Noah’s dick gave an approving twitch, his pants suddenly feeling a little tight. He was glad he was sitting, so his reaction remained obscured from Reign, whose gaze was still trained on Noah’s face, seductive and inquisitive. If Reign said or implied something once more, orhell, if he as much as looked at Noah in that sexy way, Noah didn’t know if he could resist the urge to dosomethinghimself.
He hated in this moment, more than he had ever hated, that he was stuck living here in the Holy Christian Empire. That he was trapped, like a bird in a cage, his wings clipped and his freedom taken away because those in power deemed it their right to do so.
Gritting his teeth, Noah tried to take control of his budding anger. It wouldn’t do him any good to blow up here, just like it wouldn’t to entertain Reign’s games. As much as he wanted and was ready to, there was just no point. The risk was too great, life-changing even.
Condemning.
At most, Noah was going to get a few hours with Reign, assuming he was even interested enough in Noah to want to do more than flirt. And besides, Reign was leaving tomorrow morning, returning to the free world where he could have anyone he wanted, woman or man.
Reign’s phone rang before Noah could belatedly laugh off the remark. He stood up to give the diplomat some privacy, but Reign’s hand pressing down on his thigh halted him. The contact was even more electrifying than Reign’s fingers brushing his cheek last night, and the pressure Reign applied to keep him seated was heady.
“No need,” Reign said, swiping his finger across the screen and answering the call. “Yes? In an hour?” His eyes intensified but not in that shivers-inducing way; it was with something indicative of discontent. His hand left Noah’s thigh. “No, I can. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, yes. Yes…” he trailed off and hung up.
“Is everything okay?” Noah asked, missing the touch already.
Reign’s shallow frown disappeared, masterfully forced away. “Yes, just something I need to tend to.” He stood up. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to make dinner.”
Noah’s stomach plummeted and his world felt robbed of… He didn’t even know of what, only that it tore at his being from the inside.
So this was where they parted.
Hopping down from the stool, Noah extended his hand for a shake. “Uh, then…” He cleared his throat, steadying his voice. “I guess we won’t see each other again.”Fuck, even to his own ears he sounded kind of desperate and heartbroken, but he couldn’t do anything about it. “It was nice to meet you, Reign. I hope you have a pleasant journey back to the Federation.”
Reign took Noah’s hand and Noah couldn’t hold back the shuddering exhale.
It was shattering. He couldn’t rationalize why when they’d spent just a little over a day in each other’s company, but it simply was. Their time together had been fun, exciting,thrilling,but too short. Not nearly enough. But perhaps that was for the best, Noah tried to convince himself. Maybe this whole experience was just a lucky distraction from his depressing life. Something to give him hope, to push him to work harder towards his goal. To show him what he could have if he persevered and made it throughto the outside where he would no longer be within grasp of the Church.
This was a wake-up call then, that he needed to do more and that his time and sanity were running out.
Noah forced a half-smile, though he felt like crying on the inside. He’d known they would have to part ways the moment he’d met Reign yesterday at the Tower, but it hurt. He didn’t want to let go, to bid farewell and never see this man that now dominated his imagination alongside the red-skinned demon.
“Before I go, there is something I want to give you,” Reign whispered, his voice both lilting and devastating. He withdrew his hand and took out an old-model phone from the pocket of his slacks, depositing it in Noah’s palm. “This is a burner phone. It has my number. Call me anytime, Noah. I will be waiting.”
The rest of the afternoon went by in a haze. The dinner, the concert, the bar, all of it. How exactly Noah got home was a haze, too. His mind was stuck in that moment when Reign had handed him the burner phone at the Gate Hotel, replaying those last words over and over again.
Call me anytime, Noah. I will be waiting.
They became Noah’s chant, a mantra, a source of adrenaline.
Noah plopped on the bed, burying his head in the pillows. He wanted to scream, to break things, to destroy the cuffs chaining him to this fucked-up place. To undo his lot in life, to change his circumstances. But what good would it do to give into the despair he felt? An outburstof anger and giving into self-pity weren’t going to solve anything.
And a fantasy man would never be better than a real man.
Noah couldn’t sleep that night, thrashing and turning and letting tears flow down his cheeks and stain the pillowcase. He needed a way out of the Holy Empire. Hewasmaking it out. Not in ten years, not even in five, but as soon as was realistically possible. He simply had no choice; he needed to leave or else he was going to suffocate or go mad.
He would make it happen, and soon, no matter how dirty he had to play.
The rest of the long weekend dragged on forever. It was funny how Noah had lived for the weekends, for that reprieve from his dull work so he could live in his head and catch a break from having to do his best to avoid Teresa.
This time, it was different. This time, he was looking forward to Monday.
And the first thing he did when it finally came around and he arrived at the office?
He went straight to the thirty-eighth floor to find Teresa.
7
Noah breathed in deeply, pulled his shoulders back and stepped out of the elevator on floor thirty-eight. He was on a mission, and he was going to smash it, because if he failed now, he was truly going to lose his mind.
