Page 155 of Stop and Seek
Theo’s mind raced, flipping through possibilities. He’d never given him one. Hewould’ve rememberedsomething like that. Noah had never evenasked.
“I’ve missed everythin’ about you.” Noah’s hand slid down his side, slow and unsteady, fingers grazing over his hip, tracing lower, toward his thigh.
Reflex took over. Theo grabbed his wrist hard. His grip was shaking. But firm.
“Tell me thank you, baby. Please.”
Theo’s brain stopped, confusion overriding his train of thought. “What the fuck are youtalkingabout?”
His mouth felt dry. The walls were distant and close all at once, like they were coming for him personally, every sound muffled—except for the pounding of his heart.
Noah had always been intense. Heknewthat. Helikedthat. But this was a new kind of intense.
This was fuckingterrifying.
“I fixed your problem,” Noah said, quiet but clear as hell. “Y’know? The uh… the Jagger problem.”
He rolled Theo onto his back and, for the first time in his entire life, Theo was glad he couldn’t see anything. Shapes and smudges of color were all he had to work with.
“Jagger? My—my ex? Noah, I need you toanswer the question.How are youhere?”
“I love how you say my name.” Noah came into view for a split second, tan and wild-eyed in the low light, blond hair messy in the dim glow from the street lamp. He was too close—waytoo close—his pupils blown wide, and sweat gleaming on hisflushed skin. Then he was kissing down Theo’s neck and top, leaving sticky trails in his wake, before burying his face in Theo’s stomach.
Theo flinched, skin crawling. God, Noah had rocketed past drunk and landed somewhere in the realm of unstable. All he could do was keep him calm. That was the only plan. Keep Noah calm long enough to figure this shit out. Because this—this wasn’t controlled, charming, normal Noah. This was something else entirely.
Of all the fucked up ways he’d considered dying, Noah killing him hadn’t made the list.
But if he said the wrong thing?
He couldn’t risk it.
Theo reached down, every nerve screaming, but he forced his hand to move, fingers threading through the damp, crunchy strands of Noah’s hair.
“What are you doing here, Noah?” he asked again, praying the wobble in his voice sounded better than it did in his ears.
“I missed you,” Noah mumbled, muffled against the fabric. “I can’ stop thinkin’ about you.”
“I… I missed you too.” Theo exhaled, tried to slide one leg toward the edge of the bed, but Noah apparently took that as permission to burrow deeper—his nose jammed hard into Theo’s gut, pain jolting up his spine.
“You could have called, Noah. I texted you. Did—did you see that, Noah?”
Repeating his name seemed to help. Noah turned his head over, and Theo could feel every time he blinked.
“Didja?” Noah asked hoarsely. “Shit… I didn’ have my phone. I’m so sorry, baby.”
“I’m going to get you some water, okay? No, maybe—maybe pop will be better. Or coffee? You want me to make you coffee, Noah?”
It rushed out all at once. Anything to keep Noah talking. Anything to buy him time.
Did he want cops swarming his place in the middle of the night? No.
Was he seriously considering dialing 911?
Yes.Hellyes.
“You’re outta coffee.”
Three words.
