When he finally looked up, Luke had tears in his eyes. Noah swiped them away. He leaned in to give Luke a chaste kiss. “The real question is if you can trust me enough to do something others might see as impulsive and reckless.”
Luke’s fingers dug into the back of Noah’s neck. He pressed their foreheads together. “Fuck other people.”
“I’m pretty sure the whole point here is tonotdo that,” Noah teased. “Does that mean you’re in?”
“Already told you I am. For better or worse, I’m pretty sure you’re stuck with me.” The kiss he planted on Noah was anything but sweet. It was hard and demanding, his tongue delving into Noah’s mouth as soon as his lips parted.
His hand drifted to Noah’s cock. He knew he needed to stop him, but it was so good to feel Luke touching him. He grabbed Luke’s wrist. “Babe, we can’t tonight.”
“This hand isn’t broken,” Luke protested. “And as impressive as your dick is, I’m pretty sure I can take care of you without the other one.”
Noah laughed. He loved this about Luke. They hadfuntogether. The sex didn’t feel perfunctory. He wasn’t going through the motions, hoping he stayed hard until it was over. “I’m not saying we won’t do anything until the cast comes off, but you were in the hospital just a few hours ago. Let’s wait until you can move without flinching, okay?”
“That sounds like a horrible idea.” The pout he gave was so uncharacteristically Luke that Noah chuckled.
“No.” Noah had to hold strong. If he let Luke give him a hand job, he’d push for more. “And the more you beg me, the longer I might make you wait.”
He wasn’t into orgasm denial or edging, but he needed to get through to Luke that they weren’t going to fool around right now. Make-up sex would be great, but not if it risked putting him in more pain.
“You’re no fun.” He balled his fist around the blankets, pulling them to his chest. “I know you’re right, but it’s been too damned long.”
“And when you’re healthy, we’ll make up for lost time,” Noah reassured him. He realized Luke hadn’t actually given him an answer to his question. “Now, the only question is if we’ll be able to be a bit more spontaneous when the urge strikes. Will you move in?”
“Hmm, let me think about it.” He dragged his thumb over his bottom lip, staring into the distance as if deep in thought. “Your mattress is way better than mine, so yeah, I suppose I could bring some of my stuff over here.”
When Noah’s expression fell, Luke busted out laughing. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. As long as we stay on the same page and promise to talk to one another when something’s bugging us, I think we’ll be just fine.”
“Agreed.” As comfortable as he was, Noah still needed to run downstairs. He sighed as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. “Do you need anything else while I’m grabbing your meds?”
“Just you to hurry back.” Luke wiggled his way lower on the bed, rolling cautiously to his side. “Fuck. Everything hurts.”
“And that’s exactly why we’re not fooling around tonight.” Noah paused on the other side of the bed, bending to kiss Luke. The reminder was as much for himself as his partner. “We’ve got plenty of time once you’re feeling better.”
“The rest of our lives,” Luke murmured, already fighting sleep.
Noah chalked the comment up to Luke’s pain but he liked the sound of a potential forever with him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Left sideof the corner cabinet’s crooked,” Luke called from his perch on a kitchen stool, fighting the urge to get up and fix it himself. His ribs protested even that small movement, a sharp reminder that he wasn’t supposed to be doing anything but resting. “Need to adjust the bottom hinge about a quarter inch.”
Keaton grunted but made the adjustment without argument. A week ago, he would have told Luke where to shove his perfectionist tendencies. But something had shifted between them since the accident—a newfound patience on both sides. The same man who’d been pissy about Luke taking on this renovation project in his free time had assembled a crew of not only Luke’s coworkers but also friends from around town to get through as much of the kitchen remodel as possible in the next two days.
“Better?” Keaton stepped back, wiping sweat from his forehead. Around them, the kitchen hummed with activity as the crew worked to transform the space. The demolition had gone quickly yesterday, and now they were making real progress installing the new cabinets. Next would be the countertops and flooring.The appliances would stay for the time being, but Luke hoped to replace those by winter.
Luke studied the alignment, grateful his eye for detail hadn’t been injured. “Yeah, that’s perfect. The uppers should line up now.”
“You know,” Keaton said quietly, moving closer so the others wouldn’t hear, “it’s okay to let us handle this. You don’t have to supervise every detail.”
“I know.” Luke’s good hand clenched on his thigh. “But this kitchen is important. It has to be perfect.”
Because this wasn’t just another renovation project anymore. Every cabinet, every finish choice, every detail mattered in a way it never had. It felt symbolic that they were finishing the kitchen, where everything had started, right after Luke agreed to move in. He thought he’d break out in hives at the thought of living with a boyfriend, but saying yes when Noah asked had been one of the easier things Luke had ever done. He couldn’t wait to be back to full strength so he and Eli could work on the treehouse. Keaton had offered to take that on as well, but it felt like an important bonding moment between Luke and the kid he couldn’t love more if he were his own.
The screen door creaked, followed by Eli’s excited voice. “Dad! We brought breakfast! And Mom says we can help until lunch!”
Luke turned carefully, mindful of his ribs, to find Eli bouncing through the door with a box from Sweet & Simple. Behind him, Jenna carried drink carriers. She’d gotten into town on Thursday, and instead of picking up Eli to take him back to her apartment in Afton, she’d decided to stay in town through the weekend to help out.
“Careful, buddy,” Noah cautioned as Eli weaved through tools and materials. “Remember what we said about the work zone?”
