Page 104 of Dirty Chorus

“I just... I didn’t think I’d feel this way but I... I love you... just take the song. You can have it. You said it was good.”

I grip the leather on the armrest of the couch and adjust myself in the seat. I think my heart imploded in my chest, flesh and muscles bursting through my ribcage. There are butterflies in my stomach. This girl is nothing but trouble, and she’s going to break me. Now she's saying the very words I’m terrified of.

“I dunno what’s wrong with me,” She says with a brittle smile. “Everything inside me fucking hurts, it’s the worst feeling in the world and I feel like I'm falling apart. I just want to be with you... I... I love you.”

Nothing comes out of my mouth. I wanna say it back, but my conscience is already convicting me with the thought. I’m silent, staring beyond her and not at her trembling hands clutching her shirt.

The rain starts. A pitter-patter against the window. A steady rhythm that matches my throbbing heart. I place the song on the arm rest and put both hands on my knees and stand up, tilting my head while I inch closer to her. She seems so fragile and brittle, and I’m scared that I’ll break her if I let her win me over now, but it’s too late. She has won.

I grasp her bare forearms, stroking her velvet skin. I lean in, putting my lips against hers. A soft peck. She sucks in a deep breath as if this is the first and last time she’ll ever feel it. The mere thought tortures me. I open my mouth, and her tongue brushes against mine, she tastes like cinnamon. The one flavor I can’t get out of my system no matter how hard I try.

I break free from her for one moment. “What do you want?” I ask.

“You.”

“We agreed that we wouldn’t unless we were both ready,” I say.

“I am.”

She crashes into my lips, my hands gripping tight on her forearms as I pull her in. She meets each stroke of my tongue hungrily. Blood rushes straight to my dick as she moans between each breath we take.

My heart is already breaking, and I might die. Kissing Charlie is like heaven, but I know I’m headed straight to hell. Her body molds perfectly to mine. Her mouth works in tandem. I grasp the back of her skull, taking a fistful of her hair, and she sobs between our lips brushing.

Even though I’ve kissed her countless times, this one feels different. It’s like it’s the first real one. The first time I’ve truly let myself feel her, taste her, need her. Every second stretches and burns through me, something raw and honest bleeding from my chest straight into her.

Her lips part, trembling, and I feel it, her heartbeat matching mine, her breath catching like she’s falling too. It’s not just skin and heat anymore. It’s something deeper, something that feels like it’s marking me from the inside out.

She’s leaving fingerprints in my veins, painting herself across every pulse. My lungs ache, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Her mouth tastes like everything I’ve been afraid to want.

“Say it one more time, Trouble. What do you want?”

“I want all of you. I don’t want to give it to anyone else.”

“Then I’m ready too.”

Chapter 48

Charlie

The wind throws rain against the windows of the record store. My whole body trembles knowing what my fate is. I’m terrified of Brody. I don’t think he’s bluffing. I should tell Noah right now, but at the same time I want to feel loved for once in my life. Noah. The only guy who’s ever told me no. I threw myself at him like the pathetic, insecure girl I am. But now his eyes are dark, intense, and they hold me captive in a way that makes it impossible to look away.

“I love you,” I whisper the words between his lips. It’s the third time I’ve said it with no response. My voice was shaky, but there was no taking it back now.

Noah doesn’t say anything back. He just stares at me, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he reaches out and cups my face in his hands. His touch is warm, grounding, and I feel myself leaning into it, desperate for more.

“Are you sure you want this?” he asks.

I don’t hesitate to bite my lip and nod. My body is practically vibrating with anticipation. My thighs are on fire as Noah’s hands slide down to my shoulders. He kisses my cheek, his mouth following a trail to my neck as he reaches for the hem of my shirt. He tugs it over my head in one swift motion, tossing it aside. His fingers unclip my bra, and the straps tumble down my arms as it plops to the floor. The cool air hits my breasts, making my nipples hard on impact.

Noah’s eyes rake over me, a surge of heat growing between my legs. His gaze is hungry, possessive, and for one split it looks like I’m the only thing in the world that matters to him.

“You’re so goddamn gorgeous. You make me weak,” he says, and its nails hammered into my heart.

“I'd rather be with you then anyone else.” I bite my bottom lip as my fingers reach for the seam of my skirt, pushing it down. I let it fall to the floor and step out of it. I wasn’t wearing any underwear, and the realization made my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Noah’s eyes darkened as he took in the sight of me, completely naked. He’s seen me before, but something is different about his gaze now. Through the darkness of the store, his pupils are dilated as if he loves me too, but he doesn’t know how to say it back. He unzips his jacket, shrugging out of it. His shirt follows next. He tosses it over his head, fighting only a brief moment with the sleeves. His hands go to the waistband of his jeans. I reach out to help him, my fingers fumbling with the button and zipper. Together, we push his jeans down his legs, and he steps out of them.

His boxers go next, and then he is just as naked as I am. I hungrily admire him, the tattoos all over his muscular arms and firm, toned chest, the perfect v-shape at his hips. My eyes drop to his dick. It’s already hard and straining. My mouth goes dry at the sight of it, thick and heavy.