Page 43 of Noah

The buzzing continued, relentless and irritating.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Noah’s sleepy voice murmured, laced with amusement.

“Nope,” I whispered, nuzzling his neck, savoring the feel of him against me.

Noah chuckled softly but when the buzzing persisted, he sighed.

“It might be important,” Noah pointed out.

“You’re right,” I grumbled, reluctant to leave the cocoon of warmth we’d created.

I reached over to the nightstand, grabbing my phone and swiping to answer without checking the caller ID.

“Where the hell are you?” Hudson’s voice barked on the other end, his tone already grating on my nerves. “You’re not in your room or anywhere on the Pecan Pines grounds.”

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my patience.

“Hudson, I’ve been cleaning up your messes this entire time. Where were you when Beck and I dealt with Karl and the other Thornebane wolves?”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a low growl. Hudson had no answer for that, and I wasn’t about to let him off easy.

“Just come back to the pack house,” Hudson finally snapped before ending the call abruptly.

I sighed, tossing the phone back on the nightstand, the tension in my shoulders easing as I turned back to Noah.

He was watching me, concern softening his features.

“Trouble?” he asked, his fingers brushing against mine as I slipped back under the covers.

I pulled him close, burying my face in his hair, inhaling the calming scent that was uniquely his.

“I think I’m going to leave Hudson to stew in whatever problem he’s found himself in,” I said, feeling a little vengeful.

Noah shifted slightly, his eyes searching mine.

“Doesn’t sound like you,” he said quietly.

I paused, considering his words. He was right.

For all of Hudson’s faults, for all the times he’d driven me to the edge of my patience, he was still my brother.

And despite everything, I still loved him.

“You’re right,” I admitted, brushing my fingers through Noah’s hair. “But right now, I just want to be here with you.”

Noah smiled softly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “I like that idea.”

We stayed like that for a while, wrapped in each other, the world outside fading into a distant memory.

Eventually, the growl of my stomach broke the peace, earning a laugh from Noah.

“Guess it’s time for breakfast,” he teased, slipping out of bed and pulling on a shirt.

I watched him move around the small kitchen, his movements fluid and graceful.

The sight of him, so at ease, so comfortable, filled me with a warmth that spread through my chest, settling deep in my bones.

What would it be like, to see this sight the first thing every single morning? The thought slipped into my mind, unbidden but not unwelcome.

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