Page 36 of Duke of Ruin

I grab the flip phone from the nightstand and hand it to him. He squints at it, but finds Stacey’s number and makes the call.

I get up and grab a washcloth and wet it with warm water as he talks to her, only half listening. They come up with a plan to meet here as soon as she can as I bring the damp cloth back to Noah.

“She’s going to fly in from D.C. as soon as she can get a flight. She’ll meet us here, assuming no one else finds us first.” He tries to smile at me, but it falls flat.

I can’t really think about that right now. I’m exhausted and sleep-deprived, but I can’t go to sleep until I know that Noah’s going to be okay. He leans back and his eyes flutter closed again. I grab his shoulders and shake him.

“Noah, stay with me,” I say, and his eyebrows furrow in annoyance. “Come on, let’s go take a shower.” I grab his hands and pull him upward. He groans, but comes with me. He shakes his arms out, trying to force himself back to consciousness as I go into the bathroom and turn on the water. I watch Noah closely as he removes his clothes. He’s clearly exhausted, but still beautiful. His muscles flex and ripple as he pulls the shirt over his head, and I feel my dick harden in response. He notices me watching as he removes his pants, and a slight smirk plays at his lips.

“Am I doing this alone?” he asks with a lift of his eyebrow.

“I won’t be able to keep my hands to myself,” I say as I stand up and start removing my own clothes.

“I’m counting on it,” he says as he steps into the shower.

I damn near hit the ground as I struggle out of my clothes to join him beneath the water. His cock is already hard in anticipation as he leans his head back and lets the water run over his face, sliding and rippling down his muscular body, and I can’t help myself. I run my hands across his abs and chest, grinning like a fool as his dick flexes in response. Noah turns and pulls me under the water, running his hands over me as the water sluices down my skin. He takes the tiny hotel soap and a washcloth and starts running it over my shoulders and stomach, tracing over every inch with his fingers as the soap runs off my skin. My breath catches as he drops to one knee and runs the cloth down my legs. His face is only inches from my pulsing cock, and it takes all my willpower not to grab his face and fuck him right here and now.

He stands back up, soaping and cleaning himself while I watch, my dick getting so hard it’s almost painful. As he rinses himself, he takes his own dick in his hand and starts stroking, his eyes closing as he steps closer to me. He drops to his knees again, and this time I can’t help myself. I take his head in my hands and guide him toward my cock, my eyes riveted on his hands as he pleasures himself. With his other hand he takes my shaft and starts moving back and forth gently, but gently isn’t what I want right now. I take a fistful of his hair and pull him toward me. He opens his mouth and takes me into it, licking and sucking at the tip of my dick, and I’m already so close to coming.

I try to remain still, to let him tease me and prolong the sensation, but I can’t stop myself. I take the back of his head in my hand and thrust into his mouth. Noah chokes and gags, but I don’t let go. He pumps himself harder, releasing a moan against my cock that sends waves of pleasure rolling through my whole body. I thrust my hips again, and he takes it. I can’t tell if it’s water from the shower or tears streaming down his face, but I keep thrusting into his mouth until I can’t hold back any longer and release down his throat. He comes at the same time, choking and gasping for air as he swallows me down.

I finally release his head and he leans back against the wall, a look of pure bliss on his face. I shut off the water and pull him to his feet. We cling to each other, our wet bodies hot and steaming from the shower. I don’t want to let go, but exhaustion hits me like a train, and suddenly I can barely hold my eyes open.

We get out of the shower and don’t even bother to dry off. We just grab the robes out of the closet and head back to the bed, dripping and satisfied. Noah checks his phone as we lay down.

“Stacey found a flight, and she’ll be here in about six hours,” he says. His eyes flutter.

“You should stay awake,” I murmur, but I know I won’t be able to stay up with him.

“No, we both need to rest,” he says.

I don’t even bother trying to argue. We’re both well beyond exhaustion at this point, and I close my eyes as Noah wraps his arms around me. I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. It sounds strong—determined, even. I won’t let anything happen to him. I can’t.

“I love you,” I whisper, and his arms tighten around me. His chest hitches as he stifles a sob.

“I love you, too, Eli,” he whispers back.

13

NOAH

Imanage to get a couple hours of sleep, but I can’t stay asleep for long. Eli is still asleep on the bed, but somehow I manage to extricate myself from our entanglement without waking him up. He must be exhausted. I look over at him. He’s sleeping on his side, with one arm tucked beneath his head. He looks so peaceful that it’s hard to imagine the shitstorm we’re about to head into.

Stacey should be here soon. We’re lucky no one else from the Carbone family figured out where we are. I have no idea what we’re going to do, or how, but we’ll figure out something. I check the time. Stacey’s plane should be landing soon. I slip over to the bed and put a hand on Eli’s shoulder. He snaps awake, then grimaces at the strain on his injured shoulder. Once he’s oriented he touches my face, and I lean in to kiss him.

“What happened?” Eli asks when I pull back.

“Nothing, yet,” I say, and give him space to sit up. “Stacey’s plane should be landing right about now, so I thought you might want to get dressed.”

Eli nods, blinking several times to clear the fogginess from his mind.

“Here.” I hand him a pair of my sweats. “They’re probably a little short, but they’re clean.”

“Thanks,” Eli says as he takes the clothes. He scrubs a hand down his face, then looks at me. His eyes darken and my nerves light up. He still has every reason to hate me. When he came to the motel he was upset and exhausted, and we’ve done nothing but run, fight, and fuck since then. Now that his mind is a little clearer, he may be rethinking his choices. His eyes linger on the wound on my head, and I turn away from him.

“I’m fine, Eli,” I say, then touch his shoulder. “Are you?”

“I don’t know,” he answers, searching my face. “I think the bar for ‘fine’ has changed over the last day.”

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