Caught in the Act

Act On It

Max was positively sick of Hope's bullshit. She knew exactly who that goodnight kiss was intended for and it wasn't Lucas. She should have known Hope's whole "nice" act would turn on her. Well, she could give as good as she got.

"Mmmm," Max said with acid in her tone. "That was hot." She turned to Noah and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Got me in the mood for a goodnight kiss of my own." She pressed her hips against Noah as she held him. His hands snaked around her back pulling her closer. She put her lips close to his ear and said in a stage whisper, "Should we pick up where we left off earlier?"

Noah's grip tightened on her hips. "Terrace?"

"Let's go." She made sure to shoot Hope a wink before leading Noah away from the kitchen.

A snap of anger lashed through her mind, giving her an untethered feeling, releasing her from the weight of all the confusing emotions that had been weighing her down. She was ready to stop thinking about feelings altogether. She was ready to dive headfirst into whatever was about to happen with Noah.

As soon as they were alone on the terrace, Noah wrapped his arms around her from behind, and nipped her neck with his teeth. "You are so sexy." His hands slid down her sides, pressing into the fabric like he was desperate to feel her body through the material. "Hope was clearly trying to get to you." He sucked her ear lobe between his teeth briefly before releasing it and murmuring in her ear. "But you made her look like a fool. You weren't bothered at all." She could feel his length pressing into her back as his hands continued to roam her body and it all made her feel powerful. She had finally come out on top. Hope couldn't touch her. She spun around and faced him with a smirk.

He gave her a smug smile. "I guess Lucas doesn't have that effect on you." That's right. Lucas couldn't touch her. She wasn't letting herself get dragged down by that either. He pressed closer to her. "I guess only I have that effect on you. You've always been a bit of a mess over me, haven't you?"

His words caused her triumphant confidence to falter. "Oh?"

"I thought maybe you were just...kind of a dramatic sort from the way you always reacted to Hope. I mean, you are an actress. But knowing you only get wound up over me..." He traced a finger over the strap of her dress before tugging it down. "It really does it for me."

She pulled back a few inches. "You think I'm a mess?"

"I mean it in a good way. Clearly you don't care about Lucas the way you care about me." He bridged the gap between them with a kiss, which she accepted, uncertain how to respond. He parted her lips with his tongue, pressing himself into her mouth. A confusing heat flushed through her. Some mix of desire, anger, and humiliation. She stuck to her plan of no-feelings-allowed and leaned into the desire portion, and kissed him back hard. After a moment he pulled back with a satisfied smile and ran one hand over her breast. "I could always tell you wanted me." He slipped his hand under her dress and squeezed her breast again, running a finger over her nipple. "It turns me on how desperate you are for me."

A cold shame shot through her at his words. Desperate. What he was saying was true. She had always looked desperate when it came to Noah. He had made her look desperate.

Without thinking, she pushed him away.

He gave her a bruised look. "Is something wrong?"

"I..." she stammered. "I, uh..." Her body still felt frozen from the shock of emotion that she was fighting to keep at bay. She wouldn't allow herself to dip back into those thoughts of how humiliated she'd been. She couldn't think too hard about how he took pleasure in her desperation for him, but the thought of giving him open access to her body now felt unbearable. So she remained suspended in a numb in-between. "Maybe we should slow things down."