30. Noah

30

NOAH

What was I doing? I must have been crazy to kiss Lexi in the middle of her kitchen, right where her dad or Easton could have walked in on us. But my brain seemed to have left me the moment my lips had touched Lexi's again, because all I could think about was how I wanted to kiss her forever and never stop.

This was crazy. I had never even considered kissing my best friend's sister a week ago, but now that was all I wanted to do with my time. I wanted to hold her close and spend every waking moment with her, talk to her, laugh with her, get to know her better, and yes, kiss her. Especially kissing her.

But she was two years younger than me. And I knew she wasn't experienced with guys...at all. But that kind of made the pull I had for her even stronger. She was sweet and innocent, untainted from the hard realities of the world. And I wanted some of her sweetness to rub off on me. Having Lexi in my life was making things so much more manageable.

But I had no idea how I was going to break the news to her brother that I was falling for his little sister. What would Easton say? Would he even let me finish my sentence before he punched me in the face and told me to keep my hands off his sister?

And what about Mr. Stevens?

I pushed the thoughts away. I didn't want to think about them right now. I could figure that all out later. For now, I would just enjoy this moment and let Lexi's sweet lips continue to cast the calming spell over my mind.

I lost all sense of time and space, but when I felt her legs wrap around my waist, I knew it was time for me to say goodnight.

"I should probably go home." I pulled away from her slightly, letting my forehead rest against hers as I tried to catch my breath. I couldn't trust myself to keep her sweet and innocent if she was going to do things like that. My brain was still too hardwired as a hormonal guy.

"Already?" she asked, having no idea what she was doing to me.

I nodded. "I don't want to push things too far."

"You don't have to worry about that with me, Noah," she whispered .

"I know I don't have to worry about you...but you should probably be worried about me." I found her hand and rubbed my finger across her purity ring. "I know my limits, and you don't want me trying to find reasons to sneak into your bedroom again tonight."

Her eyes went wide like she couldn't imagine I would be tempted to do something like that with her. It was kind of sweet how she was.

"You wouldn't do that."

I gave her a look over, letting my eyes slowly run up and down her body, taking in just how good she looked in her dress tonight. "You don't want to take your chances on me, Lexi. When I want something badly enough, I find ways to get it."

Now she looked scared. Which was good. She was playing in a new ballpark now. She'd officially entered the world of guys, and the one she was with now was still trying to learn how to be a good one.

But when she continued to look at me with anxiety in those big hazel eyes of hers, I knew I needed to say something more.

I drew in a deep breath. "I don't mean to scare you too much, but I just want you to understand how certain things affect me."

"And kissing you like that is bad?"

I shook my head and gave her a half-smile. "Kissing me like that is very good. But wrapping your legs around me while we're kissing like that ... Well, let's just say that I only have so much self-control."

She gulped. "I'll try to remember."

"Walk me to the door?" I asked.

"Sure." She slid off the counter.

We took a few steps before she stopped. "Oh, wait. I found your shirt in my closet earlier. Let me grab it for you real quick."