Page 130 of You Fall First

Chapter Thirty-Four

Noah

For a full minute, my senses shift into overdrive and my brain thrums with the only thing that matters.

Jo. Jo. Jo. Jo. Jo.

My soul craved her before we’d even met.

Her strength and intelligence. Her playful, generous spirit. She wears her whole heart on her sleeve, knowing full well not everyone will understand. And she shows up anyway.

I need all this.

I need her.

Which is why this kiss is different.

Not just from our first kiss, but from every other kiss I’ve ever had. The rest are instantly erased. My entire mind is nothing but an enormous whiteboard wiped clean by Jo’s lips. The only thing that exists for me now is her.

The gentle hum of her pulse as my mouth dips to her throat. The sharp intake of breath as I press a tender kiss there. Then up to one dimple and across to the other before my lips ghost back to hers.

She tastes like fresh starts.

Like me finally naming something I want for myself.

Her.

And then, all too soon, we break apart on a small simultaneous gasp. A low groan slips out of me, coaxing a laugh from her. Then I dip my forehead, settling it against hers. I want to stay like this forever, or until my heartbeat slows.

Whichever comes last.

After half a minute of rest, though, I realize my blood pressure’s not gonna return to normal on its own. Not while our foreheads are joined, and we’re soaking up the same oxygen. Not while the sweetness of her skin still fizzes on my tongue.

“Wow. That was …” I let out a burst of air. “Wow.”

She sighs. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Literally.”

With a soft laugh, she pulls back to peer up at me. “We just … disappeared for a minute there, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess we did.”

“Do you think anyone noticed?”

“Maybe.”

“Paige?” she asks.

“Dex?”

Neither one of us mentions Oliver. And I like that thought as much as it’s possible to like anything about the ex-boyfriend of the woman you’re holding.

The woman you never want to let go.

We did say the name Paige, though. She and Dutton aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they’ve only just arrived, and my job at Havenwood hasn’t gotten any smaller. If anything, with Inga’s new PR team demands, things are only ramping up. Dividing my time and attention even more was not in the game plan.

And yet.