Summer

Chapter 40

"Sorry for making you wait," Noah says as he meets me in the kitchen once he's done tucking Maggie in. He wraps his arms around my waist and plants his head in the crevice of my shoulder so that his cheek touches my skin. "Thank you for tonight. You were really good with her."

"I really enjoyed hanging out with her," I tell him, turning my face slightly so that our noses touch. "She's a great girl, Noah. You should be really proud of her."

"Yeah, I am," he says. "She's everything to me." His words warm my heart and my appreciation for Noah runs deeper than I thought it ever could. I love seeing him as this caring older brother. I can only imagine how amazing of a father he'll hopefully be someday.

I give him one more look before moving away from him and towards the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. I turn on the water and pick up the sponge to start cleaning.

"Uh, uh, uh," he stops me. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Helping..."

"No way," he says, grabbing the sponge out of my hand. "Guests don't clean up. I'll take care of it."

"You sure?" If it weren't so late, I'd convince him to let me help, but I really should get going before Liam sends the National Guard.

"I'm sure," he smiles, reaching for my waist to pull me towards him. He looks at me before bringing his lips to mine and kissing me. His palm gently holds the back of my head as mine presses against his chest. Our lips move together, and I force my palm against his chest even harder so that I'm pushing his back to the kitchen wall.

His hands move from the back of my head to my waist and he works his right hand up so that it's touching my blouse. He uses his fingers to unfasten the buttons one by one until he gets to the top and pushes the shirt off my shoulders. This is the farthest I've ever gone with someone, but I don't feel scared or unready. I have this burning desire to explore the unknown with Noah.

"Hold on," he breaks away from me and says, slightly out of breath. I'm let down when he brings his hands away from my body and back to his sides.

"What's wrong?" I ask as my eyes search his.

"Before we go any farther, I need to make sure you want this."

I look at him intently so that he knows I mean what I say next. "Noah, I want you," I tell him.

"I just," he begins, "I just don't want to push you past your comfort zone. I know I want this. And I know I want this with you. But I want you to feel good about it. I want you to know that in your heart you want to be with me like that. That you care about me like that."

"Noah, I have no doubt in my mind that I want to do this. Right now. With you," I assure him, but I can tell that he's still having doubts.

"Okay," he says. "But before we take the next step, I want you to know how much I care about you. I want you to know that you can trust me. That you're safe with me."

I don't need to hear Noah say this to know that he feels this way about me. But the reassurance feels good, and I can't help but smile. My heart's beating out of my chest.

He lifts me up with his strong arms and I wrap my legs around his waist. He carries me up the staircase, bringing me to his bedroom, and tenderly lays me down on the plaid sheets. Once my back touches the cotton, he hovers over me, holding himself up with his elbows, which are placed by my sides. Our eyes lock and I gently tug at his silver chain necklace, pulling his face down until our lips meet.