Page 13 of Duke of Ruin

“That’s all it is. I just wanted to see you,” I joke, but it falls flat. Eli sees right through me, and I have to remind myself that’s not a good thing.

“Noah, don’t bullshit me,” Eli says.

“What’s that?” I pull Eli’s leather jacket aside to reveal a .45 caliber pistol mostly concealed at his hip.

“Maybe I was spooked, too,” Eli says, his shoulders relaxing.

“Maybe,” I kid, but the sight of the gun strapped to his belt makes my cock tingle. Suddenly, I want to see him use it. “Do you know how to use one of those?”

Eli quirks an eyebrow at me. I think he can see my arousal. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” I shrug. This man is so fucking sexy.

“Do you?” Eli challenges. I debate how to answer the question. I don’t want to give him any reason to suspect I’m a cop, but I’m having trouble resisting giving him just a bit of the truth.

“I’ve been known to handle myself on a range,” I say with a smirk. “But I bet you could teach me a thing or two.”

Eli unhooks the pistol from his belt and sets it on my desk. The comfort with which he handles it sets my pulse racing. I’ve been training with sidearms for years, but for some reason the thought of Eli with the weapon is hot as hell. He crosses the room and grabs my shoulders. “What the hell happened?”

I look up into his eyes, and the concern shining in them melts me. I shake my head. Eli isn’t one of them. He can’t be. I tell him again what I thought I saw, and despite how many times I try to brush it off, he believes me. He’s worried for me.

Suddenly I feel vulnerable, almost raw. I just want to stay here with Eli. I don’t want to face the outside world. I don’t want to face my operation. I don’t want to face his family. I just want to exist, right here and now, with him. We move across the little room and sit on the edge of my bed.

“I’m alright, Eli,” I say, trying to convince both of us.

“I’m going to make sure you stay that way,” Eli says with heated conviction. “I shouldn’t have brought you to the house last night. That was bad judgment on my part, and I’m afraid I made you a target.”

“It’s okay,” I say, but he cuts me off.

“You’re probably right and they’re just checking up on you, but I don’t trust them. They act first and ask questions later. If they think you’re going to be a distraction, I…” His voice breaks, and my heart twists.

“Eli.” I bring my hand to his face and force him to look up at me. “I’m here. I’m okay.”

“Fuck, I wish I could just…” Eli starts, and leans his cheek into my palm.

“Could what?” I ask, my pulse hammering in my ears.

“Could just leave,” he says, and my heart splits in two. “I wish I could just walk away from the Carbones.”

My world tilts on its axis. He may share their name, but he’snotone of them. I’ve known it this whole time. My mind scrambles for purchase. I can’t let him get hurt. I take a deep, slow breath. I should just tell him, come clean right now, and we can figure out a way to end this together, but the words won’t come. I’m scared to hurt him like that. If he finds out who I am he’ll never trust me again, and I’ll lose both him and the operation. I close my mouth and pull him close. He rests his head on my shoulder, and tears sting my eyes.

I pull back to look at him—his sharp jaw, the perfect curls, those gorgeous green eyes so filled with pain and regret. I run my finger across his brow all the way down to his jaw.

“Eli,” I whisper. Then he presses his lips to mine. It’s a slow, sweet kiss, filled with longing and desire, fear and disappointment, lust and heartbreak. I slip my tongue through his lips and curl it around his, deepening the kiss, the connection. He moves his hands to cup my face, pulling me closer and kissing me harder. I drop my hand to his chest and trace the lines of muscle underneath his shirt. His lithe, sleek body is so perfectly suited to my own. Heat and desire pool in my stomach as my dick hardens. I run my fingers beneath the hem of his shirt and tug it over his head, then pull back to look at him—reallylook at him, his perfectly chiseled chest and abs, his long arms, smooth skin. I trail my fingers along his body and feel his breath shudder beneath my touch.

We shift our weight more firmly onto the mattress and I lean him back, exploring his body with my fingers and lips, kissing each plane of his chest and stomach.So perfect. He pulls my shirt over my head, and we lie there for a few minutes, gently touching and exploring each other. My dick is hard and begging for more, but I keep it slow, enjoying every touch, every sensation.

I finally unbutton his jeans and pull them off, tossing them to the floor. My breath catches as his cock springs free, hard and waiting for me. I take off my own pants and move up to lay next to him, tracing his cheek as we face each other, completely naked on my bed, open and vulnerable. I pull him closer until our bodies are aligned, our cocks pressed against each other. He wraps his fingers around my hips and pulls me into him with a breathy moan, and I grind against him. He wraps his leg around my waist and presses his cock against mine, and I don’t think I can hold out for much longer. This isn’t another of the fevered fucks we’ve shared up to this point. It’s something deeper. I reach down and wrap my hand around his shaft and he moans in my ear, setting my skin on fire. I take his cock and rub it up and down mine, pressing into him and exploring every sensation. He gasps as he spurts hot cum onto my stomach. I run my fingers through his sticky mess and take my dick in my hand, rubbing his seed all over me, claiming it as mine. After only a few strokes I climax, coming all over my hands and his stomach.

We lay there, shuddering in each other’s arms, as a whole new level of climax falls over me. I’ve never felt this intense of a connection before. This may be the first time I’ve had sex as a purely intimate act. We were so completely open with each other. I don’t know what to make of this feeling, but I know I’ve never felt anything like it before. Suddenly, the thought of Eli being hurt by this fucking operation is unthinkable.

I open my mouth to speak again. His head is curled against my shoulder, but again I hesitate. If I tell him now it’ll just hurt us both. I need to find a way to make sure he’s safe before I potentially push him away with the truth. I close my mouth again. His lips press against my neck, and suddenly my nerve endings are on fire all over again. I stroke my fingers down his arm and pull him closer, wrapping my arms around him protectively. I’ll tell him as soon as I figure out how to get us out of this mess.

We lie there a while longer before we’re forced to give up our fleeting moment of bliss. This time I take him into the shower with me, and start by scrubbing his skin with my soap. It doesn’t take long before our scrubbing leads to touching, the hot water spraying over us and intensifying each sensation. Before we even realize what’s happening, I have him pinned against the wall, my hard dick sliding between his cheeks. He throws his head back with a moan, and I can hardly restrain myself. I pin his arms over his head and thrust, driving into his ass as he cries out in pleasure and pain. His hard dick slaps against the tiles as I fuck him against my shower wall. The muscles in his ass tighten around me when he climaxes, spurting onto tiles where the water immediately washes it away. It sends me over the edge and I come harder deep inside of him than I ever have before. My knees go weak and almost give out beneath me. Eli catches me with a laugh when I almost fall. He turns and kisses me,hard, and we again wash each other, ignoring everything outside of my tiny apartment as we savor our stolen moment.

When we finally extricate ourselves from the shower, the water is cold and we’re both trembling. We dry ourselves and put our clothes back on. We need to eat, and of course I have nothing in my fridge, so we decide to venture into the outside world, even though neither of us wants to.

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