The team had a bye week, it was October (and finally not ungodly hot), and Emery had tagged along with Noah and his friends to a dance club. She’d draped a gauzy lightweight sweater over her strapless top and skirt. Emery didn’t want any unwanted attention on her arm. Noah never asked her about her scars, but it was clear that he’d seen them. His quiet understanding was one of the things that made their entire situation work.
She’d been watching him get hit on all night by very attractive, outgoing girls. Girls she would never be like. Girls that he would end up with eventually.
After more drinks than she could remember, she stepped onto the dance floor to relieve some of the tension in her body. She wasn’t upset at the parade of girls Noah hadn’t been entertaining, she was just resigned to the reality of them. The girls would always be there. It would never work with them, so she had no problem with him seeking what he needed elsewhere. She certainly couldn’t give it to him. She was just so used to it just being them in their place with all that charm turned on her, but she’d been very clear about not wanting his attention in public. Sometimes she wished he didn’t respect her rules, like that Valentine’s Day. That was probably one of the best days of her life.
She was dancing by herself when a guy came up and started dancing with her, moving with her body. Her knee was in between his legs, they moved to the beat, and Emery forgot everything. She forgot Ashley, Phil, and Noah.
She gasped when she felt a strong hand grasp her hand, which was currently above her head, and yank her off to the left. Her eyes snapped open to find Noah, panting and looking quite pissed. She saw a fierceness in his eyes he usually saved for the football field. She looked back at her dance partner and shrugged, mouthed “sorry,” and waved.
She let Noah drag her through the club, adrenaline pumping through her veins. He pushed through the crowd and out the door, the music simply background noise now.
Emery pulled at her hand, forcing Noah to halt walking toward where his SUV was parked. “What’s going on?” she asked once he turned to face her.
His brow furrowed for a minute and then disappeared once he touched her. He pulled the rubber band out of her sweaty hair and ran his hands through it, then gently and possessively kissed her—right there on the sidewalk of Broadway. His actions confused her and were contrary to what they’d been doing for the last two years and what he’d been doing earlier tonight.
“What—” she started once he tore his lips from hers.
Instead of letting her finish, he tugged her hand, hard, toward his SUV and continued to haul her behind him until he opened the passenger side door for her.
“Noah!” She fell into the seat and he shut the door.
Once he got into the driver’s seat, he sat looking at the steering wheel for several eerie quiet seconds.
“Noah?” she tried again.
“Quiet, Emily. Please,” Noah demanded softly. He didn’t look at her, but started the engine and sped toward their house.
He was starting to worry her; there was an undercurrent of something between them that hadn’t been there before. It was a want, a need that she wasn’t completely comfortable with. She laid her head on the cool glass of the window, trying to relax her heartbeat and breathing. Something was happening tonight. She didn’t know what and she didn’t know whether it was good or bad.
After a silent drive back to their place, he pulled into a parking space and cut the engine. Emily started to open her door, but she felt his hand on her arm.
“Don’t,” he commanded.
Emily sat back in her seat and looked at Noah, whose expression she couldn’t read. He walked around to her side of the Jeep and opened the door. He took her hand and gently tugged her out of her seat.
“Noah?” she tried again, her voice full of unasked questions.
They walked inside hand in hand, but as soon as Noah shut the door, he was peeling off her shirt and pushing her farther into the apartment. She held her hands up for him to lift her top over her head, giving him access to her body. He stripped his shirt off at a frantic pace. They stood and looked at each other, his chest rising and falling at a rapid beat. She put her hands on his bare chest and looked into his eyes. Her face showed her confusion.
Noah took a step back, separating their bodies, but not far enough for her to lose the feeling of his heat. “I didn’t like you dancing with that guy, Em.”
“Okay,” she whispered, not really knowing what exactly that meant.
“I’m the only person who can touch you from now on. Okay?” Noah reached around and unfastened Emery’s strapless bra, letting it fall to the floor. “I’m the only one who will see you like this. Okay?”