Then her big SEAL bodyguard stood, closing the distance between them in a blur. She expected him to stop a few feet away, to look her deep in the eyes and say he was ready to take a chance, too. But he didn’t stop, and he didn’t speak. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until a moan of pleasure found its way up from deep in her chest.
Peyton guessed that was Noah’s way of saying yes.
* * * * *
Peyton had read more than a few romance books that included lines about the heroine being kissed until she felt breathless and dizzy. Having never experienced anything like that herself, she took it for nothing more than romantic prose and avoided it in her own stories. But by the time Noah stepped back to look down at her, his eyes smoldering with heat, she was definitely out of breath and lightheaded, leaving her with the amazing realization that sometimes romance books got it right.
“Where do we go from here?” Noah asked softly, resting his forehead on hers, his arms around her.
She smiled up at him. “How about your bedroom?”
He continued to gaze down at her. “Are you sure? We don’t need to rush anything. Now that I know you’re in this with me, I can wait forever if I have to.”
Peyton went up on tiptoe and silenced whatever else he might be about to say with a kiss. Then she put her arms around his neck, in case he got any ideas about pulling away again. He didn’t even try. Instead, he slid one hand into her hair and settled the other on the small of her back, tugging her close.
She moaned against his mouth, letting his tongue take possession of hers and teasing her mercilessly. Desire spiraled through her, making her tingle. Maybe it was everything that happened tonight—the way he’d risked himself to save her life, the fact that they were really committing to something long-term—but right then, Peyton wanted Noah more than she’d ever wanted anyone.
She slid her hands down his chest, the muscles there reminding her of how built he was underneath his dress shirt. “Take me to bed,” she said softly.
He pulled back to gaze down at her for one long moment, then swung her up in his arms without another word and headed down the hall. She hooked her arms around his neck and rested her head against his shoulder. There was definitely something to be said for being with a big, strong guy.
When they got to his room, Noah carried her over to the bed and gently lowered her feet to the floor. Peyton immediately reached up and undid his tie, before using the ends to pull him close for another kiss. As their lips continued to move hungrily against each other, she worked her way down his shirt, fumbling a little with the buttons in her eagerness, but finally getting them undone.
Peyton took a few seconds to enjoy the feel of all those muscles under her hands as she pushed the dress shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. Then she ran her fingers slowly across his bare chest, pausing to appreciate every perfectly sculpted muscle along the way. There were some scrapes and bruises along the outside of one shoulder and down his back from where he’d hit the ground after jumping out of the van with her in his arms, but the wounds didn’t seem to bother him at all.
She moved lower, lightly tracing his six-pack until she got to his belt. He caught her hands before she could tug it open. Peyton looked up at him in confusion.
Noah flashed her a sexy grin. “My turn.”
Peyton arched an eyebrow, certainly not planning to protest as Noah reached down to grab the hem of her tank top and slowly pulled it up and over her head. Dropping her top casually to the floor, he stood there, his eyes worshiping every inch of bare skin, his gaze slowing as it slid over her breasts. He locked on the rosy tips, the heat in his eyes making her burn hot all over as he moved closer and caught his fingers in the waistband of her shorts. Lips edging up at the corner, he nudged them down over her hips, letting them fall to the floor and leaving her standing there naked.
“You’re so beautiful,” Noah said as he cupped her breasts, his thumbs teasing her nipples and making her gasp.
Peyton grasped his shoulders, afraid she might fall if she didn’t. A moment later, she was glad she had because Noah bent and closed his mouth around one sensitive peak. She caught her breath. Oh yeah, if she weren’t holding onto something right then, she would have definitely floated away—or melted into a puddle on the floor.
He suckled on her breasts, going back and forth from one to the other until she could barely think straight. She didn’t know if it was possible to orgasm from what he was doing, but she definitely wouldn’t mind finding out.
But Noah stopped before she could.
Peyton opened her eyes to find him regarding her, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I could do that all night,” he said. “But if I did, then I wouldn’t get to taste the rest of your gorgeous body.”
Before she could reply, his mouth covered hers and he was urging her back onto the bed, until her knees hit the edge and she tumbled onto the mattress. Then Noah was standing there at the side of the bed, gazing down at her completely naked body.
He never broke eye contact with her as he dropped to his knees by the bed. Then he grabbed her legs and pulled her closer to the edge of the mattress, getting her perfectly positioned. Peyton’s breath hitched. Gaze locked with hers, he slowly ran his hands up the inside of her
