Noah slumped sideways in the tub, resting his forehead against the cool marble. His head was throbbing, and he felt like his whole body was saturated in wine, which wasn’t helping his case of the woozies. Was it possible to get drunk from taking in alcohol through one’s pores? Strange thought, that. At least he was thinking. He felt like his brain was pudding, and he was having a hard time focusing on Elijah who was kneeling beside the tub, running a washcloth over his body.

“You should have gone to the hospital,” Elijah admonished.

“So should you.”

Elijah smiled. “I guess we’re both stubborn and stupid.”

Noah managed a weak smile and then sat up. “Do you have any aspirin?”

Elijah rose, went to the medicine cabinet, and brought it back. He handed him a glass of water, and Noah waited for the effects to kick in.

“Did you see who it was?” he asked.

Elijah shook his head. “Did you?”

“Just his fist.”

“This is getting crazy. I think I’m going to have Elise call off the retreat and send everyone home.”

“You’ll do no such thing! You’ve worked hard for this. Go downstairs and greet your guests. I’ll be fine, and when I rinse off, I will come down and mingle. There’s no reason we can’t stick to the plan despite what happened.”

Elijah bit his lip and looked down at Noah. “Are you sure? I would rather wait here and…”

“This,” Noah pointed to his head, “Doesn’t change anything. I’m going to prove to you that I was sincere about everything, and then tonight, we are going to meet back here and see where we’re at. That was the plan, remember?”

“You like plans, don’t you?”

“Yes. They are attainable. I like having something I can work on when life gets insane.”

“I can understand that. You’re sure you don’t mind?”

It was the hardest thing Noah had ever done in his life. He nodded, and Elijah paused for a moment as he waited for Noah to change his mind. When he didn’t, he slowly rose and stepped into the shower opposite the tub and rinsed the wine off of himself. Noah probably should have looked away, but he enjoyed watching him from the tub. It was like a reward for taking the hit and fall for him. Elijah froze when he exited the shower and watched the heated look on Noah’s face. He tried to hide the arousal that sprang up, but Noah had noticed. He licked his lips and waited, wondering what Elijah would do, and when Elijah walked over to him, he slowly rose to his knees in the tub so he was waist level. He stared up at Elijah as he opened his mouth, and he didn’t break eye contact for a second. It didn’t take Elijah long to come, and when he did, he gripped the edges of the tub for support.

For Noah, this was about releasing the tension and urgency of the situation. As aroused as he was, it wasn’t nearly as important as showing Elijah he was there, he was an anchor for him. Even through the act itself, he wanted to prove to Elijah that he could keep coming back to him, and he wasn’t going anywhere, that he would take care of him.

When Elijah left, Noah washed himself off and climbed out of the tub. Standing caused a dizzy spell, and he had to steady himself on the hand rail in the tub before he stepped out. He wondered how Elijah’s head wasn’t throbbing. He had briefly heard that he might be sporting a concussion, but he must have downed some painkillers too. Noah dried off and went into the bedroom where he sank down onto the bed. The back and forth motion with his head had sloshed things around in his brain some more, and he figured it probably hadn’t been the smartest idea, but to hear Elijah’s moans had been so worth it.

Noah let his body, which ached everywhere despite the injury being to his head, sink back into the pillows. He briefly thought he should go and get dressed and head downstairs to be present with everyone at the party, but he let his eyes close and clapped his hands, dimming the lights in the room so that he was cocooned in soft blankets and pillows and the peace of the darkness. His brain finally seemed to catch up with him about what had happened. He felt the fear rise in his chest for Elijah’s safety. He tried to will his tired body to get up and go protect him, but it was important for Elijah to stand on his own.

Noah heard a soft knock on the door, and he called out a greeting as he pulled the covers up to his chest. Detective Knott and Captain Ferguson entered the room and looked around. They flicked on a light switch and Noah squinted under the glare.

“Sorry.” Ray used the nob to dim the lights again. “Is Elijah here?”

“No, he’s just gone down. I was getting ready.” Ray quirked an eyebrow at his obvious state of undress but said nothing. “I laid down because my head hurt.” Noah explained.

Liam nodded. “It’s understandable. You probably should have gone to the hospital, but since you’re here, do you remember anything about the attacker?”

“I’m sorry, not much. Just a gloved fist which came swinging towards my face. Then I went down.”

“Okay, we’ll let you get some rest.”

“Wait, what’s being done? What’s the plan? How can I help?” Noah sat up a little straighter despite the pain.

“We’ve decided to set a trap. The good news is, you’re off the hook.”

“I want to help.”

“I know, but the best way you can help is by staying up here and letting us set a trap to catch this guy.”

“But…”

“Please, Mr. St. James. Stay here.”

Noah slumped back in the pillows frowning. He hated feeling useless, especially where it concerned Elijah. He wanted to ensure that he would be safe, and that the guy who had clocked him was caught. He couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched all weekend, and it unnerved him to know the thief was sticking around and keeping tabs on them. What else did this guy want? Ray and Liam left the room, and Noah was left alone with his thoughts. The silence seemed to fill the room like a great big chasm, and Noah almost couldn’t stand it. He thought about getting up and turning on the electric fire to have something to listen to, but sleep once again took him, and he didn’t wake up for what felt like hours.

When he did wake up, he realized there was someone in the room with him, and he jumped, panicking because he thought it might be the thief.

“It’s just me.” Elijah held up his hands as Noah sprang from the bed. He looked wildly around, having woken up abruptly and needing a minute to figure out where he was and why. Elijah looked worn out, and the lines near his eyes were pinched with stress. Noah relaxed and walked over to him, forgetting his state of undress.

“Did I miss the meet and greet? I’m sorry. I’ll go get dressed.”

“It’s okay, Noah. You actually missed the entire day.” Elijah smiled at Noah’s stunned expression.

“I missed the whole day? I slept through it all?” He was dumbfounded. He had just closed his eyes a minute ago.

“Yeah, and to be honest, I kind of envy you a bit. I’m exhausted. It took a while to explain to people what was going on to their satisfaction. We just said there was a little mishap in the barn, and it was all being handled. Most of them were content with that, since it’s a juicy bit of gossip tonight. Dinner was like watching a TV drama. Apparently, most of the men who were invited know each other or have had relations with one another at some point. It’s like a game to them.”

“I could have told you that. They thrive off the drama of the circles they run in.”

“It was exhausting.”

“I can imagine. And here I am sleeping the day away. Did Detective Knott and Captain Ferguson speak to you? Can I help in any way?”

“They did, and they said the best way we can help is to stay in here. So I hope you don’t mind being trapped in the bedroom with me for tonight. I’ve asked Maria to bring us up something to eat, and Elise is wrangling the last few tipsy guests into their rooms, although most of them have paired off and hooked up, I guess.”

“Lovely imagery.”

“Yes. Well, we let slip that with the mix up with the barn that the bottle of wine that is for tomorrow’s parting taste test was misplaced but had been found and has been returned to its proper place in the cellar.”

“That’s a fairly simple plan, don’t you think the thief might suspect that is a ruse.”

“Yes, which is why it was explained that the bottle that was in there was from the original barrel for the vineyard, so still important, but not quite as important as the very first bottle. I made a joke of it, laughing it off that I had accidentally switched the two bottles, so the barrel was in the cellar, and the first was in the rack next to its appropriate barrel in the barn. Detective Knott and Captain Ferguson think the thief is probably going to try again because that one particular bottle was so important to them to begin with. They said the mentality of the thief is that he will feel cheated, like he didn’t get the best of all of them.”

“Ah, I see. So someone will be waiting to greet the thief when he shows up to nab the correct bottle or replace the one he took in exchange.”

“Yes. At best, we are hoping he tries to replace the bottle and still has the original. At worst, we hope he tries to steal the decoy, and we can at least catch him.’

“Well, I am hoping for the former.”

“Me too. I want this weekend over with. It seemed like such a brilliant idea when I thought of it, and thank god for Elise. She has been an angel handling everything.”

Noah wondered if that statement included him as well, but he didn’t want to push his luck and ask for clarification. As the two men stood staring at one another, a knock sounded on the door, and Elijah answered. Noah quickly pulled on a robe, and Maria brought in a tray of food and set it on the table in front of the couch and before the fire. When she left Elijah gestured to it.

“You must be hungry.”

“I am, thank you.”

Noah walked to the couch and sat down, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth. Elijah clicked on the electric fireplace, and Noah sat staring into the flames. The weekend had been a whirlwind of emotions and activity. It seemed strange to him that he was in on a secret plan to catch a thief. It was like something out of a mystery and thriller novel. At first, he had been the accused, and then when he had been injured, he’d been let off the hook. Then there were all of the emotions surrounding Elijah. How he wished he could stand up, guide him to the bed, lay him down, and spend the rest of the night with him there. He had fallen asleep on the feeling of safety and security in the one room Elijah’s personal touch was in. He hadn’t realized he needed that feeling. For so long, he had thrilled himself in the life of taking risks and gambles, and now he found he didn’t want that.

“What’s on your mind?” Elijah’s voice was next to his ear. Noah hadn’t realized he had sat down. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”

“I was just wondering what you would say if I asked you to go to bed with me.” Noah nodded towards the large bed he had just risen from. Elijah’s nostrils flared, and his eyes widened.

“Are you asking for the night or…”

“Tonight, tomorrow night, hell, if we could go to bed and stay there for the next decade and not come out, it would make me a happy man.” He figured at this point, what did he have to lose by asking? Elijah might tell him no. He might reject him, but that was something he had experienced before, so he knew he would get through it. What scared the hell out of him was, what if Elijah said yes?

As if picking the thoughts from his brain, Elijah leaned in and began kissing him, urging him into a more frantic pace.

After a moment, he mumbled into his lips, “I would say, why are we still sitting here then?”