[This chapter is dedicated to Kalae_Tangonan for being one of the top 3 fans of our book. Thank you so much for the support.]

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With Noah teasing her earlobe, Jess wrapped her dangling legs around his waist, tilted her neck to the side to give Noah better access to her ear and the length of her neck. She loved how his warm breath caressed her skin.

She let out a soft sigh when Noah kissed her neck so gently she wanted to punch him in the head.

"What are you doing Tiefenbacher?" she snarled at him.

He knew that she hated it whenever he made her wait. She's not good at waiting! Even as an adult she would still fail that damn marshmallow test because when she truly wanted something she wanted it in an instant. No delayed gratification shit. She. Want. It. Now!

"Teasing you," he laughed at the annoyance in her face.

She unwrapped her legs from his waist and pushed his chest away making him drop her on his king-size bed.

"You are such a jerk!"

"Jess," he called her name, chuckling. "Truly, it's a wonder how you end up in the research field when waiting is not one of your strengths."

He watched her getting flustered. She put her hands on her sides, bent her knees, and about to scoot away from him. But before she could move away from him, he threw himself on the bed next to her. He straddled her with his leg and draped his arm over her upper body.

"Ugh, get off!"

"Hey, be quiet. Our neighbor might complain about noise disturbance."

"I'm gonna make you complain of some noise, Tiefenbacher." She pushed his arm off her chest but she couldn't. He's too strong for her.

"You are the screamer in bed, Jess. Not me."

"Oh, I'm gonna make you scream, Noah. That's for sure." she gritted her teeth, her nose was flaring in annoyance. "Luke must have told you why he has to see an Orthopaedic after our vacation in San Lucas."

"He told me you broke his shoulder," he laughed.

"Good that you knew. So, you have an idea that I can break your bones if you don't stop this now."

"What did I do?" he pouted. Like how Lucille would pout whenever she thought she got punished wrongly.

Noah's eyes grew soft, and his lips curled up in a pout. Despite being annoyed, as Jess watched Noah act like a mischievous child, she couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"What are you doing Tiefenbacher? Aren't you too old for that?"

"It always works when Lucille does it!"

"Ugh, you're so annoying!" She grabbed his hair, wanted to pull it, but when her fingers touched the soft strands of Noah's hair, her fingers ended up raking his hair in a gentle manner. She heaved a deep sigh. "So freaking annoying...why do you have to be so…"

"So what minx?" He could see her eyes getting hazy with desires.

"So annoying!" She pushed him away from her, pulled the blanket around her body, and rolled herself into a burrito.

Under the thick blanket, she pressed her legs together and expelled a deep breath. She has been holding the air in her lungs, anticipating every little move from Noah, but at the back of her mind, she was scared.

She was scared that if they have sex tonight, tomorrow he would disappear again.

She buried her face on the soft pillow, pulling the blanket tighter. She felt the mattress shifted with Noah's weight.

She felt him move closer to her. She waited for his touch, but it didn't come. However, she could feel his gaze on her. She slowly opened her left eye to check on him and found him staring lovingly at her face.

When she opened both her eyes, he raised his hands and brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

She heaved a deep breath and loosened her grip on the blanket. "Noah, I -"

"Shhh, it's okay. I will just take a shower and use my hands." He said, grinning.

"You are so insufferable!"

She rolled away from him, still under the blanket. She wanted to tell him that she really wanted him to have her tonight, but she was just scared. She knew that if she said those words, Noah would bully her!

"Do you plan on being a burrito the whole night?" He asked, tugging the blanket to stop her from rolling to the far end of the bed. He wished he had a single bed so Jess won't have anywhere to run.

He had an idea of what stopping Jess from acting on her desires that were so clear in her eyes. Guilt ate him up, seeing the yearning in Jess's eyes clouded with apprehension. It seemed like he hurt her too much.

She got hurt with him pulling a disappearing act after sleeping together. Jess, with her sharp tongue and deadly karate skills, is just a fragile girl - easy to get hurt.

He lied down in the middle of the bed. He twisted his body sideways, propped his head on his hand, and watched her at an arm's distance. He wanted to laugh as he felt like he was a predator waiting for his prey to drop her defense.

"You know that I'm not going to do something you don't like, right?"

"Uhm-mmh."

"Can you come closer, then?" He extended his free arm for an invitation of an embrace.

"Nope," she shook her head. "I don't trust myself not to jump you."

Noah roared in laughter, falling into the bed. 'I'm damned! She's so hot.' His lieutenant, now fully awake, never agreed so quickly.

He was still laughing when he turned to her side once again. "We can't do this all night," he shook his head. "I'll go take that shower now, Jess." he stared at her eyes, watching him. She looked like a small animal, - a bunny perhaps - her eyes were full of curiosity but she knew he couldn't be trusted - not yet.

He gave her a small smile. "You were tired, and sleepy while we were on the balcony. Go ahead, and sleep. I won't attack you while you are sleeping." he softly chuckled. He knew he was lying. He's promising her something that he, himself, wasn't sure about.

'Do not attack her in her sleep.'

He laughed and rolled to the other side of the bed. He got up from the bed and pulled his shirt over his head.

He almost laughed when he heard Jess audibly gasped, seeing him half-naked. 'This woman would be the death of me.'

He didn't give her a glance, walked briskly to the bathroom because he needed a cold shower past!

He slid the bathroom door open when the temptation of looking back won him over. He slowly turned around and met her eyes full of yearning.

He leaned against the bathroom door frame, crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked. "Hey, wanna take a shower with me?"

Jess answered by pulling the blanket over her head.

He bent over in laughter. 'Damn, his minx was just too fucking adorable.'

He sucked in some air to stop himself from taking three long strides - no, just two to reach the bed. Grabbed the blanket away from her and took her fast and hard.

And his engorged lieutenant never agrees so hard and fast. But the rational part of his brain was screaming a warning. He won't be able to earn her trust back if he did that.

He wanted to take her, peel off that damn hoodie away from her body, rip off the boxer he bought for himself - but now she was wearing.

He wanted her so bad! However, he has to tread lightly. He doesn't want those doubts in her eyes when they make love. More than fulfilling his raging lust over Jess, he wanted to erase the pain that he caused - away from her eyes.

She wanted her without apprehension, without inhibition, without a looming fear in her heart when she came back to his arms.

She wanted her to scream his name without fear that he would be gone the next day. He heaved a deep sigh, watching her under the blanket unmoving.

He softly closed the bathroom door and took a freezing shower. A cold shower won't suffice. He was tempted to rub himself while thinking of Jess lying in his bed, wearing his hoodie, his boxer.

"Fuck! He slammed his left hand on the cold bathroom tiles. He looked down at his shaft, standing, hanging between his legs, begging to be touched.

"You are pathetic, Noah," he muttered under his breath.

He closed his eyes and gave in. His right hand gripped his hard member and rub it in his palm. Up and down, eyes tightly closed, with Jess's vivid image flashing in front of his eyes.

The hard spray of the shower, hitting his back couldn't totally drown the guttural sounds that escaped his mouth, calling Jess's name as he came under the freezing shower.

"You are fucking pathetic, Tiefenbacher," he cursed himself, gasping for air from that mind-blowing release.

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