Chapter 26 Aiden
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AIDEN
“This is delicious. Thank you, Lia.” Noah begins to cut his steak.
Gently, with little space between their chairs, Devlin reaches for the knife in Noah’s hand. “Let me, angel.”
“Um, okay.”
Devlin slips his cutlery out of his fingers and cuts his steak. When he’s done, he passes him the fork.
“Thank you.”
“I can feed you if you’d like.”
“No.” Noah smiles tightly. “I got it, thank you.”
Devlin blushes, going back to his own plate. You can barely fit a piece of paper between them. Jamie silently seethes across the table as he watches them.
“Can you stop glaring?” Hunter whispers.
“I finally get a boyfriend, one as beautiful and amazing as Noah, I am not letting him out of my sight. I am holding on with everything I got. I’m not letting Devlin of all people take him from me.”
“And you could stop him?” Mark snorts. “Good luck.”
Devlin smiles, lifting a napkin and wiping a spot of steak sauce off the corner of Noah’s lips. “So, Noah . . . what is it you do?”
We turn our attention to them, as Devlin places his elbows on the table, resting his head on his fist to look at Noah.
“Elbows off the table, sweetheart,” Lia says.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Devlin rests his arm on the back of Noah’s chair instead, leaving little breathing room between them.
“Yeah, Mom, because that’s so much better,” Jamie murmurs, pushing his steak around his plate.
Noah looks Devlin up and down, moving his chair a little and giving himself some space. “I uh, work with Lia at the library. I’m a clerk.”
“Ah. An archivist. That’s brilliant. You read, then?” Devlin leans in a little more, making up the space Noah put between them.
Noah pops a piece of steak in his mouth, chewing then taking a drink. “I do. I read all the time. It’s my favorite thing.”
“I love a well-read man. Glasses. Nose stuck in a book. How many books do you read a month?”
Noah shrugs. “I don’t know. With audios included, probably about twenty.”
“I bet you’re brilliant.” Devlin grins at him.
Noah smiles. “You know. I have been told that, yes.”
“Last week we read a book about a gargoyle in a museum coming to life and railing the museum owner,” Jamie snaps, then blushes. “Sorry, Mom.”
Lia takes a deep, deep breath.
Devlin glares at Jamie before his gaze softens on Noah. “You love fantasy, then?” he purrs, and Noah nods. “How whimsical. I love to role-play.”
“Jesus Christ.” Jamie gets up, taking his empty plate, as well as Hunter’s and mine, to the kitchen, then he walks back into the dining room. “Dinner was great, Mom, but we um . . .” Jamie looks at me. “Unfortunately, we have something important that Devlin’s going to help us with.”
She frowns. “What do you mean? Are you going to get into trouble?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s just something Devlin’s agreed to help us with. Right?” He looks at Devlin, but he’s staring at Noah. “Devlin!?”
“Huh? Oh, yes,” he says, his attention still on Noah. “I’ll help Noah.”
“Us. All, of, us. We need help.”
Devlin waves Jamie’s words away, still staring at Noah.
“You’re not in trouble, right?” Lia stands. “If I get a call from the police station, Jamie, I swear—”
“No. Nothing like that. I promise.”
She sighs, getting up. “And I wonder why my hair is graying.” She smiles tightly but gives Jamie a big hug. “Help me clean up please, and then you guys can head off, but if I get a call from the police station, I don’t care how old you are, you’re grounded.”
“I don’t get why we needed to come here!” I just want to go get Sawyer back. I didn’t think I had much hope, but with Devlin we may have a chance. Ivan only has Dom and Tagar, and when it comes down to it, I know Tagar wouldn’t hurt me unless he absolutely had to.
Dom on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
“Do we have a plan?” Hunter asks.
“Don’t get killed?” I say. It’s been hours now, and god knows what he’s doing to Sawyer. Or Katya. He could already be gone. I’ve never been this out of control.
“Where is Devlin?” Noah walks out in jeans and a T-shirt. When we got back to Noah and Jamie’s, Devlin said he needed to change his clothes into something comfier and easier to move in. I’m not sure why. What he had on was fine. With a bag in hand, Devlin disappeared into their bathroom.
“Babe, I don’t know, maybe you should—”
Noah presses a finger to Jamie’s lips. “We are a team. This is a team effort. We don’t leave friends behind.” He gives Jamie a sad smile.
“If things go wrong—”
“Then they go wrong as a group. I’m not letting anything happen to you guys.” Noah looks around the living room. “Where’s Devlin?”
“He’s using the bathroom. Said he needed to change into something comfier.” My heart is beating out of my chest.
I look up and find Hunter’s dark eyes on me. I’m positive he would already have killed me if I wasn’t the only one who knows where Sawyer is.
“I know, alright!” I shout at him.
“If he doesn’t make it out of this . . .” His jaw pops.
“Yeah, you’ll kill me, I got it.”
“How many people are in that house?” Noah asks.
“Tagar, Dom, and Ivan. Then Sawyer and Katya.”
“So, three against six. Easy, right?” Noah says
“How dangerous are the other two?” Hunter runs a hand through his hair. I can feel the tension from him. I want to tell him I’m sorry, that I’m just as panicked as he is.
That I love Sawyer more than anything.
I shrug. “Tagar’s alright. He just goes through the motions, but at the end of the day, he works for Ivan. Dominic may be a problem.”
“What about your brother?”
I don’t know where the fuck Koda is. I haven’t seen him since that night he hit me. What is he up to? “He won’t be an issue.”
“Okay, I’m ready.” Devlin steps into the living room and my eyes snap to the ceiling.
Holy fucking shit.
“What the fuck are you wearing!?” Jamie shouts.
Devlin stands in the middle of the room in the most impractical pair of shorts I’ve ever seen in my life.
Thighs on thighs. Gray cloth draped low on his hips.
The sharp lines of his hip bones a magnet for the eyes.
All the while he’s shirtless. His chest looks like someone sculpted it from stone. Broad shoulders and thick biceps.
How fucking tall is he?
The veins in his forearms flex. Hair covers his chest giving him an air of dominance.
Devlin winks at Noah, popping his pecs. “Devlin, go put clothes on!” Jamie growls.
“This is my B and E outfit. You want me to be helpful, I want to be comfortable. He bends at the waist, tying his sneakers and looking back at Noah while Noah inspects his nails. Devlin clears his throat then ties his shoes, sneaking peeks back.
He stands to his full height. He has to be nearly seven foot tall . . . what the hell? The thin fabric of those shorts is barely held up by an untied drawstring. A slight breeze looks like it could tug them down. Brown hair trails down his stomach, which is flexing with every breath.
Then my eyes travel down . . . and look away from the bulge in those shorts.
“If you have cum gutters, and Jamie has cum creases . . .” Mark says to Hunter. “Does that mean Devlin has cum canyons.”
This isn’t real life.
“Are you not wearing underwear?” Hunter pinches the bridge of his nose. “We don’t have time for this.”
“It’d slow me down. More aerodynamic this way.”
Devlin stretches. His bulge flexes with the movement. I’m not trying to stare but its right there! It’s going to slip right out of those shorts.
“Go change! Now,” Jamie growls.
“No,” Devlin says. “You want me to help? This is me helping.”
“For fuck’s sake, we don’t have time for this!” I’m going to scream.
“Yet you came to me instead of the cops.” Devlin folds his thick arms over his broad chest. The cops won’t help me. They’d only make everything worse. Ivan would kill them all before he let a cop take him.
“Go. Change,” Jamie growls.
Devlin walks up to Jamie, and I see him shrink back a little. Then Devlin looks down. “Make me.”
“Okay now.” Noah slides between them, hugging Jamie around the waist and looking back at Devlin. “Now you know I always advocate to free the bulge, but Jamie’s right.” Noah gives Jamie a kiss that puts murder in Devlin’s eyes. “You might get hurt. Would hate for you to lose a testie.”
Devlin’s face softens. “As you wish.” Devlin turns, heading toward a bedroom.
“Wait, that’s our—” Noah presses a finger to Jamie’s lips then lets go as Devlin slams the door shut. “Our room.”
“Do you think he’s even going to help? He seems more preoccupied with getting into Noah’s pants,” Mark asks.
“I know you think I’m irresistible, Mark, but he doesn’t want to get into my pants,” Noah says.
“Are you kidding? He’s been trying to steal you from me since he met you!” Jamie glares.
“He’s just friendly. He’s trying to help us.” Noah shrugs.
Devlin walks back into the living room, now wearing a pair of sweatpants that stop mid-calf and stretch so tight I don’t know how he’s moving. He’s paired it with a pink T-shirt that says Hurtin’ for a squirtin’. It’s comically small, riding up his stomach and stretching across his broad chest.
“He’s ruining your crop top!”
“Oh, sweetie. That’s one of my extra-large bed shirts.” Noah shakes his head, looking at Devlin. “Keep it. It’s yours now.”
Devlin bows quickly. “You’re too kind.”
“Those are my sweats!” Jamie snaps.
“I know.” Devlin looks him up and down. “I can tell by the small amount of room in the crotch area. I’m bursting at the seams.” He winks at Noah.
“Can we get this over with?” While I have very little confidence in this working out well, at least we have numbers on our side.
And insanity.
“Let’s go. We can take my truck,” Devlin says. “First we need to talk about payment.”
“Payment? You said you’d help us.” Hunter snaps.
“Yes. For a price.” Devlin grins.
“We don’t have money. I mean—”
Devlin holds his hand up cutting Mark off. “What I want is priceless.” He swings his eyes to Noah. “I want one date with Noah.”
“What?!” Jamie shakes his head. “No fucking way.”
“Jamie—” Hunter begins.
“No, this is crazy.” Jamie tugs Noah into his side.
“It’s what I want. Or you all can figure out how to do this on your own. I’m sure Jamie’s back will hold up just fine when he’s tackled to the ground.”
“Wait—” Noah places a hand on Jamie’s stomach. “It’s just one date.”
“No! Fuck off,” Jamie snaps at Devlin.
“It’s one date, dude. Who cares,” Mark groans.
“I care. You can’t just bargain for my fiancé!”
Noah’s arms wrap around his waist. “Just one date. It’s no big deal.” He turns in Jamie’s arms as he clutches him to his body. “One date.”
“Deal.” Devlin grins.
“With stipulations,” Noah says.
“Anything your heart desires.” Devlin’s eyes warm on him.
“No kissing, touching, or hand holding of any kind. A platonic friend date.”
Devlin thinks this over. “One kiss on the cheek?”
“No.”
“Hand holding into the restaurant so I can show you off?”
“No.”
“Playing footsie under the table?”
“No.”
“One goodnight hug?”
“No.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Fucking perfect.” Hunter gets up, heading for the door. “Let’s go get my friend back.”