Page 20

Chapter twenty

Noah

L ast night with Declan had been beyond my wildest fantasies.

He’d crashed out hard minutes after he came, and I’d cleaned him off and brought in water. I settled next to him, tossed an old season of Doctor Who, and cuddled with him. When he’d stirred, I got some water into him and checked in, but we were both pretty dead to the world after that marathon session, and I’d passed out soon after.

I’d woken up first, maybe ten minutes ago, and I hadn’t budged. I stared at Declan in my arms like some creeper, but holy fuck, the sight of him, his long, thick lashes on display, his pretty pink mouth open—I was smitten. Beyond smitten. I was wholly in love with this man.

A part of me always had been, but I’d never believed anything between us would come to fruition. Yet the moment the door opened, god, he’d become my entire world .

I brushed a few strands of his hair that had drifted over his forehead. Declan’s lashes fluttered, and his eyes opened, showcasing those brilliant blues.

“Mmph,” he groaned. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

“I can imagine.” My heart squeezed tight. The sheer warmth and joy bubbling up inside me at having him here in my arms was unreal. “Last night was one of the best nights of my life.”

Declan arched a brow. “I think you need to set the bar higher.”

“You just woke up, and your smartass mouth’s already clicked on?” I leaned and brushed my lips against his. He kissed me with a soft sweetness that made my heart skip a beat.

“Sass doesn’t require full brain function.” Declan pushed up to seated. I missed having him in my arms, but I also understood we couldn’t lie in bed all day. We had a Brannon family brunch to get to soon, and I wouldn’t miss that event for the world.

“Well, why don’t we start with some caffeine at least before we have to face your family.” I slid out of bed, my muscles sore from the extended workout I’d gotten last night.

Declan wrinkled his nose. “That requires movement, right? Pass.”

“Feeling a little wiped out?” I teased.

Declan delivered me an arch look. “I wonder why.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his glasses. Having him here in my bed was so natural, so perfect.

I wanted it every day.

“Well, then, let me carry you.” I closed the distance between us.

“Don’t be ridiculous—” He let out an undignified garble as I heaved him up into my arms.

“I’ll carry you all around the house if I need to.” I strode toward the kitchen. The fact that Declan was completely naked in my arms should’ve woken my cock up, but after the marathon sex last night, I’d exhausted it.

“That’s unreasonable. And honestly, a hazard once I’ve gotten my tea.” Even though he complained, he’d settled into my arms. I put him down, and while my back thanked me, part of me hated being separated from him. As if this was a long, elaborate dream, and I’d wake up to find him gone.

“I’ll get my tea started.” Declan padded over to the container where I kept the new bags I’d bought. I’d added more tea over the past week than I’d had in years. However, the addition was worth it. A slight grin lifted his lips, one I didn’t think he was even aware of, as he sifted through the bags, trying to find the perfect start for his morning. Fuck, he was so beautiful.

I made quick work of getting the coffeemaker going and leaned against the counter. Declan still deliberated over the type of tea.

My phone blared in the other room. I heaved a sigh and pushed off the counter, mostly to silence the loud sound. I snagged my phone from my nightstand and glanced at the screen. Brandon.

My stomach sank. I was so tempted to ignore it, but reflex kicked in, and I answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Noah,” he said, “I need you to come in and cover a job today.”

I swallowed hard.

Today was when I’d get to introduce myself to the Brannons as Declan’s boyfriend, something I’d been dreaming about for most of my life.

Today was my day off.

Brandon didn’t expect Ray to go in on his day off, and Brandon sure as fuck wouldn’t go in either. Maybe he’d just been leaning on me because I was the easy option, but I needed to speak up. Sweat broke on my temple, and my pulse picked up. Great that a grown-ass man was having anxiety over this. I walked into the kitchen, and my gaze settled on Declan.

The answer escaped my lips before I could even think about it.

“I can’t today.”

“What do you mean?” Brandon asked, his voice getting sharper.

Anxiety prickled through me even stronger. “Look, I’m meeting my boyfriend’s family. I can’t just bail on them, and I’m not scheduled to work.”

“Who else is going to cover, Noah?” Brandon got more irritated with every word.

Anger flared through me, slicing through the anxiety.

Declan stepped beside me, not saying anything. He placed a cup of coffee on the counter, the creamer exactly the way I liked, then leaned next to me, not pushing but showing his silent support. Fuck, he was perfect.

And I was done letting people walk all over me. Brandon had years of my tireless work, of having me pick up everyone’s slack, and when he got the slightest bit of pushback, instead of trying to come to a solution with me, he lashed out.

Done.

I was so fucking done.

“I don’t know, Brandon. It’s your business, so you’ll have to figure that out because I quit.”

With that, I hung up the phone.

My hands trembled, and I stared down at my phone. Oh, fuck. What had I done?

“So, sounds like you and the boss had a good conversation.” Declan took a sip of his tea.

An incredulous laugh bubbled out of me. This excess energy from the roller coaster I’d ridden filled me, and it just escaped me in the moment. The slightly hysterical laughter wouldn’t stop, and my shoulders shook. Shit, my whole body shook.

“Fuck.” I clutched tight to the coffee, the heat from the ceramic warming my palms. My mind whirled. “I don’t have a job.”

I loved working as a contractor, and I’d jumped into it when I was finishing high school. And since Brandon and I had been in school together, I’d joined the company he took over from his dad. However, over the past couple of years, the stress of it, the longer than normal hours, had been grating away at me. Especially when I was underappreciated. When I was expected to do more work than anyone else because I didn’t complain.

Declan pressed against my side. “That’s true. You don’t have a job.”

I shot him a glare. “Thanks. That’s helping so much.”

His lips curled into a soft grin. “But that doesn’t mean you won’t. You’re talented, Noah. I saw the work you did at my house. You’re thorough, skilled, and you have an amazing work ethic. You deserve to be at a place that values everything you have to offer.”

Declan’s calmness and his matter-of-fact words soothed something inside me. My heart thrummed faster than ever.

He continued speaking, even though he stared off to the wall, rather than looking at me. “I love you. At least, I think this whole heart-in-my-throat feeling is love. The way I want to be around you when normally I want to be away from people. How my whole body brims with awareness when you’re around. We’re in this together, Noah. So you might have lost your job in putting your foot down, but you sure as hell haven’t lost.”

Wait.

What had he just said?

Declan Brannon loved me .

Giddiness rose within me, mingling with the upset from moments before, and fuck, I wouldn’t be able to eat at brunch with the state my stomach was in.

“I love you too,” I blurted out, not wanting him to think he was alone in this. “Fuck, I’m so in love with you it’s ridiculous, Declan. You’re everything I dreamed of, and in the short time we’ve been together, you’ve helped me more than you’ll ever know.”

I set my coffee down, closed the distance between us, and crushed our lips together. He melted against me, and this kiss tasted like the first sunset on vacation. Like hope in its purest form. I lost myself in the way our lips met again and again, how we were just tongues, teeth, and lust in this singular moment.

When I was with Declan like this, those anxieties that sometimes roared were muted. For a few blessed seconds, I could breathe.

When I pulled back, Declan stared at me, a knowing in his eyes that pierced right through my chest. Fuck, he got me, better than anyone on this planet. As much as the room still spun around me, with him, I settled in the center.

“You’re going to be okay, Noah,” Declan reassured me. “There are close to 300,000 masonry jobs in the United States. Those are far better job prospects than most.”

I shook my head and pressed a kiss on the tip of his nose. Giddiness bubbled up inside me again. Declan loved me, and he was willing to weather this together.

Maybe that was all I needed.

“We can cancel the family brunch if that would make you feel better.” Declan got out his phone. “I’m never sad about avoiding social situations.” Chances were, we needed to head out soon.

I sucked in a shaky breath. “Nah. I’ve been waiting for this for a damn long time. I want you to introduce me to your family as yours. ”

“My what?” Declan wrinkled his nose. “My lover? Paramour? My boyfriend?”

I shook my head. “Just yours.”

Declan snorted. “Well, that’s decidedly unclear.”

Lightness bubbled up, threatening to dispel every other storm cloud that loomed in the distance. I’d deal with the job situation later. This morning, I wanted to go to brunch with Declan.

“Come on, my boyfriend,” I teased. “Let’s go see your family.”