I bit my bottom lip and pushed my fingers under his shirt, lifting it up as I exposed his abs. He arched his back, allowing me to push it to his chest. He released me only long enough to pull his shirt off.
I’d see him like this plenty of times, but the sight of his tan skin still took my breath away. He was so gorgeous, so perfect. I reached up and pushed his curls away from his forehead. Neither of us spoke as the tension built. He swallowed. Some restraint in him snapped, and his gaze lowered to my chest. He stared at me like he wanted to remember this moment forever.
He blinked and lifted his hands up, gliding his palm against the silky fabric of my bra. I froze as he ever so gently squeezed. My head fell back, and I leaned into him on instinct.
“Avalon, you’re perfect.”
I could see so much in his eyes, more than just his desire. How much he cared about me. How beautiful I was to him.
His mouth opened, and I waited, praying he would say what I was thinking. Then he closed his eyes, shutting me out.
No. Not right now. Not while he was holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world. “Noah.” I waited until he was staring back at me. “I love you.”
His jaw tightened, and I watched a war erupt in his eyes. I reached down and took his face between my hands. “Hey, don’t do that. Don’t block me out.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t.” He stopped, and I waited. His hands were still on me, and after a second, his fingers twitched like he just remembered that too. He edged away, but I took his hands in mine and held them up under my chin.
“You didn’t what?” I needed him to open up. To be vulnerable with me. I’d opened my heart up to him, and I wasn’t going to let him shut down.
“I didn’t think you felt that way about me. I didn’t think you loved me back.”
I sucked in a breath. “You love me?”
He pulled one hand free and stroked my cheek. “I’ve loved you for a very long time, Ave. I just never dreamed I’d hear you say those words back to me.”
I shook my head. “Why?”
“Because you’re too good. Too perfect to be real. I couldn’t believe that you would ever love me, not the same way you love the others.”
I didn’t understand what he was saying. “Why would you think that?”
“Because I’m not like them. I’m not easy to get to know. I don’t do it on purpose, but I didn’t know if you could see that I was trying, for you.”
“I do see that Noah, but I thought I broke through your walls months ago.”
He finally smiled. “You did. I just didn’t know if you knew.”
I leaned forward and kissed him before sitting back up. “I knew.”
“I love you so damned much.”
Those words meant so much to me. Noah was the unobtainable one. He kept everyone but the guys at a distance, but he let me in. He let me know the real him, and I fell in love.
“Please don’t ever doubt yourself again. I love you just the way you are.” I waited until he finally nodded. A second later, his eyes dipped, and I realized I was leaning over him, basically shoving my cleavage in his face.
He licked his lips, and it was like a switch flipped in him. He reached behind me and struggled for a second before unhooking my bra and tugging on the straps until it fell onto him. He took me in with the most serious expression before lifting his gaze to mine.
“You’re absolute perfection.”
He pulled me down, and our lips found each other as my chest pressed against his. He sighed and ran his hands over my bare back. I waited for him to slide them to the front, to touch me like Gavin had, but it didn’t happen. It was like all he wanted was the feeling of us together, nothing between our bodies.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and slid my legs down until I was lying on him, letting my weight settle over him.
His hands went down and slipped between my leggings and underwear. I moaned as he squeezed my ass and massaged his fingers into my flesh. Heat spread through me, and I wiggled, wanting to be even closer.
His hands shifted until he started pulling my leggings down. I lifted my hips, and he pushed them as far as he could reach. I used my feet to kick them off the rest of the way.
His lips left mine, and he trailed kisses down my neck, sucking in places as he made his way down to my collarbone.