“What does it have to do with?” I swallow, breathless, with my heart pounding against my chest, completely giving me away, but he’s close enough that I can see his breathing is just as affected.
Instead of answering, he kisses me, not in a hungry, let’s go to the bathroom for a quickie way. He kisses me like I’m his. And I kiss him back like it’s true, because I am.
* * *
The rest of the team trickles in with their girlfriends – or girls they picked up along the way – and every few minutes, more come over to congratulate the guys, especially Noah, their hands lingering, invitations anything but subtle…yet he keeps his eyes on me. And when one of them explicitly tell him that she wants to take him home and vividly details what she’ll do to him like some Kama sutra goddess, he chokes out a laugh, then his eyes burn into me as he says, “I appreciate the offer, but I really just want to go home and celebrate with my girl.”
Noah looks as nervous as I suddenly feel, because it seems like this is really happening, and my heart will shatter if he’s just using me to avoid that girl and get out of here early, but he walks over and slowly brings his lips to mine again, giving me every chance to stop him, but I don’t.
“What do you say, Sav?” he asks in a whisper, resting his forehead against mine.
“About which part?” It comes out breathy, but I can’t help that I can’t breathe.
“All of it,” he shares, looking into my eyes, where I’m guessing he sees my apprehension. “You always look like you’re not sure if I’ll be happy to see you, or if I think of you as an inconvenience,” he points out, running his thumb along my chin, as if he wants to coax it into a smile.
“I’m sorry. I know it gets old and I should?—”
“I always want to see you, Peaches.” He stops me. “You make me so fucking happy. And it doesn’t get old for me. I’ll spend every fucking day for the rest of my life reminding you how awesome you are. But it breaks my heart that you don’t see it.”
Before I can respond, he kisses me again, like he’s trying to show me what he thinks of me, and God, do I want to believe him.
“Want to try this thing out for real?” he asks, pulling away and leaving me breathless.
I want to say yes, more than anything, but I’m not the one who said we couldn’t do this.
“You don’t do relationships,” I remind him.
“I didn’t think I could,” he agrees. “But I don’t want to just be your friend, either. I want to see you in my jersey at the games. I want to wake up next to you. To not stop myself from kissing you whenever I see you in public.”
“You mean that?”
“It fucking terrifies me how much I mean it.” He kisses me. “Can I take you home?”
“Yes please.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Noah
You’re Enough
We’re alone at the house because everyone else is still out celebrating. And I love my teammates, but there is nowhere else I’d rather be right now than in my bedroom, with Savannah James looking up at me like I’m everything she’s ever wanted.
I can’t believe this girl is mine.
I’m not hurried as I kiss her, taking in the light freckles on her nose, the way her curls tickle my hand when I wrap it around the back of her neck to pull her closer.
Her hands on my chest somehow calm my erratic heartbeat at the same time that she makes it beat faster, but then I wrap my other arm around her lower back, pulling her closer to me, and she lets herself explore the hair at the nape of my neck, the ridges of my back, and fuck, I could kiss her forever.
“I love seeing you in this jersey.” I pause to kiss her again. “But right now, I really want to get you out of it.”
She nods and kisses me, fumbling for the hem so she can pull it over her head, revealing a light pink bra that I’m pretty sure is her favorite by how often I’ve seen it. I don’t disagree.
Savannah wraps her arms around the back of my neck, then I hook mine behind her knees and lift her so she can wrap herself around my waist.
“Fuck, you’re perfect.”
She rolls her eyes and kisses me again, then rips my shirt off and runs her hands over my chest. I take in a sharp breath as if I haven’t had those same hands on me almost every night for the past month.
