Untamed Instincts (Midnight Falls #26)

Chapter One

“ D u d e, I don’t get what you’re waiting for,”

Harris said with exasperation.

“Do you need me to hold your hand through it?”

Layne’s expression would’ve seemed sincere, but a hint of laughter danced in his eyes. “I may not be interested in guys, but for my little brother, I would gladly stand next to the bed and hold your hand while you lose your V card.”

All Noah said was installing a condom dispenser in the men’s room was a great idea and wondered if the women’s room had one as well.

Harris was acting as if Noah was waiting for Prince Charming to sweep him off his feet, and Layne just seemed determined to get him laid.

“First of all…”

Noah interjected as a new song blared from the jukebox. There were conversations all around them, and the sounds of laughter and the clacking of pool balls echoed from the other room of Fearless Fox. “ Don’t call me ‘little brother’ when you’re talking about helping me with sex, which is never even going to happen.”

“Here we go again,”

Harris muttered under his breath.

Noah narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “If you didn’t keep making such a big deal about it, it wouldn’t seem like one.”

“When you say it’s never going to happen, are you talking about sex?”

Layne furrowed his brows.

Grabbing a fry from the basket in the center of their table, Noah tossed it at his brother. “I’m talking about you holding my hand as I have sex, idiot.”

“Listen…”

Layne’s expression turned serious, no hint of a teasing smile. “I get it, man. Even though I’m married now, I still remember how crazy nervous I was my first time.”

“Stop.”

Noah raised his hand in front of his brother’s face. He and Layne had always talked openly about sex, but that didn’t mean Noah wanted details, which Layne would give him if Noah couldn’t shut him up.

“But you’ll never experience the best gift to man if you don’t take the plunge.”

“Just to clarify for your virgin mind, Layne is talking about sex,”

Harris chimed in with a mischievous grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows. “You should let something get plunged.”

“While neither your obnoxious best friend nor I can tell you what it’s like to be with another guy, I’m almost sure there’s still a slot A and a tab B involved.”

Layne seemed to consider that for a moment then gestured toward Noah’s crotch. “I won’t let my little brother turn twenty-six in two weeks without ever experiencing a mind-bending blowjob.”

Tired of them teaming up on him, Noah crossed his arms on the table and leaned toward his brother. “So let me get this straight. In order to make that happen, you’re going to stand next to the bed and hold my hand while some guy gives me head? Do I have that right?”

Layne blushed as pink as cotton candy. “No. I meant I would provide all the moral support you need.”

“That’s not what I heard.”

Noah turned to Harris with a shit-eating grin for confirmation. “Did he not just offer to physically be there during my deflowering?”

Harris was laughing too hard to respond, causing Noah to burst out laughing as well. They’d been friends since kindergarten when Harris stopped a little girl from stealing Noah’s raisins during snack time. They’d been inseparable since.

“You two are immature jerks,”

Layne responded. “If Harris was gay, you guys would make the perfect asshole couple.”

Layne had made that joke so many times over the years that Noah suspected his brother secretly wished they were actually together.

But Noah had never seen Harris as anything more than his best friend. Well, except for that confusingly brief moment in high school when he felt jealous of a girl making out with Harris before gym class.

Harris had explained that Noah’s jealousy stemmed from his fear of someone interfering in their friendship. Which Harris had assured would never happen.

“I’m grabbing another drink.”

Noah slid out of his chair, completely over the two. So what if he hadn’t had sex. He didn’t understand the big deal.

Men hit on him, asked him on dates, but when things looked as if they were heading in the direction of sex, for some reason, Noah ran for the hills.

It had to be some kind of birth defect. The thought of being intimate shouldn’t cause him to react that way. It was a natural, biological drive everyone experienced.

Everyone except him. He’d yet to experience sex and was starting to wonder if he ever would.

“Admit it,”

Harris said, recovering from his laughing fit but still chuckling. “You’re just avoiding the conversation.”

“You’re damn right.”

Noah shook his head and walked toward the bar, leaving Harris and Layne bickering behind him.

“What can I get for you?”

Jake asked, a hint of good-natured amusement in his electric-blue eyes. “Another beer or do you need something stronger?”

Had the bartender overheard them? With the loud music and other noises in the bar, Noah had assumed their conversation was private. And my embarrassment keeps growing. “Can you do me a favor and forget you heard those idiots?”

Jake smiled warmly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Noah.”

“Then I have no idea why I’m thanking you. Can I get another beer?”

He gave Jake an appreciative smile just as a mountainous man walked out of the pool room and took a seat at the bar, two stools down from where Noah stood.

Midnight Falls was known for its tall and muscular residents, and this stranger was no exception. Noah might not have had sex before, but he had a very vivid imagination.

And his mind was doing a whole lot of imagining as he swept his gaze over Mr. Mountain. Noah couldn’t recall ever being this overwhelmingly attracted to someone. The stranger did something to his insides. He rubbed the center of his chest, wondering why he had an urge to melt into the man’s arms.

When their eyes met, Noah quickly looked away, feeling the heat of embarrassment spread across his face and ears.

This is exactly why the only relationship you’ve ever had is with your hand.

Yeah, but if I’m going to lose my virginity, I’d rather it not be with a guy who probably has a dick the size of an anaconda.

You’re pathetically hopeless.

What in the hell was going on inside his head?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stranger sniff the air and then frown as he turned his gaze back to Noah.

“Here you go.”

Jake set the bottle on the counter.

“Thanks.”

Noah took a drink, still aware of the stranger’s curious gaze on him.

Harris joined Noah at the bar, tossing an arm over his shoulders. “I’m just giving you a hard time about having sex. Although I think Layne is serious,”

Harris said. “Never seen him so adamant about a blowjob.”

Giving the massive guy his back, Noah turned his attention to his best friend, but he could still feel the man’s gaze burning into him. “You two need to stop pressuring me into having sex.”

He furrowed his brows. “My brother totally offered to hold my hand while I got a blowjob.”

Sticking out his tongue, he gagged at the thought.

In truth, Noah knew damn well what Layne meant, but he’d been trying to get the spotlight off of himself. And it was fun teasing his brother. The guy was too easy.

“I can’t believe he said that either.”

Harris chuckled. “Since I have to get up early, I’m heading out. Layne’s giving me a ride home, seeing as he has to pass my house. Are you leaving?”

“As soon as I finish my beer.”

If Noah had known the two were done for the night, he wouldn’t have ordered it. He wasn’t ready to head home to his empty apartment anyway.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Harris gave him a quick hug. “Drive safe.”

As Noah sat on a stool and exhaled deeply, a bowl of pretzels slowly moved down the counter toward him.

“Wanna share these with me?”

the stranger asked, hooking a finger over the edge of the bowl and pulling it back slowly. “Going once, twice.”

Noah mirrored the gesture, gently tugging at the other side of the bowl, their hands locked in a playful tug-of-war. “Hey, you offered them to me, so why are you trying to take them back?”

The stranger’s smile caused his gray eyes to sparkle. “You took too long.”

“I took two seconds,”

Noah countered with a laugh.

“I’m Quinton Everhart, by the way.”

He stuck out his beefy hand.

“Noah,”

he said as he shook it.

* * * *

Quinton suppressed a growl, unsure what was more beautiful, Noah’s smile or his sweet laughter.

Or what confused and pissed him off more, those guys trying to pressure his mate into having sex with them, or the fact… Had the blond really said Noah’s brother ? That couldn’t be right. Quinton must’ve heard him wrong.

What exactly was going on with his mate?

“Nuh-uh, wait.”

He snatched the pretzel before Noah could eat it.

“You’re just one big pretzel tease, aren’t you?”

Noah huffed, appearing genuinely annoyed.

Quinton’s bear softly growled. “I propose a game.”

He held up the pretzel he’d taken from Noah.

His mate spun to face him, and damn if Quinton didn’t want to tug the skinny human onto his lap. “What kind of game?”

Who can get undressed the fastest.

“Each person asks a question,”

Quinton stated. “If the other person answers it, truthfully, they can eat a pretzel.”

Noah smiled softly, causing Quinton’s dick to harden. “So, just to clarify, we’re playing a high-stakes game of getting to know each other.”

He tapped his chin in the most adorable way. “What happens if we don’t answer?”

“Then you have to buy the other a drink.”

Noah seemed to consider his offer, and Quinton swept his gaze over the guy’s handsome face. He was staring directly at Noah, simply blown away at the fact his mate was seated right next to him.

Now he knew how his best friend, Kalen, had felt the morning he’d met Delta. No wonder the wolf shifter had acted like his mind was short circuiting.

That was exactly how Quinton felt at the moment.

“Okay, but we don’t get too personal,”

Noah finally agreed, picking up a pretzel. “Go ahead and ask.”

The first question that popped into his head was asking who those men were and why the fuck they were trying to pressure his mate into having sex with them. Also, would he need to kill them?

“How old are you?”

Lame, but he wanted to put his mate at ease.

“Twenty-five.”

Noah smiled before tossing the pretzel into his mouth. Quinton’s perverted gaze zeroed in on Noah’s swanlike neck as his mate chewed then swallowed.

He’d just met his mate, and his bear wanted to claim the human, to bend him over the bar and fuck him, which only fueled Quinton’s arousal.

Picking up a pretzel, Quinton held it close to his lips with a sly grin. “Ask whatever you want, handsome.”

“Are you single?”

Noah’s cheeks blossomed with the prettiest blush Quinton had ever seen.

Not anymore. “Yes. I haven’t been in a relationship in some time, and, no, I currently don’t have anyone on speed dial for booty calls.”

He had to erase those numbers pronto.

Using the tip of his tongue, Quinton drew the snack into his mouth, watching how Noah’s cute nostrils slightly flared.

His mate absentmindedly reached for the bowl, his gaze still locked on Quinton’s mouth. Quinton smiled when Noah knocked half the contents out of the bowl before picking up a pretzel.

It was good to know he could easily fluster the guy.

“Who were those men with you?”

“My brother and best friend.”

He ate the pretzel. “How old are you?”

That was a tricky one. Quinton couldn’t reveal his true age, which happened to be 324. The human wouldn’t believe him, of course, and then he would call an end to the game.

“How old do I look?”

Noah studied him, his dark green eyes reminding Quinton of cat eyes.

“Late thirties, possibly early forties?”

Noah tilted his head. “I’m gonna go with forties.”

“Does that bother you?”

As they asked questions, they ate the pretzels.

“That you’re old enough to be my father? I’m not sure just yet,”

Noah answered honestly. “Right now, I’m just enjoying our game.”

So was Quinton. Whose turn was it? He flipped back through their conversation to remember. “When was your last relationship?”

Are you screwing around with your best friend? He didn’t outright ask but was dying to.

“I’ve never been in one.”

The pretzel froze halfway to Noah’s mouth, as if he hadn’t meant to reveal the fact.

There were so many ways to interpret his answer. It was possible Noah was afraid of commitments. He could’ve also been flat-out lying, but his expression said otherwise. Maybe he’d just recently come out of the closet—a phrase Quinton wasn’t particularly fond of.

“Care to elaborate?”

He held up his hand then ordered two beers before turning his attention back to his mate, who still appeared stunned.

“I guess I’m buying.”

Noah cleared his throat. Damn, his blush had grown a darker shade of red.

“Nonsense.”

He tested the waters by resting his hand on his mate’s knee. “You answered my question. We already said nothing personal, so you’re not penalized for refusing to answer.”

Jake set the bottles on the counter, refilled the bowl with fresh pretzels, then asked the guy standing behind Quinton what he wanted to drink. The bar was getting crowded, and now Quinton was dying to finish their game in a cozier setting.

“Do you want to continue our little game outside?”

He leaned in close, his chest almost touching Noah as he reached for some napkins.

He had done that on purpose to allow his scent to invade Noah’s lungs, hopefully enticing his mate to join him.

“Dad, are you coming back to play?”

Ryker hollered from the entrance to the pool room.

Would it be considered illegal to kill a firstborn if they’d just ruined an intimate moment? Quinton saw the moment realization dawned on Noah who Ryker had been shouting at.

“Dad?”

His mate’s gaze flickered between father and soon-to-be-dead son. “You have a son my age?”

If Noah had guessed Quinton to be in his forties, would it have been too far a stretch to consider he had adult children?

Apparently, that hadn’t crossed his mate’s mind.

Until now.

“We’re just talking,”

he reminded Noah, hoping like hell his mate didn’t end their fun. “Just having a good time, right?”

Note to self. Stop on the way home for milk, get laundry done, strangle Ryker.

Quinton would have expected Killian to kill the moment. His second oldest son had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment.

The guy was too much like his mother. Quinton slammed a lid on that thought so fast it was as if it hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“Pick up a pretzel.”

Noah nodded at the bowl. Quinton wasn’t fond of the look in his mate’s cat-green eyes.

The pint-sized human’s hand trembled as he did what Quinton demanded.

“How many children do you have, and how old are they? Do they still live at home, or do they have their own places?”

“ That’s four questions, cub. That means I also get four, and since you just got personal, I can do the same.”

He grabbed a handful of pretzels. “I have three sons, they’re grown, and, yes, they live at home, which means they don’t have their own places.”

There had been plenty of times over the centuries Quinton had seriously contemplated suggesting that to them. But as much as they drove him crazy at times, he loved them deeply and couldn’t imagine his boys not living under the same roof.

Quinton ate the pretzels then washed them down with a long swig of beer. He couldn’t get drunk off of human alcohol, but he liked the taste.

And since Noah had gotten personal, that allowed Quinton to ask the burning questions at the forefront of his mind.

“Why was your friend pressuring you into having sex with him? Was your brother seriously going to be a part of it, and do you need me to shut that shit down? Because I heard you arguing against the idea. No means no, but it seems your friend has boundary issues.”

That was only three questions, but he really wanted his mate to answer them.

Noah stared at him like Quinton had just spoken a foreign language. His chestnut-brown eyebrows were squished together, and his cute nose was wrinkled.

Then the guy burst out laughing. Now Quinton was the perplexed one. “Unless I completely misunderstood the conversation.”

“You did.”

Noah wiped at his eyes. “They’re trying to get me laid, not do it themselves.”

His hands dropped as he stared wide-eyed at Quinton. “Why do I keep telling you things I don’t mean to?”

“Why are they trying to get you laid?”

Was his mate going through a dry spell? Was it some kind of dare to have sex with someone Noah found repulsive? No matter the reason, Quinton would gladly fuck his mate in any position, on any surface, at any location the man desired.

“Dad!”

Oh my fucking god! Ryker really was trying to die. “What!”

Quinton bellowed without looking away from his mate, whose face had gone up in flames. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Noah was embarrassed for revealing the subject of the conversation he’d had with his best friend.

That blush was turning Quinton on even more.

Ryker strode over, and Quinton forced himself not to bare his canines. Noah glanced up at Ryker then quickly spun in his seat, giving them his back.

“Are you going to finish our game?”

Ryker held the pool stick over his shoulders, his hands dangling on either end. “Why is it taking you years to grab a drink?”

Quinton jerked his hands toward Noah’s back with a stern expression. Swear to god, it took Ryker a full minute before realization dawned in his eyes.

His son winked while smirking. Quinton gave him a death glare.

Finally , Ryker walked away.

Sweet fucking Jesus. Quinton thought he would have to resort to hand signals or air drawing the reason Ryker needed to piss off.

Turning his attention back to his mate, Quinton gently touched Noah’s shoulder. “ We good, cub?”

Noah spun on his stool to face him. “I should get going. It was nice meeting you, Quinton.”

“Noah.”

He stood and followed, his massive size parting the crowd. His mate didn’t stop until they’d spilled outside. “Can we just talk for a moment? Who says we can’t be friends?”

If they had to start out that way, Quinton would take it. A preternatural searched their entire life for their mate, and now that he’d found his, Quinton would bend over backwards for him.

“Friends?”

Noah’s expression said he hadn’t thought of that possibility.

Neither had Quinton until it just popped into his head, but the idea had merit. Being friends would allow Noah to get to know Quinton and his sons without any pressure.

Noah even considering the idea meant he felt the pull, an unseen force that drew them together and made Noah want to be near Quinton.

“Yes.”

Quinton smiled. “Friends. Would you like to have breakfast with me?”

Normally, he met up with Kalen a few times a week at Deep Dish. They used to have breakfast then ride their motorcycles afterward, simply enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning.

Then Kalen met his mate, a server at the diner. Now when they met up, it was so Kalen could eat breakfast and ogle the human.

It was sweetly disgusting how the massive guy turned into a puddle of goo around his mate.

Now Quinton had a mate to twist his head inside out, and he was ecstatic.

If Noah agreed to meet him at the ass-crack of dawn.

“What time?”

Noah kept stealing glances at him, but each time he quickly looked away.

Quinton stopped himself from pumping his arm. “How does six sound to you?”

Noah glanced at his phone then frowned. “You want to meet in a few hours?”

“Or we could head there now.”

He shrugged. “I could use a bite to eat. How about you?”

Quinton wanted to kiss those lips his mate was nibbling on. “I’m going to be completely honest.”

When the breeze blew stray hair across his face, Noah brushed them from his eyes. “I’m kinda broke right now.”

“As your official new friend, it’s my treat.”

The hairs along Quinton’s arms started to prickle, causing him to covertly scan the deserted street. Despite not seeing anyone, he felt eyes on him.

“Then it’s my treat next time,”

Noah said, unaware of the danger. Quinton wanted to keep it that way.

They walked to the parking lot, Quinton keeping one step behind so he could continue to glance around.

Noah stopped at an older model black sedan. “I’ll meet you there?”

“I’ll follow right behind you.”

He didn’t want Noah driving separately, but Quinton had no choice. Luckily, his pickup was only a few spaces down. He waited until his mate was secure in his car before he trotted to his vehicle and jumped in, wondering who or what was watching him.