Page 16 of Risky Taste
Kurt lets out a growl of frustration as he steps toward me. I don’t think he’d hit me, not really, but the motion triggers something primal, a memory etched into my bones. Heath looming over me, his fist raised, the crack of knuckles against my jaw or a firm hand around my throat.
I stumble backwards into the corner of the kitchen island, bracing for a blow I’ve felt too many times, the pain I’ve learned to expect. My eyes fall shut as my entire body tenses, ashuddering breath leaving me as I wait for the impact that never comes.
A door slams and then a grunt follows, Kurt hitting the wall, it sounds like. “Not you too, Declan. What the fuck is going on here?” Kurt’s voice cracks, confusion lacing his anger.
My eyes snap open, heat flooding my face as I take in the scene. Declan’s there, his broad shoulders blocking Kurt against the wall, his hands fisted in my brother’s shirt. His snarl is feral, dark eyes glinting with fury. He wasn’t in the house a moment ago so Logan must have said something which set Declan off. “Don’t you raise your fucking hand to Noah. He’s done nothing to deserve that.”
“I wasn’t going to hit him!” Kurt shoves back, his voice pitching higher. “What the fuck? All three of you are acting weird.”
Declan releases him, stepping away with a shake of his head. “No. You’re just oblivious as fuck. Heath used to do that. Charge him.”
I don’t know why Declan knows that. Sebastian knows because he somehow wrangled it out of me and it kind of came up last night in bed together. But Declan and Logan weren’t present for that relationship, not even the beginning of it. Then it dawns on me that although I wasn’t focused on them, they very well had their eyes on me.
Heath came to the clinic, the house, took me out on dates when it was really new, when I thought I was in love. The few times he acted out, I dismissed it. It was just anger, just emotions, just… whatever I could find to explain it away. It didn’t actually get bad until after we were married, but Declan must have seen those moments.
And by god, that just makes this all the more embarrassing.
Kurt glares at me, watching me for several seconds before shoving Declan with a little more force than necessary. “Iremember telling you to protect him in college but whatever this is? Figure it out. I distinctly remember telling you that my brother is off-limits. Don’t piss me off.” Then he stomps past the both of us and heads upstairs but not before I hear his last words. “Noah, I get you might be grieving or some shit but find someone else to fuck your problems away. Leave my friends out of it.”
The silence that follows is painful as I meet Declan’s worried gaze. Even though I know how Kurt is, his words still hurt and I’m beginning to realize that it has nothing to do with how much he understands. It haseverythingto do with how much he cares. The world ishisoyster and I don’t fit into his plans.
Dating his friends would mean that they aren’t still focused on him.
Declan shifts closer, gently gripping my chin and tipping my face upward. “You good, Strong?” His voice is low, rough around the edges, cutting through the silence. “Noah?” Declan presses, softer this time, his dark eyes searching mine.
I bob my head, a weak nod, forcing the words out. “I’m okay.” They taste like a lie, bitter and hollow, crumbling on my tongue.
He chuckles, stepping even closer, one of his arms wrapping around my back. “No. You’re not. But that’s okay too. Look. Let’s table tomorrow’s lesson. Alright? I think you need a distraction. We’ll still meet at the little café but no math. Just us.”
“Why?” My voice cracks.
“Because you need someone to drag you outside of your head. Everything in the last day and a half has only made it worse. Do you even remember when we used to hang out here with your brother?” I manage a small nod but the memories are fuzzy. Most of what I remember was chaos and parties and a scene that wasn’t really for me. “You don’t really remember, do you?” Declan’s tone softens, but there’s a weight to it, a sadness that mirrors my own. “We’d just met at school. You were Kurt’s littlebrother, a mystery. But you were this free spirit. We couldn’t ever find you—always walking or hiking or exploring nature. Your head was either in the books or the clouds. That’s where the nickname Bunny came from.”
I always thought it was something from school. I never thought there had been that much thought put behind it.
“Couldn’t keep you in one place. Always hopping off to the next adventure. Enjoying life to the fullest. And now?” His voice hardens. “You’ve caved so far into yourself that you don’t know which way is up. All I want is to get you back there. I promise. One step at a time though.”
He waits a few seconds, lips hovering over mine, silently asking for permission. I nod, the slightest movement, before he takes. It’s gentle but possessive, a claiming but not rough like I would have assumed.
When he releases me, my breath hitches, a ragged gasp I can’t stifle. The urge to beg him to keep going burns in my throat, a plea I swallow down. He presses another kiss, lighter this time, his lips curving into a smile as he pulls away.
“One step at a time, Bunny.”
I open my mouth to ask about my brother, because literally after he just told us to figure our shit out, Declan kissed me.
He steps back, a devilish grin spreading across his lips. “Noah, I’m not about to cave to your brother’s demands because he feels hurt that our attention isn’t 100% on him. We spent three years together and he’s definitely family, but he’s not my focus and he can’t demand that.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “What about bro code and all?”
“Bro code only applies when your friends aren’t selfish pieces of shit and to be honest, I saw you first.”
My brows rise because that’s news to me. “What?”
“Sure, Kurt was in the same fraternity as us but you caught my eye days before I ever saw him. Had no idea who you were butknew that I wanted to. I only stayed away because of Kurt but I’m not doing that anymore. He doesn’t get to dictate my feelings and he sure as hell has no control over yours. I know what I want, Noah. What doyouwant?”
I give it a few seconds, mulling over the right words to say but they’ve already made their intentions clear. Kind of. I’m still not sure they’re really okay with sharing because they haven’t explicitly come out and said it. “I want to be selfish, Declan but I’m scared of what will happen if I am. Everything is very loud in my head right now. Just… can we pick this up tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. Don’t be late, Bunny.” The name brings a smile to my face as he presses a firm kiss to my forehead. “Just remember one thing for me. Regardless of what you want, of what you choose, know that you have three men in your corner for you to lean on, talk to, whatever you need. You’re not alone, Noah.”
