You deserve better.” He pushed the plate in front of me, his part of the hamburger gone, but all the fries still on the plate.Like a guy who would share his dinner with me and give me all the fries? A guy who broke rules so I could listen to my father talk to my therapist? A guy who gave me his jacket when I was cold? A guy who set me on fire with a simple touch? But Noah couldn’t possibly want a girl like me.

Not sure how I felt about Antonio and Echo, I linked my fingers with hers. Antonio cocked a surprised eyebrow. Damn straight, bro. I just marked my territory.

You know a lot about math," I said. You know a lot about math? What type of statement was that? Right along the lines of "Hey, you have hair and it's red and curly." Real smooth.

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What do you need?”“You.” I loved how her face glowed. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

“I’m going to meet your parents this weekend and we’ve got plans?” Her face reddened. “Sorry. I, um, assumed that, you know, that since you said I was yours, that we would kind of, I guess …” Damn, she was cute when she stammered.

Wait." I began to pull off his jacket. "You forgot this.""Keep it," he said without looking back. "I'll get it from you on Monday. When we discuss tutoring."And Noah Hutchins - girl-using stoner boy and jacket-loaning savior - faded into the shadows.

“Echo and I have class together.” Ashley brightened and pressed a hand to her belly. “Really? Which one?”“Calculus.”“Physics,” I added. “And business technology.”“Español.” Had he purposely made his voice all deep and sexy? His hand moved up a fraction of an inch and squeezed my leg, exerting delicious pressure on my inner thigh. I twisted my hair away from my neck to release some of the heat. Noah either choked on his own spit or stifled a laugh.Thankfully, my father missed the show.

Because they’re wet, Noah’s jeans are a bit stubborn sliding down, but he’s successful, and in the mirror I’m drawn to his naked body. I love the raw power of his shoulder blades and the curve of his back that trails lower to his...my mouth dries out...oh, crap...his butt is...how do I describe something so exquisite?Everything about Noah is sexy, and as he bends to pull the jeans off his foot— “If you get in the shower with me, Echo, you’d get a better look and you’d warm up.”

He loved me.Noah Hutchins had told me he loved me, and that had made the past week at school absolute hell.