Some Hearts Page 9

  “Theresa will be there so you don’t have to worry about things getting out of control or anything. She’ll make sure the kids are in bed on time. He’ll be properly fed and stuff. My nephews are a few years younger than Ty but I think he’d still have a good time. We’ll be roughing it in tents, having a campfire. We’ll be close to a lake so we can get some fishing in.” He paused for a second before saying, “But if that’s too much, I understand.”

  “Wait,” I said. “Whose idea was this camping weekend?” He hesitated and I groaned into the phone. “Caleb! Did you plan this so that I wouldn’t have to worry about him this weekend?”

  “I planned it because I thought it would be fun. I haven’t gone camping for awhile and I know how much my brother and his family love it. I mentioned it and they jumped onboard.”

  “You…you really didn’t have to do that. I can’t ask you to tie up your weekend that way.”

  He laughed. “Too late now. I’m going camping with or without Ty. I’d prefer it if he came along.”

  I was speechless. I couldn’t believe he’d done that for me.

  “Look,” he said softly. “I know you plan on going this weekend but that you would worry the whole time. I didn’t want you to waste your weekend worrying. I like camping. Ty likes camping. I get to hang out with my brother and his family. You get to have a fun with Noah. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

  “Thank you.” I tried to put as much feeling as possible into those two words. I wondered if he had any idea how much this meant to me.

  “Does that mean I can bring him with?”

  “He would love to go with, so yes.”

  “I can give Jolene a call too. But I wanted to run it by you first,” he said.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Mom. I’ll make sure his bag is packed. Do you want to just pick him up here, after he gets home from school? I’ll be gone by then. But I can make sure he’s ready.”

  “Perfect,” Caleb said. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter TEN

  A knock on the door cut into our kiss. Noah’s body stilled above mine, the weight of him pressing down on me was blissful despite the interruption. I wanted to wrap my legs around him to keep him from going anywhere.

  “That’s got to be a joke,” he mumbled against my lips.

  Another knock, more insistent this time, erupted.

  Noah groaned as he slid off me. I knew exactly how he felt.

  “Hello? Noah?” came the voice from the other side of the door.

  We had only been in Noah’s dorm room for a few minutes. I hadn’t been in town that long. I’d been starving after such a long drive. We’d gone out for a quick bite to eat, both of us anxious to get back here.

  So we could be alone.

  So we could do delicious things to one another.

  All…night…long.

  He tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes shut for just a second. Then he blew out a resigned breath and got to his feet. He stalked toward the door, only opening it a few inches.

  His body was blocking my view.

  I didn’t know a soul on campus but I had a pretty good idea about who was standing there.

  “Hey, you,” the flirty voice said. “Sorry to just drop in on you. But I was on campus anyway. I thought I’d bring your Sociology book. You left it at my house last night.”

  Yup. Amanda.

  “Thanks, but I told you I’d just get it from you tomorrow. You didn’t need to stop by.” He reached out to take the book, tucking it under one arm. “I told you, I’m busy tonight.”

  “Oh, right, silly me,” she said with a giggle.

  Silly me?

  I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. Amanda was in the middle of gushing that she hoped she wasn’t interrupting anything.

  I was pretty sure that was a lie.

  I scooted up next to Noah. He glanced at me and I smiled at him. His hand dropped from where he’d been holding the door mostly shut. His arm landed around my shoulders. I moved in closer to him and he kissed the top of my head.

  “Who’s your friend?” I asked as politely as I could.

  “This is Amanda. Amanda, this Emory,” he said quickly.

  Amanda smiled demurely at me. “It’s so nice to meet you,” she said as she reached out a hand.

  We were going to shake? Really?

  Two could play at this lame game.

  “Likewise,” I said as we shook.

  Her gaze dropped down, scanning over me. I had the odd feeling she was sizing up the competition. My stomach dropped. Did she view me as competition? Was that why she was here, to see who she as up against? Was she seriously after Noah? Did that make her my competition?

  Oh, hell no.

  Without meaning for it to happen, my gaze slid over her in a similar fashion. I didn’t like what I saw. She was gorgeous. Tall, slim with a killer body that she wasn’t shy about showing off. The scooping neckline she wore showcased her ample cleavage. Her hair was long and luxurious. The locks were deep brown and her eyes matched.

  When I managed to lift my gaze to her face, I swear I saw a flicker of amusement there. This had to end. Now.

  “I don’t mean to be rude,” I said with as much apology as I could muster, “but I’d kind of like Noah to myself. I’m only here for a little while.”

  She looked at me sympathetically. “Say no more. I’m sure you’re dying for some time alone. It must be so hard to have him so far away. He’s such a sweetheart. I’d want to be with him every second if I were you.”

  “Well then,” Noah said. He cleared his throat. “Thanks for the book. I’ll see you around, Amanda.”

  “You mean you’ll see me tomorrow, right?” she asked with a tiny, confused furrow between her brows. I wanted to smack that furrow right off her face. I was sure it was all for show. In fact, I was positive when she added on, “You’re still coming to my house, right?”

  Noah nodded. “Yeah, we’ll all be there. The whole group,” he stressed.

  He glanced at me, probably to see how I was taking her little show.

  “Study group, right?” Did she think Noah hadn’t told me where he was going?

  “Right,” Noah answered. Then he glanced back at Amanda. “So, uh…”

  “Got it,” she said with a wink. “The girlfriend you never see is here. I’m sure you want to make the most of it since she’ll be gone again in no time.” A tiny, almost imperceptible smirk tainted her lips.

  Noah didn’t seem to notice, but I did.

  She sashayed away without another word. He swung the door shut behind her.

  I forced an overly bright smile onto my face once the door was closed. “Well that was…interesting.”

  He glanced at the door and frowned. “Yeah, she was acting kind of strange. I’m not sure what that was about.”

  Was he serious? I thought maybe he was. My sweet, clueless Noah. It was obvious to me she wanted him. Would it be wise to point that out to him? I decided it would not be. If he wasn’t aware of it, I was just fine with that. Pointing it out would not only bring it to his attention but he’d probably argue with me insisting I was wrong. I didn’t want to waste another breath on Amanda.

  I had a hunch she’d be plenty happy if Noah and I had an argument over her. I had no intention of letting that happen. Unfortunately, she was right. My time here was limited. I was going to be gone again in no time.

  Noah’s thoughts apparently matched mine.

  He placed his hands around my waist and guided me back to the edge of his bed. His fingers fisted in the hem of my shirt, tugging it off in one swift movement. My eyes widened in surprise. Noah was usually so cautious, never aggressive.

  I decided in a heartbeat that I liked this side of him. My body was already responding. A deep, hot, luscious ache coursed through me.

  His T-shirt disappeared in the same, quick fashion. I reached for the button of his jeans, more than happy to help this process along. I peeled them off
and mine quickly followed. My bra was flung to the floor next…and then Noah’s mouth was on mine, hungrily devouring me in a kiss before pushing me backward onto his narrow bed.

  His body covered mine and the delicious feeling of him pressing down on me enveloped me once more. I felt his erection through the thin layers of fabric between us. I rolled my hips upward, pressing my body more firmly against his. His fingers brushed across my breast, causing my nipples to harden. I inhaled sharply, arching my back, when his mouth took over where his fingers left off.

  His hand didn’t remain idle. It slid slowly down the curve of my waist before tugging on the edge of my panties. I lifted my hips and pulled at them, scrambling to get them off. I was rewarded for my effort with one of Noah’s fingers. It slowly slid inside me, first just one, then another, as his tongue began to pay attention to my other breast.

  I pressed my fingers over my lips and whimpered into them. I’d never been this turned on so fast. But Noah had never been this aggressive, this sure of himself before. I didn’t know how thin the dorm room walls were, but I didn’t want to test them.

  “This is all I’ve been able to think about for weeks,” he murmured as he moved back up to my mouth. His tongued tangled with mine as his fingers continued to bring me toward ecstasy.

  I felt a moment of loss when his mouth left mine. In my lust-filled haze, I realized his kisses began to head south, to new, unchartered territory. An intense jolt bolted through my body when he kissed the inside of one thigh, then the other. Then he kissed my center and that kiss became the center of my universe. His tongue began swirling and caressing in a way I’d only ever fantasized about him doing. Sharp little gasps erupted from my mouth.

  My hands dropped to my sides. I grabbed the sheet, clenching it in each of my fists. My body began to move, as if I had no control over it at all. Noah’s hands clamped down on my thighs, holding me still. I let out a whimper, finally understanding what all the fuss was about. This was so much better than I’d ever imagined.

  His tongue continued to probe… to swirl… to kiss and lick and…

  “Noah…”

  “Too much?” he asked quietly.

  Too much and yet not nearly enough…

  “No…no…” I whimpered. “Not enough. I want you. I want you inside me…Now,” I nearly begged.

  He didn’t make me ask twice. His body slid up the length of mine. In seconds he was filling me, sliding in and out of me. My fingers dug into his shoulders. My legs wrapped around his waist as my body rocked in a perfect rhythm with his.

  We both found ourselves tumbling over the edge of ecstasy in record time as Noah whispered sweet words into my ear.

  When it was over, a satisfied smile settled onto my face. We had the whole night together and I wondered just how long I’d have to wait before we could start all over again.

  ***

  “Are you sure you don’t mind hanging out here by yourself?” Noah asked. “You could come with me. They probably wouldn’t mind.”

  I wasn’t so sure about that. I was pretty sure Amanda would mind very much. I didn’t care in the least what Amanda thought. However, I didn’t know what kind of influence she had on the rest of the group. I didn’t want them to be annoyed with Noah for inviting me along.

  I’d never been clingy and didn’t want to start now.

  “I’ll be fine. I brought enough homework with to keep me busy.” The truth was I needed to get in some studying time too. As much as I hated to see him go, it was probably for the best that I was on my own for a few hours.

  He pulled me in for a hug and he nuzzled my neck. “If you’re sure.”

  He placed a few kisses on my collarbone and nibbled his way up to my ear. My knees turned to putty and I held onto him as if I’d collapse if he let me go.

  “What do you want to do tonight? We could stay in again. I’m sure there’s a party somewhere nearby. I could introduce you to some of the people I’ve met.” He pulled away and shook his head. “Scratch that idea. I don’t want to drag you to a loud, drunken party. I want you to myself. How about we keep it simple? Dinner and a movie? I can’t remember the last time we did that.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I agreed.

  He gave me a final squeeze and a long, drawn out kiss. My hands slid down to his backside, pulling him in close to my body. I felt his body react and I smiled against his lips. He groaned and backed away. His hands slid from my waist and he shook his head at me.

  “I better get going before I’m too tempted to leave. But tonight,” he pointed a playful finger my way. “I can’t wait until tonight when you’re all mine again.”

  After he left, I made myself comfortable on his bed. I’d brought quite a bit of homework with because I’d known I’d have this time to myself. I decided to keep it simple. I pulled out the novel I needed to read for Understanding Literature. I hoped to get lost in the book so the time would pass quickly.

  Much later, I heard a key slide into the lock, I glanced at the clock. Noah was early. I smiled, wondering if he’d rushed things along on my account. I started piling my papers back into my bag when the door swung open.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  I glanced up, startled by the words. The guy standing in the door was definitely not Noah. I stifled a groan. He’d used a key. Common sense told me this was Landon. Noah’s roommate. When he strode into the room as if he owned the place and scowled at me, that pretty much confirmed it. When he tossed his duffel bag onto his bed, it left no room for doubt.

  “I’m Emory,” I said as I slid off Noah’s bed. “And you must be Landon? It’s nice to meet you.”

  He quirked an eyebrow at me but he didn’t smile. “So you’re the girlfriend.”

  ‘The girlfriend’. What was it with people? That sounded so…impersonal. I nodded regardless. “I am.”

  “So my next question is…why are you here?” His tone wasn’t exactly rude but it wasn’t particularly welcoming either.

  “I’m visiting Noah.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “I gathered that much. Although Noah’s not here, you are. So again…Why are you here?”

  “Oh. Noah had to meet with his study group. I stayed behind to get some of my homework done.”

  He nodded. Study groups and homework apparently made sense to him.

  “Will Noah be back soon?”

  I glanced at the clock again and shrugged. “He didn’t give me an exact time. But he thought it would be another hour or so.”

  “Are you planning on staying here?” he asked as he pulled out a textbook of his own. I knew what he was really saying was Please leave.

  While he was standoffish, at least he wasn’t completely tactless.

  “Just give me a few minutes to pack up and I’ll get out of your way,” I said.

  He didn’t argue or invite me to stay. Not that I expected him to.

  Twenty minutes later my overnight bag was in my car. I was sitting inside the small coffee shop Noah had taken me to for breakfast. My homework was spread out in front of me. A mug of chamomile tea was steaming off to the side. Adelaide had been right, it was soothing.

  The moment I’d walked out of the dorms, I’d sent Noah a text telling him I’d gone to the coffee shop. I didn’t tell him why. I didn’t want to bother him with that while he was trying to get some work done. Instead, I simply asked him to meet me here when he finished up. An entire Intro to Psych assignment and two mugs of tea later, he showed up.

  “Hey,” he said as he swooped in to kiss my cheek. “Did my room get too stuffy for you?” He took the seat across from me waited for an answer.

  “More like your roommate got too stuffy for me,” I said lightly.

  “What?” He frowned as my words sunk in. “He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow. What’s he doing back already?”

  I raised my eyebrows at him. “Did you really want me to ask?”

  “No,” Noah admitted as his shoulders slumped. “Now what?”


  We both knew the answer to that.

  “If the hotels in town are all full, I suppose I’m going to have to go home. Landon didn’t seem all that inviting,” I pointed out.

  “He’s not. He’d never let you stay. I’m sorry I had you drive all the way here. I thought we’d have a lot more time together.”

  “I’m glad I came,” I argued. “I mean, yes, I’d love to spend another night.” I leaned in close, though there weren’t that many people here this time of day. “Last night was amazing and I’d love a repeat. But I’m just happy to be with you. We still have the rest of today. We can still make time for dinner and a movie. Seeing you last night and today was so much better than not seeing you at all. It was worth the drive.”

  “So last night?” he asked shyly as he lowered his voice. “It was okay? Really?”

  I rolled my eyes and playfully swatted at him. “As if you really need to ask!”

  He bit his lip and dropped his head for a second. When he looked at me again, it was through lowered lashes. His cheeks were pink and his face was scrunched up in a look of embarrassment. My aggressive Noah from the night before had vanished, leaving my adorably predictable Noah in his place.

  It didn’t matter.

  I loved both sides of him.

  “I’ve wanted to do that for awhile. I just didn’t know if you’d like it,” he admitted.

  Now it was my cheeks that flooded with color. I glanced around to make sure no one was within ear shot. “I’m pretty sure you got your answer,” I whispered. “I’m also pretty sure you could do just about anything to me and I would like it.” I winked at him and his body slammed backward in his seat.

  He let out a little groan and shifted around uncomfortably. The vinyl groaned under the friction. I did not miss the way he readjusted his jeans. “Enough of that talk. You’re killing me. Damn Landon for coming back early.”

  “Damn him!” I agreed with a little laugh.