by Scott, Talyn
“You don’t have to be in love with me to need me.” Flicking her mouth with his tongue, Noah pleaded against her lips, “Use me.”
“D-doing this,” she whispered back in sharp pants, her body tightening and spiraling higher, “can b-break our friendship."
“Let’s risk it.”
Tingles zinged up her inner thighs, but he kept her wide with his torso and free hand, working her with that insistent thumb. A warm breeze grazed her body, when he tore her shirt overhead. Clenching her eyes, she felt the weight of his stare on her body.
“Oh, you are perfect.” He ground his cock harder on her core, moving that thumb around and around. “Open those emeralds, Pay. Look at me, know what your body does to me.” After another grind, he trembled beneath her. “I’m going to come before you do.”
“Noah,” she pleaded as her eyes opened.
Keeping his thumb where it was, he channeled a finger inside of her, followed by another, in and out, in and out, and in and out. “Baby, I want you, just you.”
Overcome by need, she fisted a hand in his hair, yanking while sliding on his fingers, and moving her pebbled breasts against the light hair on his well-defined chest. Her vagina started gripping and releasing on his fingers. “Oh!” She loved this feeling, had missed the hard touch of man bringing her to orgasm. “OH!”
“Let it go,” Noah demanded as his mouth moved between her heavy breasts, kissing and licking. His blonde head went to one breast, kissing the tip of her throbbing nipple reverently, while circling his wrist between her thighs. He moved to her opposite breast flicking his tongue a few times. Then he bit down, pinching her clit simultaneously.
Stars dotted her vision as she flew backwards. “Noah!”
Lifting her with him, he carried her against his chest several paces until they hit damp sand and less water. Noah eased her on her back, staring down at her with a seriousness she’d never seen from him. “Just a taste.”
She had no clue where her head was at that moment. Maybe it was consumed by stress and fear or venturing a faraway world where nothing else existed other than touch. But there was no way Payton could deny his look of need, of raw desperation. Pulling him down, she bit the underside of his jaw.
Slanting his head, he gave her a thrusting kiss as he slid between her legs. His covered erection moved against her weeping sex, but never going deep enough. She gripped his shoulders with her fingers, when he came up for air.
He moaned, “Am I hurting you?”
“You’re not even inside me.” She arched her back, sensing another orgasm surfacing.
Sweat beaded his brow as he moved his head down her stomach, kissing her inch by inch. His hot breath stroked the tender skin between her navel and pubic hair when he said, “Oh, but my tongue will be.”
Pressing his mouth against the inside of her thigh, he nipped and sucked as he worked her with his hand. Sliding his fingers in and out of her soaked sex, he latched onto her clitoris and coaxed the bud away from its hood. With a delicate scrape of his teeth, he pushed her closer to the edge.
Her thighs tightened and she squeezed his head between them. He laughed against her core, the vibrations of his mouth making her mindless. “Noah!” Her pelvis shot up, but he pulled her back down. His mouth was unrelenting as he picked up the pace. “Noah!”
“Let me have it, baby.”
She did exactly what he asked. Trembling and falling, but he caught her, drinking every last drop her sex delivered, and staying with her until the final shudder subsided.
On his knees, he moved over her, lowering his face against the side of her neck. She could smell the salty musk of her core on his breath.
Payton curled her trembling fingers in his hair, playing with the silky strands. “I want to make you come, too.”
“No need,” he said, still panting. “Somehow, I’m still a teenager…around you.”
“Wet pants?”
“Wet pants.”
A sudden void hit her, parting her chest with its emptiness. This was a mistake, such a mistake! How did Noah do this with women day in and day out, when she couldn’t handle it this one time with a friend? Thank God they hadn’t gone any further, because Payton wouldn’t have been able to face herself in the mirror. She cleared her throat, trying to sound natural when she wanted to run and scream.” We’d better get you back home to change before Libby arrives.”
“A little longer,” he said, nibbling her chin and staring into her eyes. He cupped her sex possessively, and she fought not to flinch at his solid hand stroking between her thighs. "Hot, wet, and tight, you were made for me, only me.”
A voice above them warned, "That’s where you’re wrong."
Chapter 7
Noah’s head snapped around, his mouth turning into a snarl. “You’re trespassing, Easton.”
“Call the cops, then.” Avery took another step, barely masking the horror consuming him. He swallowed roughly before he addressed Payton, “Libby told me where to find the two of you.”
Noah jumped up, dressed only in soaked jeans, and stood between Avery and Payton. “Payton hasn't returned your phone calls for a reason.” He stabbed his finger in the general vicinity of Avery's face. “Take the hint."
Sidling to the left, Avery narrowed his green-gold eyes on the side of her face. "Are you okay?” He flinched when he spotted the knot protruding from her collarbone. A few heartbeats after he found the black and purple bruises marring her elbows, he said, "Ridiculous question, of course you’re not okay.”
Noah bristled. "I’m taking care of her just fine.”
Keeping his eyes on Payton, Avery said to Noah, “I can see how well you’re taking care of her. I'm sure rolling her tender body across sand and broken shells will benefit her greatly. Smart thinking.”
Somehow, she had to separate them on good terms. "Noah found me quickly and took me to the emergency room. I’m merely banged up.” Though she’d done nothing wrong, Payton couldn't hold Avery’s gaze.
Avery held his hand out for her. "I want my doctor to examine you."
Noah protested, “If she needs to go back to the doctor, I'll carry her."
Avery dropped his hand. "A second opinion couldn't hurt."
Payton intervened, “I have a personal doctor, Avery. But thanks for the offer." She couldn't sit on the sand forever. To the side, she spotted Noah’s shirt floating on a small wave, which meant she had absolutely nothing to wear. As naked as the day she was born, she stood on shaky legs, covering her breasts and putting one thigh in front of the other. Noah pulled her behind him, shielding her from Avery. At the same time, Avery tugged his bronze dress shirt from his waistband and swiftly unbuttoned it. He held it out for her, and their fingers brushed when Payton accepted it, igniting tingles up her arm. Gratefully, she slipped on his shirt as soft as gossamer and inhaled. Memories flooded her: Avery's scent, his touch, his strength as he commanded her to repeated climaxes and then held her tenderly afterwards, until she fell asleep in his arms. “Thank you."
"Anything, Payton, I will do anything, anytime for you." The sun glared over his dark skin, highlighting every imperfection. The burns on half his body were startling, the tattoos covering those wicked burns an intricate weave of bloomless vines.
“All this time, I thought you received those scars from Tower Amore’s fire.”
“I figured as much."
“Were you ever going to tell me about Helen?”
He threw up those masculine hands that had cupped her nipples and had parted her thighs during an unforgettable night. “I didn’t think mentioning memories of a former girlfriend was a significant prelude to our relationship.”
Noah spoke up, “That’s bullshit.”
Avery tilted his head, strands of blue-black hair tickling his cheek. “Do you have all the answers, Wyatt?"
“No, I'm still left wondering why I had to tell Payton instead of you. She cried on my chest for two hellish nights. She couldn't sleep, couldn't eat.”
&nb
sp; Avery nodded. “So you're the informer.”
Noah took a step forward. “So you're the liar!"
“Lying implies deceit, and I was never dishonest with her.” Avery lifted his hand to his face, rubbing his whiskered jaw. “Payton, I'm sure you recall exactly how honest I was with you from the start.”
Avery had explained he couldn't penetrate her in the way Dylan had sexually, instead, improvising with his glorious tongue, his expert hands, and a few sex toys. During their night together, he had been honest about the most embarrassing shortcoming a man could admit to having.
Payton wanted answers. “Noah, I'll meet you inside in a few minutes.”
“You've got to be kidding me, Pay.”
Putting her hand on his shoulder, she smiled encouragingly. “This won't take long.”
"I'm afraid it will, because you're coming with me"
"Don't make me punch you," Noah seethed. "She'll never forgive me if I do."
"You'll never forgive yourself, if she dies," Avery countered. "Last night, Payton's personal security was cancelled via an in-house phone from The Easton Hotel. And you know what happened next, since you found her."
"I screamed for them to help me." She shuddered, trying to push the memory of helplessness away. "I regret giving them the slip earlier in the night."
"Come here," pleaded Avery, holding his arms wide for her. When she stayed put, he said, "Dylan is questioning everyone on staff himself, not that he can exactly see straight. He's furious. He's beside himself. He needs to see you, so do I." He pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. "It's Dylan."
Noah turned to Payton, wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be okay, baby." Noah's phone buzzed, but he ignored it as he rubbed his palms up and down her back.
"I don't think so," she muttered against his chest. "Think about what my attacker said to me, that I was always such a tease."
Noah drew away from her slightly, staring down. "As if he knew you."
"Yeah, but I've never teased guys, not even when I was a teenager. I wasn't that girl, you know?"
"Of course, I know." He kissed her temple.
"What are you two talking about?" Avery slid his phone in his pocket, a knot in his jaw forming.
Noah repeated the story verbatim, stressing her attacker's weird statement and even weirder kiss, reluctantly confiding in Avery of the police department's unwillingness to help.
Avery's eyes turned to hazel ice. "Dylan just told me some deviant messed with the firehouse's gas lines last night. That the maniac who attacked you might have been setting up the place to blow." He looked between Payton and Noah. "The police aren't going to help, when their aim is to blame Dylan."
Payton nearly lost her footing. "They're trying to charge Dylan?"
"It's only a matter of time. They can't drop the past, and they would have sick vindication for putting Tower Amore's open arson case to rest."
Payton's skin pebbled, turned cold. "I can't believe this."
Avery watched her shiver. "Since I know Dylan would die before he would harm you, it's obvious someone is using you to get to Dylan in the worst way possible."
"The chocolates were meant for Payton."
"We think so."
"Hold on," Payton argued. "Noah ate those before Dylan announced our so-called engagement."
"That's the most frightening part, Payton. Think about it. That reeks of a professional job, poisoning those chocolates with a prescription drug. Someone had planned and swiftly executed said plan possibly the first time you encountered Dylan in Tower Amore."
"At the fundraiser?" she asked.
Avery nodded, slowly coming closer. "Shockingly, he or she may have watched us, as well. We can't risk you another moment."
Noah threw a look at Avery that she couldn't decipher. Maybe it was a man thing. When they finally nodded grimly at each other, Noah's face settled into determination. "Where are you taking her?"
She pushed away from Noah. "What do you mean, where is he taking me?"
Carefully, Avery stopped behind her, his hands landing possessively on her shoulders. "I'd rather not say out here, but you're welcome to come. Drake and Trey have taken Libby under their protection."
Noah shook his head no. "I'll be fine here, for now. I have two more gigs this week, and I can't let down my band."
"If you don't come with us now, you'll have to stay away from Payton until this is over, since you would leave a breadcrumb trail straight to her whereabouts."
That gave Noah pause. "I'm in a bad position, Payton," he finally explained. "I've been receiving texts all morning. Apparently, Club Saturday has already launched us to the upper class clubs, where scouts are known to haunt." He brought his hand to her mouth, trailed his thumb back and forth on her bottom lip. "And Stellan Hudson has called me in personally to audition for bassist." He pulled his hand away and brushed her lips with his in a butterfly's kiss. Avery went rigid behind her, but he said nothing. "How can I turn him away?"
"Stellan Hudson?"
"The one and only."
"You can't pass that audition up, Noah." Payton knew those opportunities were rare and wouldn't be offered again so easily, if he were to dismiss them. "At least, something positive has happened. Congratulations. But still...” Payton wasn't ready to go anywhere with Avery, but what he proposed was chilling. Was she centered in a coldblooded vendetta aimed at Dylan Easton? Would someone brutalize her again, maybe kill her next time, to seek his or her revenge. Her head spun, the slight ache at her temple starting to throb. "I don't want anything else to happen to you, Noah," she said weakly, pressing light fingertips to her injured head. "Letting your band down is nothing compared to your life."
"If the firehouse doesn't pan out, like you, I would lose my college money.” His eyes stormy with what wasn't said: he would also lose his dreams. "What do you expect me to do?"
"You can always change your mind, and we'll provide you a private safe house. We've brought in our security team from New York. For Payton's sake, would you accept a complementary suite at Hytel Plume, a few guards, and an untraceable cell phone?"
Noah countered, "For Payton's sake, are you going to do a better job of keeping her alive than you did Helen Savon?"
Avery's harsh breath hit her nape, his tension rolling into her back. "If you knew how I earned these scars, you wouldn't ask me that."
Noah focused on Payton. "I know this isn't what you want, that you've avoided him for days, but they have the financial means of protecting you and Libby far better than I can. Tell me if you're on board with this."
She nodded, tears blurring her vision. "Make sure you father doesn't say anything to Mom."
"I will." He brought her in his arms, but Avery kept his hands on her shoulders. "Don't do anything you'll regret," he whispered against her ear.
"Should I say the same to you?" she asked, when he pulled away.
"If I knew you truly loved me."
"I'll always love you."
He kissed her hard, sucking on her tongue for a few erotic seconds before pulling away and resting his cheek against her cheek. "But not in the way I want." Abruptly, he turned away, kicking the sand up as he jogged to the deck.
Payton traced her lips, still tingling from the fierceness of his kiss. "That felt like goodbye."
"From where I stand, he's left goodbyes up to you." He lifted her in his arms. "As for me, I'm coming at you."
"I don't need to be carried."
"Indulge me."
"Promise me Noah is going to be okay."
"I'm leaving three men with him. They'll escort him to Hytel Plume and everywhere else he chooses to go."
"That wasn't exactly a promise."
"No it wasn't. But I don't make promises lightly and your friend is more stubborn than you are."
"I'm going with you, aren't I?"
"Michael, we don't need the duct tape and gag after all." Avery said to his imposing head of security. "She's going willingly." He
placed her in the back of the shittiest van Payton had ever seen. Apparently, this was Avery's version of going incognito, by leaving cars at home that cost more than many people made in a lifetime.
"Yet you brought your kidnapper's van just in case," she said dryly, taking her seat. Next to her, Payton's purse, ruined dress, stilettos, and panties sat neatly in a pile.
Michael wore a Sox cap on his dark head, jeans and a dark all weather jacket replacing his typical dark suit. His blue-steel eyes met hers briefly, before he slid aviators across the bridge of his nose. "Still the attention getter as always, Miss Calloway, but at least you aren't drunk."
