then and there. No date, no tender words. No give a damn. But no one had ever lusted after me before, and I was stupidly flattered.”
“What happened?” he managed to say.
“I couldn't go through with it.” Taking a deep breath, I continued, “He was about to take off my scrub top when I stopped him.”
He made a sound like a half groan, half growl.
“After that, he told everyone I was an ice princess. As though I didn't already get made fun of for everything else, I had to endure the embarrassment of almost letting some asshole doctor talk me into fucking him at work like some careless animal. I was so dumb I didn't realize he wanted to sleep his way through the entire female workforce where possible.”
“I’m glad you didn't go through with it.”
Releasing me, Noah took my hand and led me to my room. The lights were off, but the glow from the living room was enough to see by. I knew deep down that this was the man I was meant to find to stand beside me. God knew it wouldn't be easy, for more reasons than I could count, but I wasn't easy to be around either.
Standing at the foot of my bed, Noah ran the backs of his fingers over my cheekbone, his gaze tender enough to steal my breath.
“I don't know how to express my feelings to you,” he said quietly.
“For the time being, please don’t.”
Though he frowned for a second, he nodded.
I didn't want him to confess he loved me at that moment. It would feel too clichéd, too forced, even if it might be true.
But, Jesus, if it were true? What did that mean for us?
“I can’t handle too much too fast.”
Dipping his head, he kissed my neck. “What if I start here?”
“That works.”
Once again, I had to grab onto him to keep from falling on my face. My knees went weak when he sucked along the side of my throat, running his hands over my back and down to cup my ass. I moaned into his skin when I returned the favor, finding the places that made him breathe harder and paying extra attention to them. His shoulders were broad under my seeking fingertips, the curve of his hips feeling so different from mine.
Kissing me deeply, Noah kept up a constant rotation of touches. We’d been slowly headed in this direction for a while, and I wanted very much to find out what the night would bring. Nobody had ever gotten this close to me before, and that was by design. But with him, I wanted the closeness, the intimacy, I’d never found to be comfortable with anyone else.
He shifted his legs, bringing his cock in contact with my underwear, and I gasped. The next few moments would change everything between us, and I was both excited and terrified for that to happen.
Chapter Eighteen
Noah
The parts of my brain still capable of coherent thought were trying to hammer into me how bad of an idea this was. It was too soon; she was innocent in every possible way; I could so easily fuck things up.
But when Sailor reached between us to enclose her hand over my cock, there were no more thoughts, coherent or otherwise. I slid my pants over my hips, dropping them on the floor and backing her toward the bed. Never once did I stop kissing her, touching her, and trying to make sure she was enjoying herself.
Just because it came naturally didn't mean I had to be a selfish bastard.
When she sat on the edge of the bed, I went with her, lowering over her until she lay flat. Holding my weight off her with my hands, I stared down at her face for several long seconds.
She blinked, and I bent to kiss her. Every time she stroked her skilled physician’s hands over my body, I felt fire trailing in her wake. The baser part of me had an instinctive need to bury my cock inside her, but I wanted to treat her differently.
Because she mattered.
I’d been on the verge of telling her how deeply I cared, but I wasn't sure if I could say for certain I loved her yet. Either way, I didn't want to hurt her if my feelings weren't as deep as hers,or scare her into thinking I was bullshitting her to get her into bed. Or, hell, maybe she didn't even like me that much and just wanted to get this over with, and I was the one who’d end up embarrassed.
Moving beside her, I propped myself on my elbow to trail my fingers between her breasts. Without touching her stomach, I dragged her tank top up until I could take it off, then tossed it behind me. Instead of staring at her tits when I unhooked her bra, I watched her face as I rolled her nipples between my fingers. She moaned, the sound so erotic I felt my cock pulse in need.
“That feels so good, Noah.”
