Fractured Trust by L. M. Dalgleish
Chapter 23
Watching Noah play the drums, especially with no shirt on the way he was now, had to be one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Summer wanted to fan herself as his biceps and pecs flexed over and over with each hit of his sticks against the skins. He’d invited her to watch a practice session in the music studio owned by Fractured’s record label. Both Eden and Lexie were busy, so she was the only audience member as the guys performed a full run-through of the setlist for the upcoming tour. Without the distraction of other people to talk to, by the time they reached the end of the set, Summer was practically vibrating with pent-up lust. Seeing Noah doing what he loved, with so much passion and skill, had always sent her libido through the roof. It was the second sexiest thing in the world after having him moving over her when they were making love.
She realized what she’d thought and mentally backpedaled. When they were havingsex. It wasn’t making love. Just two young, healthy people enjoying each other’s bodies, that was all.
Summer’s breathing shallowed. God, she didn’t need to be thinking that way, particularly as they neared the start of the tour. They’d spent so much time together over the last four weeks, it was far too easy to fall into the mindset that whatever this was between them could just keep going. That the future she used to imagine could still be a reality.
And that was dangerous.
Because the more she started to think that maybe this thing between her and Noah could become permanent, the more she was forced to face her worry over what would happen when Noah went away. She cringed at the thought. Maybe she needed to pull back, get some distance—some perspective.
But the idea of having to stop seeing him was painful. Even more so because she knew the possible end date of what they were doing was closing in on them. She didn’t want to waste precious time with Noah just because of her worries.
No, she was going to push through. She didn’t have to decide yet; the start of the tour was still a couple of weeks off. Noah hadn’t broached the topic, so she knew he was fine with the way things were. No need to overreact already.
Decision made; Summer forced herself to relax back into her seat to enjoy the end of the private show.
With one final pulsing guitar riff from Tex, they were finished. The guys were grinning at each other, and they had good reason. The concert was going to be amazing, each song full of so much emotion you couldn’t help but get drawn into every one.
After they’d packed up their instruments, they grabbed some beers and joined her on the couch. Noah took an extra bottle out of the bar fridge and held it up to her, to check if she wanted one. Summer nodded and smiled at him, and he sauntered over, cracking the top off and handing it to her.
“Thank you,” she said, her throat tightening as the familiarity of the gesture somehow took on more meaning than it should.
“My pleasure, Sunshine. I thought you might need to cool down after ogling me for the last hour and a half.” He smirked at her and flexed his muscles.
“So modest.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t prevent the smile curving her lips as he sat down close beside her on the couch. She tipped the bottle back and took a sip, enjoying the cool, crisp taste of the beer.
Summer relaxed against Noah’s side and listened in as the guys talked over how the session had gone. After a few minutes, Noah put his beer down on the table, then tugged her onto his lap. She didn’t resist, even though she wasn’t sure having him be so openly affectionate in front of his bandmates was a good idea when they might be going their separate ways soon. But when he nuzzled her neck, and she saw the others exchanging looks, she didn’t push herself off him. If this ended up being all she’d have of him before he became public property again, then she was going to take everything he was willing to give and deal with the consequences later.
“So, are you coming out with us tomorrow night, Summer?” Connor asked, and Summer brought her attention back to the conversation.
“What’s happening tomorrow night?” she asked, and Noah tensed beneath her.
“We’re going out to that new club that opened up in the Valley. Beau and Devon’s friend is visiting, and they want us all to go out on the town with them.”
She turned to look at Noah, meeting his blue eyes as apprehension trickled through her. “Uh, I’m not sure. I didn’t know anything about it.” Her chest constricted. Had Noah not wanted her to know? Had he been planning to go and not tell her? Was there a reason he didn’t want her there?
The questions must have been shining brightly in her eyes because Noah put his hand on her hip, leaning close to her ear. “I’m sorry, Summer. I honestly forgot all about it. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying—” He cut himself off. “Just getting prepared for the tour. I forgot it was this weekend their friend was coming.”
Summer’s pulse kicked into high gear. Was he telling the truth? Considering their current arrangement was supposed to be casual, did it matter if he wasn’t? Maybe he just needed a break from her for a night. They’d been together almost every day recently; it made sense he might need some space. And if that was the case, she didn’t want him to feel like he had to invite her along. After all, she was the one who had said she wanted to keep things casual. Noah had absolutely no reason to apologize to her or feel guilty about anything he wanted to do.
She plastered a smile on her face. “Oh no, that’s okay. You probably need a night off. To, uh, blow off some steam. I’ve got some stuff to do at home this weekend, so I’ll just… do that.” She hoped her casual tone didn’t sound as forced to everyone else as it did to her.
Noah lowered his voice, so she was the only one who could hear him. “If you’re insinuating I need a night off from you, that’s as far from the truth as it’s possible to get. And as for blowing off steam, not having you there won’t help with that. Whatever you’re thinking, Summer, this is not it. I forgot, that’s all.” His hand stroked up and down her back. “I want you there. Please come with me.”
Summer hesitated. If she was already reacting this badly to the thought that he might want to go out for the night without her, how could she possibly cope when he was on tour for two months. Even if they broke it off beforehand, Eden had been right when she said Summer wouldn’t be able to turn off her emotions so easily. Having to imagine Noah at every after party, surrounded by women more than happy to spend a night with him if he offered, would slice her heart to pieces.
Noah studied her, the skin around his eyes tightening as he read her expression. Suddenly, he slid her off his lap onto the couch and stood, then grabbed her hand and pulled her upright. Without looking away from her, he addressed the other guys, who were all staring at them with expressions ranging from amusement to concern.
“Summer and I need to have a little chat.”
With that, he led her across the room to a side door, opened it, and stepped out, pulling her with him. The door led to a lane behind the studio that was gated at one end and had a small parking area at the other end. Noah turned her around pushed her up against the wall, the brick pressing into her skin through the thin t-shirt she was wearing.
With one hand on her shoulder, he kept her pinned against the wall while he scrubbed the other over his face. When he met her gaze, his eyes were narrowed, frustration pulling the corners of his mouth down. “What—” she started, but he cut her off.
“You need to stop doing this,” he stated.
Summer shook her head. “Doing what?”
“You made an assumption and your walls slammed into place. I saw it happen, Summer. Do you really think I purposefully didn’t tell you about tomorrow night so that I could go out with the other guys—and Eden and Lexie—to what? Have a random hookup? For fuck’s sake, Summer. I know this is just casual”—he spat out the word—“but it fucking hurts that you think I would do that to you. Still. After everything we’ve talked about over the last few weeks. I thought you’d at least started to trust me a little.”
Summer’s mouth hung open. “I…” She knew it was ridiculous. She knew she was being irrational, and she hated that it was her instinctive reaction. Shame crawled its way in a heated wave up her neck until her cheeks were burning. She blinked hard, trying to stop her eyes filling with tears. Why did she immediately jump to the worst-case scenario when it came to Noah? Why wasn’t she able to just trust him, the way Lexie and Eden trusted Connor and Tex?
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to steady the anxiety that rattled around inside her. This was a bad idea; she should have known better. She needed to do Noah a favor and let him go. For his own sanity.
Without opening her eyes, she whispered, “This was a mistake, Noah.”
“No, it fucking wasn’t.” His voice snapped with anger. “It isn’t. This is what we both need. Do you think stopping now is going to make me happy? It isn’t. If you think it’s going to make things better for you, it isn’t. There’s no denying this thing between us, Summer. It’s always been there. Walking away now isn’t going to turn it off.”
“We’re probably going to walk away in two weeks, anyway. What difference does it make?”
Noah barked out a laugh. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then snapped it closed again and shook his head. “That’s two weeks more we can have of each other. And I’m not planning to throw them away just because you’ve had a crisis of confidence.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing again, his voice hardening. “You need to suck it up, Sunshine. You can trust me for two more weeks, can’t you?” His eyes glittered with intensity as he stared down at her.
Summer took in the muscle flexing in his jaw, his full lips pressed together, and her pulse started to slow, her anxiety beginning to ease. She took a deep breath in, then exhaled. “Yes.”
“Good,” Noah said. His voice lowered further until he was almost whispering in her ear. “Now take off your skirt and panties, turn around and put your hands on the wall.”
“What?”
“You heard me,” he growled.
Summer licked her lips, looking up into his eyes to check whether he was serious or just messing around with her. His eyes were cool, unwavering. No mischievous glint resided in their ocean blue depths. He was serious.
Summer looked around. There was no one else out here, a high wall surrounded the area, and there was a solid gate at one end of the lane. But there was a security camera mounted on the wall pointing directly at where they were standing next to the door.
“Noah—”
He followed her gaze. “There’s no one onsite watching, and I’ll make sure the recording is erased before anyone has a chance to see it.” He could have offered to move them away from where the camera was pointing, but he didn’t.
“What if one of the other guys comes out?”
He smirked. “They won’t,” was all he said.
Summer’s mouth went dry. Right. Because they probably had a good idea what was about to happen out here. Well, maybe not exactly what was about to happen; considering she didn’t even know what Noah was planning to do. This side of him—the steelier, more domineering side—was something she’d only experienced since he’d come back into her life. He’d definitely never asked her to do something like this when they were together before.
Noah’s eyes searched her face, expression softening. He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I know you’re nervous, Sunshine. But I’m asking you to trust me right now. Trust me to make us both feel better.”
Something that had been pulled tight inside Summer began to loosen, and she exhaled and gave him a tremulous smile and a small nod.
He stepped back from her and crossed his arms, waiting.
With one last glance at the camera, Summer pushed her skirt down her legs, then wriggled out of her panties. Noah took them from her and draped them over the handle of the door they were standing next to. Goosebumps rippled in a wave over Summer’s skin, a nervous tremor shaking her as she turned and bent forward, pressing her hands against the brick wall.
For what seemed like forever, Summer stood there with her heart thundering as she waited for Noah to move, talk, do something. The longer she waited, her eyes focused on the brick wall her fingers were pressed against, the more everything else faded from her mind. Her skin felt hot and achy and tight. Anticipation and the need to have his hands on her, his body pressed against her back, wound through her. The knot of tension that had been slowly unwinding in her chest was completely replaced with a hot pulse of hunger low in her belly.
Finally, the scrape of his shoes and the warmth of his presence behind her, told her he was finished waiting. His body heat against her bare skin was almost like the stroke of his hand after she’d been so exposed for what seemed like such a long time.
When he did actually touch her, his fingers stroking over her lower back then down over the curve of her ass, it sent an excited little shiver up her spine. And when he gripped her flesh, kneading, then releasing it, a rush of heat spread fast through her body. With every brush of his fingers against her skin, he moved closer and closer to her aching, empty core.
Summer’s breathing grew more erratic, her legs beginning to shake. It was only when anticipation was buzzing like a live wire inside her, that he let his fingers glide between her legs. His other hand curled around her hip, just before he eased a single finger into her. Her low, shuddering moan, must have told him she was more than ready, because he immediately worked a second finger in, filling her, giving her the pressure inside she needed to ease the ache.
“You’re fucking beautiful, Sunshine,” he murmured as he stroked into her. It was the first words he’d said since he’d asked her to trust him. With the hand that had been on her hip, he reached around to her front, his fingers circling her clit until she moaned again, louder this time.
She wondered briefly if anyone had heard her, and if they had, what they would think. But the thought didn’t stay in her head for long because both of his hands were moving in sync now, the twin sensations shoving her hard toward an orgasm. He was going to make her come, right there outside his recording studio, and she didn’t care. Because it was good. Too good. She was arching her back and angling her hips to give him better access. His name slipped from her lips on a moan as her inner muscles fluttered around his fingers.
She was close, so close. “Noah, please,” she begged.
He stopped the movement of his hands and she cried out as his fingers withdrew. But before she could protest further, there was the sound of a zipper being lowered. Oh my God, he was going to fuck her, right here. And she let out a little sob because she needed it. Badly. She needed him. Her doubts had been laid to rest—at least for now—and she was desperate to have him inside her again. Thank God she had an IUD, and they’d already had the safety discussion because there was no way she wanted him to stop now.
One of his hands ran over her ass again as the blunt head of his cock pressed to her entrance. He didn’t say anything, just grabbed her hip and slammed inside her, jolting her forward, her hands absorbing the shock as they pressed against the wall. Her lungs emptied of breath as he bottomed out, and for a few seconds, she couldn’t make a sound. All she could do was push herself back against him, urging him to move.
When he did pull out, it was an excruciatingly slow movement. Before she could worry he was going to torture her some more, he surged into her again, dragging a breathless gasp from her. The denim of his jeans was rough against the back of her thighs and knowing he hadn’t even dropped his pants all the way down, that he’d literally just pulled himself out and thrust into her, had her riding the edge of orgasm again sooner than she could have imagined.
The wall beneath her palms was rough as she pushed against it. Her breaths were coming in short, sharp pants, her pulse pounding in her ears as his body rocked into her over and over. She could feel him everywhere, every stroke of his cock sending pleasure licking over her skin. She sobbed. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop, Noah.”
He powered his hips into her so hard she cried out, rocked forward again. “Is that what you need, Sunshine.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted as she tilted her hips to take each powerful drive.
Noah leaned over her, one hand reaching around and gripping the neckline of her tank top, pulling it and her bra down in one quick movement, releasing one of her breasts. He rolled her hard, peaked nipple between his fingers, then pinched it, the sensation sizzling straight to her core.
Sliding the fingers of his other hand between her legs, he rubbed tight circles around her clit, sending heat and pleasure ripping through her. He dipped them lower, gathering some of her arousal from where it was coating him and using it to ease the motion of his fingers over that sensitive bundle of nerves.
Summer’s legs were shaking, her heart thundering as he built her up until she was whimpering non-stop. His hands pressing into her flesh anchored her, while her mind focused on nothing else except for how good he felt inside her, how good he made her feel, how much she wanted him—how much she’d always wanted him. In that moment, there was no anxiety, no fear, no regret for the past, no concern for the future. There was just him.
It only took a few more swipes of his fingers, a few more hard thrusts of his cock, and she shattered. Her arms straightened fully as she pushed herself back onto him, body bowing as the pleasure detonated inside her. It ricocheted through her body, and she threw her head back, unable to hold it all in. Just in time, Noah pulled his hand from her breast and covered her mouth, muffling her cries. His other hand kept working her clit, his cock still pumping into her; even as he cursed harshly while she clenched around him.
As soon as the tension in her body eased, Noah let go of her mouth and grabbed both her hips, yanking her against him as he let out a feral growl and throbbed into her. By the time he’d finished, they were both gasping for breath.
Summer let her head hang between her shoulders, her arms and legs trembling. Before he pulled out of her, Noah leaned forward, gripped her chin with his hand, and turned her face toward him. He studied her expression, satisfaction filling his eyes. A smile curved his lips. “You drive me crazy,” he murmured, before pressing his mouth to hers.
He eased out of her, then pulled her upright. After tucking himself away and doing up his jeans, he tugged her toward him and wrapped his arms around her. His hands smoothed up and down her back, and Summer rested her head against his chest, sagging against him, completely sated. Noah dropped a kiss on her head, then collected her panties and skirt and crouched down, helping her get them over her feet and tugging them both up her legs.
He stood, then tilted her chin up again and studied her eyes. “So, are you coming with me tomorrow night?”
Summer let out a choked laugh. “Yes, I guess I am.”
Noah grinned again, that sparkle she loved so much back in his eyes. “Good.” He looked up at the camera pointing at them. “Now I have to go find a video to delete.”