Colton
“I knew it!” Ash cries, looking around at my assembled family in glee.
My arms fall lax at my sides. “What? No, you didn’t.”
“I did,” he says, slapping Jackson’s shoulder. “Tell him I called it.”
Jackson shrugs apologetically.
“Fucking hell,” I complain. “This isn’t news?”
I glance around the room, all of my family—sans Lawson and Wendy—staring back at me and Noah, not a single one of them remotely surprised. Remi’s lips twist into a smirk.
“For fuck’s sake,” I grumble.
Noah rubs the back of my shoulder. “Thank you for taking this in stride,” he says like a goddamn gentleman. Since when is Noah fucking King a gentleman?
I give him a glare, but he only smiles at me.
“Well, we’re very happy for you both,” my mom pipes up. I wait for the catch I know is coming. “Does this mean you two are done sneaking around?”
I groan again, and my mom taps her neck surreptitiously, thinking she’s being subtle. Jackson laughs before covering it with a cough.
“Anyways,” I say loudly. “Now that you’ve met my…Noah, we’ll be on our way. Say bye.”
“Hold on now,” my dad says, resituating on the couch and clasping his hands in front of himself. “Noah, you ever seen a castration?”
“We’re going,” I say loudly, forcibly steering Noah out of the living room to a chorus of cackles.
I hear Ash mutter, “Do not recommend,” amidst the noise.
“They seem nice,” Noah says, clearly trying not to laugh.
“They’re the worst,” I assure him. “I love them terribly, but I’d trade any one of them in given the chance. Eh . Not Remi.”
“Is he doing okay?” Noah asks, the two of us stepping outside onto the porch, the sun high overhead and the breeze blowing gently across the grass behind the house.
I nod, giving him a tug toward the horse barn. “He’s better. Sometimes it takes him a day or two to fully recover, but you’d never know it. He’s strong.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Noah says.
When we reach the barn, I head toward Clementine’s stall. Noah keeps pace with me, looking around curiously, even though I know it’s not the first time he’s been in here. My horse lifts her head immediately in greeting, waiting for me to open the door before headbutting my chest. I rub along her neck and scratch behind her ears.
“Clem,” I say softly as Noah steps up beside me, “you know Noah King. Asshole extraordinaire. Good kisser. Kinda a decent guy.”
“Quite the progression there,” Noah deadpans.
I snort. “You’re only allowed to bite him if he really deserves it, all right?”
Clementine kicks her head up in acknowledgement.
“And, uh,” I say, giving Noah a little shove back into the hall. I lead him one stall over, to a bay roan whose tail is swooshing gently. “Noah, this is Hazel. She’s been a workhorse for the last ten years, but after several spooks recently, we learned she’s losing sight in her left eye. She’s retired now and could use someone to care for her.”
Noah stills.
“She can still be ridden just fine,” I go on, “but a calmer life would be better for her. And I thought, well, if you wanna…”
I trail off, unsure of how to take Noah’s silence.
He clears his throat once. Twice. “Are you asking if I want her?”
“Well, yes?” I say, opening the door to Hazel’s stall. She’s always been a real good girl, gentle and sweet, and I give her a pet along her nose that she accepts readily. “No pressure. But you mentioned how you’ve never had one of your own ’cause you and Walter don’t have the land for it. We have plenty of space here, so—”
My sentence ends abruptly as I’m tugged into a sturdy pair of arms. Noah hugs me so tightly I can feel my bones creak, his hand in my hair not giving me an inch in which to move. His kisses my neck, stubble bristling, and my eyes flutter closed, my hands sliding to his back and hanging on.
Noah fucking King.
“Jesus, Colt,” he says, sounding wrecked. “It’s too much.”
“It’s not. We would’ve handled her care. But if you want her, she’s yours. There’s no one better for her.”
He exhales shakily. “You got me a horse.”
“I mean…only kinda.”
“You got me a horse, Colt.”
“Okay, yeah. I guess I did? Are you accepting her?”
“Fuck,” he mutters, tugging my head back and claiming my lips.
I used to want to take my nippers to this man’s balls.
What a fool I was.
Noah smacks away from me, looking flustered as he greets Hazel. He holds out his hand, letting her snuffle his palm as his other roams over her head, her neck, her shoulders. The smile on his face breaks my heart, even as it heals something I didn’t even realize was fractured.
“Hey there, Hazel,” Noah says, his voice quiet. “I’m Noah. You’re a sweet thing, aren’t you?”
In answer, Hazel kisses Noah’s palm, her lips moving in a wiggle.
He lets out a soft laugh, the sound of it making me ache in the best way. “I think we’re gonna be good friends. Would you mind me visiting lots?”
Hazel leans her head over Noah’s shoulder, her approval clear as day. He holds her for long minutes, rubbing up and down her neck, speaking in a soft, soothing tone.
I step outside the stall, giving them a moment together. Noah finds me sometime later in the tack room, his arms crossing as he leans against the doorjamb. I finish straightening the row of bridles I was putting to rights.
“You realize this means I’ll be here quite often,” he says.
“Oh, really?” I mutter. “I hadn’t, uh, really considered that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“We could probably go riding together sometimes,” I point out. “Lotsa trails here.”
“Mhm.”
“And if you want, you’re welcome to stay for meals. Although I understand if you’d rather share those with Walter.”
Noah lets out a breath, walking closer. His hands settle to each side of my body as he braces himself against the table at my back.
“I will want to spend time with Walter,” he confirms, and I nod, having figured as much. Noah’s uncle is important to him, and I understand that fully. “And I hope you’ll join us sometimes?”
I nod again.
“But yes, Colt,” he adds. “I’ll stay for meals here, too. You know how possessive I am of you. You really thought I wouldn’t be all over you the minute you allowed it?”
As if needing to prove his words, he presses me into the table, his thigh wedging between my legs. My mind short-circuits as his hand slips under my waistband, unerringly finding the tattoo on my ass. Oh, God .
Noah’s lips settle close to my ear. “You’re mine, little Colt. Remember? You don’t get to run away from me ever again.”
“Like I’d want to,” I breathe.
“Finally done fighting?”
I huff. “Not by a long shot.”
Noah leans back to catch my eye. “Good.”
His mouth comes down on mine, and I go boneless. A small corner of my mind wonders… If the past had played out differently, would Noah and I have found our way here sooner? In the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now. And this man I thought I hated is teaching me the ferocity of what it means to yearn . To want someone so deeply you’d embed them under your very skin given the chance.
I never wanted, never needed , another person the way I need Noah. It’s no wonder I was so terrified to let him in. There’s no going back from something like this.
When Noah spins me around, I don’t even resist. The broad expanse of his body lines my back, and his hand finds its way to the front of my jeans. I groan as he palms my cock, trying to drum up enough brain cells to remember why this is a bad idea but failing spectacularly.
The saddle butter is right here on the table. We could easily…
“Oh, gross!” comes a cry. Remi .
Noah and I split apart in an instant, him brushing his hair into place and looking as put together as always while I frantically try to make sure my dick is inside my pants and no other suspect body parts are showing. Shit .
“Remi,” I manage, turning around to find my brother standing there with both hands in front of his face.
“Gross,” he mutters again.
“All clear.”
He lets his hands drop, expression that of a disapproving parent. “Have either of y’all seen Lawson?”
“Um, no?” I say. “Been a little busy.”
He huffs. “He didn’t come home last night, and you know that’s not like him. I tried texting Laura this morning, but… Oh, hold on. That’s Wendy.” Remi looks down at his phone, eyes widening. “He…left.”
“Wait, what?” I ask. “What does that mean? Left where?”
“He’s in Kansas.”
Remi’s gaze meets mine, and I understand instantly. Oakley . Lawson’s best friend moved down to Kansas a few years back. Our brother took it hard, and I know he’s been having a tough time with the divorce and everything changing, but would he really run off without telling any of us?
“What the fuck,” I mutter aloud, trying to look past my own hurt to understand my brother’s. “Has it really gotten that bad?”
Remi’s pained expression is answer enough.
“Did he take anything?” I ask. “His stuff? He wouldn’t just leave , right? His daughter is here. His job.”
Remi shakes his head, even as he’s texting. “His room looked the same, so he couldn’t have brought much with him.”
“He probably just needs a day or two to recharge,” Noah offers, his hand squeezing the back of my neck. “I bet he’ll be back before you know it.”
“He better be,” Remi mutters darkly, shutting off his phone and shoving it in his pocket. “You hear anything, you tell me.”
“I will,” I promise.
Remi is halfway to the door when he stops. “Oh, and Noah? Welcome to the family. Colton won’t ever admit it, but he’s incredibly sentimental when it comes to his birthday, so don’t forget it. And he can’t watch movies where dogs get hurt, so please don’t make him try. He’s got a very soft center.”
“You shit,” I gripe, making a grab for my brother.
He backs up out of reach, heading swiftly for the exit. “Leave a sock on the doorknob if you’re fucking,” he calls, tapping his processor. “That way, I can shut the two of you off.”
“The next time Ash makes biscuits,” I shout, “I’m eating every single one and leaving you none.”
He signs a rather creative retort I’m sort of glad Noah can’t understand.
“Rude,” I mutter.
“Well that was…interesting,” Noah rumbles, stepping up beside me.
I let out a sigh. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Trust me.”
At that precise moment, Jackson passes in front of the doorway to the barn, a donkey at his heels that he’s grumbling to. I nearly bark a laugh, realizing we have two ornery asses at the ranch now.
“Was that…the Darling Donkey?” Noah asks of the senile donkey who’s terrorized the town for years. The same one who, yes, spends much of his time now on our land, thanks to the dates Jackson feeds him in return for helping save Ash.
I let out a longer sigh this time, shoving Noah back toward the horses. “Come on. Let’s saddle up, and I’ll tell you the story. You see, once upon a time, there was this stubborn mountain of a man and the most sunshiny newcomer you’ve ever met.”
“More sunshiny than you?” he deadpans.
“Har har,” I say, shoving him again.
Noah laughs, and, frankly, it’s a sound I could get used to.
With a start, I realize I’ll have the chance to do exactly that.
When Noah and I get back to the house after a long day of riding, it’s already past dinnertime. With Clementine and Hazel safe in their stalls for the night, Noah calls Walter to check in, and I raid the fridge for provisions. I find what I want quickly and load everything onto a plate.
“He all right?” I ask once Noah is off the phone.
He nods, the two of us heading upstairs. “Yeah. I probably worry about him more than I need to. But I can’t really help it.”
I get that. I’m the same with my own family. I set the plate of food on my comforter as Noah shuts the bedroom door. “You won’t move away from him, will you?”
He looks surprised by my not-quite-question, but it quickly morphs to a sort of cautious concern. “I’m…not sure,” he finally says.
“It’s fine,” I tell him truthfully, taking a seat and motioning for Noah to do the same. I stuff a piece of salami in my mouth, following it with a cracker as he sits beside me. “I’m not asking you to move in, Noah. It’s just…it’s the sort of thing people think about in situations like ours, isn’t it?”
His lips slowly curve into a smile. “In situations like ours.”
“Yeah,” I say gruffly. “You know… boyfriends or whatever.”
He looks downright amused at my sour expression. “Does it pain you to say that?”
“You know damn well it does. Number one, I’m thirty-fucking-seven, thank you. The word feels ridiculous. Number two…it’s you .”
“Mhm,” Noah hums, sliding our plate out of the way.
“My salami,” I mumble.
Noah presses me back onto the mattress, blanketing my body, and I forget all about the food.
“Did you know,” he says softly, “that your nose does this thing when you scowl at me. Right here. It crinkles.”
“Does not,” I mutter, Noah’s finger tracing the edge of my nose.
“And your eyes,” he goes on, his own blazing softly. Copper amidst earth. “They burn bright blue. But not the same way they once did.”
I swallow thickly.
“I used to hate that scowl,” he says, not sounding it one bit. “But now, I can just do this.”
He drops his face to my neck, brushing his lips over my skin before opening his mouth. The sucking bite is expected, but even so, my head falls lax against my pillow.
“Just like that,” he says in a satisfied whisper, eyes taking in my face. “Now you’re all pliant and mine.”
I want to deny it, but there’s no use.
“Would you stay the night?” I ask.
Noah lets out a soft breath like the question pleases him on multiple levels. “Yeah, Colt. You ask, and it’s yours.”
I’ve never had someone make that promise before. Let alone follow through on it the way Noah has. And I believe him. I think if I did ask him to move in here with me, he’d do it, even as it’d pain him to leave Walter.
I’d never ask for that, though. Never ask Noah to do anything that would hurt him.
I think, when the time comes, I’ll find a way to get him to ask me to move in with him. And I’ll say yes. Because for as much as I love being close to my family, Walter is the only family Noah has left. And it’s not like I’d be far. Not to mention our horses will stay here, so we’d come back all the time. I wouldn’t ever truly be gone.
I never wanted to leave this ranch before. Never had a reason to.
But Noah… Fuck . I think he’s going to be my reason for a lot of things.
“Come on,” I say, giving Noah a gentle shove to move back. “Let’s finish eating so we can wash up. And then I wanna test out that whole little spoon thing. I was too fuck-drunk last time to truly appreciate it.”
“Fuck-drunk?” Noah asks, a chuckle in his toneas he sits upright.
“You know exactly what you do to me, King. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
“Does that mean you’ll be begging for my cock again soon?” he asks, the evil, wonderful man.
“Dunno,” I lie. “You might needa make me.”
Noah’s responding grin is far softer than I expect. “I think,” he says, eyes tracing over my face in a way I wouldn’t have allowed myself to see before, “that can definitely be arranged.”
Maybe things could have been different. But this right here?
No. I wouldn’t give this up.