Hard to Hold On (26 page)

M
y fingernails bite through his dress-shirt and I cling onto him, refusing to let go. He starts to go harder and I hold back on a scream. “I wanna hear you, babe,” he whispers against my ear. “Fuck everybody else. It’s just you and me, remember?”

His voice causes a build-up within me. He picks his speed up and with each one, my back bumps against the wall. He grabs my ass, keeping leverage while lifting into me with deep strokes. This time, I shriek blissfully.

He groans as I place my lips against his ear to let him hear my pleasure. It’s his motivation, I know it. “Shit, Natalie,” he hisses through his teeth. “I’m so close, baby. So close.”

I bite my lower lip to try and hold back on the next scream. I don’t want the people of the restaurant to hear us
but it’s a thrill to know that I can be this pleasured in such an open place.

The build-up returns again but this time there is a throbbing between my legs. There’s an ache that causes my legs to tremble and
for me to quake around him. My body needs more and after a while, he gives it to me.

He
strokes continuously and with each one, I get higher and higher. Closer and closer. He finally hisses through his teeth and I fall against his shoulder because the point of it all has arrived. I explode around him, screaming his name at least three times and moments after, he’s released as well.

He sinks against me, running
his fingers through my hair before cupping the back of my neck and kissing me. “I love you so much, Bunny,” he whispers in my ear, kissing my cheek.

“I love you, too, Nolan.
”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Nolan

I’m
up tangled between Natalie’s arms and legs this morning. Her hair is in her face and her lips are parted as she breathes softly. Last night had to be one of the best nights of my life. The connection between us grew. I could feel it blossoming and our relationship mending back together. We were growing in more ways than one. I don’t think I’ve seen Natalie smile that much since I’ve met her and that’s saying something. It’s good and bad.

Instead of talking last night, we ended up
making milkshakes and cuddling on the couch watching movies until we had fallen asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night to carry her to her bedroom and decided to sleep with her. I know we need to talk but it seems like something always gets in the way.
Tonight for sure
, I tell myself.

I
know now that I’ve won her over. From now on, I can’t fuck up because I want her in my life, for the rest of my life.

I’ve been confused about a lot of things but I’ve never been s
o sure about anything until she came around. I know Natalie won’t let me down. She never wanted to leave my side and although I fucked up by letting her go, I know I’ll never let it happen again. She’s my girl. My Bunny. I’ll never let her go like that again. Letting her go was like committing internal suicide. I was emotionally dead without her.

With her, I’m living again. With her, I’m whole.

She mumbles something as she moves against my side and then her eyelids flutter. She stares up at me with the richest brown eyes I’ve ever seen and then a smile forms on her lips. “It’s nice to wake up to your face,” she murmurs,

“I could say the same thing
.” I kiss her cheek and she adjusts herself to lie on my chest.

“I have school today,” she sigh
s.

“What does that mean?”

“Tyler is in my English class.”

I tense, looking away from her. “Do you want me to drop by?”

“No, Nolan. He can’t do anything to me at school. I just need to talk to him and figure out what happened. I don’t want him to feel threatened. It might cause more drama.”

I shake my head as she runs her fingers across my arm. “Just don’t fall for his shit, Natalie.”

“I won’t, Nolan.” She lifts herself up to climb on top of me. She stares down at me, her eyes soft as she bites her bottom lip. “You trust me, right?”

“I trust you. Not him.” She begins to straddle on top of me and my legs lock, enjoying the feeling. “What are you trying to do?”

“Get you to ease up.” Leaning down, she places a kiss against my cheek, my neck. Her lips trail down to my chest and then rise to my lips again. “It’s my turn,” she whispers.

I don’t say anything—I want to, but I don’t. Instead I watch as she lowers herself un
til she’s hovering above my arousal. She tugs on my boxers while looking at me beneath her eyelashes and as soon as they’re down, she grabs a hold of me.

Her tongue starts at the bottom and I shiver as she tickles her way up. I grip onto the edge of the bed and my head falls back as a loud sucking noise fills the room. I don’t know how the hell she’s so good at it but I’m not complaining. I hear myself curse mildly and then she stops. The
bed sinks beneath her weight as she sits up and I steal a peek, watching as she takes her panties off.

As soon as they’re off, she’s on top of me and a
heavy grunt has fled from my vocal chords. Her moans turn me on even more as she straddles herself on top of me. She rides hard, fast, and her hand grips my chest to keep the leverage. She has a tank top on and I want so badly to rip it off but she lowers herself against my chest, leaving me with no choice but to let her keep it on.

Her lips crush mine and I cup her ass as the strokes de
epen. She moans against my lips; I swallow it. Our panting increases and then the throbbing intensifies. “Oh, Nolan,” she moans against my ear. Her voice always does something to me. It always builds me up.

Flipping her onto her back, she stares up at me and I crash into her again. I grip the top of the headrest and pound into her quickly, creating a
continuous bang against the wall. She shrieks and her eyelids lower as her head falls back and her body arcs into mine. She then grips my forearms, begging for me to go harder and I do.

I continue it until I’m close—until I’ve hit just the right spot. She squeals again, bucking against me and I pull back to pull her up. Her chest presses against mine and she bounces on top of me until I reach
the point of it all.

“Holy shit, Natalie,” I grunt against her ear as she bo
unces on top of me once more before we land against the bed. I slip my way of out of her to pull her against me. I bury my nose into her hair to breathe her in and she hugs me, gripping me tightly with a satisfying sigh.

It’s
one of those moments where the sex is so damn good that you don’t want to say anything. It’s not awkward or annoying . . . It’s just right. It’s one of the moments you never want to let go of.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Natalie

I’m dreading this class more and more with each passing second. My fingers curl around my steering wheel as I stare ahead at the school. English is m
y favorite course of them all but to know that Tyler is in the same class as me makes me hate it. I don’t want to go but I want to find out what happened to me. Nolan and Harper are so worried about him that I have to find out the truth for myself.

Someone knocks
against my window twice and I jolt before turning to look out. Brittany is standing arm-in-arm with Jordan as they both smile at me through the window. With a breath of relief, I pull my sweaty fingers away from the steering wheel, grab my notebook and satchel bag, and hop out of the car.

“What’s up
, poet!” Jordan says. We pound fists and then I turn to hug Brittany.

“How are you guys? It’s been forever.”

“It’s been a while, yeah, but there’s an Open Mic session this Saturday,” Brittany says. “It’s supposed to be epic. You and Nolan should totally come.”

I nod. “We might just have to make that trip.”

“Awesome. Jordan, I’ll meet you in, okay?” Brittany looks up at her boyfriend and he nods as he kisses her cheek.

“See you in. Great to see you, Natalie.” He smiles at me before pulling away from Brittany and carrying himself to
wards the school.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asks as soon as he’s out of earshot. “You look kind of sick.”

I shake my head, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m just . . . well it’s Tyler.”

Her
features flip negatively in an instant. She narrows her eyes at me before turning her head to scan the parking lot. “What did he do now?” she asks, her voice low and unfamiliar.

“I blacked out last weekend after hanging with him
. It was during one of his lake house parties. All I can remember is talking to him and then after that it’s just . . . blank.”

“Did you take any kind of drinks from him?”

I think on it but then I remember. Right after I left Nolan, Tyler handed me an uncapped beer. “Yeah, I did.”

“Bingo,” she sighs. “It’s the same thing that happened to me. Listen, Tyler is a freak. He can be really sweet but there’s just something about him that creeps me out. I find it odd that the same thing happened to me right before he stopped calling me. Has he tried calling you?”

“No, but Nolan says he’s been trying to get in contact with him through my phone but he hasn’t been answering.”

“G
ah, what is wrong with this guy?” She runs a hand through her hair, shaking her head. “Look, take it as a good sign that he isn’t calling or answering. You don’t need to be involved with him.” Her lips press as she takes a brief stare into my eyes before looking me over in my red skinny-jeans and black blouse. “Did you have sex with him?”

“No, Britt
any. I didn’t want to go that far with him. I only wanted to be friends.”

She nods. “Well good. If he’s in class today
, ignore him. Just pretend you’ve never met him. He isn’t worth the stress.” Flicking her wrist, she checks the time and then takes a step forward. “I’m going to be late to class. I’ll see you Saturday?”

“For sure.”

With a nod, she takes off, but in the back of my mind I know I’m not going to just pretend nothing happened like she did. I want answers and I don’t care how I get them.

****

I’m actually early today. I’ve tried stalling as much as I could but it didn’t work out. As I scurry down the aisle of the classroom, I notice there are only about five people already sitting at their tables. Most of them are the original early birds and it’s a good sign that Tyler isn’t here yet.

I go for the table near the window, pulling my chair out and dropping my bag and notebook
on the table. I pull the extra chair from under my table and move it to the back of the classroom. I don’t want him near me—at least not yet.

Professor Doran comes into the class with a grunt and his circular glasses
barely hanging on the bridge of his nose. He has his briefcase tucked in hand and a few papers in the other. “Morning, class,” he sighs, dropping his things on his desk. He looks up at each of us and I give him a wary smile but I can’t help but look at the back door that I know Tyler will be coming through soon.

A few more people come strolling in but none of them are Tyler. I’m sort of relieved but at the same time I want him to come so we can talk in a public place. I know not to talk to him in private anymore.

The clock strikes two-forty-five and class begins . . . but there is still no sign of Tyler. I force myself to focus on my notes from Professor Doran but it’s impossible. The fact that he isn’t showing up to a class he had attended every single day is freaking me out. I’d hate to think Brittany was right about him.

After gathering a few notes, grabbing my satchel, and tucking my notebo
ok beneath my arm, I decide leaving early is best. He isn’t coming and it’s one of the main reasons I showed up today. To figure out what the hell he might have done to me.

I zoom through the clear hallwa
y, stepping my way up stairs to get to the library. As I enter, a woman with bold white hair smiles at me from the desk. I force myself to smile as I walk past her to get to the farthest table. I catch a glimpse of a table near the window and rush for it. Dropping my books, I turn to scan the miles and miles of books that are in front of me. It’s a great place to think. To write.

Pulling a pen out, I rip out a sheet of paper from my no
tebook and start scribbling all of my emotions. Confusion. Worry. Happiness (but only because of Nolan). Partially complete. I won’t be entirely complete until I figure Tyler out. Nothing has ever bugged me so much.

“What are you
writing?” a familiar voice asks from behind me.

My heart slams against my ribcage
, my palms sweat, and my pen stops scribbling as I stare ahead. How the hell did he find me?

I force myself to blink, placing
my pen down. Slowly, I turn to face Tyler who’s already staring at me, a smirk on his lips. His dimples are deep; his hazel eyes are clear and unashamed. I stand to my feet, narrowing my eyes at him as he takes a small step forward.

“I’ve been calling you,” I lie.

“I know.”

“Why haven’t you answered? I thought we had fun.” Another lie. I didn’t have much fun with him.