She swatted him again. “No, you’re not, and I wasn’t thinking that when I first saw you. I was thinking…” Her shoulders crept toward her ears.
He grinned. “What?”
“I didn’t expect you to be so…much.”
He felt that right in his chest. He knew exactly what she meant. He reached out, pressed his hand into her lower back. She came to him easily and when he bent down, she closed her eyes, tilting her lips to him. Kissing her wasn’t like kissing anyone else. It was like returning to a place you loved. The beach. The forests. His heart was thumping in his ears, his chest; every inch of his skin. This girl,this fucking girl. He wrapped his arms around her back. Her skin was too cold, her body vibrating as though it was thriving on energy alone. He wanted to touch her all over, but it wasn’t sexual exactly. He wanted to feed her; give her what she needed to be okay again. But as he closed himself around her, she shifted, pulling away.
“Sorry,” she said, her eyes glistening. “But you see what I mean, right? You’re too much.We’retoo much.”
Noah didn’t know what to say. He could feel her about to leave and knew he wouldn’t be able to stop her.
“I should go,” she said right on cue. “Tabby will be wondering where I am.”
“Okay. We still on for tomorrow?”
“Of course.” She straightened the hem of her t-shirt. “I’ll, um, pack my bags, come over in the morning?”
“Sure. Text me the time.”
Nicole nodded, then rocked on her toes like a diver hesitating on the springboard.
The back of his neck prickled. “Just go if you want. Don’t worry about me.”
But she didn’t turn and leave. Instead, she rushed forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you so much, Noah. I like you and yes…thank you and bye!”
Then she turned on her heels and rushed away as swiftly as she’d come. Noah pressed a hand to his cheek, replaying the rosebud brush of her mouth.
Jesus Christ, he was fucked.
Chapter 13
The sun was kissing the horizon as Nicole snuck down the hallway. She was barefoot for maximum quietude, hugging her overnight bag to her chest. She passed Sam’s room where Scott Sanderson’s snores were audible even through the wood. She tiptoed past Tabby’s door, praying none of the puppies would wake up and start howling. One foot in front of the other, easing her way across the floorboards, when her bag swung into the walls.
“Fuck,” she said, then gasped at herself for swearing. She must be all jacked up on pre-adventure adrenaline.
Tabby cleared her throat. “Who’s there?”
“Me,” Nicole whispered. “Sorry, I’m just…talk later.”
She left before Tabby could fully wake up and ask or accuse her of anything. The front door creaked, painfully loud in the quiet. Holding her breath, she slipped through the smallest possible crack and into the cool morning air. She’d made it.
Nicole slung her bag over her left shoulder, feeling absurdly pleased with herself. The morning was bright, promising. She crossed the street, wondering if Noah was up and about or if he was still lying in the bed where he’d screwed her brains out. Her stomach turned in a strange little spiral.
Stop it, she chided herself.This isn’t about that. He’s doing you a favor.
And she wasn’t wearing makeup…though she had shaved, smoothed toning SPF primer over her face, and spritzed herself with Miss Dior. But that didn’t count. They were going to spend hours and hours in the car, smelling nice was just polite. She’d blown her chances with the ‘do me…no wait, stop…keep going…stop…wait, keep going.’ Not to mention showing up at his house asking about destiny and whether he liked her. She shuddered at the memory. What was next—asking him to hold her hand and walk around Brunswick Shopping Center? She needed to be much, much more grown up about this situation, and she would be. But as she walked the frost-lashed streets, she decided to let herself be excited about going on a road trip with him for as long as it lasted. Let a good thing be a good thing.
Noah wasn’t still in bed. She spotted him from up the street, moving things around in the back of his van. The sight of him made her chest contract. She paused, unsure how to approach, but he turned and caught sight of her. “You escaped.”
She smiled. “Barely.”
“The dogs catch you?”
“Tabby.”
His quiet laugh made her knees feel like spaghetti. He hardly made a sound, but his shoulders shook and his face made that fascinating shift from stern to beautiful.
“What now?” she said, her voice far too high.