Chapter Eighteen

Sara I laid my head down on Noah’s shoulder, and breathed shakily into his neck. My whole body trembled, and I had a feeling, if he put me down, my legs wouldn’t be able to hold me up. Not when my thighs shook, and it was hard enough just to hold on.

As the aftershocks from the orgasm died down, I could feel the drowsiness set in. I fought against it, blinking my eyes several times. Then, Noah shifted a little, and I gasped, then let out a moan as his cock, still half hard inside me, shifted with the movement. Noah let out a curse, then carefully pulled his hips back, keeping his arms tight around me, until his cock spilled out of me.

I desperately needed of a shower, but I didn’t want to leave just yet.

After a long while, Noah sighed and pecked me on the forehead.

“That bastard is going to be back eventually,” he murmured. “Let’s not give him anything to gawk at, hmm?”

I paused for a moment, before carefully nodding.

“I don’t think I can walk just yet, though,” I said quietly, my voice shaky and hoarse.

Noah was quiet, before letting out a chuckle.

“That’s fine. I’ll carry you.”

“You can move?” I said in awe.

Noah just chuckled again.

“Barely,” he admitted.

I clung to him like a limpet as we moved away from the door. Noah kept one hand around my waist, the other hand on my ass. He lowered me gently onto the bed. He straightened up and tucked his cock back into his briefs before fixing up his pants. Then, he got some wipes and helped me clean up. He left a final kiss on my nipple before righting my clothes. After he tossed the dirty wipes in the trash, he went to pick up his t-shirt and put it back on. The room had started getting darker as evening drew in, and he turned on the light, then came and joined me on the bed.

“How do you feel?” He asked, looking a little anxious.

I smiled wryly. “It’s a little late to be worried about that. Don’t worry; I’m fine anyway. I like it when you’re rough.”

He hummed, showing me a smile before he picked up my hand and kissed the back of it.

“So,” he said. “I’m curious. What was it that made you want to see me all of a sudden? I pretty much figured you’d never want to see me again after the hundredth ignored call.”

“You called me a hundred times!” I exclaimed, shocked. Then, I felt a little ashamed for ignoring his calls like that. I would see several missed calls but never bothered checking the number. After I saw his name, I’d delete the notification and not think about it again.

“It might have been more than that,” he said, shrugging, looking unconcerned.

I was lost in guilt, but only for a bit. Because I remembered that I’d forgotten why I went there, to begin with, while I was thinking about his question.

“I actually came to talk to you about something,” I started. “To do with my mom, and… your dad.”

He frowned. “Well, it’s not what I expected, but okay. What about them?”

I hesitated. I was about to make accusations about his father; he probably wouldn’t be happy with me. But I needed to know that Mom wasn’t going to regret her choice. If anything went wrong, after what she’d told me, I was sure she’d be left devastated.

So, I steeled myself and shifted so my legs were folded under me and I faced Noah.

“Do you think your dad is really in love with my mom?” I asked.

Noah froze, expression tightening. My heart thumped, and I spoke up quickly.

“I’m not trying to imply anything; I’m just really worried! I went back home to apologize to my mom. I felt bad about what happened, and she seems really happy, I just don’t want anything to go wrong. Mom mentioned something about a new venture your dad is working on, and he needed money from her for it. Do you know what it is?”

I was suspicious of his dad, but I tried to play it off out of curiosity. Of course, this wasn’t something I could just outright ask Greg. I didn’t know him, and Mom might be upset with me again if she thought I didn’t trust him. I was hoping Noah would have some information, but he wasn’t speaking at all, and I grew anxious as seconds passed by without him saying a word.

Finally, he sighed, eyes closed as his expression turned pained. I almost said to forget it. I didn’t want Noah upset, either. I’d just have to talk to Mom and find some way to make sure Greg wasn’t trying to cheat her out of her money. Before I could, he finally responded.

“I wanted to talk to you about that, actually. Back then. You didn’t want to know, and you wouldn’t talk to me, so I wasn’t able to tell you.”

His eyes opened, and the apology I saw in them left me feeling confused.

“What was it, then?” I asked.

He took a deep breath, eyes flitting away, before he forced his gaze back to me, his expression wary.

“My dad… I don’t know if he cares about your mom or not, so I can't honestly answer that. But he did tell me she was going to help him with some money since he can't get the loan he needs.”

“What?” I said, shocked. “Did he tell you that?”

He nodded, the movement jerky.

“Do you remember, when I told you I started the Sext Me line because my dad gambled my money away? He owes me, and he’s broke, so he needs money. And….”

“He’s going to get it from my mom,” I said in realization.

Noah nodded, shame-faced.

“I don’t know much about his new venture so I can't tell you anything about it, he just told me he was pretty confident in it. I went there that day to talk to him about it, but then you were there. And when you tried to leave, I wanted to tell you…”

I felt even worse than before. “I was the one that refused to listen to you.”

So, what if Noah is my stepbrother?

I didn’t think it really mattered. People would talk, but only if they ever found out about our parents being married. As far as the people at school were concerned, none of it was their business, to begin with. I was a little worried about Mom. What if she wasn’t happy with me when she found out about my relationship with Noah? But, if I was willing to let her be happy, she could do the same for me, couldn’t she?”

“Wait,” I said, suddenly realizing something. “You stopped with Sext Me because he was going to give you your money back, so if it all goes into his venture…”

I still felt a little uneasy about his dad borrowing money from my mom when they hadn't been married that long, but if he didn’t get the money, Noah’s tuition wouldn’t get paid. I wouldn’t be okay with Noah sleeping with other people to pay his tuition. I wouldn’t mind lending him the money, but even if I could get my hands on all the funds he needed, would he really take it? He looked so ashamed of his dad borrowing money from my mom; I didn’t think he would accept it.

Noah saw my worried expression and cupped my face between his hands. He gave me a quick kiss before pulling back to meet my gaze, expression serious.

“Sara, you don’t even have to worry about that. I swear I haven’t started it up again after you, and I don’t plan on it, either. Have a little faith in me, okay? It might be a little difficult, but I can work with the remaining funds. I already made some payments, and I’m okay until we have to start doing tests. I can't do those with a tuition balance.”

Immediately, I was worried. It had been long enough into the semester; it would be time for exams soon. There was no way to get so much money in such a short time if he had to go back to the part-time job he’d quit. Could he borrow a loan? But if it was possible, then he must have tried already, instead of looking for a part-time job and even exchanging sex for money.

“How much do you need?” I asked, thinking.

I couldn’t access my trust fund until I came of age. I got something like a monthly allowance in my bank account at the start of every month, whether the balance was empty or not. I didn’t always use it up, so I had plenty. School was paid for as well, so I didn’t have to worry about it. Getting my hands on large amounts of money, though. That would be tough.

Taking a loan would be easy for me, though. My monthly allowance wasn’t small, to begin with, and now that I’d officially started college, it was even higher. I didn’t know how it was set up, but I’d started receiving them the moment I turned eighteen, and I was still in high school then.

“No fucking way,” Noah said, voice hard as if he knew what I was thinking. “There’s no way I’m taking money from you, Sara.”

I pouted at him. “But it’ll solve everything, won't it? Besides, I won't have my man sleeping with other women for money. I get jealous, you know.”

His expression remained hard for a second, but it cracked. His eyebrows jumped up, lips curving into a smile as he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

“So, I’m your man now, hmm?” He teased. “When did that happen?”

“Do you mind?” I asked tentatively.

He chuckled, giving me a quick peck. “Of course, I don’t mind, Sara.”

I relaxed in his arms, smiling back at him happily. “Good. It’s official now. We’re together.”

Noah sighed and hugged me to his chest, burying his face in my hair.

“I like that,” he admitted. “Very much.”

The situation hadn't been resolved yet, but for the moment, I pushed them aside and closed my eyes as I leaned into his warmth.