Page 64 of Dirty Chorus

He turns toward me, resting his arm on the floaty. “I’m a red flag too.”

I shake my head immediately. “You volunteer at the church, that’s not a red flag.”

“You don’t know me that well.”

“I know enough,” I whisper. “You don’t talk down to me. You don’t lie. You don’t take advantage of girls.” He looks away, but I keep going. “Any guy I’ve dated would’ve taken advantage of me that night at the bar. You didn’t.”

The silence around us stretches. The water laps gently against my arm. I look at him, really look at him. I admire his arms covered in colorful tattoos that extend down to his fingers curling over the veins in his hands. His long hair fell around his face in dark sheets, brushing the tops of his shoulders. His brown eyes didn’t meet mine, they lingered on the water, heavy and unreadable like he was trying to decide whether to let me in or to keep me at arm’s length.

I dip my head under for a moment, the cool water rushing over my ears, muting everything. When I come back up, I’m gasping softly, hair clinging to my face. Noah’s watching me, that small, crooked smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Your lips are turning blue,” he says. “You getting cold?”

Noah slips off the floaty, and the water ripples outward, brushing against my skin in soft waves. His eyes locked on mine like he’s already made up his mind. When he reaches me, he doesn’t say a word. He just presses a hand to the floaty between us and shoves it aside.

I don’t even realize I’m looping my arms around his neck, and then it’s a peck on the lips. It’s almost like he's timid to kiss me, and my heart throbs in my throat. The taste of pool water coats my tongue as I part my mouth for him, almost begging as he slightly pulls his head back, scanning my face. When I try to close the distance, he keeps that gut wrenching inch apart from me. I can almost taste his breath, it’s mixed with the watermelon vodka, and it’s cold and rough. His heart is pounding against my chest, the heat of him bleeding through the cold pool water.

My fingers find his hair, and I twist a handful, tugging just enough to pull a sound from him, a low, muffled groan that vibrates on my lips. It must have stirred something inside him awake, because he inhales a deep breath before he dips his tongue to the roof of my mouth.

His hands slide down my back, tracing every curve before gripping my ass and lifting me like I weigh nothing. My legs instinctively wrap around his hips. The movement sends ripples cascading across the pool.

Our mouths move in sync now, the kiss deeper, hungrier, but still careful, still soft. Just like the way his thumb drags along my jaw as if to remind himself I’m real.

“Do you want to get out?” he asks.

“Mmhm.”

He lets out a heavy breath and doesn’t say a word. He just lets me go, swims to the edge of the pool, and lifts himself out of the water. I follow and get out, soaked head to toe, and with no towel. I’m shivering, crossing my arms as we leave a trail of our footsteps from the patio, across the tile floor of the kitchen, and into my room where he closes the door, and stares at the lock, and I’m swallowing my heart.

Chapter 27

Noah

Trouble’s the Sharpie stain I can’t scrub off my skin, a scar I keep touching just to remember how it happened. In a way, I’m scared she might be permanent in my brain. I can’t stop tracing the outline of her on the bed with such fragile eyes when I know better not to get attached to her. I’d do anything to have her mascara stain my sheets, have her bite down on a pillow with her legs wrapped around my shoulders as I love her inside and out. But I also need to bury this thought deep in a coffin and drop it six feet under the ground.

My lungs are caving in on me as I stand by the door debating on locking it, my heart is in my ears, thumping so loud that I think I might actually be nervous if I do this. I could tell her right now we should find towels and call it a night, but that’s not what my body is doing. The lock clicks under my thumb. I’m taking slow steps to the bed.

A million goosebumps flood over her skin as my footsteps creak on the floorboard coming closer. I swear she's about to hyperventilate. I press both hands on the mattress, and her cold wet face is inches from mine.

She closes her eyes and makes a throaty noise. A brittle moan, and I’m not even touching her. I crawl onto the bed, and she scoots back until her back meets the millions of throw pillows.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I melt into her, kissing her, and she tastes sweet. Her bare leg wraps around my hip, and her cold naked body molds into mine. Our tongues converse in their own forbidden language. I cup her cheek as she bites at my bottom lip, tugging with her teeth. It’s as if she knows I’m turned on by that, and I part my mouth open, and there's no hesitation as she brushes her tongue along mine.

She fists a chunk of my hair, yanking it hard. I pause and pull my lips away, and glance at her beautifully sculpted body. Her perfectly round breasts are big enough to fill my entire hand. Her golden nipples are tempting me to sin and I take a mouthful. She arches into me, and my heart does that thing again where it beats out of my control. Her pussy is warm and wet against my legs, and I’m already having dizzy spells. There’s nothing I can do. My dick doesn’t care that I’m cold all over. It turns to granite.

She breathes into my mouth. The look in her eyes is begging me to cave in.

“Charlie...” I say, but she cuts me off with a peck on the lips. I’m stuck in her web like a stupid boy and just kiss her back. I pepper kisses on the side of her lips, trailing down her throat to the crease of her neck where I bite down.

I get exactly what I want. Her whimpering, those pretty pink nails digging into my arms, and her thrusting into my leg just enough that my dick gets a bit of action. I suck hard on her skin, breathing her in, digging my teeth into her just enough to get her to moan.

“Don’t run away.” It comes out of her mouth mixed with a moan as my lips glide down to her breasts. I wrap my mouth around her nipples. My tongue is flicking and sucking. They’re hard and cold along my warm tongue. The chlorine is all over her. The minute I bite down on the side of her breasts, she moans again, arching her navel into my hard-on. “Stay with me...”

My world is on fire, and if I answer her or say how I feel, I’d lose her. She’ll become my world, and the world only knows how to do one thing. It breaks my heart. She’s done something wicked to me because I just know that I’m going to pass out later tonight with her stuck even in my dreams.

Charlie’s cheeks flush a crimson red as I glide a hand down her collarbone to her breasts, making sure to massage them before grabbing her hips. I squeeze her thigh before using the same hand to push her legs open. I’m going to get so high off the chlorinated scent of our swim session mixed with the intoxicating smell of her.

I glance down at her pussy for only a split second until the same fingers run over her slits. Then I gaze back at her to get her reaction. More like her permission. Her hips bucked up against my hand. Nothing comes out of my mouth other than my steady breaths. She’s so wet that my hands are coated.