Undeclared(77)

I shook my head no. “Oh no, not tonight. I’m tipsy and it’s been forever since I did that routine with you.” I wasn’t tipsy at all. I had stayed carefully sober so that Noah wouldn’t have an excuse to deny me, but that still didn’t mean I wanted to shake my booty in front of this crowd.

Mal was my drinking partner at the moment and looked on with interest. “Routine? Dance? I wanna see.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can describe for you what it will look like. One awkward girl who can barely remember any steps stumbling into nine drunken girls. We’ll be like dominoes.”

“Your description only makes us want to see it more,” Noah said, turning up behind Lana. I could see I wasn’t going to get out of this without making a big scene. A crowd had gathered. I weighed being the party downer or making a fool of myself and decided for the latter. If there is ever a time to make a fool of oneself it’s while everyone is half-baked and unlikely to remember in the morning.

I allowed Lana to pull me down off my perch. I made a face at Mal and Noah. “I expect repayment in the form of sober embarrassment from both of you tomorrow.”

Mal gave me a flimsy salute, and Noah pushed him in the side. But the two followed Lana and me as we approached the great room. Adam was over at the music console, spinning up the song. I almost groaned when it started. Lana took her place in the middle and I attached myself at the end. I didn’t remember the moves very well and found myself turning the wrong way a couple of times. Still, by the chorus, muscle memory had kicked in.

Noah watched from the front row, his dark eyes unwavering. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt sexier in my life. When I shook my hair or dipped low, I kept my eyes trained on his. It felt like we were exchanging secret messages I hadn’t yet figured out how to decode. My thoughts were jumbled, but I gave over and let the music take me and move me. I danced as if Noah and I were the only ones in the room.

When the song was over, there was a big cheer and clamors for more. Out of the side of my eyes, I could see the other girls preening, but Noah was walking purposefully toward me. He grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd to the police-taped stairs. He unhooked the tape from one side, pulled me through and leaned back to reattach it. Then he moved upstairs, pulling me gently but insistently behind him.

Bo appeared at the top of the stairs and gave us a knowing half smile. I flushed with embarrassment and anticipation. Noah’s room was dark and somewhat quiet. The pulsating music from downstairs, was deadened a bit by the space and the walls of the bedrooms. He paused and looked down at me. “You okay?”

I was okay, and I was ready.


Noah

I walked her into the room. Shutting the door behind us, I locked it and stuck my desk chair underneath it. I didn’t want any drunken fools to interrupt us. The room was dark. I had drawn the blinds earlier and, with the door to the hallway closed it was hard to even make out the bed.

I didn’t want to flip on the light, though, feeling that might make Grace uncomfortable. Instead, I crossed to the bathroom, flicked the switch and left the door ajar. The light spilled out and threw shadows over the bed.

I looked back at Grace. She appeared adorably awkward, folding and unfolding her arms as if she didn’t know what she could touch. Everything, I said silently. I would show her instead.

Crossing over to her in two strides, I swung her up in my arms. She gave a squeak and patted my chest. “Nice,” she smiled.

“That’s not the only thing you’ll be saying about me tonight.” I told her with a cocky smile.

“Do you prefer the religious exclamations like ‘oh God,’ or do you have a bedroom nickname?” she sassed. I liked her when she was teasing me. Placing her on the bed, I knelt down next to her.

“I think you’ll be too incoherent to form full words,” I taunted.

“Big talk, no action,” she countered.

“I’ll give you action.” I leaned over, kissing her neck and stroking my hand on either side of her throat, down her chest and over the plump rise of her breasts.

I felt the thrum of her heart speed up against the press of my lips against her throat. I opened my mouth and sucked gently at the pulse point. I pushed her shirt upward but instead of encountering bare flesh, I felt the uneven pattern, like the lace of the panties she wore last night.

I pushed up on one arm and raised the shirt higher. “What’s this?” It looked like a very sexy undergarment made of lace, a shiny fabric and a ribbon that held the two together. Her fairly demure outfit of T-shirt and white denim skirt hid a very naughty secret.

I urged her to sit up, and I swept the shirt off her body. I barely restrained myself tearing the entire thing off. Surely that was what they were made for. I took a moment to admire the picture she made. The red lace cupped her breasts and the dark of her nipples could be seen through the fabric.