Entangled

by Annie Brewer

  I smile, reach up on my tiptoes and kiss him. “I would love to bake brownies with you, Noah.”

  We get to the apartment and unload the trunk of grocery bags. I help put the food away and pop the top off of a beer. It’s the weekend and I want to do nothing but lounge around in Noah’s apartment and relax. As I finish stocking the canned of vegetable in the pantry, I feel Noah’s arms slip around my waist, pulling me against him. I lean my head back onto his shoulder and close my eyes.

  “Mmm, you smell good.” He says into my hair. I smile and enjoy the feel of his hand moving up, under my shirt and massage my stomach just below my breast. My arm reaches back around his neck and into his silky hair. I love the feel of it, the way his hair threads so easily through my fingers. I want to take this moment of passion further but-

  “Uh uh.” I say as I turn to face him, still in his arms. “Not now.”

  “What’s wrong? I’ve missed your body like crazy.” He kisses my neck, backing me up against the counter. I’m trapped. I tilt my head, giving him better access and he plants hot kisses across my throat. The heat from his mouth sends little shocks coursing through my entire body, I almost give in.

  Almost.

  “Not yet.” He jerks his head up and meets my gaze. “I want to make brownies, first.”

  He shoots me a cocky grin and whispers in my ear, “The brownies can wait.” His deep voice sends pleasure straight between my legs. Then he nips at my lobe.

  I pull back and attempt to feign perplexed. But the intensity in his gaze almost shatters my resolve. I kiss his nose and duck under his arm to get away from his greedy hands and enticing green eyes. Otherwise I’d say to hell with the brownies and strip naked right here, right now. “Let’s bake, Noah. Come on. It will be so fun.”

  “Okay.” He reluctantly gives in and walks to the fridge, removing the eggs and stick of butter. I pull out the remaining items and we set everything on the table. I completely forgot about my beer but that’s not important. He wraps me in a hug before I can pull away. “So, how was your day angel?” After he kisses my cheek, I grab the mixing bowl and pan.

  “It was fine. The day went by so quickly. But I got a lot done, aside from daydreaming of you.” He smirks and then winks. I crack the eggs open into the bowl, pour the flour, sugar and cocoa. Noah drops the butter in with the remaining items. I mix it all together. The smell of brownie batter permeates the kitchen and I inhale the deliciousness, catching Noah’s amused expression. “Andi and I used to bake cakes and cookies all the time. We would eat more of the mix than we baked.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” My smile turns into a frown, which Noah catches before I can hide it. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just…I feel guilty for having fun or being happy at a time like this.”

  “We’ve been over this babe.” He runs his hands down my arms. “You can’t feel guilty every time you find something to smile about. Andi wouldn’t want that.” I force a smile, knowing he’s right but I still can’t stop the guilt from burying itself into my gut. I pour the mix into the pan, leaving just enough for me to eat. Noah sets the timer- “Crap, we forgot to pre-heat the oven.” He says. “Okay, three-fifty.”

  “It doesn’t matter, just put it in and we’ll check it. Set the timer for twenty five minutes.” I take the bowl, set it on the counter and lift myself up to sit, dangling my legs. With my right finger, I scoop out some chocolate and rub it on my tongue, savoring the taste. Noah watches me, entranced or turned on. I lick my lips. He slowly sashays to stand beside me. “I’ve got a game we can play.”

  “Oh goody, I love games.” I say excitedly.

  “How about truth or dare?”

  I scoff in dislike. “That is so eighth grade.” Actually, I just don’t want to play it with Noah. I can only imagine what kind of embarrassing dares he’d come up with.

  “Fine, then let’s just Truth.” I give him a sideways glance, confused. “We ask each other a question and we have to answer truthfully.”

  “O-kay.” I’m uncertain where this is going but I’m also curious of his motives. “Okay, you first.” He leans against the counter, facing me.

  “Okay did you do anything with Trey? The night you left the bar with him?” I purse my lips together, surprised by his question. I’m also a little baffled because of his distrust in me.

  “Are you serious? I thought I told you nothing happened.”

  “Just answer, please. I don’t mean sex necessarily. It could be anything, I mean did anything happen? Kissing? Touching?”

  I let out a breath, “No nothing happened. I left with him to make you jealous. I was mad at you.”

  His brows rise, meeting his hairline. “Mad at me? Why?”

  “Yes, mad. Um, there was a moment…in the bathroom…between us. I wanted you to kiss me, but I didn’t want to ask and sound stupid. I was lost in your eyes though; I was willing you to just kiss me. But you didn’t and I got mad. I also wanted to rub up against you, or something. Stop staring at me like that.” I feel stupid for confessing this. He smacks his lips together to keep from laughing. I have the sudden urge to smack him.

  “Wow.” I glare at him, dipping my finger into the bowl.

  “Yeah, so after I left the bathroom I made it a point to flirt and make you jealous.”

  “Well, it worked. I wanted to tear his eyes out, the way he was ogling you.” I flash him a guilty smile. “Leaving with him was not part of it though. That was kind of unplanned. I felt rejected and Trey was kind of making me feel like he was interested.”

  He waves a hand dismissively. “To be honest, you did nothing wrong. I felt it too.” Oh this chocolate is so damn good, I moan. “In the bathroom. I felt it. But you were vulnerable that night. Wasn’t that the night you found out about Andi’s dad?”

  “And cried like a fool in your arms, not once but twice? Yes.” He was really sweet, I’ve never forgotten. I catch sight of the timer, fifteen minutes left. “I’m sorry you had to endure that.” He takes my hand and rubs the top of my thumb with his.

  “I’m not. I’d do it again, Maddy. Like I told you before, I’ve always known of my feelings for you. But I wasn’t sure how to deal with all these emotions and it scared me.” He looks deep into my eyes, as if he could see all of me with one glance.

  “My turn.” I let go of his hand and scrape more chocolate. He dips his head and licks my finger clean. “Hey, that was mine.”

  “And it was good. Now ask your question.” I stick my tongue out.

  “Very mature, Maddy.” He jokes.

  I ignore him and stall, juggling the right words in my head for a question I’ve always wondered but never had the nerve to ask. “Um, have you and Lex ever dated?” His whole demeanor changes, making me wish I could take the words back. I want to slap myself for bringing up a tough topic. He covers his expression and forces a smile. “I’m sorry, I blurt shit out without thinking. You don’t have to answer.”

  “It’s okay; it’s the name of the game. I’ll answer. No, we never dated. I didn’t see her that way. She was my best friend. But that didn’t stop our classmates from assuming we were a couple. She was an amazing person, though.” He closes the gap between us and settles his hands on my waist. “Now enough about our pasts. I want to kiss you.” He stands between my legs and grabs my hips, scooting me closer to the edge. His tongue darts out of his mouth and grazes my bottom lip. "Mmm, chocolate." He licks his lips, making me squirm.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me. Our lips meet lightly, at first. He cups the back of my neck with one hand, while the other explores elsewhere. Just his touch sends me into a frenzy. Our mouths move more urgent now, as our tongues tangle together. I wrap my legs around him, trapping him. Needing him closer.

  "You're naughty, Noah." I breathe into his mouth, inhaling his odor.

  He pulls back and grins. "I could be nice, if you'd prefer."

  I smile, shaking my head. "Just shut up and kiss me." He obeys, and tra
ces kisses from my jaw, down to my collarbone. I lean my head back, completely aroused at this point.

  "Maddy." I meet his gaze, unable to speak. "What you do to me...I want it. I need it."

  I don't reply. I don't have to because I want the same thing. I've wanted it as bad as he did that night. His demanding kisses slow down to sensual caresses. My hands run through his hair, stopping at the back of his neck and then back again.

  He pulls back, I glance at the clock. Shit, five minutes. Either he's going to finish what he's started, or I'm going to have to stop this. Now.

  He takes the bowl, and while keeping his eyes locked on mine, he brushes a hand over the edge of the inside, taking a lot of my chocolate goodness. I want to protest, but don't, curious what he's doing with it. And then looking down as if inspecting it, he licks his lips. What the fuck? Just when I think he's going to lick the chocolate off his hand -my chocolate- teasing me, he smears it over my chest. All over. I gasp at the contact. At first, it's from shock, not expecting it and then it turns to disbelief.

  "You're...you're wasting the chocolate. What the hell?"

  He grins, devilishly and my face reddens. I wanted to eat that shit.

  "Oh, I'm not wasting it." My head tilts to the side in confusion. Then he drops his head down and licks the chocolate right off of me. Right off my body.

  Holy. Shit.

  "Mmm. Very sweet." His tongue rubs over my skin and the sensation causes me to cry out in pleasure. Just as the oven timer goes off.

  I'll never be able to look at brownie mix the same again, that's for sure.

  He backs up, giving me space. I don’t know whether to hit him or jump him. I’m still in shock insulted that he wasted my chocolate. “Your brownies are done.” I try to speak but nothing comes out. I need a shower though.

  He turns off the oven and opens it, letting it air out. I jump down and take the pan out with mits. I stick a knife between the brownies and the pan-

  Oh shit! “Do you know what I forgot to do?” It comes out as a whine.

  Noah strolls to my side, “What’s wrong?”

  “I forgot to grease the pan. It’s all stuck to it. Ugh, I never forget to grease the pan when baking.

  “Relax, it happens. It’s no big deal.” He wraps his arm around me.

  “It’s your fault. You distracted me.” I try to act mad at him but it’s impossible to be mad at someone you care so deeply about. Especially someone as amazing as Noah.

  “I take full responsibility, it was worth it.” He looks down at my chest which still has some chocolate smeared, thanks to him. “You’re gonna need a shower to clean that off.” He whispers.

  “You think?” He smirks. “What about my brownies?” I pout, but have no clue why. What happened just a few minutes ago was pretty hot so why am I getting all annoyed with him?

  “Suck that sexy lip back in and get cleaned up, I’ll take care of the brownies.”

  “Thanks.” As I turn to leave, he smacks my ass but I pretend not to notice. I can still feel his tongue on my chest and I shiver but thankfully, I’m already in the bathroom so he can’t see how he affects me. I’ve never had such a sensual baking experience before and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.

  Chapter 43

  Noah

  The brownies are perfectly fine, maybe a little stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan but I’m sure it’s redeemable. I carefully slide the knife through the brownies and underneath to break it apart. I take a plate out of the cupboard and set it down, cutting the brownies from the center. I lift a piece onto the plate.

  A smile spreads over my face, thinking about my brownie mix incident. Tasting it, licking it off Maddy’s chest was hardly a waste and I’d do it again. It was the most intimate moment in which I felt out of control. I couldn’t help it though. The look on her face was priceless. I find her tough act endearing. Baking can apparently turn into an erotic exercise, which I’d play over and over.

  My smile is wiped away when I think of the question she asked me about Lex. Part of me wonders what the hell possessed me to suggest a game that potentially opened a door to the past I was trying to close. It wasn’t really her question that set me off, well it did. But it was thinking back to the night at the bar, the night Maddy cried in my arms. She was vulnerable, emotional and I didn’t know how to comfort her. And it was the night she found out about Andi’s father. I knew there was something bothering her but didn’t ask, only gave her my shoulder to cry on. I wasn’t good at dealing with women crying so it was confusing and uncomfortable. But knowing what she was feeling, and then Trey trying to make a move makes me sick, now that I think about it. He’s the kind of guy I despise, the guy I’m trying so hard to stay away from. He’d take advantage of vulnerable girls without a second thought. It made me happy to accept that nothing did happen between them, even if I was avoiding my feelings at the time. She didn’t deserve to be treated like meat by him either. She deserved to be treated with care and love from someone who wanted more than just her body. She still deserves that.

  I cut a sliver of brownie still in the pan to taste test. It’s still good. Moist, I think. It’s not burned which is a relief, so I didn’t really ruin them. I lick the chocolate from my lips and find the cellophane wrap in the drawer, rip some off and begin covering the plate.

  I leave the kitchen a mess for later since I have unfinished business. I walk through the short hall, retrieving a towel from the closet and stop outside the bathroom.

  Her voice reaches under the door, into my ears and I listen. I close my eyes, soaking in the voice that captivated me many times. She’s singing, Don’t Stop Believing by Journey. She sings off-key but I know it’s on purpose and don’t even care because on-key or not, her voice never ceases to make my heart stop. Careful to make my appearance known, I open the door quietly and shut it like so. I remove my clothes, feeling the desire burn within me. It’s been long enough and I need her touch, skin on skin contact, her body to align with mine.

  I pull the curtains aside and step in the shower, she’s facing away from me but I know she knows I’m there now. “I was wondering when you’d join me.” Smiling, I wrap my arms around her from behind and she sinks against my chest.

  “I was fixing your brownies.” My hands glide up her stomach as the water pelts us from head to toe. My ears fill with water but I don’t care to move away. I massage her skin, starting at her ribcage and work my way to her breasts. I kiss the back of her neck tenderly and stop at her shoulder. “They’re good by the way.” She sighs, covering my hands with hers, squeezing them over her breasts.

  “Thank you.” Her voice is quiet compared to the loud running shower. Finally, I turn her around to face me and grab the sides of her face, kissing her lips urgently. My mouth automatically claims hers and my tongue slips inside. I feel her hands right above my ass, slowly moving downward. I take control and grab hers, lifting her up as she wraps her legs around my waist. My body backs her up against the shower wall. Her breasts press against my chest, spurring me on. We mesh together, moaning and grabbing each other as if our lives depended on it. Our legs, hands, mouths, tongues are tangled, lost in our desires, our needs so desperate and tight, you can’t tell where we begin or end. This girl unravels me, breaks down my walls until it’s a pile of ash on the ground.

  “Noah.” She breathes against my cheek. The water hits us but it feels good.

  “God, you’re beautiful.” My heart accelerates and I’m so turned on with the need to be inside of her, every inch of her. I hold her hands above her head, lacing them with mine. My lips explore her body, down to her belly and lower. A moan escapes her throat as she threads her fingers through my hair. I lick and suck on her nipple, flicking it with my tongue. She cries out loudly.

  “God, fuck, shit…” I find her reaction sexy as hell. I suck on her other breast, watching her face change a million different expressions. Her hands pull on my hair, hard as each thrust and lick becomes more intense. Our bodies p
ress against each other again and my mouth covers hers. I want to kiss this girl everywhere. I want to claim her and love her like no one has ever done before. “Please, Noah. Take me to your bed.” I do without question or a second thought. Passion, desire, love…I’ve gone without these feelings my whole life and now I can’t imagine being without. I’m just glad I found it with Maddy.

  I gently lay her down and hover over her for a minute, lean down and kiss her lips lightly before I lie down beside her, facing her. Touching each other, exploring each other, enjoying this moment together. I lean in and kiss her again. She moans, closing her eyes. “How was that? Am I forgiven for wasting your brownies?” I run my fingers through her hair, away from her face. She smiles up at me, adoringly. “Oh I forgive you.” She stops smiling, gazing into my eyes sadly.

  I nuzzle her nose. “Hey.” I touch her cheek, she reaches up and grabs my hand, kissing my knuckles and palm. “What’s wrong?” I want to take her pain away so badly. No amount of love-making will ever heal her completely. But I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try to make her smile. I know she’s worried about Andi and her dad. I lift her chin so we’re eye level. I rub mu thumb across her cheekbone. My gaze drops to her lips and I run my tongue across the bottom one. “Talk to me, baby. What can I do to make you smile again?” I pull her closer to me, our legs tangle with each other.

  “I’m okay. Being here with you makes me smile. It’s more than I can ask for.”

  “I’m here, always.” I kiss her all over, tasting her. I can’t get enough.

  “Tell me you love me.”

  I kiss her eye brows, her cheeks, forehead, chin, nose, mouth and I finally lift up and move so she’s under me. “I fucking love you, Maddy. I love you so god damn much.” I whisper, hoarsely. I kiss her, devour her mouth and roll us over and over which eventually leads us onto the floor, but we stay connected, tangled in each other, laughing. And then I tickle her, watching her squirm under me giggling and screaming, trying to get out of my grip but I’m too strong. I eventually stop and pick her up, throw her on my bed and we make love.