Page 75 of Saving Noah

Zach eased Noah out of his lap, which wasn’t an easy task since his lover saw what was going on and tried to lock his legs into a vise around Zach’s waist. After a full minute of nips, bites, growls, and whimpers of disappointment, Zach had Noah lying on his back in the hospital bed they’d moved into their bedroom. “Don’t make me strap you down,” Zach warned playfully.

“Promises, promises,” Noah whined. “Forty percent and not one percent higher. Understood?” he demanded with a bottom-lip pout that would have made any five-year-old proud.

“Understood,” Zach agreed.

“Yeah, we’re gonna go now,” Connor said. “I suspect the FBI will be paying us a visit, and Wayne will need to disappear before that happens.” He glanced at his wristwatch and added, “If I play my cards right, I might have time for a quickie before I send him on his way.”

Noah frowned. “Why does he need to hide from the FBI? That doesn’t make sense.”

“The local authorities know me from my days with the club, Noah. They don’t trust me, and I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate to share that with the FBI if they knew of any connection between me and you. I’ve got nothing to hide, but I’d rather not open a can of worms if it doesn’t have to be opened.” He shrugged and laughed. “Anyway, I’ve been getting a lot of quickies because of my hiding-from-the-FBI status. It’s not like I’m really suffering.”

Connor slapped his ass. “Let’s go, big guy. I’ve got plans for you, and I think Noah has plans for our sweet little Zachary.”

Before walking away, Wayne turned back to Zach and said, “Your protection was a gift from your father, Zach. He would love to talk to you if you could ever find it in your heart to visit him. Your call, man. I’m just delivering the message.”

“Moretti?” Zach asked quietly.

Wayne winked at him and answered. “Moretti was a gift from Gabriel. He said to make sure you knew it was his own personal gift. There wasn’t time to get word to your father about Noah’s rescue. Gabriel had to act with the information he had and didn’t want to risk Moretti fleeing the country before justice could be handed out.” Wayne shrugged. “I have no idea what he owed your father, but it must have been a hell of a lot. Either way, Moretti is dead and both you and Noah are safe.” He started to leave and then turned back around again. “Oh…and, of course, he said to tell you the club might have to call on your expertise one day and he hoped you’d be willing to assist the brotherhood if it called for it.”

With the dropping of that atomic bomb, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“Shit,” Noah whispered. “Is that bad? Do they like…ownyou now?”

“They’ve always owned me, babe. They always have, and it looks like they always will.”

“You gonna be okay with that?”

Zach smiled. “I’m more than okay with that, Noah. By killing Moretti and pretty much wiping out his entire family, they’ve given you the opportunity for a safe and normal life.” He kissed Noah softly and tenderly, showing as much love as he could possibly show. “I love you, Noah, and I swear I’ll never hold those words back again. I’m sorry I was so weak and unable to give you my entire heart. You know you have it, right? You have all of me, babe. I love you with my good parts and my bad parts.”

Noah smiled sleepily. “The words are definitely nice to hear, Zach, but I didn’t have to have them. I knew how you felt about me. You might not have wanted to love me, but you couldn’t stop yourself.” He grinned. “I’m too lovable.”

“You are definitely that.” He kissed the top of Noah’s head and snuggled him tighter against his side until they were spooning.

“I feel fucking invincible,” Noah whispered. “I survived Dante, being alone in a place I didn’t know was safe, and didn’t have a massive coronary over the spiders. You’re in the presence of a fucking badass, Zachary Meadows. Open those curtains, Dr. Meadows,” he ordered as he pointed to the heavy black curtains that blocked out the outside world from his safe zone.

Zach grinned, pretty much knowing where this was going. He eased away from Noah, careful not to jiggle anything that didn’t need jiggling and started to stand up.

“What in the hell are you doing, man? If you touch those curtains, I’ll rip your arm off,” Noah chirped playfully.

“One day, Noah. One day,” Zach promised. “You’ll get there.”

“I know I will. I wasn’t kidding about that carnival trip. I want that more than anything in this world. With you by my side, I know I’ll get there.”

“Yep, and I promise to touch youinappropriatelyon the Ferris wheel. I love you, Noah,” he whispered, but Noah was already asleep.

Peace would do that to a man. Peace and love.

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