Page 81 of Quiet Obsession
More heat blooms behind my ribs at the picture he’s painting with his words. My mind dives right into the gutter, recalling Abby’s threesome, but a second later, it’s not my roommate with Jasper and Mateo but me... with Noah and—
Just Noah.
“Oh, okay,” I say. “I’ll know how to spot the wrong ones then. I mean, if I decide to give the full college experience a try.”
Noah shifts, the arm draped over the backrest reaching further. His eyes stay on mine, but his brow lifts slightly.
“Which option would you prefer, Millie?”
My cheeks flame, the treacherous blush rushing down my neck and burning my cleavage.
“Your room, I guess,” I blurt out, regretting the bout of honesty as soon as the words roll off my tongue. “I mean, hisroom—I don’t know,” I mutter, nervously toying with my braid.
Noah studies me for a long, tense moment. “You’re braver than you were last time we talked about sex.”
“Abby’s frivolity’s rubbing off on me.”
His fingers brush against the base of my neck, leaving goosebumps. I’m locked in place, my breath hitching.
“Do you want me to stop touching you?” he whispers, his tone loaded, laced with desire.
He grazes the back of my neck again, soft and slow, as if testing whether I’ll change my mind and inch away. I don’t, but this isn’t enough. His touch is too careful.
I should like that... but all I can think about is Creed’s touch. It was so much different. He didn’t act like I was breakable.
My mind pushes the image of Abby’s tearful eyes in the bathroom to the front as if laying down evidence for my faulty train of thought.
She’s looked at me differently since then, like there’s something wrong with me and she’s not sure she’s safe. It’s driving me insane because it reiterates the point I keep avoiding: Creed’s not good for me. Too bad I haven’t stopped thinking about him and the way he makes me feel whole and strong andnormalfor one goddamn second.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Noah asks, toying with the baby hairs at the nape of my neck.
“I’m wondering why you’re spending time with me.”
“Are you now?” He runs his knuckles overmy jawline. “I think you know why.”
I shift, my mind skipping ahead, imagining what I’d be like with Noah. He wouldn’t take the way Creed did. He never snaps at me, never demands anything, he lets me be, follows my pace, doesn’t push or prod.
That’s healthy, I think. Safe andnormal.
I should want normal.
He holds my gaze, the atmosphere between us swelling into something heavier, more intimate, even though nothing but intention has changed. The air’s charged, humming with unspoken desires. Anticipation tingles across my skin, the heat in my abdomen dropping lower, pooling between my legs and lashing down my thighs.
I inch closer but stop, my brother’s words echoing through my head.
“She’s my sister. Off limits.”
Funny... I didn’t think about that when I lunged at Creed. Is that why he was so mad? Because he didn’t think about it either? It’d make more sense than him fuming just because I didn’t tell him I was a virgin.
“What about Hyde?” I whisper, eyes jumping between Noah’s. “I don’t want him to be mad at you and he said—”
“I don’t care, Millie.”
His gaze drops to my lips, and I move on instinct, the polite tension snapping. He grabs my waist and there’s nothing careful about his hands on me...
Nothing rough, either.
He makes his hold known but doesn’t sink hisfingers into my skin hard enough to leave bruises. My legs straddle his thighs, his fingers grasping my hips, one arm wrapping around me, and my heart skips a beat.