I frowned, glancing down at the cum sprayed across my stomach. Grabbing a tissue from the box on the bedside table, I wiped myself clean, tossing the tissue into the garbage near the door.
Now that the intoxicating action was over, I didn’t know what to say or do. Last time we’d done this I’d simply walked out, leaving him behind. I wasn’t able to do that this time. Shoving off the bed, I turned off the overhead light, switching on the small lamp on the bedside table instead.
Not knowing what else to do, I got back on the bed, pulling up the covers and climbing beneath. Noah sat up, ready to be the one to leave.
“Do you want me to go?” he asked, motioning to the door.
It would be so much easier to bring this all to an end by telling him to get out. Yeah, that’s not what I really wanted. So instead, I found myself saying, “No. Stay.”
I lifted the covers, motioning for him to get under with me. Plucking a joint from the tray next to the bed, I fired it up and took a long toke. I couldn’t help but be especially focused onNoah sliding under the blanket next to me, our thighs touching. We both leaned against the headboard, reclining against the pillows.
I passed him the joint. “So how does one end up being a criminal for hire?”
Noah and I knew next to nothing about one another on a personal level. Despite the crazy attraction that drew us together, we were strangers.
He took the joint, taking a long drag, releasing the smoke in a cloud that billowed across the room. “I was in high school. Just turned sixteen when one of the cheerleaders offered to pay me to beat the ass of her cheating boyfriend. Seemed like an easy enough way to make money to me. River and I started taking other jobs. Word got around, and it all escalated from there.”
“Just like that, huh? How did that turn into killing for cash?” I studied him curiously, watching him take another toke. The way the smoke curled from between his lips. He shouldn’t have been so goddamn captivating. I could barely look away.
He passed the joint back to me, our fingers brushing as I took it. “That part didn’t happen for a few more years. After River and I joined up with Damon and Colt. The money was simply too good to resist. We were always careful. Never leaving any evidence. Never accepting hits from anyone we were personally tied to. So far so good.”
I was no one to judge. Even though our business was primarily black market goods, we’d done our share of killing. It came with the territory.
“What about you?” Noah lightly nudged me. “How did you end up dealing human organs? I hear those things fetch a lot of cash.”
“They do.” I nodded, leaning over to ash the joint in the ashtray on the table. “We started in high school too. Back then it was drugs. Stuff that other kids had a hard time finding, like acidand magic mushrooms. From there it all snowballed. We took requests for all kinds of items, even baby formula at one point. Getting into the organ trade changed everything.”
“I’ll bet. I’m surprised you haven’t knocked me out and tried to harvest one of my kidneys yet.” Noah laughed. A sound that sent a warm sensation down my spine.
I laughed too, enjoying the comfortable vibe that settled between us. “The night’s still young. Anything can happen.”
Noah ran a hand along my arm, his fingers gliding down toward my hand. “When did you know you were into guys?”
I thought back to the first time I’d been attracted to another guy. It should’ve been so obvious. At the time I was in denial. I took another long toke off the joint before passing it back.
“I guess it was the summer I was seventeen. I was hanging out with my girlfriend at her house by the pool in the backyard. Her older brother came out for a swim. I couldn’t stop looking at him. What about you?” The conversation flowed easily. Getting to know one another felt right. I wanted to know these things about Noah.
He sat up straighter to adjust the pillow behind his back before getting comfortable again. “I was pretty young when I realized I was far more interested in looking at men than women. By the time I hit my teen years, I knew for sure. It felt normal to me. I never for a moment felt the need to hide anything about myself. My mom was cool with it right from the start. She’s always been supportive of me and my brother.” Noah paused, staring off across the room at the blank television set. “Too bad I can’t say the same about my dad though.”
“He didn’t take it well?” I asked, thinking that maybe this was none of my business.
There was a moment of silence as Noah finished off the rest of the joint. He passed me the tiny stub so I could put it out in the ashtray.
“You know your cum is leaking out of my ass all over your bed, right?” He grinned.
His sudden random statement made me chuckle. “There’s a mattress cover. The sheets can be washed.”
“Anyway,” he continued. “My dad lost his shit. Refused to have a gay son. He threw me out of the house. Broke my wrist in the commotion. My mom was a superhero though. She immediately filed for divorce. I haven’t seen him since.”
His tone lacked emotion. Like he’d learned how to detach from what had to be an incredibly painful experience. Knowing there was nothing for me to say in response, I simply reached over and took his hand in mine.
We sat there together quietly for a few minutes. It didn’t feel right to tell him that both of my parents had been cool with me being interested in both men and women. I didn’t want it to seem like I was rubbing it in.
“Your mom sounds awesome,” I finally said.
“She really is.” Noah’s gaze dropped to our joined hands, and he gave mine a little squeeze. “What about you? Do your parents know?”
“Yeah. I’ve pretty much only dated women here and there, but they know I like guys too. They’ve been pretty cool about it. I’m sorry about your dad.” I really didn’t want to talk about my parents after what he said about his father.
