"Come on," Noah says, abruptly pushing off the bed.
"Where are we going?" I ask, lazily stretching with my legs hanging off the edge of the mattress.
"It's a beautiful day outside, we have the house all to ourselves and we've spent the last three hours just laying here doing nothing." he says taking off his shirt.
"This is escalating quickly, but I'm not complaining." I ogle him, resting back on my elbows.
"Get your head out of the gutter," he laughs, tossing his shirt in my direction, and my reflexes aren't fast enough to catch it before it hits me in the face, "We're going swimming," he clarifies, grabbing a pair of blue swim trunks and stepping into the bathroom to change.
"But I don't have a suit," I object as he comes out with his swimsuit already on.
"Are you going commando?" he asks, grabbing two towels from the top shelf of his closet.
"No!" I reply, using my cold hands to try to alleviate the heat on my face.
"Then you don't need one," he shrugs. "It's a shame though, I was hoping skinny dipping might be on the table." he smirks mischievously.
"Who's the perv now?" I retort, tossing his shirt back trying to hit him in the chest but he catches it mid-air.
"I'll meet you by the pool in five minutes," he says, flashing me a smile before heading out of the room and closing the door behind him.
I take my time getting up from the bed and taking my clothes off. Turning around, I look in the mirror trying to cover myself up as much as I can with the small amount of fabric I have on my body, only wearing white, lacy underwear which conceals what it needs to, but not nearly enough. I've always been pretty self-conscious about my body, thinking this could be smaller, this other thing could be bigger, this skin could be tighter, or smoother, and wearing this in front of Noah makes me feel very vulnerable and nervous, but I can't hide from him forever. So I take a deep breath and wrap the towel he left out for me around myself and I head downstairs to meet him.
I slide open the glass doors that lead to the backyard, right at the same time that Noah surfaces from under the water. His wet hair is slicked back and little water droplets run down his face and neck. He shakes his head, partially drying his hair and he wipes at his face with his hands. The water causes his tan skin to glisten as it catches the light of the afternoon sun. I stand on the edge of the pool as he looks up at me through his wet, thick eyelashes.
"Are you coming in? The water is amazing." he asks swimming backwards. I turn around and put my towel on a chair, going over to sit on the edge of the pool, just submerging my legs into the water as Noah comes swimming towards me. He stands in front of me and lets his eyes wander over my body, his gaze burning me and leaving me feeling more exposed than I ever have before.
Wanting to relieve the tension building up inside me, caused by his stare, I dip my hand into the water and flick my fingers, sending little water droplets flying towards his face.
Noah takes his time calmly wiping his face with his palm without saying a word. He looks me in the eyes and gives me a scheming look, which makes goosebumps run all over my body. "I thought it might help you cool off," I say innocently, knowing I'm in trouble.
"You're going to pay for that." he says as he suddenly launches after me. I dive into the pool, trying to get away, but I stand no chance in a race against him. Noah is much bigger, faster, and a better swimmer than me, so he catches up to me in no time. I laugh uncontrollably, and he wraps one arm around my waist, using his other one to splash water on my face repeatedly.
"Okay okay, you win! I give up!" I yell giggling, right as he scoops up a bunch of water and splashes it right into my open mouth. "Too far, Noah!" I complain, coughing up water.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry Maddie. Are you okay?" He spins me around to face him, wearing a very concerned expression and I burst out laughing.
"You're so gullible, it's adorable," I say, mocking him as I pout.
"I fucking hate you," he bites down on his tongue, trying to hold his smile.
"No you don't," I say, closing the small distance between us and pressing my chest against his. I rest my arms on his broad shoulders.
"No, I don't" he shakes his head, smiling as he cups my cheek and leans down to kiss me. His wet hair makes water droplets run down my face as I trace my hand down his muscular chest. I wrap my legs around his waist and he steps forward, pressing my back against the side of the pool and holding me up. I try not to focus on the way I feel him pressed up against me through the thin material of his swimsuit, but I fail miserably and feel my cheeks scorching as he leans in to kiss me. His lips move roughly against mine and he grips a fistful of my hair at the back of my neck.
We stand with our faces inches apart, a water droplet sliding down Noah's nose as we break away from the kiss, breathing heavily and gazing into each other's eyes. "Maddison?" he breaks the silence, staring down at me.
"Yes?" I wait eagerly for his next words. He opens his mouth but doesn't speak, his lips stretching into a devilish grin instead as he takes advantage of my guard being down to grab me by the hips, lifting me up in the air and tossing me into the deep end of the pool.
I hear the bubbles around me as I push the air out through my nose and I fully submerge underwater. I flail my limbs around, and sink further before reaching the bottom of the pool and push myself to the surface with my legs. I come out of the water, pushing my wet hair back and out of my face as I blink at Noah and he smirks shrugging.
"Payback is a bitch."
***
"Here you go."
Noah hands me a cup of coffee and drapes a blanket over my shoulders before plopping down onto the cushion on the floor next to me. I take the mug between my hands and raise it to my mouth, taking a sip of the warm liquid.
"Mmm, this is so good. Thank you." I smile at the fact that he remembered how I like my coffee. He returns my smile, snaking his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer, allowing me to snuggle into his chest.
After getting out of the pool, Noah gave me a t-shirt of his that is way too big for me, and a pair of his boxers for me to wear while I wait for my underwear to dry. "Noah?" I ask, looking at the fire.
"Yeah?" he replies resting his head on mine, stroking my hair with his long fingers.
"Why are we sitting in front of the fireplace? It's hot as hell in here."
"Pretty sure that's just the effect my presence has on you." I bet he can sense me rolling my eyes though he can't see my face. "I'm trying to be romantic," he explains.
"But..."
"Shh..." he hushes me, patting the top of my head with closed eyes, "Just go with it." I'm about to protest again, but his hand slides down to my face and starts caressing my cheek, making every thought that doesn't regard the way his touch feels on my skin slip away from my mind.
His heart rate is slow as I rest my head against his chest, feeling it rising and falling rhythmically. The room is so quiet I can hear his steady breathing as his fingers play with my hair. My arms are both wrapped around his waist, embracing him and never wanting to let go. I'm surprised at how comfortable I've become being around him in such a short time. But this feels right, he feels right and I am in no position to question that feeling. Besides, I don't want to. All I want is this, just me and him like this.
We sit against each other so comfortably I feel myself starting to doze off, so we decide to put on a movie to keep us awake. Laying down on the cushions, we keep our position, my head resting on his chest and my arms tight around him.
As the movie plays, his hand starts slowly wandering, from my hair to my cheek, down my neck, tracing over my shoulder and trailing down my arm. It reaches my waist, where it stops only to slip ever so slightly under my shirt. The soft touch of his fingertips grazing over my stomach is enough to send all my senses into a frenzy.
I'm hesitant, as my hand carefully slides under his shirt too, tracing over his perfectly carved abdomen with my eyes still glued to the screen in front of me. With one finger I trace over the waistband of his boxers, which peek up over his jeans. He noticeably tenses for a second, but as he relaxes, his other hand reaches for my cheek, moving down to graze over my bottom lip with his thumb.
I throw my head back to meet his eyes, and in a second his hand grabs my waist and shifts me on top of him. I straddle his lap as his mouth finds mine, going from slow, unsure touching to an all-consuming hunger for each other in a matter of seconds. Our kiss is rough, passionate and messy in the best way possible. Noah is like a drug, intoxicating and dangerous but tempting all the same.
I break off contact between our lips to pull his shirt off, as he sits upright, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me impossibly close. His mouth latches onto my neck, placing open-mouthed kisses over it, making me throw my head back in ecstasy.
With my legs wrapped around his waist, he grabs the back of my thighs to support me as he stands up. I know where this is going, and I have no intention to stop.
With a few steps, we find ourselves making our way up the staircase like a fiery tornado, wildly bumping against the walls, refusing to let our mouths lose contact. We quickly make it to the upstairs hallway and stop when we reach Noah's bedroom door.
He pushes me up against it and my hands tug at his hair as he struggles to find the doorknob. The door swings open with a loud bang, as he kisses me with such force we nearly lose our balance, but Noah holds me steady, regaining his footing. He takes a few steps and stands in the middle of the room, at the foot of the bed, where he stops abruptly, pulling away from me. His hand cups my face and his darkened eyes meet mine. It feels like the wildfire spreading between us has stopped in its tracks and gone out, as his gaze softens and he speaks tenderly. "Are you sure you want this? It doesn't matter that we've gotten this far. If you want me to stop, I'll stop, but you need to tell me."
I nod, nervously letting out air through my nose.
"I need you to use your words." He says softly, despite the worried expression displayed on his face.
"I'm sure, Noah." I nod again "I'm ready." I say, confident in my words.
"Okay," he says, setting me down "Then I need you to wait for me here for a second."
"Okay." Confused, I let my gaze follow him as he disappears into the bathroom.
He comes back a moment later, holding a square golden foil wrapper and he sets it down on his nightstand. I join him by the bed and reach up to kiss him again, hooking my hand to the back of his neck as his hands find my hips.
This time is different, he kisses me slowly and carefully as if this was the first time our lips are meeting. While it differs completely from the heated kiss we just shared seconds ago, my heart still flutters. He unsurely reaches for my shirt, lifting it slowly before pulling it off over my head, leaving my chest exposed.
I reached out to unbuckle his belt, unzipping his pants, and he steps out of them as they fall to the floor. His eyes scan over my body as mine wander over his, from his perfectly messy hair to his broad shoulders, to his tattooed ribcage and toned abdomen. Everything about him screams pure unadulterated sex, and I struggle to focus on only one part of him. It scares me how attracted I am to him, I've never wanted someone the way I want Noah. It terrifies me, but if there is someone I want to give myself to completely, it's him, and there is no doubt in my mind about that.
I take a step forward and close the little space left between us, eagerly bringing his face down to mine. My body aches for his touch, and at the same time my nerves have my stomach in knots. He backs up, sitting on the bed and I straddle his waist as he lays back on the mattress. He slides back so that his head reaches the pillows and rolls over, getting on top of me.
He starts leaving a trail of wet kisses starting at my jaw and slowly going down my body as his hands explore my bare skin. My heart starts racing, I've never felt so exposed, and truth be told I'm scared out of my mind, but I trust him. I love him, and that is strong enough to push my fear away.
My body weakens as Noah kisses the inside of my thighs, staring up at me while my fingers get lost in his hair. He makes his way up my stomach, making me tense up at the tickling feeling, but he continues up my chest before reaching my face again. He props himself up with both arms on each side of my head and stares deeply into my eyes, breathing heavily. Something is clearly on his mind.
"Maddison," his tone is unsure, almost like a question.
"Yeah?" An uneasy feeling starts twirling in my stomach as I stare up at his nervous expression, the silence stretching between us for far too long, only broken by the sound of our breathing.
"I love you."
My breath catches in my throat at his unexpected statement.
"I love you, Maddison." he repeats "More than I ever thought humanly possible. I should've said it before, but I was terrified because it feels so insane to love someone as much as I do you. I don't want to mess it up. But you're giving yourself to me and I want to give myself to you, all of me, everything I am and everything I have. It's yours. You have me. I've never wanted to lose control, but with you, I can't help it. I'm yours, all yours, and I don't want to be anyone else's but yours. All I want is for you to be mine. Please, please just tell me you are."
His speech came out rushed as if he couldn't keep it all in for another second and it was bursting out of him at full speed. His last words pleaded with me, and by the time he was finished, his breathing was heavy, as if getting that weight off of his chest had been physically exhausting.
I felt it. I felt every single word tugging at my heart with such strength I thought it was about to rip apart and explode out of my chest. I ate them up and stored them so deep inside me that nothing could ever reach them and take them away from me. No matter what happens, no matter how absolutely terrifying it is to feel the way I do, nothing will ever erase the way my heart screamed hearing those words come out of his mouth.
He loves me. He loves me, and nothing else in the world matters more than that. He is mine. And I am his.
The look on his face grows more and more concerned with each second that goes by, but I'm speechless. My mind is racing at a thousand miles an hour and still, I can't find enough words to describe what I'm feeling. So I reach out, wrapping both my arms around his neck and bringing his mouth down to mine as if my life depends on it.
I kiss him desperately, holding onto him for dear life, but I feel like no matter how close we are, the space between us will never be small enough.
His words are kerosene, and his touch is the match that sets me ablaze.
"I love you, I love you, I love you" I repeat those words over and over and over in between kisses. I could say them a million times. I could repeat them for the rest of my life and they would never be able to encompass everything I feel for him, but I will settle for that if it means he'll stay. I stop abruptly, breaking our kiss to look him in the eye. He needs to know I meant it.
"I'm yours."
A huge smile breaks out across his face and his lips come crashing down on mine. And once his tongue made it's way past my parted lips, I got lost in him. I got lost in us, in his beautiful words, in his maddening touch, and in our stupid teenage love that feels like it's infinite even though we both know it can't be. I gave myself to him without holding anything back, letting go of all my fears and doubts and letting us two become one.
I loved him.
He loved me.
He was mine.
And I was his.