Page 58 of Uprising

I let out a sigh, wiping my mouth before answering. “Viper and Ghost.” Their names feel heavy on my tongue.

“Friends of yours, I imagine?”

“You could say that,” I mutter. I don’t want to talk about them. It’s like reopening a wound that never truly healed. The grief and longing of having no idea where Ghost was doesn’t sit well with me. It’s not like it was the first time we went silent and had no communication, but this is different

“Tell me about them,” Noah eggs on.

“No,” I snap a little too hard.

Pushing back from the table, I gather my bowl and head to the kitchen. I don’t want to talk about losing Viper. I don’t want to talk about the idea of Ghost being gone as well. All hopes that he would leave it be are thrown out the window when I hear his footsteps behind me.

“Too bad. I want to talk about it.”

Setting my empty bowl in the sink, I drop my head, my shoulder tense.

“Leave it be, Noah.”

“Yeah… no. I’ve come to the realization that we’re still basically strangers. Sure, you’re twenty-four or five. And sure, you used to kill people—I mean, you still kind of do, but hey, I can wrap my head around that, somewhat. But, damnit, Reed, look at me.”

I bite my tongue, my hands forming into fists as I force myself to breathe. He doesn’t deserve my anger, but he doesn’t understand that some things are better left unsaid. Silence is safer than the truth.

Suddenly something hits my shoulder. Swinging around, Noah crosses his arms over his chest like he hadn’t just thrown something at me. Glancing down, I find the romance book that was sitting on the island now lies on the ground.

“How are you going to confess some deep-rooted feelings for me when you don’t even know me?” Noah raises a brow. “You don’t know anything about me! I was going to college to get my degree in social work. Do you know why? Because of my shitty ass parents.”

I roll my eyes. Of course he was a college student; I could’ve told him that. I might not know his favorite color, but I know more about him than he realizes.

“Go ahead, roll your eyes. While my parents might not have been abusive, they didn’t care about me. They wished I was never born; they hated me. I bet you didn’t know any of that, did you?”

Rolling my tongue, I nod.

“So tell me something real; tell me about your life before everything happened. Why are you so fucking secretive? Because sure, you care about me, but is it because I’m convenient or because it’s me? Me that you don’t even know?”

While all his questions make sense, I can’t tell him the truth. The truth would make him run, and a little part of me knows he should. I should let him go. But the other sick part of myself can’t. I want him for myself. I want his smart mouth. I want him to be his needy self, because there’s no one I would rather give my attention to than him.

Walking around the island, I don’t stop until I’m standing in front of him. I lean forward and brush my thumb across his bottom lip, causing Noah to flinch and his eyes to widen.

“I might not have known you before the world ended, but I know you now. And Noah, you don’t need to know about my past. You don’t need to know everything; some things are better left unsaid.” I don’t give him a chance to say anything before I slam my lips over his. My fingers slide through his hair, his mouth opening in a gasp, giving me the perfect opportunity to glide my tongue along his. Every nerve in my body lights up as our mouths tangle together. Noah’s hand grips my sides as I take over the kiss. I swallow my frustration of my past and focus on Noah. A whole new slew of feelings pours over me.

I’m pushing Noah back towards the dining room until he hits the table. Every stroke of my tongue against his sends shivers down my spine. I can’t stop myself from grinding against him.

“Fuck,” Noah moans. I pull back, my chest heaving. “You’re going to wreck me,” he says softly. If only he knew it was the other way around. When he finds out the truth, he would be the one running for the hills. I just had to make it a little harder for him.

His lips crash into mine again, his tongue seeking entry. I smile against his mouth, letting him think he has the upper hand this time. Running my finger through his hair, I grip the nape of his neck and tug his head back. Noah gasps; his pupils are blown, and his eyes gloss over. Exposing his neck, I lean forward, licking his throat.

“Oh fuck.”

I kiss along his neck, my teeth scraping against his neck.Do it. Bite him.I jerk back at the sudden thought. I don’t know where it came from, but my stomach twists in knots.

“Don’t make me beg,” Noah whispers. Blowing out a breath, I spin Noah around. Pushing against the middle of his back, his hands land on the table to stop himself from slamming forward. I drop to my knees, hooking my thumb in the waist of his pants; I pull them down. I’m met with his perfect pale globes. Not wasting a second I lean forward, pressing kiss after kiss along his ass. Spreading his cheeks apart, I lick my lips at the sight of his hole. Noah whimpers above me, causing me to smile. I know what he wants, and while I nearly give it, I don’t. Instead of licking him, I spit. My saliva lands on his hole, making him tense before a moan escapes out of him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so beautiful before,” I whisper. “So perfect.” Blowing on him, Noah wiggles against the table. His hand moves down, his finger just within reach of his cock. I let go of his ass and smack his hand away.

“Patience, Love.”

“Reed,” Noah whines. Rearing back, I smack his ass. Smiling when he hisses but doesn’t move.Hmmm, it seems my little love likes to be spanked.I reach between his legs, palming his balls. They feel heavy and warm in my hand; my mouth waters wanting a taste. Doing just that, I flatten my tongue, lick up his balls, and just before I reach his hole, I pull back.

“No, please,” Noah begs, trying to back himself up into me. Turning my back, I scrape my teeth over his bare skin.

---