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He ended the call before Max could say anything else and tossed the phone on the bed.

“That wasn’t what I expected.”

“No,” Noah said. “I don’t like that he still wants you.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I’m not exactly a huge fan.”

He still held me close to his side. “Something doesn’t add up here. It doesn’t make sense. He should already know where to find you. He has your number. Knows where Brandon is. Knows where your apartment is. So why ask me?”

It didn’t matter. All that mattered was making sure every single one of the people who were there and involved with what was happening in that underground club went to jail. “It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll go.”

He rolled over me, resuming our position from earlier. “No. You don’t need to. Why put you back in danger when I just told him I don’t know where you are? This is already a win. We have a chance to take them down now, and we’ll make sure they’re all arrested.”

The fervent passion on his face made me smile. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. “Okay. But if you need me to, I will. I want these guys gone too. And I already know you’ll do whatever you can to keep me safe.”

The light in his eyes that had dimmed when Max called came back in full force. “Yes.”

The single word was a promise, backed up by his hands on my body and his skin on mine. Solidified by the fact that we were here together. In his bed.

He started smiling at the same time I did. “We were in the middle of something before he called.”

“We were,” I breathed. “Are you going to let me finish it?”

Noah leaned closer until his lips brushed mine. Not kissing, but barely a whisper away from it. Every hair I had stood on end. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That after you complete your exploring, I get to have my wicked way with you.” His smile promised more of that wild pleasure that we’d both fallen into last night.

I rolled us, ending up on top and already moving downward. If he was going to shower me with pleasure, then I sure as hell was going to do the same for him.

“Deal.”

Chapter 20

Noah

The sun seemed brighter today. Maybe that was insane to say, but it felt that way. After waking up with Kate—even with our brief interruption—the world seemed to sparkle.

I was in so much trouble.

The other guys were going to see it on my face, and all the shit I’d ever given them about women in their lives was going to come back on me.

But I didn’t mind. I chuckled, filling the food bowls for the dogs before heading over to the alpaca enclosure. Kate was worth any amount of teasing I could possibly endure.

She was in my house right now, working at my dining room table and keeping an eye on the kittens. She hadn’t wanted to get up after I’d worn her out all over again. But I certainly wasn’t going to apologize for that. Having her in my bed... there was a certain bone-deep satisfaction, a settling in my chest that I couldn’t explain.

It was on a visceral level. Not a conscious thing and certainly not something I could avoid.

“Hey, guys,” I said to the alpacas. They approached me at the fence line and I stroked their necks. Al Pacacino gave me a look which was entirely too human. Like he knew what happened when I’d left him outside last night. “Don’t look at me like that.”

I cleaned up the enclosure and fed them, stretching after I exited the gate. That was that. All the normal chores were done. Just in time too. As much as I wanted to go back to the house and see Kate, I had another appointment. One that would affect the both of us.

As I jogged up the lodge stairs, Liam and Daniel were already there. “Did I keep you waiting?”

“No,” Daniel said. “We have time, and we wanted to let you get stuff done.”

Liam was uncharacteristically serious as he sat at the table. “You’re sure about this, right? Because Charlie is already going to give you hell.”