Ramin was holding him.
He’d spent the last three days wondering what it would feel like if they touched, and now… now he knew. He felt himself growing harder in his boxers and breathed a soft sigh that at least he was the little spoon so Ramin wouldn’t notice.
Ramin.
Did he know?
“Ramin?” Noah whispered.
Ramin didn’t make a sound, but he did hold Noah a bit tighter. His grip was strong yet gentle. He smelled like hotel soap and lemons and minty toothpaste and just a little bit of sweaty skin. He smelled like heaven.
“Ramin?”
But Ramin didn’t stir. And Noah couldn’t bring himself to wake him.
He hadn’t been held in so long. Not since the divorce. He’d tried dating, but it had never gone anywhere, certainly not to a soft bed after a long day.
Noah slowly reached down to adjust himself where he was caught on the seam of his boxers. He should wake Ramin up. Right? Ramin didn’t know what he was doing.
Or did he?
Noah didn’tthinkhe was that out of practice at flirting. Surely Ramin knew he was interested, right? At first, Noah thought Ramin was still hurting from his breakup, or was just not that into him, but then last night, outside the bathroom, with Ramin all pink and clean from his shower, Noah had thought… well. He thought maybe Ramin saw him the same way he saw Ramin.
He’d felt his mouth go dry. Had licked his lips, in case Ramin leaned in for a kiss. Or he did. But then the moment had broken, and he’d gone to shower frustrated, and then gone to bed frustrated, and now here he was, with Ramin’s arms around him and a rock-hard erection in his boxers.
He didn’t know what this meant.
But he was going to enjoy it for as long as he could.
He took a deep breath and relaxed deeper into Ramin’s arms. The valley in the middle of the bed pulled them both in deeper, made them cuddle closer. If this was all that would happen, this was enough. It was innocent. It was friendly.
And if Ramin wanted more… well.
Maybe Noah would have to be the one to make a move.
twenty-one
Ramin
Ramin woke to an azure sky and a streak of golden sunrise reflecting off the lake below. He squinted.
He’d shifted during the night, and something heavy lay upon his arm, andoh holy fuckhe was holding Noah.Spooninghim. Arms wrapped tight around Noah’s strong, warm chest. Hips tucked snugly against Noah’s. Feet tangled at the foot of the bed, still wrapped in the soft, cozy blankets.
And disaster of disasters: He was hard.
Not just morning wood. This was morning iron. Morning titanium. Morning diamond, tucked up against Noah’s ass.
He tried not to flex it but couldn’t help it.
Fuckety-fuckety-fuck! He’d been so careful to face away last night. When did he start spooning Noah? Damn that gap in the bed. It had sucked him down like quicksand in a nineties movie.
He never should’ve shared a bed. He should’ve slept on the floor. Hell, he should’ve grabbed a blanket and slept in the bathtub or something.
Ramin thought about spreadsheets. He thought about his inbox atwork. He thought about that time Todd tried a new chemical peel and he was allergic to it and it left his face all red and weird.
Nothing worked. If anything, he was getting harder, his dick throbbing with the beat of his bounding heart.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Noah shifted back against him. He snuffled and smacked his lips.
