Page 24 of Duke of Ruin

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Then my uncle drops a new bomb on me. A shipment from Russia is coming in next week and he expects me to be there to accept it again. This time it’s much more than metals, though. I don’t get the specifics of the manifest, but it’s a cash transaction, which means it’s either drugs or guns, and either way I don’t want any part of it. It’s one thing to dodge tariffs, but this is a whole new level of risk.

“Why me?” I ask my father as we’re leaving for the night.

“After some of the rumors we heard, we need to know you can be trusted with the family’s assets,” my father says.

“Didn’t I prove that today?” I ask as I turn to face him.

“In a preliminary test, sure,” Father says with a shrug. “You’ve also been given a lot of grace, and you can thank me for that.” His eyes narrow and my pulse picks up.

“What does that mean?” I frown at him.

“Gianni doesn’t generally indulge in mindless gossip,” my father says. “He just gets rid of whatever the problem is, but I convinced him that the rumors about you and yourfriendare baseless.” He looks at me in appraisal before continuing. “So instead of just removing you from the roster, he’s giving you a chance to prove yourself, and you better not let me down.”

“Of course,” I say, but the words are hollow. This means they’re keeping a closer eye on me than I thought. My plan to call Noah as soon as I leave wouldn’t be wise, not if I want to keep him safe.

I get back into my Bentley and drive to the harbor. I should go back to campus, since I’ve missed almost a week of classes already, but I can’t bring myself to face the brothers. They’ll want me to throw a party or get involved in some other juvenile nonsense that I’d usually enjoy, but everything is just too heavy right now.

My heart almost stops when I pull into my usual parking spot and see Noah leaning against the wall, a slight smirk on his chiseled face. My mouth breaks into a grin, despite how dangerous I know this is. He looks sexy as all hell casually leaning against the bricks in his workout clothes—black sweatpants, black shirt, as sinfully delectable as always. I watch his eyes sweep the garage as I park, and I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my face as I open the door.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, keeping my voice low even though there’s no one around.

“I forgot my…well…I…” Noah stammers until I furrow my brows. “Fuck, I was hoping to see you,” he finally says, and drops his head. “I broke my phone, so I couldn’t call.”

“You broke your phone?” I ask, but he doesn’t look at me.

“Yeah, and my car’s a piece of shit,” he huffs. “But I wanted to see you.”

“Well, here I am,” I say with a chuckle. I walk over to him and put my hand on his cheek. He looks around nervously, but doesn’t pull away. I think he’s more spooked by all of this than he’s letting on. “Let’s get inside,” I say, and we head for the apartment.

Once we’re safely behind closed doors, Noah wraps me in a tight embrace. “I’m sorry, Eli,” he murmurs into my shoulder. “I’ve had a shit day.”

“Me, too.” I squeeze him tighter and run my hands over the hard muscles beneath his soft clothes. He pulls back and looks down at me, his eyes coming to rest on the .45 that’s still strapped to my belt. Heat flares through his eyes before it’s replaced with wariness. It’s clear that guns turn him on, and I can’t help myself. I pull the pistol from my belt and set it on the counter.

“Are you okay?” Noah asks, his eyes following my movements.

“Yeah…I mean, as much as I can be right now,” I answer as I remove my suit jacket. The card in my pocket snags and flutters down to the ground. Noah’s eyes grow wide as he looks at it.

“Where did you get that?” he asks, his voice tight.

“My cousin,” I say, and pick the card up from the floor. I toss it in the trash can, but Noah’s eyes track each movement. “I think he’s the one who’s been spying on us, but between being suspected of stealing from my uncle and finding a card for a fucking cop on his desk, I don’t think we have to worry about him anymore.”

Noah blinks a few times before he finally relaxes. I have to remind myself again that this isn’t the life he’s accustomed to. He walks over to the couch and sits down, scrubbing his hand down his face. Tension seems to envelop him, and I start to wonder if he’s second-guessing staying together, and just the thought sets my heart racing.

“Eli, I need to tell you something,” Noah says without looking at me. My heart plummets. He’s changed his mind; I know it. He takes a deep breath and starts to speak.

“No,” I cut him off, leaning on the counter. I can’t handle it right now, not when I’m barely holding on. I can’t deal with anything else. I just need Noah.

“What?” Noah says, looking up at me.

“I’m sorry, but not right…now,” I say as I sit down on the couch next to him. “Whatever you have to say, just wait.” I don’t know why, but the feeling that whatever he has to say means the end of us weighs on me. As nervous and wound up as he is right now, I’m sure he’s decided he doesn’t want to be involved in this anymore.

“Eli, I…” he starts, but I cover his lips with mine. He pulls back and looks at me for a minute, like he’s searching for something, and then he kisses me back. I melt into him as his arms wrap around me. He runs his hands up my back and through my hair before grabbing a handful and pulling my head backward painfully. I gasp as his lips find my neck, and he growls as he scrapes his teeth against my skin. He unbuttons the top of my dress shirt enough to pull it over my head before I collapse against him again. He pulls my hair again, wrenching my neck to the side and biting my shoulder. I hiss in pain, but leave myself open to him, vulnerable.

I desperately claw at his shirt and he pulls back enough to let me remove it. As soon as it’s off him I run my hands urgently across his chest and stomach, but he shoves me roughly down onto the couch. I unbuckle my pants and he pulls them off of me before removing his own. My eyes bulge as his hard cock springs out of his sweatpants. I start to sit up, but he shoves me back onto the couch and wraps his hand around my cock. I stifle a moan and roll my head back at his touch as I reach for him again. He releases me and moves around behind my head. I tilt my chin up to look at him, and my heart starts pounding even harder as I watch his thick legs settle on each side of my face, his ass and throbbing cock just grazing my nose. I reach up and take his balls in my hand as he leans forward and wraps his lips around my dick.

I roll my hips forward, thrusting my length into his mouth as he settles over my face. I stroke him, pulling him toward my lips as he starts bobbing up and down on my shaft. I struggle not to come immediately as I take him into my mouth. He groans against me, and I fight to hold off my orgasm. He starts rolling his hips against me, keeping time with his own movements, and I can feel him getting harder and swelling against my tongue. I can’t breathe, but I don’t care. The ache to come grows painful as I take each of his thrusts into my throat. I reach up and wrap my fingers around his perfect ass, spreading his cheeks and pressing my fingers against his opening. He groans again, and this time I can’t hold back. My cries are muffled against his cock as I come into his mouth while pressing my fingers into him. He shudders on top of me, and then I’m choking on his hot semen. The salty taste floods my tongue as I gasp for air while he keeps sucking me as each wave of climax rushes through me.

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