echo-emerson

His eyes spark as his gaze dips to my cleavage, and this gives me courage. I shift forward and slip my hands under his shirt, brushing my fingers against the muscles of his abdomen. Noah sharply inhales and, in seconds, his shirt is off and thrown into the corner of the tent.I love his naked chest, and I decide to play. Biting my bottom lip, hoping to contain the smile, I nudge Noah__ shoulder, indicating for him to lie down. He flashes his wicked grin and reclines back, except he snags his hand around my wrist and tugs me with him.I laugh as I come face-to-face with him. My body on top of his and when I wiggle, I close my eyes, liking the pleasure of intimate parts touching. My hips squirm and with the movement, Noah immediately kisses my lips while knotting his fingers in my hair.There__ no subtlety in our kiss. All of the passion, all of the longing, all of the emotion rush out of us like water hurtling toward a cliff. It__ fast and raw and out of control.

She__ leaving me!___eaving? She__ been waiting for you to get your shit together.__ step into him. __hat Hunter bastard is offering her the world! What do I got to give? Nothing. I__e got nothing.__saiah slams his finger into my biceps. __he looks at you like you__e the whole universe! I__ kill to have a sliver with Beth of what you have with Echo. Wake the f*ck up!__ pound my hand to my chest, mimicking the pain slicing it. __cho__ leaving me.___o, man. You__e the one leaving her,_ he seethes. __et it together or she will walk.

Breathing became a painful chore. Her lips turned down while her warm fingers caressed my cheek. That touch typically brought me to my knees, but now it cut me

Will we have pets?_ I bite back the question regarding kids. While this might be a fun fantasy, imagining being responsible for something like that is terrifying.__ure._ Noah stays near the fire on one bent knee and occasionally pokes it to keep the dwindling flames alive. __ had a dog once.___hat type?___ mix of some sort. Part Lab, part something smaller than Lab. Its paws were too big for its body, so it skidded across the kitchen floor.___s that what you want?___f we__e going to live alone on a mountain, we need a guard dog. A German shepherd. Something like that.___uard dog?_ Not what I had in mind for the fantasy. __e need something cute and cuddly._ I squish my fingers in the air as if I have the little puff ball in my hands. __t can sleep in our bed.___o fucking way, Echo. I__ not sharing my bed with a dog.

I must have killed a lot of cows in a past life for Karma to hate me this much.

Echo slides off the hood, and her hips have this easy sway as she walks to the back passenger door. Damn, she__ gorgeous__ed, curly hair flowing over her shoulders, a pair of cut-offs hugging her ass and a blue spaghetti-strap tank dipped low enough to show cleavage.My fingers twitch with the need to touch. I__ going to have to pull some major groveling to gain forgiveness. If I were smart, I__ find a way to say sorry without opening my mouth. Never fails that half the time I try to apologize, it comes out wrong.

We haven__ talked since the café, and he__ dead wrong if he thinks I__ caving. I don__ care how many wicked smiles he flashes in my direction or how many times he __istakenly_ brushes his hand against my cheek or thigh. He can make my head spin and my blood run hot, but I__ strong enough to resist his every temptation.

Echo, kissing you for the rest of my life would be good enough, and you need to get these fucked-up thoughts out of your brain. I__ scared of making love to you because you__e too good for me. I__ terrified that after I share this with you, you__l realize the mistake, and I can__ take that. Not from you.

I close my eyes at his intimate touch. It__ a slow movement, not one meant to seduce. It__ one to show how much he loves me, and I flatten my lips, fighting the urge to cry. Noah nudges me toward him and if it wasn__ for his hold, I__ drop like a house of

Noah held my hand and my bag as he escorted me to the third floor - the Women's Pavilion. The elevator bell rang and the doors opened. "Jesus, Echo, circulation in my hand would be a good thing," said Noah. "Sorry." I tried to let go, but Noah kept his fingers linked with mine.

Wait." I began to pull off his jacket. "You forgot this.""Keep it," he said without looking back. "I'll get it from you on Monday. When we discuss tutoring."And Noah Hutchins - girl-using stoner boy and jacket-loaning savior - faded into the shadows.

Noah drew me closer to him. "It's okay. I've got you.

Noah?"A welcome voice - not my mother's, but welcome all the same: Echo. A smile spread across my face. This was too good. Me in a towel, alone in the house with my nymph. I left the bathroom.

My heart quickened when I caught a flash of red entering the lunchroom. At the corner door farthest from me, Echo paused and performed a quick scan. She held her books tight to her chest, sleeves clutched in her hands. Our eyes met. Her green eyes melted and she gave me that beautiful siren smile

You scared the shit out of me last night, so forgive me if I don't want to hear fine as an answer."I rubbed my eyes, hoping it would keep the burning tears away. The warm water of the shower had finally calmed the tears, but the thought of Noah walking away brought them back. "What do you want to hear? That I'm exhausted? Terrified? Confused? That all I want to do is rest my head on your chest and sleep for hours, but that's not going to happen because you're leaving me?""Yes," he said quickly, then just as quick said, "No. Everything but the last part." He paused. "Echo, how could you think I would leave you? How can you doubt how I feel?""Because," I said as I felt the familiar twisting in my stomach. "You saw me lose it. You saw me almost go insane."The muscles in his shoulders visibly tensed. "I watched you battle against the worst memory of your life and I watched you win. Make no mistake, Echo. I battled right beside you. You need to find some trust in me ... in us."Noah inhaled and slowly let the air out. His stance softened and so did his voice. "If you're scared, tell me. If you need to cry and scream, then do it. And you sure as hell don't walk away from us because you think it would be better for me. Here's the reality, Echo: I want to be by your side. If you want to go to the mall stark naked so you can show the world your scars, then let me hold your hand. If you want to see your mom, then tell me that, too. I may not always understand, but damn, baby, I'll try.

You know a lot about math," I said. You know a lot about math? What type of statement was that? Right along the lines of "Hey, you have hair and it's red and curly." Real smooth.

(Echo) __o you agree that throwing people into walls isn__ okay?_(Noah) __t is when someone f*cks with you.__ attempt to step back, but Noah halts the escape. __ mean it. No one treats you like shit. At least when I__ around. That__ nonnegotiable._ (Noah)

Noah,_ she whispers in reprimand.__ou__e never complained when I__e tried to undress you before.__cho readjusts so she can see me, and for the first time since this morning, those eyes dance. __es, I have.___hen?___he last day of school.___o you__e complained once._ When I led her to the nook of the abandoned hallway in the basement near my locker. I only meant to sneak in for a kiss during lunch, but things got hot and heavy and well...sue me. __ didn__ buy a yearbook, so I was memory-making.