I couldn't stop touching Noah.

Even before we were released from the scene, I had to be touching him at all times. My arm around his shoulder, my fingers twined with his, my thigh beside him as we sat side by side. Touching him, knowing he was whole and safe and here was the only thing that kept me grounded.

The moment the camera feed went dead, I'd gone completely off the rails. Warren hadn't been able to stop me from making the next move before Grizz was ready. My panic burned out of control, and my need to protect Noah eclipsed everything else. I wasn't going to lose him. Not now. Not ever.

Even when I'd disarmed Brett--with a huge assist from Noah--I hadn't been able to breathe easy. Not until Noah was in my arms, his heart beating in time with mine. And even then, I knew I wouldn't be 100 percent until I got him home, which was exactly what I planned to do.

After the questioning, Grizz sent us over to the hospital to make sure Noah didn't have any injuries hiding under the surface. Hours passed before we were cleared to leave, and Noah put on a big show to try and get me to calm down. None of it worked, until the moment he took my face in his hands and forced me to look at him, his dark blue eyes showing just how tired he was.

"I'm okay, Cameron. I promise." He'd kissed me then, sweet and tender, and my heart stopped its constant racing.

He was okay. He was safe, and so was Liz. And when I took him home after that, I told myself I'd give him space if he wanted it. He'd been through a huge ordeal, he sure as hell didn't need me being all clingy because I was battling with my own fears.

But when I laid him down in my bed, he patted the empty spot next to him and curled away from me, giving me room to slide in behind him. I held him like that, my arm wrapped around him, our bodies pressed together until Noah drifted into a deep, restful sleep.

And eventually--when my thoughts calmed and my mind took stock of reality--I managed to do the same.

* * *

I woke to Noah nuzzling me, his lips ghosting over the sensitive skin of my neck. I murmured softly, leaning into the touch even as my brain worked its way out from under the last remnants of sleep.

The whole process was helped along by Noah's hand sliding down my stomach and then my thigh, moving inward. He gripped my cock through my pants, and I responded instantly to his attention.

My eyes lifted to his as I tried to figure out where this sudden change had come from. His face still bore the bruises from Brett's treatment, and the arm that wasn't currently occupied was wrapped up to keep it steady. I should have turned him away, told him he needed to rest, but the need in his eyes was a match for my own. I understood exactly what he was feeling, because I'd been feeling it, too. From the moment I saw him in that basement.

Noah needed to feel alive and whole, just as much as I needed to know he was. And in that moment, the only place we were going to be able to find that proof was in each other.

Shifting onto my side, I took his face in my hands as gently as I could and pressed my mouth to his. I savored the taste of him, drank in the sensation as our lips became familiar with each other again. Even when we both needed a moment to breathe, I didn’t pull away, wanting to feel his breath as it dusted over my lips; to know he was here with me and very much alive.

He squeezed my cock through my pants again, then stroked me almost reverently, his hand moving up from my erection to my abdomen, pushing my shirt up as his warm palm glided over my body. I moved my own hands to the hem of his shirt and lifted it up as carefully as I could, staying mindful of his arm before following suit with my own shirt. 

We explored each other's bodies as if we'd never had the chance before and might not ever get it again. Hands and lips sought out flushed skin, and when I lowered my head to his chest, I closed my eyes and listened to the thunderous beating of his heart for a few moments before my mouth teased the flat of his nipples. 

I had plans to worship every inch of him, and when I'd covered as much ground as I could above the waist, I shifted over him and pulled his pants past his hips, then all the way off, my eyes never leaving his. When I finally looked down, I saw his erection tenting his briefs, but I ignored it for now, my hand tracing the sharp line of his hip bones down to the smooth flesh of his thighs. I gripped his ass, pulling him up toward me as I kissed him again, and he responded eagerly by lifting his hips and grinding against me. 

By the time I shifted positions and settled between his legs, my own legs hanging half off the bed, Noah was practically panting with desire. It shone in his eyes, and I kept my gaze on him even as I pulled his briefs down, my hand wrapping around his cock and stroking. When I finally looked down, it was only long enough to lower my head even more, my lips and tongue working the ridges and veins of his cock. My eyes returned to his as I tested the sensitivity of every inch of flesh, finding everything that drove him wild. 

"Cam," he moaned helplessly, his fingers buried in my hair and gripping tightly. 

I ran my tongue along the seam of his sac, closing my eyes for a moment as I breathed in the heady smell of him. Drawing one of his balls into my mouth, my whole body lit up at the way he gasped and writhed, his hand moving to my shoulder, nails digging into my skin.

"Please," he whimpered, his voice hoarse. "Need to feel you." 

An ache of need pulsed through me, going beyond physical desire. I knew what he meant, and I wanted it, too. I needed it as much as I needed to breathe. I rose over Noah and kissed him deeply, lingering for a long moment before I drew back and moved off the bed. Pants and briefs were discarded, and I reached into the drawer to grab lube and a condom. My eyes never left his as I prepped myself, rolling down the condom over my aching dick and stroking myself with a lube-covered palm until the latex glistened. 

Leaning over him again, my knee pressing into the bed, I met his mouth in a slow, sensual kiss as my fingers glided toward his hole. Sliding one lube-covered digit in, then another, I reveled in the soft gasps and moans that fell from his lips; in the half-lidded look in his eyes as his head fell back. Climbing over him, I positioned myself and slid the tip of my cock over his cleft, just barely teasing his hole.

"Please," he repeated, the word blending with a gasp.

"You're mine, Noah." Leaning down, I trailed my lips over his collarbone and up to his neck. "I'm never letting you go again." 

His hand came up to my jaw and he tilted my head up to look at him. Our lips met, and it was all the proof I needed that he felt the same. It was also the perfect moment to bridge the distance between us, the head of my cock pressing against his hole. I slid in, bit by bit, speaking soft, soothing words to Noah as I entered him. With every movement, I let him adjust, then drove in deeper until our bodies were flush with one another. 

I breathed against him, getting caught up in that perfect moment where nothing stood between us. Skin to skin, our bodies joined, our hearts and minds in sync, I moved not in him, but with him. My hips rocked against him, my thrusts slow but deep. Noah's arm came around me and held on tightly, his ass lifting off the bed as he met me with every stroke. 

We kissed and touched and basked in the fact that we were both alive; that we had the rest of our lives to do this. Every thrust, every movement I felt more intensely than I'd ever experienced before, his body tightening around me, drawing me in and begging me to stay. It was almost too much, and I felt my own body tighten sooner than I wanted. My focus shifted back to kissing him, my strokes even slower, coming less frequently as I gave us both time to come down from that edge.

The pattern repeated itself, sometimes with the two of us just looking at each other, touching each other. Other times while locked in a passionate kiss. Our bodies moved together, and only when my muscles started to burn from the effort did I push myself. Noah was ready, his whimpered pleas whispered in my ear as I pounded him. He clung to me as I kept going, giving him everything I had to give until I couldn't hold out anymore. 

I came hard, a moan ripped from my throat as I thrust deep inside of him one last time. My hand instantly moved to Noah's cock, but he barely needed any stimulation. Just the brush of my fingers was enough, and he arched against me as he hit his climax, his cum painting my stomach. I looked down at him, panting, completely caught up in the moment. 

In how much I adored this man. 

I moved so that we lay facing each other, chests rising and falling in tandem as we struggled to catch our breath. Even now, I couldn't stop touching Noah. My hand moved over his sweat-slick shoulder, to his side, his hip, back up to his neck and face. I leaned in to kiss him, and finally said what I should have said before I let him leave.

"I love you," my thumb stroked his cheekbone, and I got lost in his eyes as they almost glittered in response, "so fucking much."

Noah turned to press a kiss to my fingertips. When he blinked, tears shimmered in his eyes. "Took you long enough."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, joy overtaking me. Noah nestled closer, and the reality of our future together finally seemed in reach.

At least, it did for me. Noah still had doubts.

"Where do we go from here? I mean, you have your work, and I..."

My heart ached to even think about Noah going back to his job, but I knew he loved what he did. I couldn't take that from him. I'd just have to get over my insecurities and remind myself that I was the one he'd be coming home to.

"I don't expect you to give up your career," I said, my voice firm. "It's part of who you are."

Noah searched my eyes, a small smile blossoming on his lips. "Maybe. But I've been thinking..." He shifted beside me, his leg curling over mine. "What I really enjoyed was being able to reach people. Being that emotional outlet for them when they didn’t have anyone else to turn to. And I think I can do that somewhere else. Maybe at Kacey's center." His smile faded, his expression sobering as he traced a pattern over my shoulder. "There are too many Lizs out there."

The selfish side of me was practically giddy, but my heart swelled with pride and joy, too. Noah would be an amazing counselor at Kacey's center. He'd provide a perspective no one else could, and he'd save lives in the process.

Of course, rather than say that flat out, I still had to be a bit of a smart ass. "Well, I'm not going to object to having you all to myself..."

I drew his bottom lip between mine, letting my teeth scrape gently against it. Noah's soft gasp turned into a laugh, and there was mischief in his eyes as he curled himself even closer to me, his leg moving along my inner thigh.

I might have needed time to recover, but my body was warming up to the idea of jumping straight into round two.

"You can have me for as long as you want me," he said playfully, his eyes alight.

But the emotion behind those words resonated deep within me, and I found myself answering with nothing less than bare honesty.

"How about forever?"

Noah faltered a moment, his eyes widening as he looked at me. Slowly his lips curved into that sexy smile of his, though, and he lightly smacked my shoulder.

"Cameron McCabe!" he sounded scandalized, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. "That has to be the worst proposal I've ever heard."

I knew he was joking. Neither of us were ready for that step yet, and I wasn't sure when we would be. But I knew it would happen. I knew that with a certainty I couldn't begin to deny.

"I guess I'll have to work on it, then," I said, my teeth lightly scraping over the bottom of his jaw.

Noah shivered, and his hand lifted from my thigh, his fingers sinking into my hair. "I guess you will."

He tugged just enough so that my lips were a breath away from his. I smiled before giving in, then pressed my mouth to his. It was a silent promise that the next time I did this--and there would be a next time--I'd make it as perfect as we both deserved.