“You mean that?”
“Sure fucking do, babe.”
My eyes flick back over to my shoulder before glancing back up at Noah. "Do you really think I can do it?”
He smiles down at me as though I’m some child that just did the sweetest thing. “You’re Henley Fucking Bronx, of course you can do it.”
“What would I ever do without you?”
“Everything you’re doing now,” he tells me. “You’re a force to be reckoned with Henley, and you don’t need me, Tully, or anyone in your life helping you out. You would have still discovered your own truths on your own and you still would have rocked it at the same time. You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I’m just lucky that you decided to bring me along for the ride.”
I shake my head, willing the tears to stay at bay. “No,” I tell him. “I’m the lucky one.”
Noah’s lips come down on mine and he kisses me with everything’s he’s got. His arms circle my waist until his hands are firmly gripping my ass and the touch has me pressing my body harder into his as my hands slide up his strong body and curl around his neck.
His tongue darts into my mouth and if my eyes were open, I’m sure as hell they’d be rolling into the back of my head. The deeper he kisses me, the more I need.
He lifts me effortlessly and my legs instantly wrap around him and hold on tight. Noah presses me into the wall, and I try to remember which walls have already been painted, but it’s too hard so I give in and hope for the best.
Noah’s hips grind into mine and I feel just how ready he is for me and I curse myself for getting into this position. It’s not like he’s about to screw me right here in the hallway for everyone to see. We’re at a loss and I don’t see a way out. How the hell am I possibly going to concentrate on cleaning all this mess up now that he’s set my body on fire? I can’t go on until he’s left me completely satisfied. It’s just not possible.
“We can’t,” I murmur against his lips, hating the words as they come out of my mouth.
“Fuck that,” he tells me, lifting me off the wall. “We can and we will.”
Not a second later, Noah takes a few steps down the hall and walks into the open laundry room before discreetly closing the door behind him. He reaches for the old blinds on the window and releases it before placing me down on the washing machine with a proud grin.
“What were you saying?”
I can’t even fault him for being a cocky dick. I reach out and grab his shirt before hauling him into me. “Shut up and kiss me.”
Noah falls into me and before his lips have even reached mine, his hands are at the waistband of my shorts. He hastily tears them down my legs as I work on freeing him from the confines of his pants and before I know it, he’s gripping me by the thighs and sliding me forward on the washing machine, instantly lining himself up with my entrance and slamming into me, giving us both what we’ve been needing and satisfying that craving I’ve been feeling for him all damn afternoon.
He pounds into me. Quick, hard, and fast. My head is thrown back, our bodies grow sweaty, his fingers dig into my thighs, and not a moment later, my world is thoroughly rocked.
Chapter 19
I look down at my phone as a text message comes through and let out a groan. Really? Right now? They couldn’t have just given me ten minutes to myself? We’ve been working on Rivers’ place for the past few days and I’m freaking exhausted but it’s going to be incredible when it’s done. I mean, I’d move in there myself if I ever needed to get away from life.
I dry my hands of the bubbles and lean over to grab my phone, hoping to God that I don’t drop it in the bath. The last thing I need to worry about a few days before starting college is paying for a new phone.
I open it up to a text from Noah and a smile instantly spreads across my face before it’s replaced with a heavy scowl.
Noah – What did you do to Tully?
Henley – What do you mean? I didn’t do anything to her.
Noah – She’s pissed off and it wasn’t me or Spencer…so that only leaves one.
Henley – Are you forgetting about Aiden?
Noah – Aiden wouldn’t know how to piss off Tully, and even if he did, he’d just shake his dick at her and it’d all be right in the world.
Henley – Shit. Are you sure one of her authors didn’t just kill off a character? You know how she gets when that happens.
Noah – Nope. Not that. No Kindles, books, or phones have been thrown through the window all night.
Henley – PMS?
Noah – I don’t fucking know. Just get over here and fix it before it turns into World War Fucking Three.
I let out a sigh. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Tully, but all I want to do is close my eyes in this warm bath and let the world take me away until I’m a pruney mess and the water starts getting cold.
Henley – Fine. I’ll be there in 15 but you owe me.
I get my ass out of the bath and look down at it with nothing but heartbreak. “I’ll be back,” I whisper to the bath. “So long my fair prince.”
I get myself dressed in a pair of sweatpants and one of Noah’s old shirts before tying it at my waist to avoid looking like one of those rappers from the ’90s. I creep out to the living room to see Ari sitting up at the dining table coloring, concentrating with everything she’s got to the point her tongue is poking out.
I wave at dad, trying to silently get his attention. If Ari saw me leaving, she’d want to come with me, and I have a feeling that I won’t be walking back through this door for a long few hours.
Dad looks over and I mouth a goodbye before grabbing my keys and slipping out the front door.
I pull up to Noah and Tully’s place twelve minutes later and grin to myself for a job well done. Getting out of my car, I grab my phone, slip it into the back pocket of my jeans, and get on with it. The sooner I make sure my best friend is ok, the sooner I can snuggle up in my bed and rest. Hell, I might even go looking for a new Netflix series and binge before my nights go back to studying.
Just as I reach for the front door, it’s pulled open from the other side and Tully comes storming through it. She doesn’t even startle at seeing me standing here so she must have heard my car pull up and assume that Noah had called for back-up.
“What’s going on?” I ask as she walks straight past me with her keys in her hand. “What happened?”
Tully unlocks her car and dives for the door as I follow behind her, trying to get a read on her face before she takes off. “Nothing, I just…I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But you’re ok, right? You’re not about to go and drive your Jeep into the beach, are you?”
She scoffs and I hear a sigh by the door. I glance back to find Noah standing in the open doorway with his hands upon the doorframe, leaning into it with concern etched on his face.
“Look,” Tully says, stealing my attention right back. “I just need a little space to clear my head. I’m fine.” At my look, she rolls her eye. “Really. I’m fine. I just need an hour or two to be alone.”
“Ok,” I tell her, giving in and stepping back from her Jeep. “Call me if you need me and I’ll be happy to come be alone with you.”
Tully gives me a nod and closes her door before turning the key and taking off like a bat out of hell, leaving me facing Noah with an accusing look. “You did something, didn’t you?”
His hands fly out in front of him in innocence as he shakes his head “I had nothing to do with it.”
“You didn’t put one of her prized possessions in the freezer again? Hair dye in her shampoo? Tied her shoes together?”
“Nope.”
“Damn,” I murmur, walking towards him as I try to figure it out. “Are you sure Spencer didn’t say something? He didn’t try to force the topic of ’them’?”
“I don’t think so,” he says. “If he did, I’ll beat the shit out of him and he knows it. He’s pretty fucking stupid, but I don’t think he�
��s that stupid.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, pursing my lips as I think it over, though my thinking quickly morphs into daydreaming about the nice relaxing bath that I could have been in right now. I mean, what was the point in all this? Tully isn’t even here.
Noah’s arm falls over my shoulder as I walk into the house and the second the door closes behind us, he pulls me in tight to his side, making sure to press a kiss to my temple despite us only seeing each other a few hours before.
“Oh, thank God,” Violet murmurs from the entryway of the kitchen. “Tell me you’re here to talk to that daughter of mine? She’s in the worst mood. Has been since she got home.”
“Well, I thought I was coming to talk to her, but she seems to have done a runner.”
“What?” Violet grunts, peering around the corner and down the hallway. “When was this? I didn’t see her leave.”
“Like two seconds ago,” Noah grumbles in amusement.
Violet sighs again as she looks back to me. “Damn. Do you know what’s going on?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Noah turns on his heel and starts stalking down the hall towards her bedroom. “Fuck it. I’m going in.”
“What?” I rush out, hurrying down the hall after him. “If you go snooping in her room, she’s going to kill you.”
He looks back over his shoulder and grins. “We’re a team, Spitfire, and no matter what, I’m taking you down with me so you might as well get your ass down here and help. It’ll be quicker this way.”
Shit. He has a point…a really shitty point, but nonetheless, a point.
I scramble after him. After all, two sets of eyes will get the job done so much faster. Not to mention, boys have a habit of looking for things with their eyes closed. Besides, if there’s anything we find that Tully would really prefer Noah not to see, then I’ll be there to save the day.
Now that’s a much better point that gets me on board.
I push through the doorway of her room to find Noah pulling the room apart and I roll my eyes. “Have you never snooped before? You’re supposed to be discreet so she doesn’t realize you were in here.”
“I don’t have time for that discreet bullshit. What if she comes back now or she forgot something? Shit, maybe she has a feeling we were going to snoop and is coming back to hide the evidence right now. What then? Wouldn’t you want to get to it before she does?”
Crap. There he goes making shitty points again.
I throw my hands up and groan. “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be looking for.”
“Well, if you stop wasting time whining and start searching then you’d probably be able to figure it out.”
I roll my eyes and get looking. “You’re an assface.”
“You wouldn’t love me if I was a sweet as pie push over.”
Again…point.
Noah searches in all the obvious spots like on the bed, shelves, and desk while I think like a girl and go for the less obvious places. I go through the wardrobe and cringe every time I see something out of the corner of my eye flying across the room.
Tully really is going to kill us.
Noah moves away from the desk and throws himself into her bedside table. He rifles around for a moment and I suck in a terrified gasp. If she was going to have something hidden in here that she wouldn’t want him to see then her bedside table is a very likely place.
He moves on without any issues and I let out a silent breath of relief, though I’m not fooled. I don’t doubt there’s something X-rated hidden in here somewhere. This is Tully after all.
Noah checks under the bed as I double check the desk because let’s face it, he’s just throwing things around. I don’t think he’s even looking, just enjoying making a mess of her room.
“HEY! This is where she hides all the fucking popcorn.”
A laugh comes tearing out of me. “I know. She used to hide it in the top of her closet.”
Noah’s head pokes out from under the bed and I can’t help but remember Tully crawling under there just a few weeks ago when she was looking for her acceptance letter. “How long exactly have you known about this?”
“Umm, well…let’s see. You remember that very first day that I came over here?”
“Yeah,” he says slowly.
I grin. That day changed it all. “That’s when. I saw the box up in her closet and asked about it. She said she hides her popcorn because you and Rivers would steal it.”
“Are you kidding? Whose side are you on here?”
“In this particular case, definitely hers. Do you have any idea how often Tully and I get to crash in her bed, watching Netflix and dig into a bowl of popcorn without having to share it with a hog like you? It’s great. You know, sometimes we even have a bag each.”
Noah just shakes his head in total disbelief…though maybe it’s in disgust. I guess it’s a little hard to tell when he’s looking up at me from beneath his sister’s bed.
I get back to searching and do my best to put her room back together. A groan pulls from me as Noah crawls out from under the bed and stops by her trash can. I’m two seconds away from telling him not to go through it, but I’m too late and the contents spill all over the ground.
“Seriously?” I snap. "Did you really have to dump it out? I hope you’re not expecting me to clean that up for you.”
Noah rifles through the mess before his fingers curl around a piece of paper. “I knew it,” he murmurs under his breath.
My brows draw down in confusion. “What is it?” I ask, crossing the room to him as he pulls himself up off the floor and drops down onto the edge of her bed.
He holds up the piece of paper between two fingers and my eyes instantly roam over it. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that it’s a letter and it doesn’t take much more to figure out who it’s from.
“We’ve been thinking about this all wrong,” he tells me. “Who’s the one person who could ruin Tully’s day without even being here?”
I let out a sigh as my heart breaks for her. “Rivers.”
Noah slowly nods and I see the hesitation in his eyes to take this any further and more so, the regret for snooping in the first place when this is clearly something very private between the two of them.
I look at the letter and I can’t help but wonder why she’d put it in the trash. It couldn’t be that bad, right? What could he have possibly said that could have had her desperately needing to run out of here to avoid speaking to me about it?
I sit down beside Noah, each of us looking anywhere but at the letter in his hands, both of us wondering how this is going to play out. Do we or don’t we?
If we do, we risk reading something we shouldn’t, but if we don’t, we risk missing important information about him, and I don’t think I can hold back. My curiosity is going to win out in the end and whether it’s now or in a few weeks, I have a feeling I’m going to end up reading the words my brother wrote to the love of his life.
“Shit,” I say, taking the letter from his fingers and holding it before me. It’s better to ask forgiveness than to seek permission.
I hope she’s not going to hate me for invading her privacy like this. Not only are we reading a private letter from Rivers, but we’ve snooped through her room.
What kind of shitty people are we?
I put the thought to the back of my mind and get busy reading with Noah leaning into my side, looking over and reading the words right along with me.
Tully,
I’ve been staring at this piece of paper for four days now trying to figure out how to tell you what the hell is going on with me, but every time I go to write something down, all that comes to mind is how much I miss you.
I finished training a few weeks ago and have been stationed at my unit since then. It’s not been easy. The training was hard and brutal, but I’d take it over the bullshit of boot camp any day!
There’s a certain type of discipline they expect from us and
I’m not going to lie, conforming and not putting some of these fuckers in their place has been a challenge, but every day it’s getting easier.
What’s not easy is being away from you.
Noah and Henley have got each other and I know that they’re ok, but you…I don’t know. I hate how we left things and I hate that you’re hurting because of me. Every single fucking day your face runs through my mind. It’s like a constant loop telling me that I’ve fucked it all up.
The only thing that keeps me going is knowing how damn strong you are and that no matter what, you’re going to be alright. It might not be now and it might not be tomorrow, but eventually, you’re not going to be hurting every time you hear someone mention my name.
I don’t know what my plans are from here. I don’t know if or when I’ll be deployed and I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to come back home, but for now, I’ll be staying right here.
There’s so much shit going on in Haven Falls, shit that you couldn’t even begin to understand when it comes to my family and I need to keep away from that. I’ve had a shit ride with my father. You wouldn’t even begin to understand the kinds of things that I’ve done under his hold. I’m sure if you knew, this would be so much easier to understand, but I can’t risk getting sucked back into that life when I’ve only just broken free.
I know life in the military isn’t what you ever hoped for me or even expected, but it’s a better option than the life planned out for me since I was a child. It’s a world I could never risk bringing you into. It’s dark and filled with secrets that would haunt your pure mind. The things I’ve had to do in that life I could never bring down on you.
You’re so fucking beautiful, Tully. You’re like the fucking sunshine that comes after a storm. You keep me breathing day in and day out.
I know that you’re still only getting bits and pieces of the information you need to make sense of all this and know that I get how frustrating it must be, but if I could tell you about me, about where I come from, I would.
Unbreakable: Haven Falls (Book 6) Page 18