Emma pretended to sleep, but every fiber of her being was alert for any sound or movement from Nolan. She wanted to heave a sigh, or toss and turn, but worried she'd spook him. The longer she waited, the more doubts filled her head. What if he knew she'd watched him last night? What if he didn't feel like doing it again tonight? Despite Zoya's assurances, what if she just wasn't his type?
She had to admit the trick with the towels had totally worked. When they walked out of the bathroom, the boys had put so much work into
not
looking at them, it was almost more obvious than if they had openly gawked. Zoya had given her an I-told-you-so look after they closed the door.
Later, when the families went out for dinner, Zoya ensured that Emma was sitting next to Nolan. He turned out to be easy to talk to, pulling her in with funny stories about his childhood. He laughed at her misconceptions about Australia, but she was forced to admit that his 90s-era vision of Seattle was still largely accurate. She learned he was single, and planning to take a gap year to travel through Europe. He expressed interest in her plan to buy a van to drive the length of Highway 101 down to California.
By the time they got back to the hotel room, and the boys stepped out to let them change for bed, Zoya was practically crowing with delight at her matchmaking efforts.
"I'm telling you, Em, he's hooked! He was flirting all through dinner. There's no way he doesn't go to bed thinking about you. You'll get your moment tonight."
But lying in the dark, hours later, Emma wasn't so sure. Nolan had been polite, but didn't behave like he was infatuated, or even aware of her interest. No furtive looks. No ever-so-casual touches. The more she imagined working up the nerve to climb down and join him if he started masturbating again, the more she worried he would reject her.
She risked another peek, opening one eye just enough to confirm that Nolan still appeared to be sound asleep. Frustrated and dejected, Emma was about to give up and roll away when he yawned and stretched. He blinked slowly and rubbed his eyes, and she closed hers just in time as he glanced up in her direction. Was he checking if she was asleep?
She waited, trying to keep her breathing even and not give any sign she was still awake. After a very long minute, with her eyes squeezed shut, she heard the slow rustling sound again. Heart pounding, she opened her eyes, and saw he was rubbing himself. She watched, entranced, as the shape of his cock grew under the sheet.
He let out a slow, quiet sigh and bit his lip. Then, just like last night, he strained his legs, pulling the sheet down enough to expose his chest. She felt a secret thrill watching as his movements grew more urgent, pushing and pulling on his erection, the muscles in his shoulders tensing.
