Chapter 74 Chapter Seventy Four
Chapter Seventy-One
I shook my head, stepping back from him even though his hands stayed on my waist.
What he was proposing was impossible, just another pipe dream to get my hopes up and fail.
I was probably better off using that time to do something that would actually work, put my head down, and be on my best behaviour for Mrs. Dawson. Then I would finish high school, graduate and move to a different state for college where I could start a new life.
I couldn’t get involved in any drama or craziness.
“No. I can’t do it.” My voice shook with doubt. “It’ll never work…”
I tried to turn away, but his grip tightened on me, just firm enough to keep me from leaving.
“Wow.” Noah’s laugh was low, “You looked a lot less terrified when you were about to get hit by that truck.”
My head snapped up. “What?”
“I’m talking about yesterday, after dark. You looked less afraid when that delivery truck almost ran you over on the highway.”
His cunning eyes searched mine for a response and then he smirked. “Would dating me really be so bad?”
I suddenly remembered what he was talking about, walking back home after Allison broke my glasses, my eyes too blurred with tears to see straight.
A strong, firm hand on my arm pulling me out of harm’s way, the husky voice in my ear saying be careful.
It was a stranger, a stranger who’d disappeared before I could thank even him.
“That was you?” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “Oh my God. You saved my life.”
Noah shrugged as though it was nothing. “You looked like you needed help. So I helped.”
“I looked for you. To say thank you. But you were gone…”
“And you look like you need help now.” His thumb traced a small circle on my hip, “So let me help you, Lena. That’s all I’m asking.”
“It’s not that simple…”
“It is exactly that simple. Just think about it. You want revenge, and I can give it to you. What’s complicated about that?”
I opened my mouth to respond when he suddenly shifted his weight, guiding me into a deeper stretch that required me to twist my torso around while keeping my feet planted on the mat.
“Try this,” he said. “Keep your hips square but rotate your upper body. It’ll help with flexibility for those jumps Allison wants.”
I tried to follow his instructions, twisting awkwardly because I’d never done it before. After a few seconds, I realized it wasn’t that bad, it was actually really easy if I just--
Pop.
Oh no.
Suddenly, my back gave out with a loud crack, and my feet got tangled; then I lost my balance completely.
I crashed down onto the mat with a graceless thud, straight down on top of Noah. “Ow!”
“Oh my God, I’m sorry…” I started to scramble off the ground, full of embarrassment and apologies, “I didn’t mean to…”
I blinked and realised the position we were in.
Noah had somehow cushioned my fall, ending up flat on his back underneath me. I was straddling him, my hands braced on either side of his head, my face hovering inches above his.
His hands had landed on my hips to steady me. His shirt had ridden up in the fall, exposing a strip of perfectly sculpted abs that my knee was currently pressed against.
Heat flooded my face. “I should… Sorry— I need to…”
“You’ve already decided, haven’t you?” Noah asked quietly.
He wasn’t moving, nor was he trying to push me off or create some kind of distance between us. He was too distracted watching me with those warm brown eyes, one eyebrow slightly raised.
His thumbs traced small circles on my hips through my jeans, gripping my hips close to his groin.
“I can see it in your face,” he continued. “You just need a little more convincing, don’t you?”
My heart was hammering so hard I was certain he could feel it.
“Yes,” I heard myself say sadly. “You’re right. I’m too busy being a coward, second-guessing myself and thinking about everything that could go wrong, but the truth is… everything has already gone wrong. It literally couldn’t get any worse than this.”
I sighed, “I’ve hit rock bottom.”
I sat back slightly, which only made me more aware that I was sitting in his lap, and his hands were gripping my thighs.
“This is my senior year,” I said, my voice growing stronger. “And I want to go out with a bang. I want people to remember me as something other than the ugly scholarship kid they used to bully. And if Jace Dawson has to go down for that to happen?”
My hands curled into fists against the mat.
“Then down he will go.”
Noah’s smile was slow and devastating as he looked up at me. “I knew you’d come around. You’re even smarter than I thought you were.”
He sat up in one smooth, sudden motion. His abs flexing in a way that made my breath catch, until his back was against the mirrored wall.
I was still in his lap, but the new position felt even more intimate somehow. We were friends closer than friends ever had to be.
He was taller than me even sitting down. His hands trailed fire up from my thighs to my lower back, his touch gentle but possessive.
“But—” I forced myself to focus on the plan. “Aren’t you going to tell me what Jace did to you? Why do you hate each other so much?”
Noah tilted his head, studying me. “Why?” His voice dropped to almost a whisper, intimate and rough. “Are you worried about me, Lena?”
“A little bit, yeah.” I met his gaze. “Jace can be really dangerous… What if you get hurt?”
His smile turned sharp. “I’m more than a little dangerous myself, Lena.”
One hand came up to cup my face, his thumb gently brushing across my cheekbone.
“For once, let someone else worry about you instead of the other way around.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay?”
“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll go out with you. We’ll make Jace regret ever…” I stopped. “Wait. Should we shake on it or something? Make it official?”
Noah’s eyes dropped to my lips. “I have a different idea in mind.”
His hand slid to the back of my neck, his fingers threading softly through my hair.
“What…”
Then pulled me down and kissed me.