A small chapel in mahogany, gold and yet more marble welcomed them at the top of the Monument of Peace. Inside it, they found a praying altar, which the representatives took turns inspecting. Noah waited outside, not interested in it or its supposedly exquisite craftsmanship. He mostly gravitated around Trevor and Abi, while Teresa took to entertaining the rest, which Noah deemed a fortunate arrangement, given how overly conscious he was of Reign. At the same time though, he wanted to be around the other man every chance he got. He was drawn to Reign like a moth to candlelight, and both his brain and body were onboard with that, attuned in their barely containable craving for the man.
After the diplomats finished sightseeing the Monument of Peace and placing white flowers on the altar, the next thing on the agenda was lunch at the Lisbon Theater. Noah kept Trevor and Abi company there too as they watched a play in which his Holiness saved the children of sinners from a life of poverty and evil by offering them a chance to serve God’s Church. Despite supposedly being one of the Empire’s greatest entertainment masterpieces, Noah found himself much more interested in observing Reign eat than paying attention to the stage.
Reign seemed to share that sentiment, meeting Noah’s gaze often and gracing him with one of those fantasies-evoking smiles. If not for Reign’s straightforwardness yesterday, Noah would have attributed them to one of his hallucinations. He wasn’t so convinced now, not when he could feel the attraction between them going both ways.
It was the sweetest, most tempting sensation that stirred up all kinds of responses in him, that hitched his breath whenever those stunning red eyes sought him out and those sinfully kissable lips angled slightly in phantom-like smiles. It was titillation, agitation too, yearning like the one he knew intimately and not like it at all, because this one was devastating.Potent, as if it was a living part of him and he couldn’t do anything about it except let it run rampant for one more day.
A bolt of sadness shot through Noah. Regret immediately followed. Anger, too.One day.That was how long he had left before Reign returned to the Asian Federation. That was how long he had before this reprieve of normality, of what life outside could be, ended. One more day was all that stood between him and his return to a depressing routine and never-ending secrets.
Noah took a grounding breath and deemed it best not to think about that right now. He had an entire afternoon and evening ahead of him, and he didn’t want to spoil his mood just yet when that could wait until tomorrow.
When the play finally ended, Teresa took them to the lavender and wisteria garden behind the theater building.
“Dear friends, please feel free to rest or take part in the festivities across town, or if you aren’t tired of my and Noah’s company, do join us for cocktails with the Mayor of Lisbon at the Angels’ Gate Hotel. Dinner will be at six at the Tower again and I’ve arranged for the city orchestra to perform for us. We’ll wrap up earlier today so you can retreat to your hotel and be rested for your journeys back home tomorrow morning.”
Announcement done, Teresa exchanged a few words with Abi and called Noah over. She instructed him to dropby the extravagant restaurant and confirm the menu and arrangements with the master of staff before he made his way over to the Angels’ Gate. He didn’t protest that the task, externally that is, while on the inside he wasn’t thrilled he wouldn’t get the chance to ask Reign if he was going to the cocktail party with the Mayor. Since Noah had no choice but to go, he hoped the diplomat would go, too.
Scanning the crowd as a taxi pulled over on the street, Noah made his way to the garden’s side entrance. As if knowing Noah was searching for him, Reign shifted his attention from his conversation to Noah the exact moment Noah’s eyes zeroed in on that lush hair he wanted to rake his fingers through. Or pull on so he could tilt Reign’s head back and devour those lips that were currently… mouthing, “Are you going?”
Noah let out a chuckle, bobbed his head and raised an eyebrow that got him a playful smile and a nod confirming Reign was going, too. Excited that Reign would be at the hotel, Noah went over the list of things he needed to take care of at the restaurant as he boarded the taxi.
The short ride to the Tower gave Noah sufficient time to get his bearings and temporarily chase away Reign’s smile from his mind. The quicker he got this logistical stuff over with, the quicker he could join the rest. Part of him was embarrassed because of his secret fantasy, but another just didn’t care how similar the diplomat and Noah’s imaginary demon were and simply wanted to enjoy Reign’s company and the titillating effect it had on his psyche. It was addictive, the fluttering nervousness in his chest, the tingling crawls under his skin, the anticipation in his stomach.
Noah entered the foyer of the fancy building, requesting to speak to the master of staff at the reception.Confirming everything was in order didn’t take long, and soon after, Noah was on his way to the Angels’ Gate Hotel, this time wondering if it was at all possible that Reign and the demon Noah had conjured were somehow, magically, connected. It was a futile exercise to entertain that thought, because it was impossible. Demons, angels and other such mythical beings simply didn’t exist. They were a tool that the Church used to influence people’s minds, a means to instill hope and fear, to explain the world and its rules even if science did an objectively better job of it.
Noah got out of the taxi and took a moment to appreciate the Angel’s Gate Hotel. Much like the Tower, it was a modern building for Lisbon’s richest to enjoy, with tall glass windows and an ornamented steel façade. Noah’s destination for the rest of the afternoon was the elevated poolside garden overlooking the beach. When he arrived, most of the diplomats were sitting at the bar except for Reign and Trevor, who had joined Teresa and the Mayor of Lisbon in a Roman-style gazebo by the pool.
Noah contemplated going over to them, but he was sure they were likely discussing the festivities of Peace Week and he most definitely didn’t feel like taking part in that conversation, so instead, he headed over to the bar for a drink.
“What will it be?” a short woman with freckles and a white-gold uniform asked him.
Noah glanced at the menu on the wide screen behind her. “Can I have the virgin Orange Fusion, please?”
“Sure thing.” She crushed strawberries and added mixed tonic to the freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit and lemon juice, then plopped a slice of pineapple inside. “Here you go. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
Taking a sip, Noah turned around and leaned against the bar, scanning the guests of the posh garden once more. Teresa and the Mayor had moved onto entertaining Abi and the two other women whose names Noah didn’t even remember, Trevor was in the pool and Reign… was nursing his own drink at the high table spanning the edge of the terrace.Alone.
Not letting that chance slip, Noah sauntered over. “Hey,” he said, sitting on the stool next to Reign and training his gaze on the busy beach below.
“Hi, Noah.” Reign placed his drink on the wooden table, the ice clinking inside.
The way Reign said his name got Noah’s attention, his eyes clashing with those garnets a heartbeat later. The pinpricks under his skin were back and Noah welcomed them, just like the slight tension across his abs.
“So, um, how did you find the play?”From all the things he could’ve said…
“I don’t know, I wasn’t really paying attention. How did you find it?”
“I… Well, I wasn’t really paying attention either,” Noah replied, fingering the tip of his straw as nerves swamped his stomach.Should he have confessed that?
“I noticed.” Something dark and very dangerous flickered in Reign’s eyes, intensifying the red so much it felt like it glowed slightly. It was momentary, butoh so very riling. “You were watching me instead.”
Noah felt his neck burn as his insides squeezed under the accusation. He didn’t want to deny it and even if he did, his tongue refused to cooperate. For a few long and loud heartbeats, he just stared at Reign and his pretty eyes.
“I…” he rasped, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if it was weird or if I shouldn’t have,but—”
“I didn’t say that I disliked it,” Reign interjected. He dipped his head and took the tip of the straw in his mouth, fitting his lips around it in the most inviting of ways.
