Page 17 of Silent Fire

“Maybe next time,” he murmured, the barest hint of challenge in his voice. “I prefer to be wined and dined before getting consumed.”

White-hot lust surged through Tomas’s veins like lightning. His mate was a force of nature, all steel and spitfire wrapped in an adorably rumpled package. He wanted to devour Noel, claim him in the most primal way possible. But he reined in the urge, content, for now, to simply bask in the tension thrumming between them.

“As you wish, mi dulce adicción,” Tomas purred, letting the endearment roll off his tongue like a caress.

He held Noel’s heated gaze for a long moment before leaning back, draping one arm along the back of the booth in a casual display of possession. Let his mate catch his breath, let the anticipation build to a simmer.

Grinning wolfishly, Tomas settled more comfortably into the booth. A subtle shifting of his weight had their legs aligning from hip to knee. An innocent enough touch, yet laden with the unspoken promise of more to come.

* * * *

After paying the check, Tomas stood and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal a tantalizing glimpse of toned abs. Noel’s gaze lingered, warmth pooling low in his belly at the sight. Clearing his throat, he tore his eyes away before Tomas noticed his staring.

They exited the diner, the morning sun bright overhead. Noel’s sneakers scuffed against the pavement as they walked toward Tomas’s motorcycle.

“I think I ate too much.” Tomas rested a hand over his stomach.

“Eating too much sausage is never a good thing.” Noel smirked. “You have to limit your intake.”

Tomas gasped, placing a hand over his heart in feigned indignity. “Blasphemy!”

God, the guy was so damn charming. Noel snickered, feeling himself blush. “Just be thankful you didn’t order any Polish sausages. You’d probably be in a coma right now.”

“Seriously.” Tomas slid his hand over Noel’s, stopping them on the sidewalk. “I had a good time, cariño. Thanks for coming with me and brightening my morning.”

Noel didn’t know what to say. It was the best morning he’d had in years. Honestly, it was probably the best morning of his life. “Me too.” He gave Tomas’s fingers a gently squeeze. “And you were right. The pancakes were worth that fever dream.”

The way Tomas stood there looking at him had Noel blushing even harder. Especially when he thought about what the guy had said to him inside the diner. He looked like he wanted to say something but smiled and began walking again. “I have to run a few errands today. Wanna come with me?”

That wasn’t what Tomas was about to say, but Noel wasn’t going to ask what that strange look in the man’s eyes was all about. “Sure. Not like I have anything better to do.”

“I can think of a few things.” Tomas winked.

“You’re still incorrigible.” Noel released his hand, walking a little faster. “Stop staring at my ass.”

Tomas barked out a laugh, the sound making Noel weak in the knees. It should be criminal the way the guy used charisma as a seductive weapon.

An uneasiness began to settle inside Noel’s belly the closer he drew to the motorcycle, though he couldn’t figure out why. Noel covertly glanced around, afraid to tell Tomas what he was feeling. What if it was nothing? He didn’t want to look like an alarmist if it was just his nerves. Tomas had sparked something inside of him with all the flirting, and Noel was a bit flustered. Maybe that was it. Just simple nerves from being practically seduced under the watchful eyes of all those ceramic lizards.

He frowned when something on the bike’s seat glinted in the sun, catching his eye. The uneasiness intensified with each step. Nausea rolled up his throat as cold chills formed in his chest.

Oh god. It was a ring. Tungsten, with a brushed finish and beveled edges. A thousand memories assaulted him—Brian’s cruel whispers in Noel’s ear, the twisted sense of ownership that had driven his obsession.

The thundering pulse in his ears drowned out the sounds of passing cars and Tomas’s footsteps behind him. Noel couldn’t move as tremors racked his body, even darker memories threatening to swallow him whole. Nights huddled in corners, cradling bruised ribs as Brian raged nearby. Flashes of furious eyes and the bone-deep agony of the man’s fists flickered behind Noel’s lids every time he blinked.

“Noel?” Tomas’s voice cut through the static, his hand settling on Noel’s shoulder with grounding warmth. “What’s wrong, cariño?”

But Noel couldn’t form the words, couldn’t explain the terror gripping him with icy fingers. His gaze remained locked on that simple tungsten band, breaths coming in shallow gasps as the world tilted around him. Distantly, he heard Tomas speaking, the low rumble of his voice urgent but indistinct over the pounding of blood in his ears.

All he could see now was Brian’s heated gaze as he slid the ring onto Noel’s finger. The cruelty that followed when Noel shouted he could never marry a monster. He’d ripped the ring off and gathered the courage to run from his ex’s abuse.

But the ring was here. That twisted symbol of possession and pain had found him again.

Tomas pulled him close, gathering Noel against the solid warmth of his chest. One arm banded around his back while the other cradled his head, fingers stroking soothingly through his hair.

Noel shuddered, every muscle in his body pulled taut like a bowstring. He clutched at Tomas’s shirt, burying his face in the crook of the man’s neck as he struggled to draw air into his burning lungs.

“Breathe, cariño,” he murmured. “Just breathe with me.”

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