“The sommelier. Farzan’s boyfriend. Right?”
“Right.” Ramin lifted his glass. Noah clinked. “To… What should we toast to?”
“To no more stairs,” Noah joked.
He’d climb a thousand more stairs as long as it was with Ramin. But he was just as glad to be off his feet.
Noah ordered the trofie al pesto Genovese—twists of fresh pasta in a verdant basil pesto, with tempura-fried green beans, served atop a disc of mashed potatoes.
Noah could’ve eaten two. Maybe even three. The pesto was bright, fresh, and balanced, the green beans crisp and perfect. The silky mashed potatoes melted on his tongue, buttery and rich. And for dessert, Noah picked the pineapple carpaccio, thinly sliced rings of pineapple with an orange sorbet on top.
“Are you trying to tell me something about how I taste?” Ramin asked.
Noah nearly spat out his wine. “No! No, it just looked good. I didn’t mean—”
But Ramin was shaking from holding in laughter.
Noah pursed his lips. “That was mean.”
Besides, he was more worried about howhetasted. Though Ramin hadn’t complained, so…
They stayed well past sunset, admiring the silver sickle of the moon over the sea, the sounds of the city below them, the breeze in their hair. Noah lost track of time. He could’ve talked to Ramin for hours. For years. Forever.
But eventually the breeze turned cold, and the wine ran out, and the candle in the center of their table guttered.
They tumbled back into their bedroom, laughing. Noah caught Ramin against the bed, pulled him into a long, lingering kiss that tasted of cherry candy and citrus.
“Mm,” Noah hummed, as Ramin angled his head to dip his tongue deeper into Noah’s mouth. Noah wrapped his arms around Ramin and pulled him onto the bed, rolling onto their sides, as they kissed, and kissed, and kissed, until Noah was lost, until all he knew was Ramin, Ramin, Ramin.
He ground their hips together, savoring the freedom now that he was out of that singlet. It had been hot—sexy hot and also temperature hot—but now, his erection grew down the leg of his boxers.
“You’re already hard,” Ramin muttered, breath ghosting along Noah’s ear.
“Uh-huh.”
“You didn’t let me take care of you before.”
“You already did at the train station.”
“That was this morning,” Ramin said, trailing kisses along Noah’s jawline. “What about now?”
Yes yes yes.
This time, when Noah ground against him, Ramin pressed back, his own hot length singing against Noah’s through their shorts.
“Tell me what you want,” Ramin said.
I want you, Noah wanted to say.I want us. I want forever.
Just like when he’d stood atop the Lanterna, gazing at Ramin in the sun, his mouth wanted to run ahead of his brain. Tell Ramin everything that was in his heart. But it waswaytoo soon to say something like that. He didn’t want to scare Ramin off.
“Noah?” Ramin’s brow furrowed. “Hey. Here. Let me up.”
Noah did, sliding off to Ramin’s side. Ramin scooted back so he was leaning against the headboard. He pulled a pillow over to cover his stomach.
Noah wished he wouldn’t. Ramin was beautiful, his stomach just right for grabbing, his limbs soft in all the right places, hard where it mattered.
“Today’s been a lot for you. It’s okay if you need a while to process.”
