Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
I feel each rise and fall of his chest as he breathes.
“Did you actually miss me?” he says a minute later, gazing at me.
“I was surrounded by pictures of you. How the hell was I supposed to get you out of my mind?”
He furrows his brow. “What do you mean, surrounded by pictures of me?”
“The mansion is riddled with them. That one from last summer where you’re shirtless on the beach wearing a backwards hat? That was some serious spank bank fodder.”
“You were at the mansion?” he asks.
“Yeah. The prince was visiting. Your father didn’t mention it to you?”
Noah exhales, his eyelids fluttering shut for a moment. “Guess you’re the one my dad calls now when he hosts people. Lovely. Did he break out the caviar? Aged wine bottles? His collector gramophone?”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Yes. All of those things, actually.”
“Why did he call you and not me?”
“Maybe because I’ve gone to all of the charity events in recent years—”
Noah suddenly reaches up and shoves me to one side, pushing my body off of his. “Fuck off.”
I prop myself up on one elbow and grab one of his wrists before he tries to shove me again. “You can’t act like you haven’t skipped 99 percent of the charity events he’s had for the past decade of your life. I’m not being a dick, it’s just the truth.”
“Well, you don’t need to analyze every part of my life,” he bites back.
“Noah.”
He pushes his hand against his face, covering his eyes. “Listen, I know I’m not good enough, okay? I know I never have been. But I’m trying. I’m starting to try. For the first time in my life.”
“Who said shit about you being not good enough?”
He looks at me again like it should be something obvious.
“Everyone, Torin. Everyone says that. Behind my back, or to my face, in the case of a couple of my siblings, and oh yeah, my stepbrother, too.”
I let the air settle between us for a moment.
Noah’s never expressed anything this raw before. Not to me, obviously, but probably not to anybody else either.
To me, Noah truly seemed to live for the party, until now.
Any party, anywhere. He was someone who actively chose to live that lifestyle, and sure as fuck didn’t seem like he had ambitions or cares otherwise.
“I can think of a few things you’re very good at, Noah,” I say, trying to defuse the situation. “Looking at my cock, craving my cock, literally fucking screaming at me to pound you harder with my cock…”
“Do you want to get punched right now?” He glares at me, but right now his attempt at malice looks more like sad puppy dog eyes.
I loosen my grip on his wrist. “If you look this good while you do it, maybe.”
He finally relaxes a little back onto his pillow, but he still seems wary and ready for a fight.
I let my grip drop away from his wrist but keep my palm on his skin, resting instead just below his collarbone.
He’s so warm.
Always so nice to touch.
“I already know I’m good in bed, by the way,” he finally says. “You don’t have a clue how good it really is. When I care about someone, I mean.”
“Now who’s the cocky one?”
I gently rub my palm along his chest, back and forth.
“I’ve been told I’m good in bed by so many women at this point that it’s more of a plain fact than it is bragging, Torin.”
I hum. “I get it. It’s how eager you are. And the way you take a dick, of course.”
“Haven’t exactly taken many dicks until I took yours. Which reminds me… I’m not into Bree, dude.”
I narrow my eyes. “Thought you used to be into her.”
“Used to. But lately I’m too preoccupied thinking about other things.”
“Like?”
He glares at me. “Men,” he says, then drops his voice to a low tone. “Obviously.”
“Damn. Are you about to have your bisexual summer of sluttiness?”
He looks down for a moment. “Apparently I’m only a slut for you.”
“You can’t say things like that when I already came.”
I drape one leg over his again underneath the sheets.
I use my knee to nudge up against his cock and he lets out a low hum before reaching down and clutching at my thigh.
“The point is I’m great at that stuff, but I’m terrible at everything else.”
“Is that why you can’t sleep at night lately?” I joke. “Worried you’re not good at anything?”
But he just nods, his eyes widening a little. “Yeah.”
A pang of regret floods me the moment I see how he responds. My hand freezes in place at the center of his chest, and I look over at the reflected moonlight on the wall rather than looking up at him.
Normally I’d tease Noah with absolutely zero regard, but there’s absolutely no bite in his tone when he responds to me, and…