The Best is Yet to Come

Thirty Three: Emma

We were standing about six feet apart, eyes locked together.

Feeling nervous, I focus on the steady rise and fall of Noah's chest. I yearned to touch him, so much I thought I might cry out from the pain. Noah's face is contorted in a mixture of frustration and desire and I can feel my heart pump fiery blood throughout my body.

Still standing with his back pressed against the door, brows scrunched and his jaw locked, Noah takes a tentative step towards me. He's hesitant and careful; like he was approaching a wounded animal instead of a breathless girl. His movements are slow but I can feel the tension between us begin to melt with each step that he takes, bridging the space between us.

My chest is heaving too; my breathing ragged and deep. Stopping just inches from my face, Noah freezes, seemingly unsure of his next move. He looks at me with intensity, his eyes reading mine like a map. I vaguely worry what he's searching for, what he might find, and I have to fight the urge to close my eyes. I didn't dare break our eye contact. To do so felt like committing an immortal sin.

I feel Noah reach for my arm, his left hand wrapping lightly around my wrist, his fingertips featherlight against the delicate skin. He pulls me up from the bed, so that I'm standing right in front of him and I'm forced to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.

Noah brings his right palm to my neck, his fingers curling behind my ear. My lashes flutter irrationally in response to his gentle touch. He finally closes the distance between us and rests his forehead against mine. His breath is hot on my face and I breath in the scent of him; wood and spice and lust. I sway off balance a little, unsure if it's nerves or his scent making me dizzy. Noah tugs at my trapped wrist, pulling it behind his shoulder, silently begging me to wrap my hands around his neck. Happily, I oblige and wrap both my arms around him, my fingers tangling themselves in the dark, thick roots of his hair.

Noah's lips crash into mine with fervor. All hesitancy gone, his movements turn deliciously urgent and he wraps his arms around my waist, splaying his fingers across my back to press me tighter against his body. His chest is warm and solid and I trace my fingers down his neck and glide them over his shoulders, eagerly exploring his body.

His lips are everywhere at once, moving from my cheek to my neck and back up to tease my ear. I gasp in surprise and reflexively tug handfuls of Noah's hair in satisfaction. He must have enjoyed that because I'm immediately rewarded with a groan that escapes from deep inside his chest. I feel my insides squirm in response.

I have never been kissed like this before.

Noah pulls away from me, gasping for a breath. Impatient, his fingers trace the hem of my blouse and tug the fabric upward, pulling the shirt up and over my head. I stand there, in just my jeans and a black bra.

Suddenly self conscious, I try to cover myself up, wishing I'd worn something sexier. It's been so long since anyone has seen me like this. I felt exposed and raw and all I could think about were the rumors. How many women had Noah been with? We're they beautiful? Of course they were, stupid. Just look at him.

Even worse than that, with all the endorphins clogging my brain, I nearly forgot the scar running down the length of my abdomen, a hideous reminder of the worst night of my life. I strategically place my arm over its length, trying to conceal it from Noah the best I could.

Noah takes a step back; his dark eyes almost look black in the dim light, as they take in the sight of my body. I feel his gaze move over my shoulders; slowly dropping lower, studying, memorizing, before they dart upwards and finally rest, blazing, on my face.

Noah falls to his knees in front of me, grasping my hips and tugging my waist towards him so that his mouth could make contact with my skin.

Now eye level with my hips, Noah lightly plants a kiss to the left of my navel and my fingers find their way back into his hair. He navigates a trail of kisses over my abdomen, completely oblivious to the pale strip of skin I was so worried about. My worries were quickly becoming trivial the more Noah touched me. All I could focus on was the feeling on his fingers and lips against my skin. My eyes flutter closed when he slips a finger into the waistband of my jeans, circling and tracing the sensitive skin around my waist. He pauses at the metal clasp keeping my jeans secure.

I yelp in surprise when Noah's arms secure around my thighs and I'm hauled over his shoulder. I laugh, kicking my legs in the air, not being too careful to avoid his face. He tosses me down onto his bed, my head conveniently hitting the pillow. A smile plays at his lips as Noah gracefully hovers his body over mine. His elbows make dips in the mattress on either side of my head, careful to keep his weight from crushing me.

He places a wet kiss on my forehead, my nose, and nudges my chin aside so he can torture my neck. I grant Noah access to my throat and he teases me with more licks and bites that make me want to cry out.

The feel of his mouth is too much to bear and I moan loudly, unable to cover my mouth in time before it escaped, though I did try. Noah urgently pries my fingers away from my face, and looking up at me under thick lashes he begs, "Please... don't. I want to hear. I need to hear you."

His lips move to my right shoulder and his tongue glides across my collarbone, worshiping further down my body.

I feel his hand tighten on my left hip and glide it's way north, fingers caressing the bare skin of my side. He continues kissing my chest, dipping lower until I hear nothing but the pounding of my own heartbeat. I suspect Noah can hear the aggressive beats too and I hear him chuckle between kisses.

He's strategic, tracing a path of fire toward my breasts, teasing the skin around the cups of my bra. I look down at him, breathless but quickly tear my gaze away. Noah's brown eyes looking up at me as he plants his garden of kisses is definitely too much and I feel my insides go weak.

Noah's hands make their way to the zipper of my jeans. His lips, his fingers, I didn't think it could get any better than that but then I hear him whisper my name and I look down in response. His face is breathtaking; his cheeks are flushed, his lips wet. His eyes melt into mine then flick towards the zipper and back up to me. Raising his eyebrows, he asks the silent question and I nod my head. Noah's fingers move to the button of my pants and I lift my waist off the bed in assistance. The jeans slide off my legs smoothly and once bare, Noah positions his body between them.

Noticing the delicate flower inked into my left thigh, he releases a satisfied groan.

"I knew it," he chuckles and plants a kiss on the thin black lines of the daisy.

Starting at the base of my ankle, Noah wraps his warm fingers around my leg. His fingers drag lazily up my thigh to my waist, where they clench the material of my underwear, playfully tugging at the fabric.

An involuntary sigh escapes my throat when his lips finally meet mine again. Though Noah's movements are tender, I can feel the tension constricting his hard muscles and I know he's struggling to restrain himself.

I break our kiss, gasping, and I can't remember making out ever being like this; like I'm struggling to choose between Noah and air.

Realizing the unfair ratio of clothing we wore, I feel for the edge of Noah's T-shirt and he helps me pull it over his head, impatiently tossing it across the room. I take a moment to admire his chest and my fingers play with the dusting of dark curls on his pecks. It felt like I could never get enough of him. With each glance at his face, or any other part of him really, I could feel myself slipping; losing control of my wandering fingers and lips.

Using his arms to balance his body, Noah looks down at me, his gaze soft and heavy. "You are so beautiful." He tells me, his voice thick.

Wrapping my fingers around his neck, and feeling like my life might just depend on it, I pull him down to me, connecting our lips once again.