Page 76 of Hard Count
Piper turned then, because he hated silence.
“I’m not confused Noah, I want you, but,” Piper said.
“I didn’t think you were, but there is always abut.”
“But we are making bad fucking decisions.”
“Yes, we are.”
“That doesn’t seem to bother you.”
“It bothers me,” Noah said. “It’s just not changing anything.”
Joan, why can’t I fucking control the situation?
Something was keeping him there in spite of it all.
“I could’ve stayed home,” Piper said.
“I know.”
“There is a lot you don’t know about me, Noah.”
“I know. You do fucking know, there is a lot you don’t know about me, Piper. I want to know everything about you.”
There was no argument in Noah’s voice. No attempt to win the point.
Piper hated that he felt the same way.
He always went to the worst case scenario, and that was Jayson making sure Noah ended up dead.
He crossed the room and stopped close enough to feel the heat coming off Noah. The heat was quietly destroying Piper.
Noah didn’t move. He wanted this to be Piper’s decision. He wanted him to reconcile leaving with what the two of them could not escape.
“You drove all the way here,” Noah said quietly.
“Don’t make it sound so fucking dramatic, I live twenty minutes from here,” Piper laughed.
“I want you to stay if you can.”
Noah lifted one hand and touched Piper’s face. His fingers sliding into his hair just enough to hold his head still without force.
Piper closed his eyes as Noah’s touch hit his body.
“Tell me to stop,” Noah said.
Piper didn’t.
Noah kissed him, and whatever Piper had been holding in gave way so fast it almost felt humiliating.
Piper grabbed Noah’s shirt and pulled him closer.
The room closed in around them, as their bodies consumed each other.
The edge of the bed was against the back of Piper’s knees. Noah’s hand against his back, Piper pushing him back, then being pulled down with him.
Noah looked into Piper’s eyes and held there for a second.
