Chapter 27
Colton
The sun is shining through the window when I crack my eyes open. I’m hot, and it takes me a second to realize why.
Noah is plastered against my side, his big body wrapped around me like an overgrown koala. I turn my head the smallest fraction to look at him, and my throat catches.
He’s naked, as am I. His leg is trapping my own, his arm holding me captive, and the curve of his ass is on display just above the white sheet that’s tangled near his calf.
Ah, fuck.
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself not to react. But then they shoot wide again.
It’s morning.
As in I slept the night.
As in I’m still at Noah fucking King’s house after the man fucked me into his mattress. Oh, God.
I attempt to extract myself from his octopusing limbs, but he rolls with me, trapping me under his body as he rumbles his approval, his cock now slotted against my ass.
Fuuuck.
“Noah,” I croak.
“Mm?”
“It’s morning.”
“And?”
“ And ,” I say, “it’s light out. As in the sun is up, and I’m still here.”
“It’s the weekend,” he says casually, his stubble bristling my shoulder.
“So? Have you met my family? This isn’t going to go unnoticed.”
“You’re a grown man,” Noah rumbles, his hand slipping down between us until it’s covering my ass. He makes a sound of approval, and I realize he’s petting my tattoo again.
Fucking hell .
I will not get a boner. I will not. I will not.
“You’re freaking out,” he says calmly.
“Why aren’t you ?”
He shrugs, kissing just below my ear. “I’ve accepted it.”
I go still. “Accepted what?”
“I think you know.”
Like hell I do.
“I have to go,” I say, weaseling out from under him. My pulse is pounding as I look around the floor for my clothes, finding them in a heap near the foot of the bed. Noah is quiet as I dress, but he sits upright, his legs over the side of the bed, the man rubbing his eyes as his cock lies heavy against his thigh.
I quickly avert my gaze.
“When did you get all those fucking tattoos?” I wonder aloud, shoving my legs into my pants and trying my best to ignore the ache in my ass. It doesn’t hurt. Not exactly.
“College,” he says, cracking a yawn.
“Why flowers?” I ask, my pulse sprinting.
He hums softly, blinking his eyes open and watching me. “My mom liked them.”
I swallow roughly, pulling my shirt over my head. Noah doesn’t say a word as I tug on my socks and zip up my fly, but he speaks before I can walk out the door.
“Colton,” he says, the one word causing my eyes to slip shut. “We said no running.”
“You said,” I fire back, my hands curled into fists at my sides.
“I meant it.”
“I don’t know what this is,” I rasp.
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I say, turning in his direction, his calm tone pissing me off. “Don’t say it like that, like I’m some sort of… foal who’s just learning how to walk. I’m not that green, King.”
“No,” he says, smiling now. “You’re certainly no foal. You’re my colt.”
I scowl at the man, and his smile broadens.
“What are you so afraid of?” he asks, tone gentle despite his words.
I throw my hands in the air. “Goddamn everything? I’m afraid you’re fucking with me. That you’re… That we…”
“Shh,” Noah says, standing and walking over, still entirely nude. He wraps his arms around me, his lips near my ear as my pulse pounds so heavily I can feel it coursing through my veins. “Settle, little Colt.”
I let out a grunt, and he sifts his hands up into my hair. I can’t tell if this is a hug or if Noah is reminding me he holds my reins.
Not that he does.
“There’s no rush,” he says. “Call me. Text me. I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not letting you go anywhere.”
I don’t know what he means by that, but he places a swift kiss near my ear and steps back, walking to his closet to get dressed. I stand in front of his door until he’s done, and then we wash up in his bathroom and head down the stairs.
My plan is to walk right out the front door, but we only make it as far as the entrance to the kitchen when Walter’s voice rings out from inside the room.
“Well, good morning.”
I sigh, turning my head to find Noah’s uncle sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of what I presume to be coffee in front of him and a wide grin on his face.
“Morning, Walt,” Noah says mildly. “You know Colton Darling.”
“Sure do,” he says, inclining his head my way. “Been a while.”
“Nice to see you again, sir,” I mumble, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.
“You having breakfast with us?” Walter asks, his question clearly for me.
“Uh, no. Can’t stay. Sorry.”
He makes a small sound of acknowledgement. “Maybe next time.”
“Walt,” Noah says, tone warning.
The older man chuckles before taking a sip of his drink. “G’day, Colton.”
“Sir.”
Noah walks me to the front door, waiting until we’re out of sight to ask, “All right?”
“Nope. Not in the least,” I whisper harshly.
He huffs what might be a laugh, his eyes damn soft as he looks at me. Since when does Noah fucking King look at me softly ?
“See you soon,” he says, as if it’s a foregone conclusion. “Save some of those coupons for me.”
Right. The chest is still in my truck.
I nod, and Noah stands there for another second before nodding back and rounding the corner into the kitchen. I tug on my boots, Walter’s voice carrying quietly, although I’m more than positive I’m not meant to hear it.
“Was wondering if you were ever gonna tell me about him,” he says to Noah.
Oh, God. Noah’s uncle knew? Of course he did. How many times have I parked in his damn driveway?
I shake my head, tugging on my second boot.
“I would have told you when there was something to tell,” Noah says back, which ouch . Why the fuck does that sting so much?
I don’t wait around to hear more. I tug open the door and head outside, squinting against the sunlight as I walk briskly toward my truck. The treasure hunt feels like a lifetime ago, not less than twenty-four hours in the past. How was it just yesterday afternoon that Noah and I were riding horseback together, working to solve the final clues? So much has happened since then. A world’s worth of change in mere hours.
I let Noah fuck me. Wanted it. Asked for it.
And it was everything— everything —I was afraid it would be.
How do I go back now? Can I?
When I get home, I park in my usual spot in the lot outside the ranch house. Seeing as it’s the weekend, there are less vehicles here today, a skeleton crew on duty as opposed to the full twenty or so we have on a typical weekday. I check myself in the mirror before grabbing my hat and heading toward the house, leaving the chest for later.
I hear voices once I step inside and cringe. Maybe I can sneak past? I toe off my boots as quietly as I can, shut the door, and make my way down the hall.
My family goes quiet the moment I pass in front of the dining room. My mom, my dad, Jackson, and Remi are all inside, silent now and staring at me, frozen in place. My mom’s hands are midair, halted in conversation. Remi’s eyes ping quickly between me and the rest of our family, checking for words he may be missing. Jackson raises an eyebrow, surely noticing I’m wearing the same clothes I was before.
“Morning,” I say and sign before hurrying past.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
It’s fine. It could’ve been any one-night stand. Any one-night stand with a girl from town or someone passing through. Or a guy , even. Anyone. Not a single person in my family is going to assume it was Noah King.
Even though it was.
I lock myself in the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes so I can shower off any potential evidence of my night with Noah. My chest pings as I scrub away the woodsy scent from his bodywash, replacing it with my own.
When I get in my room, I change into fresh clothes and sit my ass on my bed, my head in my hands as I try to parse through my racing thoughts. I’m not the least bit surprised when there’s a knock at the door.
I know it’s Remi. I just do.
I stand up and walk over, letting him in. He’s not wearing his processor, which isn’t uncommon at home.
A quick, ‘Spill,’ tumbles from his hands as he leans against the door. His eyes shift to my neck, and I groan, walking to the mirror in front of my dresser.
Fucking Noah. He left another goddamn hickey.
I plop back onto my bed, looking at Remi, at a loss. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Try.’
I let out a breath, hands moving more swiftly than the words inside my head can form. ‘I’ve been hooking up with Noah King.’
I spell out Noah’s name, secretly hoping Remi will assign him a name signone of these days that denotes his asshole king status.
Remi’s mouth drops open. ‘Since when?’ he asks, hands cutting swiftly through the air.
I try to count backwards. ‘Since that time he jerked me off in his barn?’
‘Months,’ Remi supplies.
‘Months,’ I agree.
“The hell?” Remi says aloud, switching back to ASL to ask, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
And fuck . He looks hurt.
‘I was embarrassed,’ I admit. ‘I didn’t know what you’d think of me for hooking up with a guy I don’t even like.’
I frown at the present tense, not sure if that’s even true anymore. God , I’m so confused.
Remi pushes off from the door, coming over to sit beside me on the bed. ‘You’re an idiot.’ He flicks my forehead when I lift my hands in protest. ‘I’m your brother.’ He repeats the word, looking me straight in the eyes as his hands come together. ‘I’ll always support you. And I won’t ever think less of you because of who you choose to sleep with.’
‘But he’s…’ I pause mid-movement.
He’s an asshole? Is he?
He’s my competition and business rival? That’s true enough .
He’s my…enemy? Is he still?
Swallowing heavily, I leave my sentence unfinished and ask something else, my hands shaking slightly. ‘And if it’s more than sleeping with him?’
Remi’s eyes bounce wide. ‘You like him.’ It’s not a question.
‘I don’t know. I shouldn’t.’
‘Says who?’ Remi combats.
‘I’ve always seen him one way,’ I try to explain to my brother. ‘How do I change that?’
He lets out a breath, hands on his lap before he casually lifts them again and knocks me on my ass. ‘Don’t you think the man deserves to be seen as he is now, not as he was fifteen years ago?’
Fuck .
And who is Noah King now?
A man who gets under my skin. One who has no problem pushing me around a little when I ask for it. One who held me last night after fucking me and calling me gorgeous. Telling me I’m in his head. Claiming I’m his .
Who the fuck is that man? Where did he come from?
I scrub a hand over my face before telling my brother, ‘I feel lost.’ The admission is painful.
‘Is it his gender?’
I pinch my fingers together in a quick no . ‘It’s him. He…’
How do I even explain it? He overwhelms me? But not necessarily in a bad way. It’s just new. He’s so much . His presence is big, and he’s always been there in the background of my life, needling me without even trying. But now…
Now I can’t escape the man. And I’m starting to worry I don’t want to.
‘I need to tell the family,’ I sign to Remi. Quickly, I add, ‘About being bisexual. Not…Noah.’
“Now?” he asks aloud.
I nod. It’s something I can do. Even if everything else feels so uncertain right now.
Remi gives my arm a squeeze, and we stand. My parents and Jackson are still downstairs in the dining room, talking business, and they look up when the two of us enter.
“Hey,” I say, rushing on before I can chicken out. “There’s something I need to tell you all.”
“Is everything okay?” my mom asks, worry weighing her hands and her expression.
I nod, pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the long dining table. “Yeah, but… Can we call Lawson?”
My parents exchange a brief look. Jackson is the one who pulls out his phone, dialing our brother.
“Jackson?” Lawson says when he answers the call.
“Hey, Law. Colton has something he wants to tell us. You’re on speaker.”
“Okay?” he says tentatively. My dad interprets for Remi.
I let out a whooshing breath. Fuck . Just say it. “Turns out… Uh. I’m bi. Bisexual.”
There’s a beat of silence in which Remi squeezes my arm again, and then Jackson grunts, nodding as if he expected as much. What now ?
“Colton dear,” my mom says, her hand going to her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you might be dying.”
“No, uh, just bi,” I answer, a little dumbfounded.
My dad nods several times. “Huh,” is all he says.
“Welcome to the club,” Jackson puts in.
“Congratulations, sweetheart,” my mom adds. “Does this mean you’ll be introducing us to the man who’s been leaving bite marks all over your neck?”
“Oh my God ,” I groan, scrubbing my neck harshly, as if that could erase the evidence of Noah’s bruises. “No. Nuh-uh. That’s not a thing. We’re not talking about that.”
My mom only smiles, my dad snickering.
“Y’all are the worst,” I mutter, even as my chest fills with something that feels suspiciously like warmth.
“Doing all right?” Lawson asks, the first time he’s spoken up.
“Yeah,” I tell him and the rest of the family. I meet Remi’s eye, and he gives me an encouraging smile. “It’s been a surprise, and I’m still tryna figure out a few things. But I’m good.”
Jackson reaches across the table, giving my hand a squeeze in a show of supremely uncharacteristic affection.
“Shit,” I realize. “I forgot about Ash.”
“I can give him the news,” Jackson offers, to which I nod.
“So,” my dad says, slapping the tops of his thighs. “Who’s making lunch?”
Conversation starts up again, the lot of us saying goodbye to Lawson even though we’ll surely see him this evening, my dad putting in that enchiladas sound good if anyone would be so inclined , to which my mom suggests my dad get on it.
And all the while, there’s a smile on my face. Maybe I do still have some things to figure out when it comes to a certain farrier here in Darling.
But I couldn’t have asked for a better family by my side.