Page 55 of All of Him
“Okay then. Scrambled?”
“Yeah,” I said cheerfully, walking closer to him.
It was only once I got past the counter that I saw he was wearing the softest pajama pants I’d ever seen a man wear. And with the way they draped over his butt, I knew he wasn’t wearing underwear. I bit my lip and kept staring, unable to stop.
“You have…the best ass,” I sighed.
Quickly, I covered my mouth. I had been awake three minutes, and I was already embarrassing myself. Noah turned to look at me as if I’d lost it, then caught on to what was happening. Smirking, he jokingly lifted his shirt a little to show me how low the sweatpants rode his hips. The V muscle dipped down along with a faint trail of dark hair. I took a deep breath and threw the nearest potholder at him.
“Asshole.”
“And, no,” he continued, answering the question I hadn’t asked out loud, “I’m not wearing underwear.”
“Ugh!” I half-laughed, half-groaned. “Noahhh.”
“Actually,” he said, laughing, “I think I’ll go shirtless for breakfast.”
I dropped my jaw, trying not to laugh, but also went bright red in the face as he tossed his shirt onto the counter.
“There, much better.”
Clearly, our discussion the night before had not put a moratorium on flirting. Not that I minded.
“You are so hot,” I said breathlessly, hopping up onto the counter behind him. I swung my feet back and forth, shamelessly admiring his backside.
Noah shook his head playfully and strode over to me, purposely swaying his hips as he approached. I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh at his impression of sexy—not that he wasn’t sexy. It was just that he didn’t have totry. But he didn’t know that.
I sucked in a breath and felt my smile fade as Noah put his hands on the sides of my thighs, still smirking. He bit his lip on one side, allowing the other side of his mouth to turn into a smile as he let his thumbs swipe over the tops of my legs, squeezing them lightly before pressing his hips toward the counter.
“Oh?” I chuckled, tilting my head and wondering what he was doing. Noah ran his hands down my thighs, eliciting a surge of excitement that ended in my core. I let out a ragged breath, hoping he didn’t notice even though I knew that was impossible. As his fingers slowly left my knees, his expression morphed into sincerity. I’d scared him, turned the teasing moment into a serious one, one he couldn’t embrace.
I tried not to notice as Noah lowered his hand just enough to cover his obvious erection as he twisted his hips around, facing the stove again. I, too, needed a moment to calm down, even after such a light touch. It had clearly been too long if a soft pair of pajama pants gave me the need to cross my legs.
But that urge pushed me beyond my better judgment.
I hopped off of the counter and stepped closer, and Noah slightly turned his head, just enough to glance at me from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the heating pan. Carefully, I placed my hands on his bare back, sliding them up and down, then landing on his hips.
I stood on my toes and let the tip of my nose hit the nape of his neck, then kissed lightly. He let out a long breath and tipped his head down, pressing his body backward into me. Settling down on my heels, I wrapped my arms around him, my forehead resting against his spine.
“You’re killing me, Manda.” His voice was low and rough.
I chuckled against his back, pulling away, but accidentally brushed my fingertips against his erection. Biting my lip, I tried to play it cool and watched his reaction.
Noah’s shoulders stiffened, and he cleared his throat, grabbing the spatula to continue with breakfast. It was as if the moment hadn’t happened, as if his hands had never wandered below my waist. As if I’d never approached him in that manner. But, Christ, I’d give anything for us to be near one another like that again. Instead, I settled for staring at his butt as he cooked me breakfast.
In that moment, every bit of me was just enjoying the teasing with no serious feelings behind it. But in all honesty, I could not stop looking at the guy who, just the day before, had been so helpless. I’d witnessed an emotional crisis, but I, the commitment-phobe, had not been deterred. I wanted to know everything about him, and Ineededto know how hefeltabout everything. I wanted to pick his psyche and make anything that was hurting him better.
I had a crush on Noah Murphy.
And I was doomed.
“What are you going to do?” Teel asked, sipping her whiskey on the rocks.
I’d asked her to grab a drink with me the next night, hoping she’d have some insight. Even though Noah and I had discussed our status—more times than necessary—I was starting to have honest feelings for him, and neither of us wanted a relationship.
“I don’t know,” I responded. “I’ve had crushes before, but I have never felt like I wanted tobesomething to someone. I want to help him through his issues, which is something a friend would do, I guess…”
“But,” Teel cut me off, “he’s always on your mind.”
