Noah’s P.O.V.The drive back to the lake house was like moving with a pressure cooker, and the air between us was thick with unspoken fury, well, mostly from me. I slouched in the passenger seat of stupid rented beat-up Chevy, arms crossed over my chest, my biceps flexing under my jacket as the tension refused to leave my body. The hum of the engine rattled through the silence, and my jaw ached from clenching it so hard, teeth grinding like I could chew through steel. My lips still throbbed, split and swollen from that feral kiss outside the theater, the taste of his blood lingering on my tongue.Meanwhile Dorian was gripping the wheel so hard his pale knuckles turned white, that red hair catching the faint glow of every passing streetlights. His green eyes stayed fixed on the road, but I could feel the heat radiating off him—anger, yeah, but something else too, something that made my skin prickle.He broke the silence first, voice rough as gravel. “You really going back to campus? I
DORIAN'S POVAfter everything I did, I shouldn’t be on my knees for him, shouldn’t be letting my hands shake as they worked the button of his jeans. But I was. Because Noah Carter—Noah fucking Carter—was looking at me like I wasn’t the bastard who’d spent years hating him, wanting to ruin him. He was looking at me like I was something worth trusting again. And I didn’t deserve it nor did I deserve him. But I wanted him more than I wanted my next fucking breath.With clumsy fingers, I pulled down his zipper, carefully lowering is jeans past his hips. This was a second chance that Carter was giving me and whilst it was everything I wanted, I felt guilty as hell because there was one more thing I was hiding from Noah, and if Noah found out, he would never look at me the same way. Two weeks ago, if you asked me how I'd feel after having my way with Noah and hurting him, it wouldn't be gutted and torn apart on the inside. Because that exactly was the plan, to use and dump him, making hi
DORIAN'S POV:“Good boy,” I dragged my lips over his jaw, peppering soft kisses along the sharp cut.Noah’s breath shuddered out of him. His legs trembled where they were spread wide, knees falling open, fingers still buried inside himself. His cheeks were flushed red, freckles I didn't even know he had blooming darker across them. Seeing the line of his throat slick with sweat, I couldn't help myself from leaning down further and licking the saltiness. God, I couldn't believe Noah fingered himself for me, just to prove he was ready for me to fuck him. Hockey captain allowing himself to be so fucking vulnerable with me even after discovering what I did on that app.Feeling a lump tighten in my throat, I cupped his jaw, thumb dragging across his kiss-swollen mouth. “Let me take over now, okay? ”He exhaled and slowly nodded. "Okay?" I kissed him then—slow, unhurried, nothing like the desperation we’d torn through each other with minutes ago. This was different. This was me telling him
Dorian’s P.O.VWe've been at it for hours and the sheets were a mess, sticky and damp with sweat and cum, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Noah was sprawled halfway over me, his golden hair tangled and damp. His lips were red and swollen from hours of kissing and biting while he traced lazy circles over my chest with his fingers. Specifically my nipples like he couldn’t decide if he wanted lazy cuddling or drive me out of my mind.My cock was useless, drained after what felt like hours of fucking, but Noah didn’t seem to care. His hand slid lower sometimes, brushing over it, and even though I didn’t have anything left, it still twitched. Fucking cracy how i never seemed to get enough of this guy. The thought made a lump form in my throat and I immediately forced away the voice reminding me of my plans before I ruined the moment.“Jesus,” I finally muttered and caught his wrist when they gripped my balls, groaning as his lips curved into that sly, boyish grin that drove me nuts. “
Noah's POVTwo days. That was how long it had been since the weekend at Lake Wanand. Since the ski trip and the hot tub. Since I had let Dorian fuck me and take my ass virginity. Since I had kissed him under a sky full of fireflies like I wasn’t a coward living two separate lives. Two days, and I still felt like I was floating.I pushed open the locker room door, the familiar weight of my hockey bag digging into my shoulder, and I was met with a chorus of cheers and thumps on the back. The guys were already half-dressed for practice, sprawled on benches and talking shit like always. Someone chucked a towel at someone else and it hit me right in the face. That's when they all turned around and began looking at me like they'd just seen a ghost“Look who finally decided to Grace us with his presence!” someone shouted—Cody maybe, or Wes—and then they were all on me. Thumping my back hard enough jolt me forward. They all cheered around me shouting like I had just come back from the dead.
Dorian's P.O.VBy the time Coach was done running us into the ground with workouts that had to be from the devil's handbook, my legs felt like they'd been swapped for concrete slabs. Every muscle in my body ached in a way that made me rethink all my life choices. I could already feel tomorrow's soreness settling into my bones, and the thought of hauling my ass to my part-time job after this made me want to slam my hand into a wall. Finals were creeping closer, and there wasn't enough time in the goddamn day to study, work, and still scrape together the cash I needed. I was so broke that I was using my old button cell phone which I'd abandoned when I bought my first Android phone and it was hanging together by tape and prayers. and there were days I had to pick between buying lunch or saving for a replacement. In the same shitshow of my life was Noah Carter too.I was dodging him so hard it was starting to feel like a sport of its own. Every time he looked at me from across the room w
NoahFuck, that was close.My chest felt like it was about to crack open, as my heart hammered against my sternum like it wanted wings, to fly the hell out of this locker room and leave me to deal with the disaster I’d almost caused.Jaxon had almost caught us.I could still feel the heat of Dorian's mouth on mine, kissing me stupid as I jerked his dick in the middle of the damn locker room, knowing fucking well that anyone could step in.If Jaxon hadn’t been stomping around like an angry gorilla, kicking doors open loud enough to wake the dead, I wouldn’t have had time to pull away. Wouldn’t have had the chance to wipe that stupid, guilty look off my face and replace it with something blank. Bored. Like I wasn’t two seconds away from blowing apart all over Dorian’s hand.I wiped my palms on my sweats and forced my breathing to slow. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Act natural, Carter. Don’t give him a reason to look down. Because if he did—if he saw the obvious tent in my
DORIANThe next day, after practice...I was dead on my feet.My jersey stuck to my back, sweat dripping off my hairline, and my thighs felt like they’d been beaten with a baseball bat. Worse of all, I hadn't slept more than a couple hours the night before replaying Noah's miss, his hands on my cock, every single thing like some obsessive freak who couldn't get his head done straight. Couple with the gruesome practice today, I was beyond tired. All I wanted was to take a shower, shove some trash food into my mouth, and maybe—maybe—make it through half my philosophy syllabus before my brain melted.Spoiler: it was gonna melt either way. But Coach had given us a three-day window to keep our grades clean because of the end of semester exams before hell week (games), and I couldn't afford to bomb this or I'd be screwed.I swung open the locker room door and got hit with the usual wave of noise. Guys shouting over each other, the sharp clang of metal as someone slammed a locker shut, the w
Noah's P.O.V The long drive from campus to my home felt like a slow trek to my own execution. By the time I pulled up to the front of my family’s mansion, the same looming, white-stoned fortress I'd grown up in, it had gotten even darker. My tires crunched over the long winding driveway which was filled with floodlights along the stone paths down which cut through the Late night November darkness. I killed the engine, and left my hands on the steering wheel, breathing in and out. For a second, I just sat there, staring up at the massive house like it was about to swallow me whole. It was like a giant beast carved into hill, the many floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting lights causing the house to glow all by itself. Beside me, Dorian whistled low from the passenger seat. "Jesus," he muttered, turning to me with raised brows. "You lived here your whole life?" He shoved the door and stepped out, craning his neck to take it all in; the ivy wrapped columns, the massive lak doors
Noah's P.O.VThe long drive from campus to my home felt like a slow trek to my own execution. By the time I pulled up to the front of my family’s mansion, the same looming, white-stoned fortress I'd grown up in, it had gotten even darker. My tires crunched over the long winding driveway which was filled with floodlights along the stone paths down which cut through the Late night November darkness.I killed the engine, and left my hands on the steering wheel, breathing in and out. For a second, I just sat there, staring up at the massive house like it was about to swallow me whole. It was like a giant beast carved into hill, the many floor-to-ceiling glass windows reflecting lights causing the house to glow all by itself.Beside me, Dorian whistled low from the passenger seat."Jesus," he muttered, turning to me with raised brows. "You lived here your whole life?" He shoved the door and stepped out, craning his neck to take it all in; the ivy wrapped columns, the massive lak doors and
Noah's P.O.VThe bass thudded so hard through the walls it rattled the red Solo cup in my hand. I wasn't even sure what I was drinking anymore but it clearly was something sweet and carbonated that burned my throat going down. It didn’t matter anyway because I was here to get shit faced drunk and forget why I even was alive.I leaned back against the wall of the sorority house, blinking against the strobe lights flashing through the crowd. There were bodies all around me. Everyone was sweaty, drunk and sloshing drinks everywhere. However I felt...empty as though I was watching it all through a thick glass window.But even through the blur of it, my eyes kept betraying me as they flickered back to where Dorian stood surrounded by a small harem of girls. All of them were gorgeous—perfect bodies, perfect makeup, shrieking with laughter at whatever bullshit he was saying.I couldn't stopooking at him.I kept telling myself not to and just be normal, have fun and to let go, but every damn
Noah’s P.O.VIt has been three days since that Thanksgiving dinner with Jaxon’s family and I swear to God, it might as well have been three years with how fucking hectic everything got afterward. Long hours, harder drills, screaming matches on the ice because Coach kept grinding us down to the bone. Everyone was running on fumes, trying to stay sharp for the last (8th) game of the regionals, but I felt like I was back in fucking hell week.On the...somewhat...bright side, Dorian was finally back with us. Coach had unbenched him after I promised to not let our personal relationship or the lack of it affect the twam , and for a minute, I thought things might go back to normal. Dorian stayed out of my way during practice and he'd gone back to his usual animosity, not speaking to anyone before and after practice. But when it came time for Coach to list the starting lineup for the final games, Dorian’s name wasn’t on it. I caught the flicker of hurt that crossed his face when Coach said i
Noah's P.O.VThanksgiving NightThe scent of roasted garlic and slow-cooked turkey clung to every inch of the Reid house. I could hear Mrs. Reid’s voice from the kitchen yelling at someone, probably Anna, for trying to taste-test the cranberry sauce before dinner. The house was glowing warm, every hallway and room filled with soft laughter and rich aromas and the sounds of a family that loved being around each other.I’d only been here for less than a day, and already it felt more like home than anywhere I’d ever known, making me wonder how I'd managed to stay away all these past months. It was no wonder I usually spent every holiday with the Reids.Dinner was chaos in the best way. The table was bustling with passed plates and overlapping conversations. Sebastian, for someone who claimed he was bad with families, had already managed to make every single Reid sister laugh at least once. The fourth oldest, Clarissa, I think, giggled so hard she choked on her wine when he deadpanned th
Noah’s POVI winced so hard my spine nearly folded in half.Jaxon’s dad had a warm smile on his face and it was the kind of genuine one that made you feel instantly welcome, but right now it felt like a thousand-pound spotlight was on me. Because he was looking directly at me, assuming that Sebastian, Jaxon’s boyfriend, was mine.I risked a glance at Jaxon because I really didn't know if Jaxon was ready to tell his family.However, he looked surprisingly calm, lips pressed together, brows just slightly lifted. Then, he gave me a discreet nod. I'm ready.Right. Okay.I opened my mouth, ready to clear it up, but before I could even get past a single vowel, a hurricane in the form of a woman barreled into the room.“Oh mio Dio, i miei bambini!” she gasped out.She was tiny. Tiny, but her presence was enormous—fiery dark curls pinned back with two clips that were barely doing their job, red apron tied snug around her waist, and a look in her eyes like she was about to scold us into next w
Noah's P.O.VThe second I stepped out of my car, they jumped apart like kids caught making out behind the bleachers. Jaxon’s eyes flicked toward me, looking sheepish and… weirdly guilty? His hair was a mess from where the guy had clearly been gripping it. They looked like they’d been going at it for more than just a friendly peck.Oh my God.Oh my actual fucking God.“You might be surprised tomorrow,” Jaxon had said.This was the fucking surprise?Jaxon fucking Reid. Mr. “I’ve had a threesome with the Henderson twins.” Mr. “Choke me with your thighs, mommy,” himself… was gay too?And it was with his tutor? The same one I’d seen once or twice in the background when Jaxon was FaceTiming him at odd hours while claiming to be "studying" with him? That really pretty guy with the flawless skin and the glasses he probably didn’t even need?I blinked hard. “Am I hallucinating right now?”Jaxon raised both hands like I was holding him at gunpoint, pouring out words as he tried to dig himself o
Noah's P.O.VI didn’t remember the moment when I left the store and got on the road, driving to Jaxon's family house. Hell, I couldn’t even tell you what was playing on the speakers, even though I knew it was that stupid ass playlist Jaxon had shared with me—grunge and rock and some country-folk hybrid that made me want to pull my hair out when he'd begged me to indulge him. Right now, my brain was loud, louder than any music could ever be.Outside, the snow fell heavier now, little white streaks dancing past the windshield, like the universe was throwing static at my face just to see if I’d blink.I didn’t because I was still thinking about him.His mouth. The kiss wouldn't fucking leave my brain. It was as if his lips was still crushing mine and his breath lived in my lungs. My lips tingled with the need to be back on his and now all I could think about was how fast it ended. I shifted in my seat, groaning through clenched teeth. My dick was pressing up against the seam of my jeans
Noah's P.O.VI kept my eyes on the road, both hands tight on the wheel like I was holding on for dear fucking life. My heart was pounding loud enough to compete with the engine’s low growl. Every building I passed just made the nerves worse, like some countdown to a moment I didn’t know if I was ready for. Why the hell was I even nervous?It’s just Dorian.Except it wasn’t just Dorian.It was the first boy I ever wanted and was bold enough to let into my heart. The boy who got under my skin and twisted every part of me into knots. The boy who broke me, and the boy I still wanted, like a fucking masochist.When I finally pulled into the parking lot, I sat there for a second, dragging in a deep breath, then another. I could just leave. Text Coach and tell him I dropped the message. But no matter how much I tried to reverse out of here, I couldn't.. My fingers were already gripping the door handle, and then I was out, snow pelting lightly on my skin.The warm off-white lights of the stor