12. A Countdown #3
“I don’t care if you ever cast another spell for as long as we live,” Noble said, voice graveled with how deeply he meant each word. “A spell for cleaning? I care not. I’ll wash every dish. A spell to warm us? Not necessary. I’m warm enough for us both.”
Aria’s eyes welled with tears again. But then he smiled. He smiled and Noble’s heart somersaulted in his chest. Aria then said, “Of course I love you too. How could I not?”
Noble rushed to his feet, wrapping arms around Aria, and lifted him off his stool into a hug. Noble spun, squeezing, and Aria released a laugh.
The crowd screamed. All at once, a fervor captured everyone. That’s his adame, right? He’s divorced? What’s his name? How romantic!
Noble didn’t care. He muttered against Aria’s hair, “But I’m too late. You signed Hampenstead’s contract.”
“How do you know about that?”
“I saw him. At the gala, at my uncle’s estate.”
Aria shifted in Noble’s arms until he was placed upon his feet. He lifted the contract for Noble to see. “I didn’t.” In place of the signature line, Aria had written, Eric—I’m sorry. I can’t.
Noble released a breath he had not realized he held deep within his chest. “But…”
“I thought I was broken,” said Aria. “I—I can’t be an adame if I cannot perform magic.
And the magic is gone.” He paused. “Was gone.” Aria looked down at his hand.
Noble took it into his own and squeezed.
Sparkling lights manifested around them, glittering like stars.
“I think maybe it just wanted to be with you. Forever.”
Noble dropped to one knee. “Then be with me.”
The crowd screamed again, but this time it was loud enough to make both Nobel and Aria jump in surprise, and they looked out across the ballroom.
Romy pushed her way to the front, breathing heavily from her haste, and climbed the steps, eyes wide with concern.
She stopped short as it registered: Noble on one knee.
She gasped out, “Are you two going to get married?”
Noble gazed up at Aria and asked, “Will you? Marry me.”
“Yes. Of course.”
The party roared to life, cheering, and Romy cried out, amplifying her voice magically across the ballroom, “Happy Winterend!"
“Release the confetti. Release it,” said the Director to someone at the side of the stage. A pop rang out over the crowd—and little papers of gold filled the air.
As Noble and Aria were surrounded by cheering and applause from every end of the ballroom, Romy shouted, “Kiss already!”
So they did.
ARIA
He’d always been a romantic, but until this moment, Aria had never understood the phrase make love. On this night, after midnight, sprawled out across Noble’s bed, they made love.
Noble’s mouth kissed hot, wet worship down Aria’s chest, across his belly.
“You needn’t,” Aria gasped. Noble hadn’t ever used his mouth on a man in such a way. It seemed like so much to do so early on, but Noble didn’t stop. He swallowed down Aria’s cock and sucked him to a near finish. He stopped only when Aria’s cries grew more frantic, teetering near the edge.
Noble turned Aria over, and Aria breathed out, nodding in assent. He’d thought about it—how good it’d felt to be fucked by Noble that one night—and was near-giddy to do it again. But instead of being breached by Noble’s fingers, or the head of his thick cock, he was kissed. There.
Aria jolted. “Wait, Noble. You don’t have to do such things to a man so soon. It’s too much, is it not?”
Noble answered by pressing his tongue inside Aria.
All coherent thought fumbled out of Aria’s open mouth, and he moaned, utterly lost, against Noble’s bed. Noble licked and sucked and kissed him open, fingers joining after a time, until Aria was a drooling, trembling mess. Until Aria had one plea: “Please. Please, I want you inside me.”
Aria was no help this time as he was rolled over. Limbs and mind numbed to anything other than the reverent pleasure Noble had suffused him within.
Noble leaned in, nearly kissing him again, but stopped. “Can I kiss you?” he asked, whispering.
Aria couldn’t understand the question, at first. Of course.
They’d kissed plenty. They would kiss again and again for the rest of their lives, would they not?
But then he realized Noble was being polite, because he’d just feasted on Aria’s ass.
Aria couldn’t help the smile, or the laugh, as he said, “Yeah. Yeah, I don’t mind. ”
Noble kissed him with a passion that could have waned in the last half hour they’d been writhing together in bed. But it was, he was, as sharp as ever. Teeth, tongue, lips. He pulled away enough to fist himself, and line up his cock against Aria’s hole.
Aria had the thought that he wished he could kiss Noble while they did this, but before he could say a word, Noble brought their lips together again. And then pushed inside.
The stretch made them both moan. Aria’s mind went blank, but his soul spoke more clearly than ever. He said against Noble’s lips, “Noble. Noble, it’s you. It’s you.”
Noble pressed their bodies together and opened his eyes. His black, loving stare filled parts of Aria he’d never realized were empty before. “Yeah. I know. It’s like I’ve missed you our whole lives.”
Aria whispered, “Then, you felt it too.”
Noble kissed him again. And then began to move.
They continued through the night, kissing and fucking and in love, and when they fell asleep within each other’s arms, their souls spoke in unison: it’s him.
Romy insisted she get married by the ocean, which meant the wedding party traveled to the nearest beach—Isla Beach—and stayed overnight at a large, luxurious inn that overlooked the water.
The bed in their suite was enormous, which was a plus, because Noble took up an absurd amount of room.
Aria groaned as they woke and said, “You’re like a barnacle on one of those ships outside. ”
Noble had one arm and both legs curled around Aria. He mumbled, “So?”
“Come on. We have to get ready. It’s Romy’s day.”
“It’s Morgan’s day, too,” he said, yawning.
“Which means we both have lots of work to do.” Aria finally extracted himself from Noble’s hold, and scooted out of the bed—
Only to get enveloped and pulled back into the downy mattress again. “Every good day starts with a healthy bit of exercise. Does it not?” Noble grinned, hand sliding down Aria’s thin night clothes.
Aria huffed. “We don’t have time.”
“I’ll go fast.”
“You never go fast.”
“I know. It’s a point of pride,” said Noble. He captured Aria’s lips in a damp, sleepy kiss, and Aria’s resolve washed away with the waves outside. He sank into Noble’s arms, already reaching down to pull the shorts away from his legs—
Rap-rap-rap-rap-rap! Came a knock at the door, followed by Morgan’s droll tone. “If you two are already fucking, stop. If you’ve not started, don’t. Downstairs in five. We have table cards to write.”
Noble groaned, and Aria laughed. For the second time, he slinked out of Noble’s hands, and actually managed to make it to the wardrobe to fish out the suit Romy had procured for him to wear. He laid it upon the end of the bed and undressed.
Noble sat up, his curls sprouting every direction from his head, awake enough to acknowledge they hadn’t time for his morning-time desires. Aria couldn’t resist combing his fingers through Noble’s wild hair, heart swelling with affection.
Another knock, and Romy’s voice followed this time. “I will come in there. I’m not afraid. Rather, I’m quite curious what you two get up to. Ready? Three… Two…"
Aria barked a laugh. “We’re up, Romy. I’ll be down soon. Getting dressed now.”
Noble’s pout carried on long after he got out of bed and donned his own matching suit. As Aria helped him fasten the cufflinks on his wrist, he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll get them back on our wedding day.” In only a few weeks’ time, they’d be wed.
And the best part: King Agolde had agreed to make his attendance. Noble wasn’t ousted from the family, like Aria feared he would be. The King himself would be there, in a seat a few scant feet from Aria’s mom.
Noble hummed, raised an eyebrow, and then grinned as he considered it. “Vengeance. Very well. You promise?”
Aria stood on his tiptoes to kiss Noble’s cheek. “I promise.”