Noaz (Van Doren #2)

23. Briar

23

brIAR

Ten weeks from today is Miranda’s due date. We celebrated by sending her a gift basket filled with fruits and jams. She called this morning in tears—which Heath assured us were happy pregnancy tears and nothing to be alarmed about.

After we talked to her for a while, we did what we always do and continued to check things off our list of items needed. Some of our orders have arrived. Yesterday, we worked on disassembling the guest room closest to our bedroom and rehoming the furniture throughout the house. What we couldn’t fit or didn’t find a home for, we had members of the staff bring to the big house where there are an undisclosed number of storage rooms containing anything we could ever ask for as far as furniture was concerned.

Which, yes, includes baby furniture. However, Noaz didn’t recognize anything and since nothing had labels saying where it came from, who used it, and so on, it was just old furniture. All we knew was that it had been in the Van Doren family for who knew how long .

By next week, we should receive all the deliveries of furniture and the first few pieces of other things too—like a swing and a portable playpen. Items for the rest of the house since the baby’s things won’t just be stored in their bedroom.

There are boxes everywhere of things to put together and I know this is just the beginning. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a single room without a box in it. Next week we’ve planned an assembly party, though I anticipate it might take several days for us to get through everything.

It’s exciting. Getting the initial news about our baby was one thing. But it felt abstract still. Like there was nothing tangible for us to hang on to. It became far more real when we met Miranda and attended her five-month checkup. Then we saw our baby on the screen. Heard their heartbeat. Saw them move. Got to bring home a sonogram picture.

And now, our house is starting to look like a baby would live here. Every day, it becomes more and more real.

But for now, it feels like we’re living in a box fort as more pile up every day. I find it amusing that all deliveries are brought to the big house. No one besides residents, personnel, and guests are allowed beyond the big house. This means the house staff brings us deliveries every time they show up. Sometimes multiple times a day.

We’re looking forward to getting everything built because it means we can then put things away, like diapers, clothes, blankets, toys, and everything else. We don’t have much of that yet since we don’t have anywhere to put it. In two weeks, we’ll really be shopping. What we have are bags filled with things from Honey Bee.

Once the fire catches on the wick, I move to the next candle as the water fills the tub. There aren’t many bubbles, but the aromatherapy oils I found in the cabinet have the bathroom smelling like a spa.

The bathroom attached to our bedroom is far bigger than I’ve ever thought was necessary. It’s a luxury if I ever saw one. There’s a vanity filled with drawers and lighting around the mirror. There’s a soft chair pushed in under the counter, and the entire thing is filled with Noaz’s makeup.

I’ve sat beside them and watched them go through their morning and nighttime routines. There’s something mesmerizing about it.

The shower is luxurious too, with a big shower head and a wall of smaller sprays that turn on like a car wash.

But my favorite piece is the big tub. It’s an organic square with imperfect curves. It’s deep, with lights and lots of jets. There’s also a wide sill around it and a window that looks into the trees.

Once all the candles are lit and the tub is filled, I turn off the water and go in search of Noaz. I’m not surprised to find them curled up on the couch with their e-reader. They’ve been frantically reading parenting books since we learned about our baby.

Placing a kiss on top of their head, I gently take their reader from them and set it on the table. “Come with me.”

Noaz doesn’t argue as I pull them to their feet. With their hand in mine, I lead them to our bedroom and into the bathroom. Noaz takes a deep breath as they look around. “Why are you so damn sweet?” they ask, voice quiet.

“Mmm,” I answer, pressing my lips to their jaw. “I don’t know if this is sweet or not. I think it might be selfish since I want to get you naked in the tub so I can hold you against me.”

They shake their head. “That’s still sweet. ”

I gently tug at their shirt until they lift their arms and I pull it over their head, letting my hands run over their smooth skin as it hits the floor. There are tattoos dotted over their skin in no particular pattern. One doesn’t necessarily relate to another. They’re spaced far enough apart so you know they’re independent and not a series to make sense of together. They each have their own story. Their own memory.

Once I divest Noaz of their pants, I take their hand and lead them to the tub, helping them step in and get settled. Then I undress and join them. Once in the hot water, I turn the bubbles on and bring Noaz onto my lap, chest to chest, so they’re straddling me.

Noaz puts their long, dark hair back with an elastic, wrapping it so it’s not in the water and secured to the back of their head. Their hands come to my chest after. As I marvel at this magnificent person I get to spend my life with, I find I’m hoping our baby has dark hair like theirs.

“I know we talk about the baby a lot,” Noaz says, “but… can I ask your opinion on something?”

“You never need to ask, and I’m very happy to talk about our baby. All the time.”

They sigh. “I’m trying to think of what to be called. Do I stick with simplicity and be Dada or something?”

“What feels right to you?”

Noaz presses their lips together, moving them around as they think. “I actually kind of like Daddy, but I kind of think you might want to be Daddy and I feel like if we both use Daddy, it’ll be confusing.”

“My mom calls her father Papi, which is the direct translation of Daddy in Spanish. I can be Papi. ”

“Do you like that?”

I nod. “I do. And I think it’ll mean a lot to my mom to know I’m bringing my Latino heritage into our home.”

Noaz sighs. “I love that. What other things do you want to bring in?”

Chuckling, I shrug. “I don’t know. I think I want to bring some of my food in, definitely. Other things I think might fall into place over time. Mom wasn’t huge on our traditions. It came out in the more personal things—like the affectionate terms for each other and food. Those kinds of sentiments. Things that revolved around family.”

“I don’t know much about my ancestry. Van Doren is Dutch. I’d love to tell you it had some grand meaning, but it is literally a surname that states we’re from a specific geological location. Van is a Dutch prefix that means ‘one who lived at’ or ‘who comes from.’ I am Noaz from Doorn.” They roll their eyes.

I grin. “But that’s really awesome. That means you know right where your family came from.”

Noaz tilts their head. “Yeah, I suppose. Netherlands.”

“That’s cool.”

They sigh.

“Come here, Daddy,” I tease, pulling Noaz to me. They laugh as they adjust on my lap so our chests are together again and they’re relaxed in my arms. I gently run my hands along their smooth back.

“I can’t believe in just a couple months, we’re going to have our baby,” Noaz whispers.

I grin. “Hard to believe it’s finally happening, huh? ”

“I’ve waited so long to reach this point in my life, Briar. I’ve wished for you and our family on every single star.”

“I know what you mean. I feel like I’ve been working my way toward this moment since I was six. This is the life I’ve imagined since I was a kid. Until we met, I felt like I’d been slogging along, wasting time meeting the wrong person over and over again.”

Noaz sighs. “The original fairy tales were dark and gory; yet, the term has a whimsical, happily ever after connotation. I feel like I’ve finally found my fairy tale complete with my Prince Charming. Which, by the way, Levis is the one who said you’re the Prince Charming.”

I laugh, kissing the top of their head. “Good to know, though he’s not one to talk.”

We’re quiet for a long time. The only sounds surrounding us are the bubbles in the tub. I adjust in the tub, sliding down a bit so I can rest my head against the back and close my eyes.

Noaz’s hand reaches between us after some time and takes our cocks in their hand. Yes, we’d both been semi-hard. Impossible not to be when we’re naked and slick and pressed together. Though Noaz lazily strokes our dicks together, they make no real effort in getting us hard or off.

I close my eyes, concentrating on their breath brushing against my neck and their hand slowly moving over our dicks. This is a feeling I’d never considered before. Who would have thought that having your cock against another could be so… erotic?

Maybe it’s not the dick that matters as much as the person the dick is attached to. Would I feel this way if it were anyone else? Would it be a turn-on?

Noaz’s free hand glides up my slick chest and around to the back of my neck as their thumb brushes over the heads of our cocks, teasing against our slits. I shiver in appreciation as their mouth moves to my neck. They kiss me, long wet kisses against my skin. Their hips begin to rock, making the gliding of their dick against mine much more prominent.

I grip their hips. Not to keep them still, but to keep myself still. Allowing them to orchestrate this.

“Think we’ll make a mess if I ride you in the tub?” Noaz murmurs.

“Yes.”

Their lips curl against my neck. “I think I want to take that chance, anyway.” Then their mouth is on mine, and we kiss much more deeply. The heat between us picks up. Between my racing heart and the heat of the water, I’m sweating.

Gripping Noaz’s hips, I slide them flush to me so I can reach around to their ass and rub their hole. I’ve never considered myself closed-minded, but I’ll admit I’d been pretty terrified I’d be very hesitant when it came to touching an asshole. I know what comes out of those things and yeah. Not for me.

However, I’ve found it far less horrifying than expected. Even right from the beginning. Again, I’m not sure if it’s because this is Noaz or I’m just not opposed to asses as much as I anticipated I would be. Every time I touch their hole and listen to them moan, the first time I sank into their body floods my mind and I want to be back there. Yes, because it felt good, but more than that, because I’ve discovered paradise is being connected to Noaz Van Doren.

“I cleaned really well this morning,” Noaz says breathlessly.

Not long ago, I learned exactly what that meant. I had no idea so much went into having a dick up your ass.

“You anticipating something today, love?” I murmur in their ear between nibbling on their lobe .

Noaz moans, their hips rocking more urgently against mine, causing the water to slosh. Not quite hitting the rim, but getting close, and the flames of the candles around us flicker.

“Hoping. Praying. Wishing on a star,” they say between wet kisses.

I grin and lift them up. “Let’s see if we can avoid flooding the bathroom,” I suggest and guide Noaz to bend over the back of the tub where my head had been. The one place that’s sans candle.

That sexy ass is now very much on display. I grip their ass cheeks, squeezing them in my hands and spreading them wide for me so I’m looking at a pretty puckered hole.

I nearly snort. A pretty hole. Who am I?

Someone who wants to worship this hole. That’s who. I run my thumb along it before spreading their cheeks again. We’ve talked about rimming in the past, briefly, and I can’t say I was overly excited about the idea. But Noaz just assured me they’re very clean right now and I won’t lie and pretend I don’t suddenly want to bury my face between their cheeks.

Taking a breath, I do just that.

Noaz grunts and then groans low in their throat. I don’t open my mouth as I brush my nose along their crack. That is until the temptation is just too great, and I take an experimental lick. Noaz shivers.

They don’t taste like anything. That’s encouraging. I take another lick, longer and more pronounced this time. The sexy sound Noaz releases makes me burn. So I keep licking, experimenting with suction and my teeth. They sound sexy as fuck .

I knew this bath that was meant to be relaxing was going to end in sex, so I stashed a tube of water-based lube behind the candles to my right. Water-based because I saw a video once that silicone-based is a nightmare to clean up. It does not just float on the top of the water like oil. It sticks to everything and yeah. No, thanks.

Taking my mouth away, I kiss along the small of their back as I push the lube into their ass. Deeper and deeper, thoroughly coating them as much as I can. Then I line up and slowly begin to sink in, making us both groan.

Leaning over Noaz, I blanket their body with mine and kiss the backs of their shoulders. I take my time, pausing to let their body adjust. I’ve found this sweet spot where, when I pause long enough, Noaz’s body loosens after a minute and it’s smooth sailing.

“Love you,” I whisper against Noaz’s ear once I’m seated deeply.

Their hand comes up and grips the back of my head. “Love you,” Noaz repeats. “Let’s make a mess. Fuck me until I’m screaming your name.”

I groan, my balls throbbing at the idea. Or maybe that’s the blood in my veins making my vision blur for just a minute with the heightening of my arousal.

“I’m glad we have a good mop,” I say and then do exactly as they want.