The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(79)

“Jeremiah…” she whispered, staring at him. She was grateful, of course, that she would now officially have the money she needed for college. But she also felt deeply relieved that this obstacle between them had been removed and that he’d done it so quickly. “I want us to have a fresh start too. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I should be thanking you.” He rubbed his thumbs across her knuckles. “What do you want to do now?” he asked softly. “I’m following your lead here.”

“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. One obstacle had been removed, but others still remained. “You’ll be in California soon, and I’ll be focused on school. I don’t know what would happen with us beyond summer.”

He bit his lower lip, and it drew Noelle’s attention to his mouth. “Maybe we don’t need to think about what happens after summer ends,” he said. “Maybe we just make the most of the time we have together now.”

The thought of having Jeremiah for real just to let him go sounded like a very painful plan of action. But what other options did they have? She was realistic enough to know that a new relationship would easily crumble between long distance and busy schedules.

Ultimately, she hadn’t felt this strongly about someone before. She liked Jeremiah too much to not have him at all, even if it was only for the rest of summer.

“Okay.” She reached up to touch his cheek. His beard prickled her palm.

He turned, bringing his lips to brush against her fingers. He tilted his head and looked at her closely. “You’re sure?”

She nodded. Finally, all pretenses were dropped. It was just them and the truth about how they felt for each other. When Jeremiah leaned in to kiss her, there was no voice in the back of her head telling her not to go too far, and there was no one else around them who might interrupt.

Jeremiah pressed his lips against hers and Noelle’s heart pounded as she kissed him back. The kiss was deep and languid, and she savored the feel of his lips and tongue. Slowly, they eased down onto the bed, and Jeremiah hovered above her. He kissed his way down her throat and she struggled to yank off the hoodie to give him better access to her skin. She almost elbowed him in the process.

“Damn,” he mumbled, chuckling. “Let me help.”

She sat up and lifted her arms as Jeremiah tugged the hoodie over her head. Then she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the side. With heavy-lidded eyes, he stared at her breasts. She leaned back onto her elbows and let herself be admired by him. Jeremiah covered her body with his as he kissed her again and she felt his hardness press at the space between her thighs where she was already wet. He kissed his way down her throat again, pressing his lips against her collarbone and lower and lower until he reached her breasts. She moaned when he took her left nipple in his mouth, and she ran her fingers up and down his back, lifting her hips against his. As he moved his lips to her other breast, she reached down between them into his shorts and wrapped her hand around his length. He was hard in her grasp, and he groaned as she caressed him.

“Wait,” he said breathlessly. He lifted his head to look at her, lips swollen from kissing. “I feel like this is leading toward sex, which is very cool with me, but I need to know first if that’s what you want.”

“Yes,” she said, grabbing at his T-shirt. “That’s exactly what I want.”

With lightning speed, he whipped his T-shirt off, and when she reached for the drawstring of his basketball shorts, he shrugged them off in record time. After she tugged down his briefs, he kneeled before her, remaining still with taut muscles, breathing heavily. He was completely naked, and it was her turn to admire him. He was so gorgeous, it overwhelmed her.

“May I?” he asked huskily, curling his finger at the waistband of her underwear. She nodded, swallowing hard, and lay down again, lifting her hips as he pulled her underwear down her legs.

He crawled back over her and they were pressed skin to skin. He kissed her slowly and brushed his hand down the expanse of her stomach, leaving goose bumps on her skin in his wake. He rubbed a finger against her clit and around her opening where she was slick. He slipped a finger inside of her, and she moaned as her muscles clenched around him.

“You feel so good,” he said, voice low as he added another finger. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

He pushed his fingers in and out of her and she moved her hips, matching his steady rhythm. But she wanted more. She reached down and moved his hand from its place between her thighs, took his length in her hand again, and pressed him against her opening, stroking him.

“Fuck, Noelle,” he whispered.

“Do you have a condom?” she panted.

“Yes.” He hurried to crawl across the bed and reached for the bedside drawer. “Shit, I hope I do.”

Noelle breathed heavily, drinking in the strong build of his body, waiting as he riffled through the drawer. He finally procured a sleeve of condoms and smiled at her triumphantly.

“They’re not expired yet,” he said.

She grinned, eager for him to return to her. “Yay.”

He rose to his knees and began to open the wrapper, but Noelle moved closer and took the condom from his hands.

“Can I?” she asked.

He nodded and pressed his forehead against hers as she slipped the condom over his length. He cupped her ass in his hands and gave her cheeks a firm squeeze. They kissed again, and Noelle lightly pushed against his shoulders until he rested his back against the headboard. She straddled him and angled him at her opening, slowly, easing down until he was buried deep inside of her. She bit her lip, feeling pleasure wash over her. His hands gripped her waist and he let out a deep groan.