Noah closed the door behind me and the click sounded louder than it should have.

We stood in the dark of his room with only the streetlight cutting a thin line across the floor. He didn’t reach for me right away. He simply looked at me — at the thin tank top, the shorts, the way my breathing had already changed just from standing in front of him.

“You’re sure,” he said.

It wasn’t really a question. Still, I nodded.

Noah stepped in, cupped the back of my neck, and kissed me. There was nothing careful about it this time. The kiss was deep, controlled, and hungry all at once....