When Noah went to retrieve it, Adam snagged his arm. “No. Leave it. Shit falls off walls all the time.”
There were too many chances for something to go wrong if Noah tried to clean up the glass. A picture falling off the wall wasn’t nearly as noticeable as a picture disappearing or returning to the wall with no glass protecting it. Besides, if he cut himself on the glass, those gloves wouldn’t protect him from DNA transfer.
Noah gave a stilted nod.
Adam’s gaze darted to the window as he heard the sound of a car door slamming and then a car alarm activating. He looked out the window to see a man walking up the drive in their direction. “Shit. We got company.”
He snagged the hard drive, dumping the laptop back in the drawer, quickly locking the cabinet and tossing the key back in the drawer, snagging Noah’s arm and dragging him deeper into the house, into the back bedroom, quietly closing the door just as the front one opened.
He slipped the window open and helped Noah out first, sliding it closed behind them. They crept through two neighbors’ unfenced yards, staying low to avoid windows. Only when they were a safe distance from the house did they head back to the sidewalk.
Adam took Noah’s hand as a woman walking her dog passed. He gave her a wave and she gave them a reserved smile after she saw Adam click the lock on his BMW. These suburbanites were all the same. Fancy car equaled they belonged in that neighborhood. She wouldn’t give them a second thought.
Once in the car, Noah dropped his head back against the seat, looking worn out and shell shocked. He didn’t protest when Adam clicked him into his seatbelt before fastening his own. He then snapped a few pictures of the man’s Ford sedan and the license plate, shooting it to Calliope before pulling out of the neighborhood.
Noah didn’t speak the whole drive back, just stared out the window, though he didn’t pull away when Adam rested his hand on his knee. He didn’t take them back to Noah’s, instead hopping on the freeway towards Adam’s loft uptown. There was less chance of anything further triggering Noah at Adam’s place.
It was only when they pulled into the garage that Noah seemed to snap out of his trance, looking around like he’d been teleported to another place and time. “Where are we?”
“My apartment.”
Noah gave a hollow, “Oh.”
Adam exited the car and came around to the other side, opening Noah’s door for him. He took Adam’s offered hand, not releasing it once he was on his feet. That was fine with Adam. He liked Noah touching him and Adam didn’t really like touching anybody unless they were fighting or fucking. And he wasn’t fucking Noah tonight. He was too raw.
Once they were outside Adam’s fifth floor apartment, he pulled the keys from his pocket, watching as the loose key from Gary’s tumbled to the carpeted floor. He retrieved it, opening the door and swinging it wide for Noah to enter. “What is that?” he asked, staring pointedly at the fallen key.
“Not sure. Found it at Gary’s. Maybe something. Maybe nothing.”
Noah just nodded, not asking any more questions. Once inside, Adam unzipped his hoodie and tossed it over the chair, watching as Noah wandered around his small loft. Adam could have chosen a bigger space like his brothers, a sprawling house or some sleek luxury penthouse apartment, but he liked the small space with its exposed brick and minimalist design.
Noah looked at the narrow staircase, following it upward with his gaze. “What’s up there?”
“My bed.”
Noah didn’t look at him, didn’t say a word, just started climbing the stairs. Adam stood frozen. If he followed Noah up those stairs, he knew what would happen. Noah wasn’t okay, clearly. That photo had triggered something inside him. But who was Adam to tell Noah how best to cope with his trauma?
Adam followed him up the stairs. When he reached the top, he found Noah sitting on the edge of his bed.
“Whatcha doing?” Adam asked.
Noah’s gaze flicked to his. “I said you could be in charge in the bedroom, right?”
Adam’s cock hardened so fast he started to sweat. “Yeah,” he managed.
Noah leaned back, putting his weight on his palms. “We’re in your bedroom. What are you waiting for?”
Adam watched Noah carefully. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“You don’t want me?” Noah challenged.
Adam arched a brow. “You know that’s not true. I just don’t want to do anything you’re not ready for.”
Noah’s eyes drifted away from Adam’s face and then back again. “I’m hardly a blushing virgin. Besides, I don’t want to think about him…them…what they did to me. I don’t want to think at all. Just stop me from thinking about anything but you. Us.”
Adam didn’t know how Noah intended the words to come out, but they sounded a lot like a plea instead of a demand. Why was he fighting the inevitable? Noah was sitting on his bed, demanding Adam touch him. What was the point of being the villain if he let the right thing get in the way of what he wanted? And he wanted Noah.
He peeled his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor, before wandering closer. Noah let his legs fall open as he approached. Adam stepped between them. Noah sat forward, eyes locked on Adam’s as he licked over the deep groove of his hip.
“Christ.” He tipped Noah’s chin upwards, running a thumb over his bottom lip before pushing it into his mouth.
Noah sucked eagerly, his thighs squeezing Adam like this was a test and he was determined to ace it. Adam’s cock throbbed as he imagined Noah giving it the same attention as his finger, but he still wasn’t certain if this was the right thing to do.
He hissed as Noah’s teeth clamped down on his skin hard enough to leave a mark. He snatched his finger free.
“Is that how this is going to go?” he asked, voice low, the threat more than implied.
Noah’s pupils blew wide at Adam’s change in demeanor. “I guess that depends on you. I thought you’d be a lot…rougher.”
Gauntlet thrown.