chapter ten
"Lucia?" he murmured against her lips.
Lucia stared up at Noah. He was asking permission. Or maybe he was asking if she’d lost her damn mind. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she wanted his lips back on hers. She didn't want him seeing her as a little sister. Not anymore.
She reached up and cupped his cheek gently before sliding her hands into his hair and pulling him to down towards her. As he leaned over her, she could see the torment in his eyes, the confusion. As if he waged a war with himself.
She had no clue what she was doing. All Lucia knew was that she liked this feeling. This tingly, too-hot, desperate feeling. She liked being in his arms. She didn’t know what that meant, but she didn’t want him to stop.
He growled low in his throat and Lucia was no longer in control of the kiss. His lips crashed on hers, pouring heat and desperation and desire into her with every lick of his tongue into her mouth, with every graze of his teeth on her lower lip.
Noah angled their bodies, until she lay back against the arm of the couch. As they shifted to get more comfortable, he moved so that he partially lay over her, his full weight resting between her thighs.
Oh God. Yes, please.
His lips were expert. Equal parts gentle, but demanding, coaxing a response out of her with his tongue, with his hands, which teased at the hem of her T-shirt.
His thumbs gently grazed her skin in slow circles. All Lucia could do was hold on and dig her hands into his hair. He slid his hand further under her T-shirt, teasing the lower ribs, making her tingle.
Involuntarily, Lucia raised her hips in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. Before she knew what was happening, his strong hands picked her up and over, lifting her until she straddled him, bringing her center right onto his —
Oh. My. God. He is huge.
And that felt—amazing. His hands gently gripped her hips as he kissed her, rocked her over him. The motion made her cry out.
Noah dragged his lips off of hers, kissing along her cheek and then her jaw. His hands were in her hair, tugging her head back, exposing her throat. He brushed his lips against her throat, murmuring, "You are so fucking beautiful."
She felt beautiful in his arms. Sexy. Wanted. Lucia rocked over him again, his strong hands guiding her, showing her exactly how to move. He nipped at her throat, gentle love bites, followed by teasing licks to soothe the tiny wounds.
Lucia tried desperately to drag air into her lungs but all that came out were tiny pants, hardly enough to stay conscious. Screw it. Who needed consciousness? She loved this buzzing, floaty state with Noah. This alternate world. One in which she was sexy and he wanted her more than his next breath. She didn't want to go back to reality. Not yet. She just needed—more.
Noah dragged his lips away from her throat, and somewhere in the room there was a low whimpering sound. Wait, was that her?
Noah chuckled. "So you want more do you?"
He took her hands, and slid them over his shoulders, into his hair before bringing his lips back to hers; giving her those heady kisses that put her brain into a coma and made her heart thump and her body tingle.
As he kissed her, his hands slid up under her T-shirt again. And when his thumbs grazed the undersides of her breasts, Lucia gasped, automatically arching into the caress. Against her lips, she could feel his smile. He knew exactly what he was doing, how he was making her feel. And she didn’t care, she wanted more.
"I think we can get rid of this," he whispered.
Lucia looked down at the T-shirt he tugged on, and she nodded her head briskly. "Yeah. Who needs this old thing?"
He gave her a lopsided smile as he tugged on the hem. She raised her hands to make things easier for him, and up and over it went, making barely a sound as it hit the coffee table behind her.
Noah stared, his eyes pinned on her bra as he licked his bottom lip. Impatient, she rolled her hips again, riding along the edge of his erection, and his gaze snapped back to hers. "You feel what you’re doing to me without even trying?"
Breathlessly she asked, "Am I doing anything?"
He gave her another patented Noah Blake grin as his hands slid up her back to support her. He leaned into her, gently kissing along her ribs on the left, and then across to the other side. Kissing the underside of her bra, and then her sternum. Teasing. Promising, but not delivering. Driving her crazy. He was doing this on purpose. He knew the effect he had on her. Knew that any second, she was going to burst into flames.
"Noah—"
"Easy, princess. No way in hell I’m rushing this."
Damn it. She needed—more.
Through her bra, Noah blew a hot breath directly on her nipple. That tore a low moan out of her chest. Holy cow. That was so—
But he wasn't done yet. With one thumb, he drew gentle circles over the opposite nipple, even as he wrapped his lips around the now hardened bud. He grazed gently with his teeth, then lapped at her with his tongue.
"Oh my God. Jesus.”
Behind her, his fingers flicked and she felt her bra strap release. The next thing Lucia knew, his mouth was on her. Hot. Wet. Slick. With every pull of his tongue and lips, her core contracted. She involuntarily rolled her hips, seeking more contact, more friction, just more.
Apparently, Noah had plans to torture her as he moved to do the exact same thing to her other nipple. With an expert flick of his tongue, pulling and tugging, he made her beg.
Noah Blake completely owned her body.
With his lips still around her nipple, he made a muffled sound as his fingers slid down her ribs, and her torso, past her bellybutton to where she rode him. Oh so gently, he ran his thumb over the heat of her core through her leggings, and she bucked.
With a hand firmly on her ass, he kept her in position and continued to tease her with his teeth. His thumb drove her closer and closer to the edge of bliss and destruction. One stroke up, one stroke down, then a slow, teasing circle.
Ooh God, she was going to die like this—hovering on the edge, not knowing what it would feel like to—suddenly her body bucked and shook, and stars exploded around her. The rush of heat and heaven and pure pleasure flooded her bloodstream.
"Oh my God, Noah."
Against her nipple, Noah muttered, "Yeah, princess. That’s it. Let go for me."
Lucia thought he might stop, but he kept up the onslaught, dragging her right back up the mountain only to push her over once more. When another wave of pure bliss washed over her, she sagged.
Noah finally let up with his thumb. He gently released her nipple and kissed up to her collarbone, then her jaw, and gently kissed her lips. "My God, I love how you do that."
Lucia flushed. "I don't think I’ve ever—”
But she didn't get to finish, because Noah was kissing her again. Gentle, unhurried, but deep. Against her core, his erection still throbbed as if begging, ‘I'm still here. Please don’t forget about me.’ Not that she could.
He gently lifted her so that her legs wrapped around him, and he carried her through the living room and down the hall to her bedroom.
He gently set her down on the bed before reaching for her leggings and dragging them off in one fell swoop. Then he reached behind his back and dragged his T-shirt over his head. With only moonlight streaming in through the edges of the blinds, all she could do was make out the shape of his broad shoulders and the ridges of his abdominal muscles.
Holy hell. He was—wow. She held her breath and waited for him to finish undressing. Geez, they were really doing this. And despite the fact that she’d never done it before, she wasn’t scared. Quite the opposite. She wasn’t worried at all.
Except, well, he was huge. But she wanted him. She wanted this. She’d wanted Noah Blake from the moment she’d first noticed boys, so there was no stopping this train. She was running past go, and she was going to collect her $200.
Noah undid his buckle, shoved his jeans down and stepped out of them easily. Before he tossed them though, he reached into a pocket and grabbed his wallet, taking out a condom and tucking it into the back of his boxer briefs.
Noah climbed on the bed beside her and tugged her to him, pulling her body flush against him, and the hair on his chest made her nipples tingle with awareness again. He flipped them over so that she lay on top of him.
Against the juncture of her thighs, his erection pulsed, begging for freedom. Lucia brushed her fingertips along his stomach, his muscles bunching and shifting with every trace.
When she reached the edge of his boxers, Noah dragged his lips from hers and cursed. "Lucia?" he asked, his voice gravelly as she teased her fingertips along the edge. When his hips rose, he muttered a string of things he’d never said around her before.
"Yes, Noah."
His breath hitched. "You know you're driving me crazy, right?"
She was driving him crazy? She was the one who felt like she was on the edge of desperation. Now she wanted to play a little. "Am I?"
Another hip roll from him. "Yes. You can’t tell?" His voice was barely audible as his muscles tensed.
She lifted her head to watch him carefully as she traced her finger over the soft cotton to the bridge of his erection. Deliberately, she traced her fingers along the length of him. Noah hissed, but he didn't stop her. She grew bolder, wrapping her fingers around him and squeezing gently. Wanting more, she released him and then slipped her hand into his waistband.
Noah sat up. "Lucia, wait."
She froze. "Am I doing it wrong?"
He gave her a sharp chuckle even as his brows furrowed down. "Wrong? Fuck no. But if you—"
She wrapped her fingers around him again, feeling the softness of his skin, the throbbing pulse as the blood that ran through his body concentrated in one organ. Gently she pumped him, fascinated that she was having this kind of effect on him.
“Oh, fuck, Lucia. Jesus. I won’t make it. You have to—"
Lucia traced her fingers to the tip, spreading the drop of moisture that had pooled. "Is this okay?"
Noah groaned but didn't stop her. Instead, he dug his hands into his hair and tugged while he let her play. His body twitched and bucked under her exploration. But he didn't push, nor did he stop her. Lucia raised her gaze to meet his. He was watching her with a half-lidded look of desperation in his eyes. She turned her attention back to what she was doing. Her tongue snaked out of her mouth as she wondered what those pearly drops of moisture tasted like. She licked her lips.
Noah cursed. "Oh, no you don't. If you put your mouth on me, I'm not going to make it. And I think I owe you at least a couple more orgasms before you put me down for the night."
She had no idea what he meant, but damn he was fast. Before she knew it, he had her flat on her back with his lips on hers again. With both her hands safely trapped in one of his, he kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, he nipped at her bottom lip.
"I think that's enough playing for now. You can play more later. Right now I’m too on edge."
He took the sting out of taking her new favorite toy away by giving her something he knew she liked. He lowered his head to her nipple, sucking, licking, driving her back to that brink of heaven. But this time, instead of just stroking her through her underwear, he took his hand down to the juncture of her thighs, parting her gently.
Lucia had to remind herself to breathe, trying to remember how to do the simple motion she did every day, all day. It was too difficult with Noah teasing her. In and out.
Noah teased the skin where the elastic of her underwear met her thigh and then nudged the fabric aside. His thumb found her slick, wet, and one of his fingers gently teased her entrance, probing, testing.
Against her breasts, he muttered, "Fuck. I could do this all day." And then he slid a finger in deep.
Lucia never stood a chance…especially when he curled the finger inside her, pressing gently.
Holy Mother of God. He pressed again gently stroking back and forth, and then she was sailing over the cliff, happy to dive without a parachute. Her body quaked, tightening around his finger, desperate to hold it inside.
"Oh my God, Noah."
He hooked his thumbs in the elastic of her panties and tugged them down easily. And then, he splayed her hips wide with his broad shoulders, tucking his hands under her ass, lifting her to him. The first stroke of his tongue made her moan. He stroked her again and again, and soon one orgasm rolled into another, and she had no idea where Noah ended and she began.
With every stroke, lick, gentle flick of his finger, and penetration of his tongue, she was flying into the void.
She collapsed against the pillows, her body limp, unable to move. Noah kissed his way up her thigh even as he chuckled. He rolled away to shuck his boxers. Then she heard the tearing of foil. When he rolled back, he settled over her. She lifted her hips impatiently.
"Lucia, you’re supposed to let me take my time."
No way that was happening. She lifted her hips again. She wanted him. She wanted this. He was taking too long.
Noah growled deeply before sinking in to the hilt. She hissed. Oh God.
Noah muttered, "Fuck. You’re so tight."
"Noah—"
He pulled back a little, and Lucia wrapped her legs around his back. No way was he leaving. He dropped his head to her throat and nuzzled her gently as he sank back in. Another curse.
He repeated the action, small movements, until the sting and burn were replaced with something far more intense, far more pleasurable. Once again, Noah was dragging her to the edge of the cliff, but this wasn't a race for something fast and fleeting like a flash of fireworks. This was stronger, more tangible somehow.
Noah dropped his forehead to hers. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders, and she blinked rapidly as she tried to hold on tight. His gaze met hers and held. Then he made love to her. His hips rocking in and out; slide, retreat, slide, retreat, never breaking eye contact.
She matched him thrust for thrust, rocking her hips into his, seeking more contact. Her fingers clutched desperately at his shoulders, trying to pull him deeper. "Noah, please," she whispered.
Something broke, and it was like the tether on his control snapped. He rocked into her again, harder this time, his pace increasing. No longer gentle, he bit his lower lip and his motions became more desperate. His hand tightened on her hip, almost bruising.
His lips were a demand on hers, his hand in her hair under the nape, angling her so he could kiss her deeper. And then it happened again. Lucia broke all the way down to her soul, and she squeezed her legs around him, unwilling to let go as her body convulsed.
"Jesus, what the fuck...Fuck me." His pace increased, almost punishing, he was no longer in control. He was chasing her. Chasing bliss. Chasing something more.
When he came, his body went rigid over hers and he threw his head back as he roared. Lucia dug her nails into his shoulders, and he gripped her tight.
And as she looked up at him, she knew she would never be able to get him out of her blood.
A faint sound from the other room woke Noah with a start. He reached for his gun holster and realized he’d left it in the living room with his phone. He was used to being ready for action at a moment’s notice. One damn night with Lucia and he was forgetting critical shit?
Rookie mistake, dumbass.
The phone chimed two more times, and then after a brief pause, started again. He had to get that. Lucia’s body curled into his side. The sheet had slipped, exposing her bare shoulders, and he wanted to kiss one of the freckles he saw there. But if he did, he’d want to kiss more. And if he was right, his old life was calling.
Noah slipped out of bed without waking her, quickly padding into the other room to grab his phone before the noise woke Lucia. He entered his passcode and then stared at the string of text messages he’d just received. To anyone else they’d look like a string of random letters and numbers, but to Noah, they were a reminder that his past was never too far away.
What the hell did Ian want? The series of messages told him who the anonymous caller would be. It was a system they’d worked out at ORUS. A series of secure text messages sent through relays, pinging across several countries. They’d learned every agent’s signal as a matter of course.
Three minutes later when the phone rang from a blocked number, he answered, "Ian, what's wrong?"
Ian’s voice was mellow, calm. But then, that was Ian for you. Nothing ever ruffled the guy. Not the years of wet work. Not the time he’d almost bled out in an alley with no help for three days, save a scared sixteen-year-old kid.
Ian didn't particularly seem to enjoy his job either, but that didn't make the dude any less eerie.
"Noah, you sound well. You almost sound like you were sleeping."
Noah ran a hand over his hair as he stood naked in Lucia’s living room, talking to a ghost. "Well, I sleep much better now but you know the drill. I still never sleep through the night. Too many ghosts. What do you want, Ian?"
His old friend hesitated a moment, and that pause made the hairs on Noah's arms tingle. Something was very, very wrong. Ian didn't hesitate about shit.
"Look, I’m calling out of respect. For you. For Rafe.”
Fuck. “Spit it out, Ian.”
“There's been a call put out for a job. It was assigned to me, but I'm feeling a little sluggish today. I don't really know if I want to get out of bed for anything less than 200K. So a job like this, no skin off my back to give you a call and a heads up."
Noah’s skin went cold, clammy. They were finally coming for him. After two years, they were pissed enough to come for Matthias? That was the only thing he’d done to truly piss off their superiors. He’d known the kind of people he had worked for. It had been a risk taking the kid, but he’d had to. Besides, ORUS were supposed to be the good guys…as assassins went. They only went after the worst of the worst. The ones who had managed to evade local and international laws. The things that went bump in the night. Why were they coming after him now? Why did what he’d done to free Matthias matter after two years?
He was so lost in thought, he almost missed what Ian said next. "It's the girl. We got a call out for Lucia."
Noah's whole world stood still as the icy tundra pushed away all warmth, all feeling, all sunshine. "What the fuck?"
"Job came in about thirty minutes ago, right before I texted you. So it's fresh."
“What the fuck happened to you guys being the good guys?”
“You guys?” Ian asked incredulously. “You forget, once you’re one of us, you stay one of us.”
Noah’s chest constricted as he looked towards the bedroom. If they were coming for Lucia, they’d have a hell of a time getting through him first. He needed to get her to the office. The place was a fortress. Except, shit. He didn’t want her scared. Didn’t want her paralyzed with fear.
Fuck. They needed a plan. For starters, no way was she going anywhere without an armed guard. Probably two. Fuck it, three. Noah dragged his attention back to Ian.
"Why call me? You know how that will look. And do you want to fucking explain to me how taking her out is for the greater good?"
There was another brief hesitation before Ian answered. "Let's just say I'm keeping to the respect thing. Besides, I don't think you were wrong for leaving. ORUS, what we do here, it’s not for everyone. But we are concerned with the greater good, even if you don’t see it. The kid, she’s turning up stones that will get a mess of people killed.”
“Did you send the letter?” Noah demanded.
There was a pause. “What letter?”
“She got a letter a couple of days ago that told her to stop digging. You guys fucking with unarmed civilians now?”
“I know nothing about it. Look, if you can keep her safe, and you can get her to stop looking, maybe this shit goes away. Either that, or you take her and the money you have squirreled away and you run.”
“I’m not fucking running.” That came out as more of a growl.
Ian sighed. “I know. It was worth a shot. If you want, I can find out more about exactly who wants the hit. I’ll try and keep it discreet. Orion’s still salty about Matthias.”
“Thanks, Ian. I owe you one. After the way I left…” He let his voice trail.
Ian cleared his throat. “You saved my life once. Besides, you saw a way to save your soul and you took it. I can’t be mad about that. Someone like me, I’m too far gone, if I ever had a chance in the first place."
Noah had to get the fuck out of here. He had work to do. "Any way you can buy us a day or two?”
“Not likely. Orion makes sure there are fail-safes on each job. Since you. Since Rafe. Not much chance of holding him off. But I’ll see what I can do." His old friend took a deep breath. "Look man, watch your six."
“Will do." Noah hung up from Ian and immediately called Oskar to come and take guard watch. Then he began snatching his clothes off of Lucia's bedroom floor like a co-ed at a frat party. He spared her only a small glimpse before leaving. He’d fucked up last night. Gotten way too close.
She was a bright ray of sunshine, and he, well, he was all darkness and shadows. He may not be worthy of her, given his past, but he could sure as shit protect her.
And he would do that with his life.