Page 24 of The Photo
Cooler air hits my flushed face like a slap. I’ve been so flustered and confused about this evening, and now I’m chasing after Noah like the stalker I’m not meant to be. His deep voice is a delight, and I listen.
“I’m not into it, if I’m honest.” He sighs in gust of disappointment. I suck in, trapping air in my lungs. “I can’t leave, we just got here,” he continues. The breath passes my lips, slow and controlled. “You know me so well.” That laugh of his is so indecent. “Okay, now that’s dirty, I prefer that option. That’s exactly what I had in mind, too.” He’s talking to another woman. Noah is a fucking player.
“Noah?” My voice quivers. This guy is playing a cruel game, and I won’t let him take advantage of me. He might be beautiful and charming, but I’m not desperate enough to be insignificant.
His head whips around. “Got to go. Chat tomorrow.” The phone darkens, and he slips it back into his jacket. “You okay?”
“So you’re not into it. No one is keeping you here.” I’m putting on the best show of my life, even though my stomach is twisting. My arms fold across my chest, and I hitch up my chin.
“Rowan.” He lunges forward, stopping when his hip bangs into me. “I’m not into bars, drinking and all that nonsense in there. What I’d rather do is bring you home with me.” Long fingers swipe a lock of hair behind my ear. “I was on the phone with my manager, Alexa.” Noah stares at me. A wolfish grin pops a sexy as sin dimple on his peppered cheek.
“Dirty Alexa?” I mock, keeping my lashes daggered.
“She suggested something… something I should do with you.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I pout, eyeing him carefully.
A twinkle of mischief dances in his dark eyes. “She said, ‘I bet you a million bucks, you’ll take her home and finish the night with your dick in her mouth as a substitute to your own hand.’” His gaze falls to my bare legs. “Rowan.” My jaw drops open a little in anticipation. “Come with me instead of going back inside.”
How can I refuse that offer?
“Okay,” I reply, shivering as I agree.
* * *
It’s only taken one quick glance and a skittish giggle since entering his city apartment, and he’s pinned me to the wall with his hips. Noah leans one arm above my head, gazing down at me in silence. His other hand, recklessly and purposefully, traces a path from my wrist to my shoulder and sets off all sorts of tingly vibrations.
I know he feels them too when his eyes close briefly, and his chest rises. “Your skin is so creamy and soft. There’s something about you, Rowan.” He examines me like he’s trying to understand his thoughts. “I’ll try to describe it but don’t laugh. I was shit in my English classes.” He squints to the left and then to the right. “You're like an unfiltered photograph. An anomaly that’s naturally beautiful and doesn’t need to be enhanced or altered.”
I gnaw my bottom lip, anticipating a smirk. “Are you trying to seduce me with photography sex talk?”
Noah pushes back, just a fraction. “Is it working?”
I nod and hum. “Uh-huh.” His hips nudge, and a firm shaft jabs into my belly.
“Feel that?” His gaze drops. “I’ve had a constant hard on for days. That’s what you do to me. You’re extraordinary.”
“You’re not too shabby yourself, Mr. Adams.” My voice sounds so thick and needy.
He growls, and that glorious deep rumble prickles my scalp. “I like that. Call me Mr. Adams again.”
Microscopic explosions detonate in my chest. My knees quiver. “Would you like to fuck me, Mr. Adams?”
Noah slides his hand along the wall, grasps the back of my neck firmly and covers my mouth with his. Every time our lips meet, it's equally erotic as the first. In fact, I’d go as far as saying his lips are more demanding, the pressure more aggressive and the thrill more explosive.
Adventurous palms coast beneath his jacket, gliding over soft cotton and a sculpted abdomen. His breath pauses when my brave fingertips tug at the fabric and cautiously walk underneath. Warm skin. Carved muscles. A delicate oval shaped belly button.
My lips break away from him. “No fluff?” I whisper playfully.
His laugh is throaty and enticing. “Are you disappointed?”
“Not in the slightest.” I swallow and shake my head.
“Me either,” he replies, with no hint of amusement. “Take your clothes off, Rowan.”
Omigod. This is happening. It’s really, really, real. Noah Adams wants me naked. Thank heavens I waxed before the trip. Oh, wait. What ifIhave belly button fluff? Do women even get it? I’ve never noticed before. My hesitancy and whirlwind of nerves doesn’t go unmissed.
“Rowan?” A finger hooks under my chin, tipping my head to meet his hungry gaze. “What’s going on in there?” The same finger taps lightly on my temple.
