Page 99 of After the Chase

Ivan laughs and it’s a genuine, delighted sound.

“What? You said not to send you any cat videos anymore and I did stop. Don’t you like the funny dog clips either?”

“Ivan, are you seriously sending him that shit?” Tyler says to him and Ivan shrugs, looking proud of what he’s done.

“He loves it, really.”

“No, I don’t,” Noah says as he rubs his brow in frustration.

"Come on, man, we're brothers now. We date brothers and we kill together, we’re destined besties."

“Stop saying bestie,” Noah growls and not in the hot sexy way he does to me.

“When are you coming home? I’ve spoken to Marcus and he said I can join in when you go by the club to have your fun. It can be like a hobby we do together, you know, like friends who play golf together or…”

Ivan doesn’t finish the sentence before Noah passes the phone back to me, giving me a look of warning as I laugh, unable to suppress it any longer.

“Listen Ty, I’m gonna have to go, but we’ll be back in three days and we can catch up then.”

“I can’t wait to see you. Love you.”

“You too.”

“I love you too and you Noah!” Ivan shouts in the background as Tyler ends the call and I can’t stop the belly laugh that rolls through me. I have to give praise to Ivan for his persistence, as I don’t think he will ever stop.

"Don't tease me about Ivan."

"Too late. There is nothing wrong with a bestie who's desperately in love with you."

"I will hurt you."

"Yeah and you know I love it." I reach up and pull him down toward me.

He doesn't argue and instead he kisses me, slow and passionately, his mouth claiming mine with absolute possession. His tongue slides against mine, tasting, exploring, reminding me exactly who I belong to. The kiss deepens, becoming something darker and animalistic. His hand moves to my chest, and I will never get over how his touch still makes me burn.

His mouth finds my neck, licking and sucking before moving down to my chest, and I gasp. He kisses the hollow of my throat, then lower, his lips brushing against my collarbone. My breathing quickens as he moves lower still, his tongue tracing a path down my sternum. Then his mouth closes around my nipple.

The sensation is electric as his tongue flicks against the hardened peak, and I can't help the sound that escapes me, a low, desperate moan. He sucks gently, then harder, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin. My hands find his hair, fingers threading through the dark strands as pleasure shoots through me like lightning.

"Noah," I pant as I breathe his name like a prayer.

He switches to my other nipple, giving it the same attention, and it’s maddening how slow he is because I need more. His hand comes up to play with the other nipple, his thumb circling, pinching, driving me absolutely insane. I'm so fucking hard, my cock straining against my swim shorts, and he knows it as he can feel it pressed against his abdomen as he rests his body on top of mine, the lounger struggling under our weight.

I’m totally lost in the moment until I hear a noise and remember the crew. I glance toward the bow of the yacht where two deckhands are pretending very hard not to look in our direction. My face flushes with heat that has nothing to do with the Miami sun.

"Noah, they can see us" I start, but he silences me by sucking harder on my nipple, and the protest dies in my throat.

"If I wasn’t so protective of you I would fuck you right here, right now,” he says as he reluctantly pulls away. “But nobody gets to watch you fall apart.” He pulls back slightly, his eyes meeting mine.

"Three more days, then we’re back in New York," Noah says.

"I know."

"Are you ready?"

I consider the question. Ready to return to the criminal underworld and watch Noah work. To get back to journalling his kills and transform them into bestselling novels.

"Yes," I say. "I'm ready."