Chapter Fourteen | Brody

I took a deep breath as I looked out the limousine window. Noah squeezed my hand and remained silent. I needed another few seconds to compose myself.

"I can do this," I whispered to myself.

Noah took it to mean he could talk.

"We don't have to go in there," he said. "I can come up with an excuse for why we bailed."

"No. I'm doing this. I practiced in my head." I put my hand on the door handle and pulled. The cold night air circulated into the backseat. Noah was right behind me as I climbed out and took a few steps across the pavement toward the front glass doors of the Pacific Grande.

I'd never been there before, and I hadn't been able to find a floor plan online. I was going to have to go in blind. Noah took my hand, and we walked through the doors held open by a doorman. The front lobby was immense and opulent. Thankfully, Noah knew where he was going.

On the way down a wide hallway, I spotted a washroom. It turned out to be the one closest to the ballroom. That out of the way, I felt slightly better. I hated wandering around a new space trying to find a bathroom. It was a surefire way to kick my anxiety into overdrive.

I schooled my face into a pleasant expression as we approached who I assumed were Noah's parents. The man was in his early 60s, just starting to grey. Very sophisticated. Beside him was a woman who was Noah in female form. But polished. Her auburn hair was done up in an elaborate hairstyle and her stunning blue eyes like Noah's were watching us as we made our way to them.

"Mother. Father."

I almost crinkled my nose at the formality of Noah's words.

"Noah, darling." His mom leaned forward and fake-kissed his cheek. And his dad shook his hand. Noah had told me he hadn't seen his parents in almost a month. They were due for their bi-monthly mandatory dinner soon. Surely, that much time apart deserved a hug between them.

"I'd like to introduce you to Brody Carlisle, my partner ." He touched my arm. "Brody, these are my parents, Frederick and Celine Waters."

I stalled for a brief second. I hadn't known Noah's last name was Waters. There was so much I didn't know about him yet. I extended my hand to Frederick first. I wasn't sure what the protocol was for formal introductions. I hadn't thought to look it up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brody." Frederick shook my hand. "I hear you're a lawyer."

"Yes, sir, I am."

I turned to Celine. Thankfully she extended her hand. I gave it a delicate shake. She looked me up and down. "It's so nice to see our son with an accomplished man."

Thank you?

I flipped through possible replies and landed on, "I'm lucky to have him."

Celine made a funny little noise. "Yes … well."

"Noah. How lovely to see you." At Noah's side stood a beautiful woman. It was obvious by her features that she was related to Noah even though her hair was dark.

Definitely Noah's sister.

Beside her stood a very stiff-looking blond man. Impeccable. Despite his poker straight back and unreadable expression, I could tell he was comfortable here. This was his world.

"This must be Henry," Noah said and extended his hand to him. "Pleasure to finally meet you." He smirked at Henry. "Frances has told me absolutely nothing about you."

Frances smacked Noah's arm. "Play nice."

Noah turned and slipped his arm through mine. "This is Brody, my partner." On the way over, Noah told me he had spilled the truth to his sister about our relationship. We would need to keep up the ruse around her, though to simplify things. Especially, with his parents nearby.

"Brody, this is my sister, Frances, and Henry, her fiancé."

Henry cleared his throat and shook my hand. "Pleasure."

Frances smiled at me and whispered, "I'd hug you because you make my brother so happy, but our mother and father wouldn't approve. I'll give you one later."

I blinked at her, at a loss for words, nodded, and reciprocated her smile.

Coming toward us, I spotted a man who was a slightly older tidied-up version of Noah, his auburn hair trimmed close to his head, unlike Noah's longer waves.

On his arm; an elegant woman.

"Evening, Sean." Noah and Sean clapped their hands together and shook them in such a way that I knew they had roughhoused as children. There was a lightness in the way they looked at each other. The same as with Frances. Despite their tight-assed upbringing, they were close.

Sean studied me. "This must be your fiancé. Mother wouldn't shut up about him."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Noah replied.

"All right. All right. She mentioned him. Said he's a lawyer more than once." He reached for my hand, and I took his. "It's so nice to meet someone who can put up with my brother."

I smiled at Sean. "He makes it easy."

Sean laughed and clapped his hand on Noah's shoulder. "I already like him."

"Children." Celine's voice rose above us. I nodded at Sean's wife ? I would introduce myself to her later. It seemed we were being summoned. I followed Noah as we formed a line near the doorway like a goddamned receiving line at a wedding. He gripped my hand.

"We won't be expected to stand here for long," he said. "After the first few guests arrive, we can hit the bar and then start to mingle. I'm expected to speak to the important guests."

"You're used to doing this."

Noah sighed. "Every year since I was fifteen, I've been expected to attend. I was like a fawn on shaky legs the first few times. Once I figured out who everyone was, it got easier."

"I'll follow your lead."

I breathed through a wave of anxiety that threatened to surface as the first of the guests arrived and approached our line. Noah was gracious with each of them, laughing, and sharing a quick anecdote. Then introduced me to them as his partner. Not going to lie, hearing him say those words again and again gave me a thrill. By the time we walked away, I had started to believe it.

"Drinks," Noah said and led me toward a bar at the back of the room. He nodded at the bartender. "Two gin and tonics, please." We were handed them; a single lime slice floating in each. I suppose aggressively squeezing the juice out of the lime would be considered unseemly.

Noah led me in the direction of an elderly couple.

"Judge Michaels," Noah extended his hand to the grey-haired man. "So nice to see you here. Mother told me you've been under the weather of late. I sincerely hope that has passed."

I caught myself staring at Noah. Who was this refined guy and what had he done with my casual boyfriend? I was used to adjusting my speech when talking to certain people but hearing proper -sounding words coming from Noah's mouth was exposing me to a new side of him.

Even his laugh was different. Reserved and schooled. Insincere.

It made me uncomfortable. And the room was starting to fill. The noise level was increasing. I tapped my thumb and forefinger together as discreetly as possible, attempting to calm myself.

"Where are my manners?" Noah interjected. "This is Brody, my partner."

"Ah, yes," the judge I'd never encountered before said. "The lawyer."

"Yes, sir." I shook his hand.

"Criminal?"

"Crown Counsel. It's where I feel I can do the most good."

The judge laughed. "Corporate law not your thing? The Waters must be disappointed. I can imagine once the two of you are married, there will be a discussion to join their firm."

"I wouldn't be interested."

The judge made a face that registered as I had spoken out of turn by speaking the truth. Noah laughed his fake laugh and patted my arm. "I'm sure it'll be a lively discussion."

"Yes, quite." The judge gripped his wife's arm. "If you'll excuse us." And walked away.

"Did I mess up?" I asked Noah.

"He's an uptight old bastard. Just ignore him."

We spent the next hour going from guest to guest until we ended up joining a conversation being dominated by Noah's parents. They folded us into it—all smiles .

"You've already met my son's lovely fiancé, I assume," his mom said to the group. We had spoken to all of them already. I searched for Noah's fingers and tangled them in mine. My ability to remain on was tiring me out. I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to last.

"Brody, darling," Celine purred. "Perhaps you can convince our Noah to abandon that silly pub, join the firm, and make something of himself."

I snapped out of my thoughts.

I'm sorry. What?

"I'm proud of what Noah has accomplished with that pub," I shot back while keeping my anger in check. I didn't want to get into an argument with Noah's mom.

"You understand the importance of law," Frederick said in support of his wife.

"Of course," I replied.

"Then you must understand why we want Noah to pursue it as a proper career."

Noah's fingers clenched around mine.

"I should spend some time getting to know Frances' fiancé," Noah said through gritted teeth and tugged me away from his parents. He dragged me back and forth across the ballroom until we found Frances and Henry. He apologized to the group his sister was speaking with, spouting an excuse about needing to steal her away to help deal with the caterers.

"We need to find that stairwell," Noah said to her.

"Let's find Sean first."

Once we located and collected Sean and who I was still assuming was his wife, we headed for a door at the end of a hallway. We gathered on some stairs in a back utility stairwell as Frances dug around in her flashy clutch. My eyebrows arched and I looked at Noah when Frances produced a joint and lit it, taking a long draw off it before passing it to Sean .

When it was given to me, I took it but didn't partake. Noah saw my hesitance and motioned for me to hand it to him and took a toke.

As the joint was passed around, the group engaged in mundane but personal conversation, often teasing one another and laughing. A shoving match broke out between Noah and Sean.

Even though I didn't smoke any of the marijuana, I felt more relaxed. Noah's siblings and their significant others were all right. I felt comfortable around them.

"So, what do you think of our little fucked up family," Frances said to me.

I swallowed on the verge of humming to clear my throat.

"It's different than I'm used to," I answered after far too many seconds passed.

"You come from a normal family," Sean said.

I shook my head. "I wouldn't say that."

"Different than this pony show, though," Henry said. "Not sure they'll ever accept me."

"I'm Cheryl by the way." The elegant woman extended her hand to me. "Sean's wife." She smiled at Henry. "I can relate. If I hadn't started having children, Celine wouldn't have acknowledged me." She took the joint Frances passed her and inhaled a lungful.

We sat like that for another twenty minutes. Our clothes were going to smell like pot. I wondered what the strategy was for getting away with this.

Noah patted my hand. "We're all going to slip out of this nightmare now."

"Without saying goodnight to your parents?"

"They won't even notice," Frances said. "They've already paraded us around like the pretty painted ponies they've molded us into. We've served our purpose for the night."

And I thought my family was messed up .

Noah stood, reached for my hand, and pulled me to my feet. "Let's go out the back."

"Right behind you," Sean said.

We all tumbled into the night air and made our way around to the front of the building. A quick dash to grab our coats from the coat check, Noah shushing his giggling siblings and their partners, and we were off. I'd never been so glad to get out of somewhere.

After jubilant and heartfelt goodbyes that included the promised hug from Frances, we climbed into our waiting limousine. Noah was immediately on me. He flung his leg over my thighs, straddling my lap, and kissed me as we pulled away from the curb.

He was hungry and I was all in on that.

"Mine," I whispered and pulled his bottom lip away with my teeth.

"Fuck, Brody." Noah was breathing heavily. "I'm all yours. Make me yours tonight."

My cock pulsed and throbbed, filling the pants of my rented tux. I loosened the tie around Noah's neck. "I want you naked," I whispered.

Noah's eyebrows shot up. "Here?"

I smiled at him. "No. Once I get you to my place."

"Can't we go to my place? It's closer."

"Noah. I want you in my bed tonight."

Noah's lips parted and he whimpered. "God, I want you so bad."

"What is it you want from me?"

Noah smiled. "Your lips." He touched my lips.

"Yeah."

He touched my chest. "Your hands."

"Yeah. What else?"

Noah shivered, a complete ripple of desire. "Your cock. I want your cock. "

"Where?"

"My hole." Noah's chest rose and fell dramatically. "I want your cock in my hole."

"Whose hole is it?" I brushed my fingers through his hair.

Noah gripped the front of my shirt. "Yours. My hole is all yours."

"Mm," I hummed.

I confirmed our destination with the driver. Half an hour later, we were outside my townhouse. Two seconds after that, I had Noah inside my foyer, pressed against the door as I slammed it shut.

I attacked his mouth, using my hips to pin him. I drew his hands up over his head and held them there using one hand, my other stroking his erection through his pants.

I felt a slight nudge on the back of my knee.

I broke contact with Noah's lips and laughed. "Bentley needs to go out."

"Aw." Noah stepped around me and squatted down to pet him. "You have a dog?" He gave Bentley a good ruffle around the ears. It warmed my heart.

"Yeah, he's old but he's a good snuggler."

Noah grinned up at me. "I love dog snuggles."

The man at my feet had no idea how significant this was, me bringing him back to my home, and letting him meet my animals. I never did this. Never.

"I'll take him out." I guided Noah to his feet, my finger under his chin. His lips were pink and puffy from our kiss. "I was serious. I want you naked on my bed."

"Fuck," Noah exhaled. "Which room?"

"Upstairs at the end of the hall."

Of course, Bentley took his sweet-ass time, sniffing everything. My cock had my mind in one place only. Up in my bedroom, there was an intelligent, caring, and beautiful man waiting for me .

I tugged on Bentley's leash. "Come on. That's enough. Pee already."

As if he understood me, Bentley finished up. Once inside, I raced around making sure everyone was organized for a night in the living room. There was no way I was going to let any of my menagerie into the bedroom tonight. Tonight was all about Noah.

I washed my hands and mounted the stairs. My door was only slightly ajar. Not sure if that meant Noah was self-conscious or if he'd placed the door like that to tease me.

Either way.

I pushed it open and nearly stumbled. Stretched out naked on my bed, his hands submissively above his head was the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on. The auburn bristles of his trimmed beard were replicated on his chest, but curly and thick; his entire body was covered in an auburn fuzz. A thick line of hair descended to his groomed groin and his elegant erect cock.

I wanted to worship him where he lay.

"You're fucking beautiful." It needed to be said.

Noah groaned and ground his ass into the bedding. "Please, Brody. Need you."

I was slow to remove my tux and then lay it on the chair, piled on top of Noah's. I stroked my cock as he watched me. The desire in his eyes was hot enough to reach out and burn me.

I would gladly incinerate for him.

I approached the side of the bed and patted the edge of it. "I need you over here." Noah crawled toward me until he was at my thighs, and looked up at me, his tongue extended.

I ran my hand through his hair as I tapped my hard cock on the flat wet surface. Noah whimpered until I fed it to him, one inch at a time .

He yummed around my cock as it settled at the back of his throat. The vocalization vibrated up my shaft and straight to the tight coil in my gut.

I drew back and then snapped my hips forward. Noah kept up perfect pressure, sucking all the way to my cap each time I withdrew; his eyes needy with desire as he looked up at me.

He looked gorgeous with his face buried in my groin. I pumped in and out of his mouth until I felt that coil inside me ready to spring. I held his face as I backed away from him then squatted and kissed his puffy lips. I whispered, "You're perfect," across them. Then, "Up the bed."

Noah scrambled until he was comfortably lying with his head on a pillow. One of my pillows. I'd allowed a man into my bed. The only explanation was that I trusted Noah.

I straddled his hips and hovered over him, watching his pupils take over his eyes; the crystal blue eclipsed by black. I met his lips with mine and slipped my tongue inside. Noah's hips thrust up, grinding against me, our hard cocks fighting for space between us as he moaned.

I undulated my hips, rubbing our shafts together, my balls crushing against the base of his dick with each stroke. Noah wrapped his legs around my thighs, pinning me to him.

I deepened the kiss, plummeting the depths of his mouth, our tongues tangling. He jammed his hands into my hair and clung to me, urgently, as if he wanted to crawl inside me starting with his tongue. I broke free of his mouth and panted into it; our foreheads pressed together.

"Hands and knees for me."

I let Noah up and he flipped over, his chest on the bed, his ass in the air. I circled behind him and placed myself far enough back that I could admire him. He had the prettiest pink pucker of a hole. I ran my forefinger across it and Noah jumped and hissed .

I needed to taste him. I descended on his hole with my tongue, taking my first swipe of it. He was musky from being in his tux for hours but there was a faint taste of soap as well. I clamped his ass cheeks in both hands and pried him open further and dashed my tongue around his rim.

"Fuck …," Noah breathed and dipped his belly lower.

I prodded his tight ring with the tip of my tongue and kept up the assault until it started to loosen. I moved back so I could see its beauty and traced my finger around the wet opening.

I sank my finger inside him, and Noah let out the most seductive sound. Part exhilaration for being penetrated. Part overwhelming desire for more. I'd be giving him a lot more.

All the way to the knuckle, I pulled back and removed it, making Noah whine. I placed my finger in my mouth and sucked on it so I could taste him and make my digit wet.

"Brody … please," Noah whispered.

I pushed my finger back inside him and pumped into his hole until it stayed open for me for a moment when I retreated. I dove back in with my tongue, prodding, kissing, and sucking.

Noah's ass angled up and down slightly as he panted.

"Stay there." I moved off the bed and retrieved a condom and lube. Back behind him, I popped open the cap on the lube and coated my fingers in it. I pushed two fingers inside him to open him further for me. Then two became three. I held my hand steady and let him fuck himself on my fingers, rocking back and forth, swearing beneath his breath. Watching his body take me in, again and again, his rim stretching, made my dick tight, weeping with need to be inside him.

His hole was ready for my cock, popping open and closed when I denied him what had been filling him. He moved his arm and started stroking his dick. I reached through his legs and stopped him. "Mine." There was that incredible sound again; so needy and seductive .

He returned his arm to the position it had been in supporting him.

"All yours," Noah said, his voice rough with pure and honest lust. "All of me."

I knew he meant it. He knew he was mine.

I kissed his tailbone. And I was his.

I rolled on a condom and slicked up my cock with lube. I'd take him from behind this time. Part of me was afraid to be face-to-face with him. What would he see while looking up at me?

Trust and desire … and maybe a hint of something else.

I positioned my cockhead against his flushed and puffy hole and pushed until my glans had passed the tight ring. We both groaned. A shiver ran up Noah's spine and his skin broke out in the most glorious little bumps. I gripped his hips and slid in further.

"Fuck … yes," Noah moaned, gathering clumps of my bedding in his hands, and hanging on until the material pulled away from the pillows. I gripped Noah's hips; certain I was going to leave bruises. I caressed my cock into him until I was fully seated.

I stayed there and revelled in the velvety warmth that I had been craving for weeks, aware that it was so much better because we were becoming closer.

"Fucking move," Noah gasped. "Please. I need you to fuck me."

Right now, though … between us, it was carnal.

I withdrew and then slammed into him, jostling the bed. Judging by the way he liked his face fucked, I had taken a chance that Noah liked it rough.

"Oh, god, yes," Noah confirmed. "Just like that. Fuck me hard. "

I obliged, pounding into him until he was hollering my name and a whole lot of gibberish. One hand on his hip, I used the other to pin him down, my grip around the back of his neck.

"Mine."

"Fuck, yeah," Noah spilled coherently into a pillow. "Use me. Make me yours."

I adjusted my angle and rammed into him; the room filled with the sound of two bodies colliding. Noah's body contracted around my cock, and he grunted, his hole pulsing.

He'd cum hands-free.

It sent me over the edge. I jerked my hips against him again and again, roaring, and filled the condom. I panted hard, coming back down to earth, as I lay stretched out on his back.

I didn't move until my erection softened and slipped from Noah's hole.

My hole.

I kissed the back of his neck, climbed off him, and crashed down beside him. I stripped off the condom and tossed it off the edge of the bed. I would deal with it later. Noah came off his knees and crawled up to be near my chest. The kiss he gave me was so sweet, I thought my emotions might get the better of me. He brought me so close to shedding a tear.

I stroked my fingers through his sweaty hair, unsticking it from his brow.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I'll let you know if you ever do." Then he kissed me again; a quick one.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I grunted, accepting his assurance. Noah lay down and adjusted his body until his back was pressed against my chest. I slung my arm over him and pulled him tight to me. The scent of his sweaty skin at the base of his neck was intoxicating. I set an open-mouth kiss on the spot, peeking my tongue out to taste him. He squirmed and giggled and reached back for my hip.

"You're perfect." I knew he needed to hear it.

He lifted my hand from his chest and kissed my knuckles. We lay there until our bodies cooled, then climbed under the covers, retaking our position, entwined together.

I hummed against the back of his head not sure I'd ever felt this happy. It scared me until I remembered that Noah and I were in this together.

And that I trusted him.