This sucks. Big time.
I sit up in Tully’s bed and reach over her to light up the screen of her phone. It’s just after three in the morning, but the good news is that the headache that came with being jumped seems to have faded to a distant hum.
Realizing that trying to get a good night’s sleep is ridiculous, I push up out of her bed and tiptoe out her bedroom door, hoping I don’t wake her as I gently close the door behind me. I stop in the bathroom and pee before checking myself out. My bruise from Noah looks nasty and the rest of the cuts and bruises over my body make me look like I was jumped. Oh wait, I was fucking jumped.
Who would have known that a bunch of cheer bitches could cause so much damage?
I turn on the light in the living room before making my way through to the kitchen and rummaging through the freezer for an ice pack. All I find is a bag of frozen vegetables and decide it’s going to have to do.
I grab some more pain killers and a bottle of water before lifting myself up onto the counter and sorting out the pills. I quickly swallow them before taking the frozen veggies and holding the bag against my sore ribs. They’re definitely not broken, but they sure as hell are bruised.
“What are you doing here?” a low voice rumbles through the darkened kitchen.
My head whips around to see Noah leaning against the wall, studying my back, but the second he takes in my face, his eyes widen and he rushes forward, completely forgetting about the bullshit between us as this is so much bigger than us.
He makes his way around the front of the counter and practically pushes himself between my legs in his need to look me over. “What the hell happened?” he demands, studying every little mark on my skin, his eyes jumping from left to right and back again in nothing but pure panic. “Who did this to you?”
I place the frozen vegetables down as distaste flashes through me at having Noah see me like this. I like being strong. I like being seen as the girl who doesn’t get affected by shit, but right now, I’m weak. I’m more than weak. I’m hurt and my soul is crying out for him.
Noah’s fingers gently brush over the bruise and stitches that he had given me and I see nothing but devastation clouding his eyes. “Fuck,” he breathes.
My hands move up from my lap and find his shoulders before trailing around the back of his neck, desperately needing him close. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, moving in closer and resting his forehead against mine as I wrap my legs around him.
“It’s ok,” I murmur. “It was an accident.”
His hand brushes over my ribs, right where I was holding the bag of frozen vegetables somehow manages to make it feel a million times better. “This wasn’t though,” he says with a raging storm growing behind his green eyes. “Who did it?”
I ignore his question and remove one of my hands from around his neck. I place it at his chin and raise it so he looks me in the eye. “Are you ok?”
He shakes his head and I can’t resist him any longer. I lean into him and press my lips to his.
His lips capture mine for the briefest second before he pulls back. “Spitfire,” he whispers with regret.
Hurt floods me as I pull him back to me, ignoring his blatant rejection. I press my lips to his once again, not giving a shit what he thinks is right. I need him and I’m taking it whether he wants it or not. A groan is pulled out of him as he gives in and he winds his arms around my body before sliding me forward on the counter until our bodies are pressed firmly together.
Not for a single second does he remove his lips from mine and suddenly all the pain and heartbreak of the past week seem like nothing. Noah and I have something that neither one of us have been able to explore, but it’s there nonetheless and I’m sick of holding back from him.
I am his. Body, mind, and soul. Every part of me even if it means dealing with girls like Monica and Candice. He’s my alpha, my pack leader, and I’m his beta, ready and willing to be anything he needs me to be.
I sigh into him, everything I’ve been through today was worth it just for this moment with him.
Noah’s hands slide up my back as he holds me, making me feel like I’m home. This is where I want to be and from now on, I’m going to start fighting for it. No more pushing him away.