Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Andrew
The determined expression on Noah’s face hits me like a brick to the gut. I feel incredibly guilty, because a second ago, he was about to refuse. I can’t say I’d blame him for that, either. But then I had to open my mouth and remind him of the power he has now, and it was clearly a catalyst.
Sure, he made the decision himself, but it was pretty obvious he felt pressured by us, and I hate that.
At the same time, we don’t have the luxury of not pressuring him, and that’s what makes me feel guilty.
We must get Tish in custody and tried. He can’t be permitted to set up his lab again.
It really concerns me that he’s found somewhere so off the grid to hole up in—if this particular cult wasn’t infiltrated by the human government, we might never have found him, and given time, he could rebuild his research.
This really seems to hint that he had a backup plan, and I’m worried that he might have resources hidden away that we missed.
So I just need to live with the guilt. On the positive side, reminding Noah of his new power might have given him a confidence boost and made him feel more secure.
Once we have Noah’s consent, Percy wraps things up fairly quickly. We all have things to do—more now that we’re planning an offensive against Tish—and this unplanned meeting has eaten into the day. But I’ve already written off the rest of the afternoon—some things are more important than work.
I follow Noah back to the office and grab his arm before he can settle into his desk chair.
“Shut down the computer. We’re done for the day.”
His eyes widen. “Oh, we are, are we?”
Smartass. “Yes. I thought you might want to do some training.”
It’s not hard to see that he’s conflicted.
He wants to tell me to fuck off, but at the same time, he also wants to play around with his magic.
He’s able to manage most things on his own now, but some of the bigger stuff he still needs a spotter for—especially when he’s playing with fire.
I’ve had to use the fire extinguisher three times and treat his burns at least half a dozen.
“Fine.” He concedes as though he’s doing me a favor, not the other way around, and I bite back a smile.
Admittedly, I love spending this time with him, but he doesn’t know that.
Well, he knows I’m happy to help him with developing his abilities, and we’re a lot more comfortable together—maybe even friendlier—than we used to be, but it would be a stretch for him to know that all I want right now is to get him out of here and help him relax.
I throw some things together that I might look at later while he logs off and shuts down his computer, and we head out of the office.
Since Noah started commuting to and from work with me, I’ve given up walking and taking public transport in favor of driving—it’s more secure.
Too bad it takes twice as long in traffic.
Noah’s quiet today, which is unfortunate.
It gives me way too much time to think, and the prominent thought in my head anytime these days is how incredibly sexy Noah is.
It doesn’t help that he’s been showering twice a day lately, and we all know what that means.
It’s not like he works in a messy, sweaty job that would require him to wash twice a day.
And knowing that he’s jerking off with the hot water pounding down on him is all it takes for me to, uh, need a shower too.
Five hundred years ago, I’d have just gone out and picked up some nubile young thing who wanted a good time.
But age makes you picky, and I don’t see any benefit to fucking a random person just because the object of my desire is beyond my reach.
Or worse—constantly within my reach, but not interested.
Although, if he’s actually not interested, what’s with the constant masturbation? Is it really just because he’s young and horny, or is there more to it?
My conscience won’t let me make the first move. Noah’s in an incredibly vulnerable position, so he has to be the instigator.
Which brings me to my current dilemma: Would it be inappropriate for me to ask him about the porn he and Sam were talking about at the office? And why didn’t he ask me ? I’ve been around a lot longer than Sam—there’s basically nothing I haven’t tried at least once.
Well, twice. Because I like to experience things from all angles, if you know what I mean.
And I would gladly let Noah take advantage of my wealth of expertise, even if it’s only theoretical and not practical.
In fact, just thinking about such a discussion makes me hard…
although not quite as hard as I was earlier, picturing him watching porn.
What kind of porn? Something really kinky?
Or just mainstream kinky? Whatever, I’m happy to tell him everything I know.
He knows that, right? Maybe I should offer.
“So, ah, if you have any questions I can help you with, you just have to ask. Anytime. Anything. I don’t have many limits.”
Whoops. That did not come out exactly as I planned.
“Oh… kay?”
“What I mean,” I begin, determined to rescue this situation, “is that if you’re worried about talking about…
stuff at the office, we can talk about it at home.
Private stuff,” I add. “Stuff that you may have watched. Or want to watch. Or want to do.” Please want to do it.
With me. I will be your willing test subject.
I sneak a glance his way and see his face is a shade of red so flamingly bright, he could legitimately be confused with a tomato. Damn. Embarrassing him is not my aim here.
Lapsing into silence, I spend the rest of the traffic-clogged drive considering my options. There aren’t many my conscience will accept, so I guess backing off and leaving the ball in his court is what I’ll have to do.
My poor dick doesn’t like that. He was hoping to make a new friend.
Noah doesn’t say a word as I park the car in the basement garage. He’s silent as we ride up in the elevator. There’s not a peep from him as I unlock the door to the penthouse and wave him inside.
As soon as the door closes behind us, he says, “What are your thoughts about sex between people who don’t like each other?”
I blink a few times, then calmly take off my satchel and leave it by the door. “You mean casual sex? Between people who aren’t in a relationship? There’s nothing wrong with that. As long as both—”
He interrupts, looking me boldly in the eye. “No, I mean people who don’t like each other. Maybe there’s attraction, but they don’t generally get along.”
The breath freezes in my chest. I can’t think of any other reason why my lungs are suddenly not working.
He can’t mean…? But what else could he mean? Could this be…?
“The same principle applies,” I say faintly, then pull myself together.
“As long as both parties are consenting adults—fully informed consenting adults—nothing is ‘wrong’ when it comes to sex.” I hesitate for a second.
“Just be sure about what you want. Regrets are inevitable in life, but they’re worse when you have them because you didn’t think things through.
” I hate myself for giving him that out, but I seriously don’t want him to have sex with me and then never be able to look me in the eye again.
I like Noah. He’s an incredible man. He may think we don’t get along, but the truth is, we do. We’re just combustible together.
We stand there staring at each other, until finally he says, “Do I need to throw myself at you?”
I open my mouth to say no, then reconsider. “Actually, just this first time… yes.”
He looks surprised, then closes the space between us, grabs my head, and yanks it forward to plaster his mouth against mine.
That’s all the instigation I need.
I drag him right up against my body, then turn and shove him against the door, pinning him in place so I can feel every inch of him pressed to me while freeing my hands to get under his clothes.
It doesn’t quite work that way, though, because Noah isn’t content to be pinned.
He shoves me back, biting my lower lip, then lets me go and rips his shirt open.
Thank goodness. That thing was garbage. Now I can offer to replace it and get him something decent.
“You better not think of doing that to my clothes,” I warn, pulling my mouth away from his long enough to undo my top two buttons and haul my shirt over my head.
“I will if I want to. I’ll rip your clothes to shreds and fuck you on them.”
I’m not sure if the shudder that wracks me is from desire or horror. “Try it, and you’ll end up begging me for mercy.” We both strip off our pants, and then I look up to find Noah’s hungry gaze on my chest.
Smiling wickedly, I rub a hand across my torso. I’m not stupid; I know he’s been ogling me for weeks. I never used to go shirtless every moment I was home, but teasing him has given me quite the thrill.
His gaze then drops lower, and I have the satisfaction of seeing his eyes bug out.
“What the fuck is going on with your dick?” he exclaims, but not in the awed wow-what-a-beast way I expected. In fact, he seems kind of horrified.
I look down. It all looks norma—
Oh. Right. He’s human.
“You mean these?” I brush a finger over my cock quills. They stir and stiffen in response, but subside when there’s no further friction.
“What are they? Are they sharp?” He leans over in fascination.
“No, they’re not sharp. You can touch them if you want.” Please touch me. “They stimulate ovulation in female vampires, but they feel really good against any sensitive tissue.” Which I know from extensive experience.
He doesn’t touch, though I get the feeling he wants to. “So all vampires have them?” he asks, straightening and dragging his gaze upward again.