Page 75 of Academically Yours

“Noelle—”

“Shush,” she admonished, “I like it. Keep going.”

“Then I’d eat dessert.”

“Dessert? But you don’t like sweets.”

“Oh, I won’t be eating sweets, baby. I’d be eating you.”

“Oh.” A little breathless sound drifted through the phone, and I loved that I was affecting her, even now. “What would you do after that?”

I pretended to ponder. “I’d bring you back to this big bed of mine, take my time undressing you, and after making sure you were immensely satisfied, I’d tuck you into my side and hold you till we fell asleep.”

She laughed. “Alright, I think you’re going to have to deliver on that.”

I went back to our game. “What do you normally do for spring break?”

I could almost hear the wheels turning in her brain. “Nothing. Sometimes I spend it with my mom, but she’s out of town next week.”

“Do you…” I rubbed a hand over my face. “Would you want to spend it with me?”

“Does that count as a question?” Noelle asked, and I laughed into the phone.

“No. But seriously, spend it with me?”

“Yeah,” she said, a little breathless. “The whole week?”

“Uh-huh. I think once I get you in my bed, I’m never going to want to let you out of it.”

“Matthew—” She tried to protest, but I could hear the tone in her voice. The one that told me that she wanted that too.

I wondered if she was as affected by our phone conversation as I was. Dammit, now that I could see it so clearly, I wanted it. I wanted to take her home and learn her body inside and out. What she liked, what she didn’t. What gave her pleasure. Wanted her to seek it out herself. Whatever she wanted.

Anything, everything.

I’d take whatever she would give me.

We spent another hour like that, just talking, before Noelle finally mumbled something about needing to go to bed before she fell asleep on the phone with me.

“Goodnight, Noelle.”

“Goodnight, Matthew.”

And I fell asleep with a smile plastered on my face.