Pushing the Limits - McGarry Katie - Страница 43

“It’s a beautiful tribute to them.” I couldn’t imagine losing everything. At least I still had my father. I might have to jump through hoops for the rest of my life to please him, but at least for the moment, I still had … I think … his love.

Noah took the hand tracing his tattoo and kissed my fingers. “Yes, it is. My parents would be proud of each scar.”

My eyes snapped to his. “I didn’t mean … I meant the … tattoo.”

He licked his lips before flashing a mischievous smile. “I know. I showed you mine, now it’s time you showed me yours.”

I shook my head back and forth before he even finished his statement. “It’s not the same. You’re strong. You helped people. I … I trusted the wrong person and then I go all pathetic and don’t remember a thing. Anyhow, you’re a guy. Scars on guys are, like, sexy. Scars on girls … that’s just … ugly.” And there, I said it—out loud.

His hold on my hand tightened and his eyes darkened into thunderclouds. “Fuck that. There is no shame in trusting your mother. She fucked up. Not you. And as for that pathetic bullshit—fuck that, too. You are not pathetic. You had the guts to return to school and continue to live your life like nothing happened. Me? I lost it all and flushed anything left of me down the damn toilet. Now that’s pathetic.”

Noah released my hand and advanced on me like an angry lion. In lightning-fast movements he wrapped his arms around my waist and laid me flat on the bed. My heart pounded as he hovered over me. “Baby, no one would ever make the mistake of using the word ugly with you. Especially with me around.” He pushed the curls off my face, his fingers leaving a burning trail. “Everything about you is beautiful and sexy as hell.”

I turned my head to the side, unable to hold his gaze. “There’s more.” Because there’s always more. My mother guaranteed that. I grabbed the hem of my sweater and before I lost my nerve, tugged the material over my head and twisted slightly, revealing not only my black lace bra and arms, but the one scar no one but my mother and father knew existed.

Noah’s fingers lightly touched the long thick ridge below my left shoulder blade. His voice pitched low. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“No one else knows, Noah. Not even Lila.”

He kissed my back as he slid his hand over the scars on my arm. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered against my skin. Noah lifted my arm and kept eye contact as his mouth trailed kisses along the scars. Pure hunger darkened those chocolate-brown eyes. “Kiss me.”

Raw emotions and the need to hold him close overwhelmed me. Every part of me ached for him—my mind, my soul and my body. Without hesitation, I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips eagerly to his.

Noah’s hands were everywhere, my hair, my face, my back, and for the love of all things holy, my breasts. My hands roamed his glorious body just as greedily. After drugging me with delicious kisses for not nearly long enough, his warm lips skimmed my throat and kissed down the center of my breasts, causing me to arch my back and lose my ever loving mind.

Without meaning to, I moaned and whispered his name when his hands wandered to my thighs and set my world and blood on fire. Noah eased me back into the bed and my hair sprawled all around me.

“I love how you smell,” he whispered as he suckled my earlobe. “I love how beautiful you are.”

I reclaimed his lips and hooked a leg around his as we moved in rhythm with each other. In between frantic kisses, I whispered the words, “I love you.” Because I did. Noah listened to me. He made me laugh and he made me feel special. He was strong and warm and caring and … everything. I loved him. I loved him more than I’d ever loved another person in my life.

Every muscle in my body froze when Noah stopped kissing and stared down at me with wide eyes. He caressed my cheek twice over and tilted his head. “Make love to me, Echo. I’ve never made love.”

No way. Noah’s experienced reputation walked down the hallway before he did. “But …”

Noah cut me off with a kiss. “Yes, but never love. Just girls who didn’t mean anything. You …” His tongue teased my bottom lip, thawing my body. “Are everything. I got tested over winter break and I’m clean and I’ve got protection.” He reached to the side of the bed and magically produced a small orange square.

I froze again. Sensing my hesitation, Noah kissed my lips slowly while stroking my cheek.

“And since break?” I asked.

“There’s been no one,” he whispered against my lips. “I met you soon after and I could never think of touching anyone else.”

I loved him and we were together. I entwined my fingers in his hair and pulled his head back to mine, but the second his hand touched the waist of my jeans, my heart shook and my hands snapped out to stop him. “Please. Wait. Noah …” Oh, God, I was actually going to say it. “I’m a virgin.”

Now Noah froze. “But you were with Luke.”

A faint smile grew on my lips. I was typically the tongue-tied one and found it amusing to see him confused for once. “That’s why we broke up. I wasn’t ready.”

He shifted his body off of mine and tucked me close against his warmth. I laid my head on his chest and listened to the comforting sound of his beating heart. Noah ran his hand through my hair. “I’m glad you told me. This needs to be right for you and I’ll wait, for as long as you need.”

NOAH

Almost all the cars were gone when I returned home. I’d dropped Echo off at midnight then driven around for a couple of hours, attempting to process everything that had happened between us. Seeing her expose herself to me, trust me when I deserved no one’s trust, it was … life-altering.

Rico slept on the couch with his body tangled with some chick’s. Odds were she’d regret that in the morning. In the basement, light flickered from the television with the sound muted. I grabbed the remote to turn it off when Isaiah stopped me. “I’m still watching it, man.”

“My bad.” I smiled, catching myself using one of Echo’s phrases. The smile fell when I noticed the bare back of a girl passed out in Isaiah’s arms. I immediately turned to head back up the stairs. “Sorry, bro. I didn’t know you had company.” Wouldn’t be the first time he forgot to lock the basement door.

“Stay. It’s Beth.”

That answer only made me want to run. I’d gone this long without seeing her naked and had no intention of starting now. “I’m good.”

“Wait and we’ll have a beer.” Isaiah mumbled something to Beth and she gave a groggy reply.

In the kitchen, I opened the fridge and grabbed two beers. Isaiah emerged from the basement clad only in jeans. I handed him a beer and twisted off the cap of mine. “I told Echo she was mine.”

“I made out with Beth.”

The two of us leaned against the counter and drank our beers. “You and Beth a couple?”

“Hell if I know. You know how she is. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t bolt to her mom’s for a month when she wakes up and realizes what we did. Worst case, she makes out with the next loser guy to prove she doesn’t need anyone. Fuck, Noah, I screwed this up.”

I let him have the silence to collect himself. Finally, he pulled at his lower hoop earring and spoke. “It happened. I’ll deal with it. Even if I have to ignore it happened. It’s just … we were both wasted and she smelled so damn good.” Isaiah didn’t need to explain. I knew all about girls that smelled good. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Echo lived in a bakery.

“So you gotta girl then?” asked Isaiah.

“Yeah.” I was officially attached. We stood in silence again, both of us taking the occasional drink from our beer.

“I meant to say something to you guys earlier. I’m having problems finding one of the parts I need to fix her car. I’m going to have to buy it from a parts store.”