Page 25

Noe waited until he and Luca were home that night, in pajamas and more or less settled in, before bringing up what had happened earlier in the day. Luca sat on the futon with him, hearing him out patiently, his expression darkening with each word. Which didn’t bode well, but Noe would be just as mad if their positions were reversed.

When he wound down, Luca gave a long sigh, his eyes on their clasped hands.

“Noe. What do you want to do?”

“Right now? Give it a little more time.”

“Why?”

It was a valid question. Petar had pushed his limits today. “I realize I just said I almost felt like he was going to punch me earlier—”

Luca’s face adequately conveyed his ire.

“—but what Devaughn said made him stop and think. It’s like it didn’t occur to him before that I’m now a lord too because I’m engaged to you. Or near enough to make no real difference. It stopped him dead in his tracks. Now that he has actual consequences for how he treats me, it might stop him long enough to really reevaluate.”

Luca shook his head, another sigh slipping free. “That sounds like extremely wishful thinking to my ears.”

“It might be.” Noe hated to say it, but Luca was likely right. “I just…I just can’t let him go without trying one more time. He’s my little brother. If we can’t make amends, I want to at least live with knowing I tried to the bitter end. I’ll regret it otherwise.”

He didn’t know how else to explain it. Petar was his little brother. Noe still remembered how close they’d been as children, how much they’d loved and trusted each other. He felt like it was him who had disappointed Petar, hence his brother kept trying to change him back. Back to the person he’d loved and admired. Noe could admit nothing was his fault—he was who he was—but he could also see Petar’s side of things.

He didn’t want to cut his brother off entirely.

But unfortunately, it would likely end that way.

Luca pulled on his arm, gently, tugging Noe into his lap. Noe went without struggle, straddling his thighs, arms finding their way around those broad shoulders. Being held by Luca was always comforting. He knew without question this man had his back. He’d shown so many a time.

“Noe, I will let this be for now and trust your judgment. But please understand, the very second he crosses the line, I will take action.”

Noe looked into those light grey eyes, so filled with concern for him, and felt his heart break a little more. “Is it that bad? Am I underreacting to him?”

“Yes. You are. I understand why, as you’ve been conditioned for years to accept abuse.”

Shit. Deep down a part of Noe had feared that was the case. Before, when he and Petar both lived at home, Noe hadn’t been able to combat his actions. They’d been too close in terms of living conditions and there hadn’t been anywhere to escape to.

Now? Noe wasn’t under someone else’s thumb and didn’t have to “get along with his brother.”

Now, he technically could call the shots here.

Now, he had Luca backing him up.

Pressing his eyes closed, Noe thought this through, and he realized his own sense of what was acceptable and what wasn’t had become so skewed he couldn’t trust his own judgment. Fine. Time to reset it, then.

“Luca. Give me the line to draw.”

“You sure?”

“I don’t know where it should be anymore. I can’t trust my judgment where Petar’s concerned. Where should I draw the line?”

“Hard line, if he even tries to hit you, he’s done. I throw his ass on a ship and he’s not allowed near you again.”

Noe was reasonably sure he’d have done the same if Petar actually did strike him—er, reasonably. “All right.”

“But Noe, if he starts yelling again, I want you to walk away. No matter what you’re doing, just drop it and walk away. He’s gotten by with it for so many years, and you both think it’s fine if he screams at you. It is not. Especially here, where he’s not just your little brother, but you are his boss. This is not okay.”

Despite how obvious this was, Noe had needed to hear it. “I’ll still argue with him off the job, but you’re right. When we’re on site, I won’t let him yell at me.”

“If you keep to those two hard rules, I will give you the time to try and reason with him. But, dearest, I do not think he’ll change his mind.”

“I don’t think he will either, to be honest, but I have to try. Just so I can sleep at night and not regret this ten years from now.”

“All right. I don’t like this, but all right.”

Noe snuggled in more, wanting both a hug and to hide his face for a moment. He’d felt a little too exposed during their conversation. He wasn’t used to baring all. It gave him a warm feeling, though, that Luca had heard him out without condemning him for anything.

A set of teeth started gently nibbling on the column of his neck, which startled him, then amused him.

“Am I making you horny, sitting here?”

“Well, yes,” Luca murmured, hands sliding to the hem of his shirt, pulling it away so he could sneak them under. “But also, I feel like marking you.”

To make it obvious to Petar what they had gotten up to? Such a wicked thing to do. Noe, strangely, was quite on board with this plan. He also wanted sex, to shut off his brain for a while and let himself be lost in the sensation of pleasure and hot skin.

Tilting his head, he let Luca suck on his neck for a moment, even as he sought out places on Luca that he knew the man liked. It wasn’t new anymore, after being together so many times, but they were on the cusp of being familiar with lovemaking. Frankly, it was getting more fun and pleasurable each time now, as they learned best how to please each other.

Neither were in any hurry as they kissed and tugged clothes—so recently donned—back off. The second his pants were off, Luca seized Noe’s hips and tugged him in closer. He straddled Luca’s thighs once again, standing this time, body aroused and anticipating.

A warm mouth enveloped Noe’s cock and he closed his eyes to half-mast, reveling in the feeling. He buried his hands in Luca’s thick black hair, finding purchase there as Luca put to use the skill Noe had just taught him the other night. His mobile tongue traced around and around Noe’s cockhead, sending tendrils of pleasure dancing up his spine.

He loved this man’s mouth. Not to mention how fast Luca learned.

A blunt-tipped finger reached up and slid into him, then a second just as quickly. Luca had taken advantage of the oil they now kept tucked near the futon, and Noe loved every brush of those fingertips along the inside of his channel. It all felt amazingly good, this attention from his lover.

He felt Luca pull off and glanced down, anticipating Luca’s need now. “Want me to ride you?”

“Please. I’m desperate for you.”

He’d had a feeling. He’d only ridden Luca once before and they’d both loved it. Noe quite liked being in control of how hard and fast that amazing cock slid in and out of his ass. But he most loved seeing Luca unwind beneath him, how he lost all control as the stimulation sent him overboard.

Noe let Luca’s fingers slide free without protest as he dropped back down to his knees. Luca must have had a hand on himself while he was prepping Noe, because he was indeed hard and ready to go. Noe still stole a little oil from the bottle, slicking Luca’s hard shaft and making sure it was well coated before he shifted up a little more, arranging his hips so he could take Luca inside of him.

Mm, yes, bliss. He loved the heat of a hard cock, the slight bite as his hole was forced to stretch around it. He sank fully down, bottoming out in one go, eyes still at half-mast as he watched Luca’s face. His lover’s breaths came out in pants, the stimulation clear in his flushed cheeks. His fingers bit into Noe’s thighs, clearly clawing for control.

Noe wasn’t about to let him regain it.

Smirking a little, he lifted up, just an inch, and dropped back down again. Perfection. Well, no, he wanted more than this. He lifted up a bit more on the second try, arms on Luca’s shoulders for balance, and rode him harder this second thrust. Now that had been perfect, angle and everything.

He kept thrusting, rocking his hips up and down, eyes locked on his lover’s. Luca grunted a little with each impact, mouth open as he panted for breath. This moment was easy and affectionate, so much so it nearly brought tears to Noe’s eyes. It simply couldn’t get better than this.

His traitorous body liked the stimulation too much, though, and cried for release. Noe shifted Luca’s hand to his cock, a silent signal he wanted to come. Luca immediately started pumping it in time with Noe’s own thrusts, those long fingers easily able to cover him. It felt wonderful—it always did—much preferable over his own hand.

“Co-coming!” Noe gasped out the word a bare second before he spilled all over Luca’s fingers.

The second he came, he was flipped onto his back, and he didn’t fight it, too blissed-out and relaxed to even consider it. Luca rammed into him hard, fucking him for several seconds before bottoming out with a groan, slumping over Noe’s chest. He felt the heat flood him and didn’t mind it.

In fact, he loved having the weight of Luca pressing him into the futon like this. It was sublime, really. Foggy with the afterglow and feeling very loved, he wrapped both arms around Luca and tried to gather up enough brain cells to pull some words together.

“Can we sleep just like this?”

“With me in you?” Luca responded, chuckling. “You might be sore tomorrow.”

Noe smacked his chest lightly. That hadn’t been what he meant, and Luca knew it. “I mean naked.”

“If you’d like. I don’t know why we bother with pajamas, to tell you the truth.”

It was a good point. Considering they made love most nights, why did they bother putting those on?

Luca did pull out and clean them both up, then curled against Noe once more. The second Noe was within those arms and comfortable, his eyes slipped closed. Skin to skin like this with his fiancé, he felt more relaxed than he’d ever been. He barely got a second to enjoy the sensation before sleep ambushed him and took him under.