Page 50 of Rise & Fall

“What is this?” I ask, crossing my legs and feeling a bit silly doing so.

“Just sit back.” His lips graze my ears as he feathers his words to me. I immediately blush and look over to the girls who have no concern in the world for anything other than their coloring pages.

“Nolan, this is silly. I don’t need you to braid my hair.” I laugh, leaning back a little so that my back hits the edge of the couch. The warmth between his legs gives me a funny but all too familiar feeling and as he takes a brush through my hair gently, I’m shocked to hear myself moan a little.

It actually feels really good. I mean, of course I’ve brushed my hair before. But my ass is usually in a hurry most days and I’m pulling the bristles through my strands like a F1 race, and who likes the feel of brushing their own hair anyways?

But when someone else is doing it, and when that someone else is a strong, toned, and defined man who has arms like aWWEwrestler but the gentleness of a teddy bear…it just hits differently.

I feel the moment he starts pulling my hair into different strands and starts weaving them through each other. I mean, I’m sure when I was little, my mom used to braid my hair, but I obviously don’t remember it and this…this feels different.Intimate.

When he’s done, he ties the rubber band around the end and lays my braid gently over one of my shoulders, leaving the other one slightly exposed where my shirt isn’t covering. As I subconsciously reach up to feel the braid—which is flawless if I may say so—I feel him lean in and he lays a peck on my bare neck, his lips soft and careful.

The feeling is electric and inviting. I turn my head slightly so that I can see him, and he meets my eye contact.

“I couldn’t help it,” he says, clearly seeing me question his actions.

Again, after last night, I feel like we share a new kind of closeness of some sort. With him, the level of emotional connection seems to match the attraction we obviously have for each other. Which sounds crazy enough, considering we’ve only known each other for about two weeks now.

My head is tilted back, and he leans in just enough, placing one hand on my shoulder and the other finds my chin. It’s just us. The way he ran his fingers through my hair just moments before, the kiss he feathered on my neck, the way his eyes are looking at me and only me right now.

This moment is ours and it’s real. And it’s lowkey scaring the shit out of me.

We both lean in, the space closing between us. And right before our lips touch…

“Eww, are you guys trying to kiss?” Aria teases and both girls let out another elongatedeww.

We both jump back from the kiss, and he laughs while I smack my head and jump up from the floor.

“We should get going.” I dust my embarrassment off like my mom just walked in on me having sex for the first time—that was a real joy ride.

Nolan leans back into the couch, obviously seeming very unaffected by the fact that the girls caught us having a moment.

“Come on, Em. We need to go meet Dexter so we can see Mom.” At the mention of her dad, she lights up.

I remember when I did the same, though my parents weren’t separated. Anytime anything involved my dad, I was a mess of joy. I love that she gets that…at least hopefully for a little longer than I did.

“Are you free tomorrow?” Nolan asks as he gets up from the couch and helps me gather my things.

“I don’t work. But I’d have to make sure Dex can watch Em. How come?” I walk toward the door, and he follows, keeping his voice lowered so that the girls don’t hear. I mean, they’re only 6. They’re oblivious anyways, right?

“I have a date planned for us, if you’re up for it.” He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, almost as if he’s shy in asking me out on a date.

Honestly, I am a little worried. I didn’t picture myself dating someone so soon after everything that’s happened with my previous relationship. But if I’m being honest, it could be good for me, and I would like to get to know Nolan a lot more.

“Yeah, let me see what I can do.” I smile at him just as Emsley comes running at me with her coloring for Mom.

“Come on, DJ, let’s go!”

Nolan and I both just chuckle at her as she rushes past us to the front door.

“See you tomorrow, Dakota.” He leans in and plants a sweet-as-sin kiss on my check, leaving me extremely excited for our date tomorrow.

fifteen

Dakota

“Howisshedoing?”I ask Dexter, who is sitting on the couch as we walk into my mom’s house.