Page 43 of What's Left of Me

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Phoenix

We did almosteverything but fuck that night. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I sucked him, he jacked me, and by maybe the third orgasm I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

When I woke, I was alone in bed but not in the room. The sun was peeking through the curtains, and Noel was a few feet away, typing away at his keyboard.

I watched him in his naked glory. He was fucking sexy with his hair down, concentrating on whatever he was doing. I wanted to straddle his lap and ride him like I’d been dreaming about.

Last night I’d mumbled something along the lines of wanting him to fuck me, and he’d promised we would absolutely be doing that.

I wasn’t bold. I knew Noel said I was, but the truth was that I’d been scared he’d reject me at some point…until last night. I’d seen it in his eyes—he wanted me just as much as I wanted him, and that was going to be the glimmer of hope in this shitty storm that was my life.

He sat back and scratched his chest; he was reading something, and judging by the expression on his face, it wasn’t good.

“What’s wrong?”

He turned and tried to school his features but it was too late, I saw.

“You’re up.”

“What’s going on, Noel?” I made to move, but he came over to me.

“Nothing, just…I was reading something, and it’s fucked up.”

“And you don’t want to tell me?”

“Not really, no.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled him closer as soon as he was in reach. “Tell me, because you know you have to.”

He sighed and rand his fingers through his hair. “It was Brady’s autopsy report.”

So he’d finally accessed it. “It’s bad.”

“Brutal, Phoenix. Like it was done by someone completely different.”

I brought his hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to his palm. “He’s angry.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s clear from what he did that he is.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

He leaned in and pecked my lips. “I sent it to Aziza, and I already texted everyone to meet in the living room. I can let you read it and process it on your own if you want, or you can join us.”

I didn’t think reading it alone was at all a good idea, and I suspected if Noel was going to explain it, it would be far tamer that way.

“I’ll join you all.”

“Okay. Aziza will be here in an hour. Let’s shower and get breakfast.”

Our shower was sweet. He washed me like I was fragile but kissed me like he wanted to light me on fire. Noel was the best of both worlds, the give and the take, the craving and the fulfillment. I’d never been with anyone like him.

The kitchen was bustling when we arrived, my slight attitude from the night before not even a blip on the radar. Plates were filled with eggs, bacon, and toast, and everyone sat wherever to eat.

Aziza arrived halfway through and JJ thrust a breakfast plate at her, which she took because the food in this house was amazing.

We ate in peace, no one talking about Adonis, or the fact that Noel was going to read an autopsy report that would likely live rent free in our brains forever.

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