The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Xaden's POV.

Noelle is dropped off by her mother and I rush out to meet her. It's only a brief introduction, but her mum gets out of the car to hug me, and I see that as a good sign.

I just need to meet her dad now.

I take Noelle's hand and lead her inside; she looks even more nervous than she did last time.

'I'm sorry about the ambush. I really didn't know that my family was coming over.'

She gives me a weak smile. 'It's okay, I just hope they like me.'

'How could they not You're perfect, Noelle, don't worry.'

We enter the house and I introduce Noelle to my auntie, uncle and my cousin. She shyly responds to each of their greetings.

As the evening goes on, Noelle relaxes more. By the time that we're eating, she's comfortable again.

I help my mum fix the dessert in the kitchen, and when I return, Naevia and Noelle are giggling together like gossiping schoolgirls. I sit down next to Noelle and eye her warily.

'What were you two talking about' I ask and Naevia smirks.

'Naevia was just telling me that she would have waited even longer to forgive you after what you'd done,' Noelle says teasingly, smiling the whole time she tells me.

I look over at Naevia and narrow my eyes at my cousin.

'We're family. How could you screw me over like this'

Naevia laughs. 'Oh, relax. I just said I'd wait a little while before mating. You know, really make you earn it.'

I glare at her and Noelle giggles sweetly next to me. She reaches over and squeezes my hand on my lap.

I don't get the opportunity to defend myself, because dessert is served.

Later on, we say goodbye to my family. They're all completely enamored with Noelle, just like I knew they would be.

I take Noelle up to my room for a bit, seeing as we still have some time before her mum comes to collect her.

We sit down on my bed and Noelle rests her head on my shoulder. We talk for a while, discussing the evening and my family. She sees the side of me that not many get to, the relaxed, non—cocky side that only my family usually get to see.

What should have been a simple kiss goodbye turns into a heavy make—out session. Before I know it, I have Noelle pinned under me on the bed and my hands are feeling every curve in her body whilst she moans into the kiss.

Her phone vibrating with incoming calls snaps us out of our lustful haze.

'My mum's outside,' she says sheepishly.

I give her one last kiss and walk her downstairs and to her mum's car.

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The next week passes like normal. Noelle and I spend every minute we can together, both at school and after. At the weekend, she invites me to stay over at her house.

Her parents are cool with us staying in her room, which is a relief.

Saturday night, the roles are reversed. I'm the one who stood nervously outside her house, mentally praying that her family likes me. I've met her mum already, but everyone knows it's the dad that the sons—in—law dread meeting.

Noelle invites me in and leads me through to the living room, where her parents are waiting.

Her mum greets me with a hug and then I turn to her dad, who looks me up and down with an assessing gaze.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir,' I tell him in the most respectful tone I can.

He looks down at my hand and then back up at me. His jaw is set as he gives me a stiff nod and a very firm handshake that has me wincing internally.

'Xaden,' he says formally.

'Dad,' Noelle warns him.

He grimaces and forces a smile at me. 'It's nice to meet you,' he says through gritted teeth.

I smile uncomfortably.

'Well! How about some food' Noelle's mum suggests, breaking the tension.

She calls Noelle's brother to come down and everyone helps to set the table.

Dinner isn't as awkward as I worried it would be. Everyone seems to relax once the food is served. Even Noelle's brother joins in the conversation, but he starts off by mostly grunting his answers.

Noelle's mum suggests that we take dessert in the living room, and they put some film on in the background.

I'm relieved when it finishes, and Noelle tells her parents that she and I are going to go upstairs to her room. Her father doesn't look best pleased and glares at me as we leave.

'Your dad hates me,' I whine to Noelle as we brush our teeth in her en suite.

She chuckles and spits her toothpaste into the sink.

'He doesn't hate you; he just hates the fact that we're going to have sex at some point. He hated my ex too, for a long time, so don't worry.'

I guess it's slightly reassuring that I'm not the first boyfriend, he might have actually killed me.

I strip down to my boxers and climb into Noelle's large, king—sized bed. It's comfy as hell and I patiently wait for her to come out of the bathroom.

When she does, I'm not disappointed. Wearing only a silky top and a pair of shorts, she looks incredible.

She rushes nervously across the room, desperate to get under the covers. I lift them for her, and she slides in next to me.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she cuddles into my side. I close my eyes and lay back against the pillow, completely content.

'I was thinking,' Noelle muses aloud. 'maybe we could mark each other soon'

I tense up, surprised by her suggestion. 'What made you think of that'

'Well, in the interest of us moving on from our pasts and trusting one another, I think marking each other will help. We will be able to feel each other's strong emotions, we can solidify our bond and show that we're both committed to this.'

I smile at her passionate reply and kiss the top of her head. 'I'm all for it.'

She lifts her head to look up at me with excited eyes. 'Yeah'

'Yeah,' I reply with a nod.

She turns shy all of a sudden and bites down on her bottom lip.

'Do you want to do it tonight'

My eyes widen and my lips part. I can feel myself getting hard under the covers at the thought of it.

'You know you'll come right' I ask her. 'It'll be…further than we've gone before.'

Noelle grins. 'You're my mate, silly. It's not a problem.'

'Okay.' I smile at her.

Noelle rolls onto her side and faces me. I lean in and kiss her. As our lips move in sync, my hands roam her body, feeling every dip and curve under the satin material.

Daringly, I slide my hand under her top, to feel the smooth skin of her hip. I squeeze gently and trace patterns on her skin whilst her tongue plays with mine.

Slowly, I slide my hand higher. My fingertips brush the underside of her breast, and she moans, encouraging me to continue. I move higher, brushing my thumb over her hard nipple. I take it between my fingers and roll it back and forth.

Noelle arches her back and presses her body against mine. My tongue explores every inch of her mouth, whilst my hand explores her breast. She lifts her leg and rests it on my hip, bringing our groins closer together.

I can feel the heat radiating from the junction between her legs, it's pressed against my erection.

Unable to resist, I roll on top of Noelle, not breaking the kiss. I nestle myself between her open legs and grind my hard erection against her hot core. She moans into the kiss and digs her nails into my scalp.

I pull away and start kissing along her jawline, gently nibbling with my teeth. Noelle leans her head to one side, giving me full access to her neck. I lick along the column of her neck and then kiss her shoulder and back, trying to find the right spot.

My neck is exposed, too and Noelle takes full advantage of that. She kisses my neck, finding her own place.

When we've both found the spots we're looking for, we mark each other at the same time. We sink our teeth into each other's necks, claiming each other.

An orgasm hurtles through me, shaking my body with its intensity. Noelle moans into my neck and I feel her tremble in my arms. We grind against each other uncontrollably, fuelled by our bodies and their desire to increase the pleasure we're feeling.

We hold each other close, even as we come down from our highs.

We marked each other.

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