The Girl Across the Hall

by Thayer King

  She stroked his hair and his shoulders.

  “Sit in my lap.” When she would have sat sideways, he shook his head and arranged her so that she straddled him. Eyes hot, he grabbed her hips and yanked her over his erection. Zoe gasped. “Feel good?” he asked. At her nod, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. The kiss was hot and wet made more so by the way Noah cupped her ass and moved her on his dick. The thick, rigid bar lined up perfectly with her pussy. Before long, she was grinding on him, moaning and practically ready to rip his pants off of him.

  “Noah, please,” she gasped, tearing her mouth away from his. He buried his mouth in her neck, biting and sucking. She ran her hands over his chest, feeling his flat nipples.

  He dug in his pocket and retrieved a string of condoms. “Take your pants off.” She stood and hurriedly pushed them down. “Nice panties,” Noah said, pushing down his sweats and rolling on the condom. “Lose them. I want you naked from the waist down.” She followed his orders and attempted to climb back into his lap. “No.” He turned her. “I want to see that ass when I fuck you.” He wrapped her arms around her and hugged her from behind as she settled over him again. And then he began to grind into her from behind. He shoved up her top and popped the little clasp on her bra holding the cups together. He filled his hands with her breasts, tugging both nipples at the same time.

  Zoe squirmed. She was so wet. “Please, Noah.”

  “Lift a bit, baby.” She did and he positioned the broad head of his cock at her opening and slid into her one inch at a time. His breath was hot on her neck. He kissed and petted her as he slowly impaled her. Noah groaned when he was fully enveloped in her pussy. He leaned back behind her and spread his thighs, effectively spreading hers as well. “Oh, shit, that feels….” He thrust up and Zoe whimpered. “Ride me, baby.”

  Bracing herself on his thighs, she lifted and dropped, ending with a swivel of her hips. Which felt amazing. If Noah’s corresponding deep groan was anything to judge by, he agreed.

  “Do that again,” he demanded in a guttural growl.

  So she did. Again and again. As though he couldn’t take it anymore, Noah gripped her waist and starting thrusting up hard and fast. Zoe cried out as his cock scraped over the walls of her pussy, slamming deep and hitting her g-spot. She leaned forward, trying to hold on as he took over.

  “Come for me, Zoe.” He slid a hand between her thighs and circled her clit. He strummed the turgid bit of flesh until she was crying out his name. Her pussy closed over him tightly, as though it never wanted to let go. Zoe thought she might pass out.

  She was still limp with the power of her orgasm and she was barely aware as Noah moved behind her. Before she was fully cognizant of what was happening, he had her on the floor on her hands and knees without their ever physically breaking contact.

  “Oh, my God,” she gasped at his first hard thrust. “Oh, Noah!” He spread her thighs wider and pressed her chest closer to the floor with one broad hand on her shoulders. Zoe scrambled for something to hold onto as he began to fuck her wildly. She wrapped her hand around a sofa leg.

  Noah grunted with each deep plunge, grinding his cock into her when he was buried his deepest. She couldn’t withstand his pounding for long before she was thrown headlong into another orgasm. This time Noah followed her over, bellowing her name. He dropped to all fours over her, his sweat slicked chest rubbing over her back. “Damn, that was good,” he groaned. Reaching over her head, he linked their fingers together. “I’m getting you yoga pants in every color.”

  Zoe smiled. “I like your sweats, too.” He was actually still wearing them since he’d just pushed them down.

  He kissed her neck before pushing himself off of her. He helped her up as well. “I’m glad. Then we can dress casually when we’re home and we will definitely do this again.”

  She picked up her pants and underwear. “I’m going to clean up.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll wash up, too. I’ll fix dinner and you can do dessert.”

  “I don’t have anything for dessert,” she protested.

  “Sure you do,” he said, insinuating a hand between her thighs and cupping her pussy. “This is my dessert.” Leaning over, he captured her mouth in a slow, soft kiss. “And it’s the sweetest, best dessert any guy could ask for. Only, I’m not fucking sharing.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Zoe was surprised when Felicia accepted her invitation. Preparing dinner with Noah was unexpectedly fun. There was lots of laughter, and even better, kisses, while they worked. They’d never cooked a meal together before. They acted as each other’s sous chef—cutting their cooking time almost in half. He made coq au vin again and Zoe made baklava in advance. She thought making it early would take the pressure off them later. What she hadn’t anticipated was that she’d have to constantly protect the dessert from Noah. She managed to catch him a couple of times, but a few bars still went missing.

  The dinner went well and they received many compliments on their culinary skills. After dinner, their friends lingered, drinking wine or beer. Noah was sitting on the couch with Avery watching the sports channel.

  “Mind if I have some water, Zoe?” Felicia asked. Her wine glass was empty. She had come alone as Henry couldn’t make it due to a previous engagement.

  “Sure.” Zoe led her cousin to the kitchen. She opened Noah’s refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water and passed it to Felicia.

  “Zoe, I’m sorry that I wasn’t supportive of you dating Noah. I can tell he’s totally smitten by you. I’m happy for you.” Felicia twisted the cap off the water bottle. “But I’d like to give you a word of caution about his little friend out there.”

  Zoe felt a rush of relief mixed with anxiety. She needed confirmation of her fear. Though she was certain that there was something off about Avery’s reaction to her, she had nothing concrete. Until she had reason to do so, she couldn’t say anything to Avery or Noah about it. “So I’m not imagining it? She doesn’t like me.”

  “Honey, she not only doesn’t like you. She hates you. That bitch wants your man.”

  Zoe blinked. She peered out into the den where Avery sat next to Noah. As she watched, Avery slung her arm around Noah’s broad shoulders and rested her face against his arm. She rubbed her cheek there for a second before withdrawing. “No…she’s just his friend.”

  “But she wants to be more. I’ve been watching her. While he’s been eating you up with his eyes, she’s been doing the same to him. That is, when she’s not throwing daggers your way.”

  Zoe didn’t know what to do. She knew Noah was very close to Avery. “What do I do?” she asked quietly.

  Felicia shrugged and sipped her water. “I can’t tell you what to do, having never been in this situation myself. If it were me, it would be no problem because that bitch would know better than to step to me. When she looks at you, she sees a pushover that she hopes she can maneuver out of the picture.”

  Before she could reply, Julie bounded into the kitchen. She gave Zoe a quick hug. “Zoe, we’re leaving. Ty and I really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for having us over.”

  “Um, thank you for coming,” Zoe replied, her mind still reeling from Felicia’s comments. “I’ll walk you out.”

  “And it was so nice to meet you, Felicia.”

  Felicia smiled. “Likewise.”

  When Zoe walked Julie out, she noticed Noah was already with Ty at the door. Ty hugged Zoe when she approached. “Dinner was fantastic. The two of you should do this more often.”

  “Thank you,” Zoe said.

  “Well, we’ll see you guys around. Good night.” Ty wrapped his arm around Julie and led her out.

  Noah smiled down at Zoe. “This has been fun. We should-” Yelling broke out in the kitchen. He frowned. “What the hell?”

  They both turned and raced to the kitchen. The shouting had stopped but Felicia and Avery were exchanging deadly glares. Zoe looked from one woman to the other. Both looked furious, but at l
east blows hadn’t been exchanged. Felicia was as perfectly put together as she had when she arrived. “What’s going on?” Noah demanded.

  “Nothing,” Avery quickly replied. “I’m leaving. Noah, could you walk me out?” He frowned and looked like he would say more. “Now, please, Noah?” Avery urged, tugging on his sleeve until he followed her.

  Zoe stared at her cousin. “What was that about?”

  “I just gave her a little warning.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You’re happy. And nobody fucks with my family.” Felicia gave her a hug. “I’d better go. You talk to your man.”

  Zoe walked her out. Noah barely acknowledged Felicia as she left. “What the hell did she say to Avery? She was practically in tears when she left.” He paced his den, clearly agitated.

  “I don’t know exactly,” she said sadly, upset that their evening had ended so poorly. Since Noah was already on edge, she decided she’d discuss her suspicions about Avery with him tomorrow.

  “I should have known when you invited her. Everything you’ve said about her has made her sound like an inconsiderate, shallow narcissist. I certainly didn’t expect her to attack one of my friends though.”

  Zoe couldn’t let him keep denigrating Felicia when this was the first unselfish thing she’d done in a long time. “Actually, I think…that Felicia was trying to help me.”

  Noah stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing on her. “Help you, how?”

  “Well, she…” She stopped. She wasn’t going to throw Felicia under the bus. Upon further consideration, she believed it as well. She thought back to all the times when Avery had taken over the conversation and she’d been grateful to have someone fill in. Avery hadn’t been doing her any favors. She’d been purposefully trying to squeeze her out. Zoe took a deep breath and came out with it. “We think that Avery is in love with you.”

  “That’s utter bullshit,” he snapped. “I told you Avery is recovering from a bad break up and you still thought it was appropriate to sic your cousin on her?”

  She frowned, instantly annoyed with his tone and the combative attitude. He didn’t consider her claim for a second. And Avery was no fragile flower. Judging from the yelling, she certainly was no helpless victim. “I didn’t sic her on her. I didn’t even ask her to talk to her. I just mentioned that I thought that Avery didn’t like me-”

  “Come on, Zoe. You’ve told me yourself that you’re not good at reading people. Don’t you think it’s possible that you’re misreading this?”

  Slowly, she shook her head. As she thought back to all the other occasions she had been in Avery’s presence, there had always been something a bit strange about the way Avery treated her. At first, she’d thought maybe Avery was judging to see if she thought her worthy of Noah’s affection, but it went beyond that. Her bright smiles didn’t reach her eyes. She’d casually tried to insinuate that Noah would run from any commitment. Zoe now realized that had been an attempt to get her to dump Noah. “I think Felicia is right. She’s in love with you and she hates me because I’m with you.”

  “I don’t believe this.” Noah resumed pacing. “Look, there’s nothing but friendship between me and Avery. That’s all it’s ever been. You’re letting your egomaniacal cousin make you see things that aren’t there. If anything, she told you this to break us up because she didn’t want you seeing me to begin with.”

  Zoe considered this for a minute, but quickly came to the conclusion that her original assessment was correct. Felicia was genuinely happy for her. “No. Felicia’s right. I couldn’t really figure out what was wrong before, but all the signs were there.”

  “Zoe, don’t do this. What are you asking me to do? Choose between you and my friend?”

  She twisted her fingers together even as she felt her stomach begin to churn in anxiety. “I’m not asking you to make a choice. I’m just giving you the facts.”

  He scoffed. “As you and your cousin see them. She believes the entire world revolves around her. And you…you’re so insecure that you can’t even wear a damned pair of jeans in public.”

  She flinched as though he’d slapped her. Is that the way he saw her? Weak? Insecure? Pathetic? “Noah-”

  “Because that is what this boils down to, isn’t it?” He stopped to stand in front of her. “You don’t trust me. And no matter how much I try to reassure you, you can’t believe that all I want is you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe we should take a break.”

  She couldn’t believe he was this angry. And despite the fact that she’d not asked him to make a choice, he clearly had. And it wasn’t her. Growing angry herself, she said, “Fine.” She snatched up her purse where she’d placed it on the floor next to the couch. She opened the door. “You don’t have to worry about making a choice or about us taking a break. This is over.”

  She slammed the door behind herself and hurried to her apartment. She thought he might try to follow her, but he didn’t. She paced her own apartment, high on adrenaline from the fight, her mind racing to catch up to what had just happened. What had happened? What could she have done differently? What could she have said to him that would have made him believe her?

  Was she wrong? She didn’t think so, but Noah was so certain…. Did she just break up with Noah for no reason?

  And then the reality caught up with her. It was over. She crumpled to her knees right in the middle of her bedroom, tears running down her cheeks.

  She waited for hours for Noah to come, but he never did. And that hurt as well. She crawled into bed alone and curled up into a little ball. She didn’t even bother to brush her teeth or change into her pajamas.

  Sleep didn’t come for many hours. She was exhausted in the morning and she thought about calling in sick. But then what else was there to do except go to work? It wasn’t as though she would miraculously feel better tomorrow. So, no, it was best to go on as she meant to continue. She would go to work. She would come home and watch television and play games on the internet. Perhaps for a while she wouldn’t read the romantic books she liked so much. She didn’t think she could take reading about happy couples right now. And she would be lonely again, but she’d been lonely before. She would be fine because despite what Noah thought of her, she was strong.

  ***

  Noah checked his phone again. Still no messages from Zoe. He put it back in his pocket and shoved another book so violently onto the shelf so that it sounded like someone had shot it out of cannon. What the hell was wrong with her anyway? Setting her psycho cousin loose on Avery? Breaking up with him like that? All he’d meant was that they should stop arguing and cool down for a night and then talk again. And then she’d dumped him!

  He’d considered going after her, but he was still too angry. The idea that Avery was in love with him was absurd. Avery had said that their friendship would cause friction, but he couldn’t believe that Zoe didn’t trust him enough to think that he could have a female friend. He’d totally misjudged her.

  He slammed another book onto the shelf.

  “Well, you’re in a stellar mood” Warren said. “Do you mind? You’re scaring the customers and me, as well, for that matter.”

  “Sorry.” He ran a hand over his hair. “I guess I’ll do this later. In fact, would you mind if I left for the day?”

  Warren looked concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just been dumped is all.”

  “Oh. Sorry, man.”

  Noah scowled at him. Warren didn’t seem at all surprised. “Is that it?”

  Warren shrugged. “What do you want me to say? You gave it your best shot. You screwed up.”

  “What makes you think this was my fault? Or that I won’t get her back?”

  “You’re new to this whole girlfriend thing. You were bound to fuck it up.”

  Noah shot him a nasty look. This conversation was getting him nowhere. “So do you mind if I leave or not?”

  “Sure. Go ahead.” Warren bent down to pick up the box of book
s Noah had been unloading. “By the way, if you want her back…which I know that you do, be prepared to beg.”

  “This is not my fault,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Uh huh. That’s the attitude of a single man.”

  Backing away from his brother, Noah said, “I’d give you the finger right now but we’re at work.”

  “Just remember this conversation.”

  Noah really wanted to talk to Ty but he wouldn’t be off work for another couple of hours. To fill up time, he stopped to get something to eat as he’d skipped lunch earlier in the day. He hadn’t been hungry. But when he went by Ty’s house, only Julie was home. She promised she’d tell Ty he’d dropped by when he returned. Needing someone sympathetic to talk to, he decided to visit Avery.

  “Hi! Um, this is a surprise.” She glanced behind herself. “It’s a bit of a mess in here, but come on in. What’s up?”

  He followed her inside, vaguely noting that she was right. The place was a mess. There was a pile of laundry in one chair. Magazines littered the area in front of the sofa. Noah shoved aside an empty Chinese food carton and sat down on her couch. He leaned back and covered his face with his hands.

  “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

  “Zoe dumped me.”

  There was a long silence. And then Avery was pulling him into a hug. She rubbed her hand over his hair and back. Noah took a deep shuddering breath and fought the sudden urge to cry. He’d made the right choice to come here. Avery was probably the only person who could understand what he’d been through. “What happened?”

  “It was just like you said. She didn’t like us being friends. By the way, I’m sorry about whatever her cousin said to you.”

  “Well, you know how I hate to say ‘I told you so.’”