She moans my name over and over again, the sound shooting straight through me like a bullet, her body arching into mine like she can't get close enough. It's everything—she's everything. A fierce protectiveness surges through me, mixing with the desire until I can't separate them. I want to wreck her and shield her, consume her and cherish her. The contradiction is fucking maddening.

My hand slides lower, fingers tracing the waistband of her shorts, hesitating for just a moment—giving her one last chance to back out before we cross this line. Her hips rock forward impatiently, answering my unspoken question. But just as I slip my hand lower, reality crashes back in with the sound of my name.

"Nate." Nick's voice, clear and unrelenting, cuts through the thick fog of desire like ice water down my spine. "You still here?"

My forehead presses against hers, both of us breathing hard, hearts racing in tandem. Her pupils are blown wide as she looks up at me, lips swollen from my kisses, cheeks flushed pink, hair mussed from my fingers. The sight nearly breaks my resolve—I want to tell the whole world to go to hell just to stay in this moment with her.

I hear the back door slam, and the real world comes rushing back in all its unwanted clarity.

"Shit," I mutter under my breath, forcing myself to step back just enough to put space between us, though every cell in my body screams in protest at the distance.

Nora looks utterly wrecked in the best possible way—hair mussed from my fingers, shirt slightly askew, chest rising and falling rapidly. It takes everything in me not to kiss her again. She fidgets adorably, smoothing her hair and tugging at her clothes, movements awkward and endearing. The way she won't meet my eyes sends a surge of tenderness through my chest.

"You okay?" I say softly, reaching out to tip her chin up until those green eyes, still clouded with desire, lock onto mine. I can't help but smile.

She nods quickly, but her blush deepens, spreading down her neck, and I laugh softly.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just cute when you're flustered."

"Shut up," she laughs, swatting at my chest without any real force behind it. The sound wraps around my heart like a caress. I never knew love had a sound until I heard her laugh.

I step back reluctantly, my hands aching to pull her close again.

"We'll finish this later," I murmur, voice low enough for only her to hear.

The way her breath catches tells me everything I need to know.

Later. We both know it's inevitable.

My phone buzzes against my thigh, the vibration jarring in the charged air between us. Jay's name flashes across the screen, but I ignore it. I can't look away from her yet—the flush still painting her cheeks, lips swollen because of me.

God, she's stunning, and I'm completely fucked up because of her.