Page 49 of Shattered Oaths

Bella swallows hard, her own breaths matching mine. “Yeah,” she croaks.

I move forward another centimetre, my voice low and gravelly. “And what’s that?”

Our eyes are locked on one another’s, a silent battle happening in the small space between us.

Kiss me, Bells. Just lean forward and kiss me.

She leans in even closer and for that split second, I really think she’s about to do it. My eyes close, lips parting as I wait for the feel of hers against mine. But they don’t come. Instead, the heat of her cheek brushes against mine as she presses her mouth to my ear and whispers, “I want to start paying rent.”

***

BELLA

I’ve never felt so alive.

For the second time in just a few days, I’ve almost kissed Noah. And every nerve ending in my body is on fire.

I don’t know when we went from two friends sharing a house to friends who flirt with each other, but I’m not mad about it.

It’s been years since my body has craved someone as much as it craves Noah right now.

I’m uncertain whether this is just a game for him or if he feels the same burning need for me as I do for him. And as much as I wanted nothing more than to climb into his lap and take exactly what I want from him, I’m not going to be the first to make a move. If Noah wants me, he knows where to find me. And until he admits it, I’m happy to keep playing whatever game we’re playing right now.

Although, I can’t help feeling like my teasing backfired because after my comment about paying rent, Noah laughed and continued eating his dinner like he hadn’t seen food in over a week. Meanwhile, I had to force myself to chew and swallow while squirming in my seat andpretending like I couldn’t see the painfully obvious bulge pressing against his jeans.

As promised, he cleaned up every bit of mess I had made while cooking the meal before disappearing upstairs to take a shower. The moment I heard the lock on the bathroom door turn, I was tempted to sneak into my bedroom and put the new toy I just bought to good use, but then I thought better of it.

The last thing I need is him finishing his shower quicker than usual and overhearing me getting myself off to thoughts of him.

So, now I’m lying on the couch in my pyjamas – which happen to be the skimpiest ones I own – and flicking through Netflix to distract myself from the wet, naked man upstairs.

Spoiler alert; it’s not working.

The bathroom door opens and my stomach flips in anticipation. Sitting up straighter on the couch, I slow my breathing and continue flicking through movies, not really paying attention.

The stairs creak with every step and I smell him before I see him. The earthy yet masculine scent of his body wash tingles my nose and causes goosebumps to litter my skin.

“What are we watching tonight?” He asks, coming into view and if I had even the slightest idea what we were watching, it would have left my mind the moment my eyes land on his still damp bare chest.

Tattoos cover almost every inch of his skin save for his abs, that are a work of art all on their own. A light dusting of hair runs from his navel down to where it disappears behind…mother of God, a pair of light grey shorts. His left leg is also covered in tattoos, with intricate designs wovenaround the front and back, making it all blend together seamlessly. And his feet are bare.

I swallow. Hard.

“Bells?”

My eyes snap up to his, face heating with embarrassment when I see the smirk on his. He knows exactly what he’s doing. “Yeah?”

“What are we watching?” He gestures at the TV, holding out one of the two beers he’s holding for me. Huh, hadn’t noticed those before.

I take it and say a quick thank you before chugging half of it down in one and toss the remote to him. “You can choose.”

He chuckles and shakes his head, taking a seat next to me and picking up the remote. He scrolls through the options, and I watch in fascination as the muscles in his arm flex with every click of a button.

Is everything he does hot? Or am I ovulating? I should check my app.

“What are you feeling? Action or comedy?” he asks and for some strange reason I almost answer, “You. I want to feel you.”

“Umm, I’m not really bothered,” I answer instead and take another long drink from the bottle of beer. I might need ten of these to make it through this night.