Page 21 of Risky Taste
By the end of the week, Kurt’s suspicion is growing. The hickey Declan left on Noah’s neck was like a fucking beacon, a purple stain blooming against his pale skin, impossible to hide. The texts lighting up Noah’s phone, the random drop-ins at his place—they’re damning us, and we know it. We’ve tried to pull back, to stop hovering, to give him space but it’s like fighting gravity.
My bed’s been cold the past few nights until last night, empty without him pressed against me, his warmth chasing away the nightmares that claw at my sleep. I haven’t slept beside him, not since the first night and it’s killing me. I’d tell Kurt everything—lay it bare, consequences be damned—but I don’t know what that truth would do to Noah. It’s not just fear of his brother finding out that haunts him; it’s something darker, a thought that maybe Heath wasn’t the only dark presence in Noah’s life.
Because when I pushed for answers, it became clear that Kurt’s rage terrified Noah but it was a deeper wound slowlyrevealing itself, something tied to Heath and maybe even Noah’s first tour before he was honorably discharged.
The hardest part is watching Kurt prod and pick at and demand answers. We’re always around Kurt, whether it’s heading up training for new recruits or hanging with buddies we’ve returned with. But it’s the moments when we catch Kurt and Noah in the same space that worries me. The way Noah flinches or curls in on himself beneath Kurt’s harsh words guts me. Those wide eyes, tears glazing over them as he weathers harsh criticisms no brother should have to.
Logan and I are at a loss of what to do, other than continually stepping in and defending Noah which just continues to piss Kurt off. However, Declan has a completely different plan of attack—that isn’t completely voluntary—and unfortunately, it isn’t helping. He doesn’t date—he consumes. His love is a tidal wave, crashing hard and fast, an obsession that burns through him.
He provides, he protects, his emotions a furnace that never cools. I’m worried that he will absolutely fight Kurt if it comes to it, if Kurt doesn’t back the fuck down and stop badgering his brother. It’s always why Declan is consumed in tracking down every last goddamn piece of information about Heath and what he’s up to these days. He’s determined to get those divorce papers signed, digging up any and everything he can.
When Noah found out, the obsessive mess on the second bed in my room making it abundantly clear how obsessed Declan was, he merely just brushed it off. Like it didn’t matter.
Last night I convinced Noah to sleep over, coaxing him into my bed for purely selfish reasons. As much as he needed me for the comfort to escape thinking about Ronny’s funeral today, I need him to hold back the nightmares.
And now we’re all hovering around him again, Noah innocently perched in Declan’s lap, his eyes closed as Logansprawls across the other bed, flipping through one of many files Declan printed out.
I lean back against the headboard, loving how perfectly Noah fits between the three of us as Declan’s chin rests on his shoulder, his lips brushing the curve of Noah’s neck, and my stomach twists, a mix of want and dread coiling tight. “Bunny, you good?” Declan murmurs, pressing a slow kiss to Noah’s shoulder.
Noah’s cheeks stain with an adorable pink as he huffs out a small breath. “Yeah, I’m good. Well, good as I can be.” Noah whispers, pulling Declan’s arms tighter around his stomach, his fingers digging into Declan’s skin. His gaze lifts to me, dragging down my bare torso. The scars I once hid—jagged lines crisscrossing my chest, a map of battles I barely survived—I bare to him without shame.
“You guys don’t have to come,” he says, his voice fading into the quiet.
Logan frowns, sitting up and glaring at Noah. “The fuck you mean?” Noah is about to argue but trust Logan to shut Noah’s horrid ideas down before they take root. “We’re not sending you there alone, Noah. God, I wish you could truly believe me when I say that we’re not going anywhere. That we will be your strength, that you can lean on us.”
I add my two cents to the conversation before Noah tries to pull away. “We all knew Ronny in some part, whether in passing or through you.” I watch Noah curl into himself again, his shoulders hunching, his hands twisting in his lap. It’s a reflex, a wall he throws up, and it guts me. He’s pushing us away, convinced he’s a burden, a weight we shouldn’t bear. He doesn’t get it—this isn’t a transaction, not a game of give and take. We’re all in, bound to him in ways he can’t see, and his retreat only deepens the ache in my chest. That’s when I realize that maybe we aren’t seeing the entire picture. “Is this about Heath?”
Noah doesn’t react and I sit up a little straighter, glaring at the other two for an explanation. I was gone for maybe fifteen minutes taking a shower but none of them left. Noah visibly flinches and then relaxes again beneath Declan’s attention, my brows furrowing as confusion sets in.What the fuck?That’s when I catch Noah’s phone light up on the dresser and then the screen goes dark. It’s a repeating cycle as if messages are pouring in with no breath in between.
I reach over to grab the device, rage billowing beneath the surface as I start scrolling the relentless messages. Cruel, taunting words from Heath that have no business lighting up Noah’s phone. “Tell me this shit is fake,” I growl out, chucking the device at Logan.
I knew there were going to be obstacles once that man tried worming his way back into Noah’s life after we staked our claim but this wasn’t what I expected.
“It’s okay,” Noah whispers, but his voice trembles. Declan’s arms tighten around him, his hold keeping Noah from spiraling into the abyss I see flickering in his eyes. It’s not okay. This—on top of Ronny’s funeral, the guilt Noah carries like a second skin might undo everything we’ve been working toward.
It seems that whatever Declan found hit a nerve and now Heath is taking it out on the one man he knows will fold under the pressure—or at least the one man who he thinks would. From what I caught scrolling through those hateful words, Heath was asking questions, desperation and panic coating every single one.
I can’t shake the gnawing suspicion that Heath’s odd behavior, the way he’s clawing back into Noah’s life, isn’t just the mark of an abusive prick. There’s something shadier lurking beneath, something dirty tied to his past, his business, his secrets. Now, I just need to know what the fuck Declan found.
Logan looks up from scrolling through the messages, his blue eyes reflecting the same murderous rage simmering in my chest. “He just said he’s going to be there. At the funeral. Says he just wants to talk.”
“I’m not talking to that bastard,” Noah pushes out, his shoulder straightening ever so slightly. There’s a war brewing in his eyes, something between fear and determination. “I’ve been trying to fucking talk to him for two years to sign the divorce papers and now that Declan is pushing buttons, he wants totalk? I don’t fucking buy it.” His nostrils flare as he fists his hands in his lap before pushing to his feet. His eyes dart around the room, tension feeding his anger.
I know that look—the restless sweep, the twitch of his fingers. He’s preparing to run, searching for his keys, his phone, anything to get him out the door and away from this. God, I hate this. Moving slowly, I pull him into my lap, waiting until he relaxes against my chest. “What do you need, babe?”
Noah lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t even fucking know. I’m just ready for him to figure it out, for Kurt to get his head out of his ass, and for everything not to hurt anymore.”
A soft growl tears my attention from the man in my arms to a barely contained Declan. He’s basically vibrating, fury bleeding through him. I feel the same way but other than declaring our relationship at the funeral—which wouldn’t be the time or place—there’s nothing we can do.
“Declan, nip whatever idea you’ve got going on in the bud. No. Cut it out.” I glare at the man, daring him to challenge me on this. Logan is laid back as usual, a false calm before the storm but at least he doesn’t look like he’s going to kill someone. “We’ll pay our respects and then we’ll dip. We’ll explain it to Kurt when we get there. Because he has to know.”
“Explain what?” Noah frowns, looking up at me as he sits up a little straighter.
I force a smile onto my face because as much as I want to leave Kurt high and dry, he needs to know that Heath is bad news. “Explain that Heath needs to be dealt with before he makes a scene. Kurt’s trying. It’s not enough. But I’m hoping he’s genuine enough to do something about this. Heath is bad news, babe which could ultimately affect not just your career but his.”
Kurt’s selfish enough to at least protect his own assets so I’m hoping this tidbit of information will overshadow everything else.
Noah nods, giving me permission and then I glance over at the other two, silently warning them not to do anything stupid. I want to protect our man just as much as they do but I won’t do it at the expense of his sanity. However, if Heath tries something, he won’t get another chance.
