Chapter 18
NOAH
Rue Iverson soaks my fingers, and it’s fucking heaven. In fact, it might be enough to warrant the last fucking decade I’ve served in prison. Her nails dig into my scalp, and I stroke her until she’s completely finished pulsing around my fingers.
Her breaths come out ragged, as she loosens her grip on me.
But I’m not done. I bring my fingers to my mouth, taste her, groan, and then shove her jeans down the rest of the way. I don’t stop until one leg is completely free.
She whimpers against the cold, but it doesn’t last long. I set my cock free, and then hoist her up into the air, lining myself up with her cunt, that’s now on full display for me.
And it’s beautiful. She’s beautiful. But I’m not telling her that.
I press myself into her, the warmth of her pussy swallowing my dick like it was always meant to. “Fuck, Rue.” I bury deep in her, the feeling almost enough to send me over the edge, given how long it’s been. I rest my forehead against the tree behind her, the sensation almost too much to bear.
I pause like that for a moment, just purely enjoying the way she feels, her body against mine and me inside of her. My fingers dig into her ass, I take a deep breath, and then pull back and thrust.
She lets out a sharp little breath and wraps her arms around me. “You feel so good, Noah.”
Her words light a fire in my chest, and drive into her, over and over, just to keep hearing the way her whimpers morph from moans to cries. I grunt as I pound her, my body slapping against hers. She breathes heavily, along with me, and that synchrony sends me over the edge.
I race to finish, chasing the high until I explode deep inside of her pussy. “Rue,” I groan, sweat rolling down the side of my face. “Fuck, I hate you so goddamn much.”
“I know,” she whispers, her hot tears soaking my neck. “I know.”
She clings to me while our breaths slow, and right as I’m about to set her down, I pause, the warm glow of the porch light kicking back on.
What the hell?
“Rue!” Her mother’s voice cuts through the night. “Where did you go? I decided I needed to take a bath. Get in here!”
She lets out a sigh, tipping her head back to meet my gaze. “Duty calls.”
“We’re not done with this,” I say, my voice low. “It’s not over, Rue.”
Her expression softens, tearing through every fucking wall I’ve erected in the last decade. “I don’t want it to be.”
“Rue!” The voice comes again.
“Coming!” She shouts back, as I help her back into her jeans. “I was looking for Bullet.”
“He’s inside,” her mother snaps back, sounding so annoyed it makes me cringe.
“There’s someone else in the woods.” Rue’s voice is a whisper, as her eyes meet mine. “Please be careful.”
“Okay,” I say, my chest already aching from this fucked up feeling of closeness to her, and a brief moment of her actually giving a shit about me. “Thanks for the heads up.”
Rue buttons her jeans, gives me one last nod, and then darts back to the house, leaving me to watch her go. Again.
Her ass bounces as she climbs up the steps, gazing back over shoulder just once as she lands on the porch. I hate how attractive she is. I hate how bad I want her all over again. She steps inside, peering down at her mom in a wheelchair, and then closes the door.
‘I loved you, Noah.’ Her words spin through my head in a way that leaves more confused than ever. And I can’t decide if I’m pissed, happy, or just horny.
I should’ve asked her about the Marshals that showed up, I chide myself, and ensure that my jeans are buttoned back. I tug my coat around me, and then watch the light pattern in the house, imagining Rue moving through and taking care of her mom.
And I want to be there. With her.
I shut my eyes, and then run my hands over my face. I catch a whiff of Rue, and pause, inhaling. I might as well enjoy it, because it might be the last time.
Especially if Marshals are involved.
My jaw tenses as I mull it all over, everything from the moment I walked out of prison to this moment right here. It hasn’t even been that long.
But it feels like forever.
I stay where I am, half-swallowed by shadow, watching for a few beats longer.
I imagine the sounds of the house while Rue does her thing, the way the pipes probably knock, floorboards creak, and the low hum of electricity drifts through the walls like a steady pulse. Those are normal, everyday sounds.
The kind that don’t belong to me anymore, and probably won’t ever.
If I don’t go back to prison, life might always look like this–hiding and running.
I turn away from the house and head deeper into the woods, putting distance between me and the warmth I don’t get to keep. My boots find the ground without sound. I don’t rush, but I don’t linger either.
I let my brain empty out as I angle down toward the ravine.
The air temperature drops fast as I descend, cooler and damp, the earth closing in around me like it knows what I am—a man who needs to disappear.
The walls rise on either side, dirt and roots and rocks, just narrow enough to hide me if anyone isn’t looking too hard.
My camp waits where I left it, tucked under the rock overhang where Rue and I built our cave. It’s invisible unless you know exactly where to look. I stop short and scan the area, eyes adjusting, muscles tight, every instinct screaming to be careful.
But I think of Rue, and the way the Marshals left.
Relief loosens something in my chest, but only a fraction. I reach into my backpack and fish through the contents. When my hand closes around the matches, I stop myself.
Fire would be smart. Fire would cut the cold, and make the night feel less endless. Fire would make me feel human, but…
Fire would also make me visible.
Fuck. I exhale slowly through my nose and slide the matches back into my bag. Not tonight. I can’t risk anyone poking around, and I’m not done with Rue. I have more to say. I have more answers to demand. My lust got the best of me.
I settle against the rock, pulling my knees up and letting the cold soak straight into my bones. I tip my head back, listening to the quiet. I can hear the faint slap of water and the occasional night bird calling overhead. My mind drifts to the man I threw over the bluff and into the lake.
It rips the peace right out of the night.
I killed someone. Now Rue and I are even.
We have more in common. I close my eyes, as her voice echoes in my head. I picture the way her expression softened when she said she didn’t want it to be over. The way worry flashed across her face when she warned me about someone else in the woods.
Maybe she still cares about me.
And that might be more dangerous than the Marshals. It’s way more terrifying than prison. And now that I’ve seen it and felt it, I’m not sure if I can forget it and keep running.
I don’t want to leave her… But I can’t keep her either.
And I can’t fucking trust her.