Chapter 25
Noah
On Friday, I packed a bag with a change of clothes to take to Lone Fox. Tonight was pub night, and I secretly hoped Lew would ask me to stay at his place afterwards.
The more time I spent at Lone Fox, in Lewis’ apartment, or that lovely little office Maddie had set up for me—something that still brought tears to my eyes when I thought about it—the less I wanted to return to the hovel my parents claimed was a cottage.
If it hadn’t been for Mr Pickles, I might have stayed at the distillery indefinitely.
My parents still hadn’t decided if they were going to be home for Christmas, but since it was December and they hadn’t even made any travel arrangements, I already guessed they wouldn’t be home for the holidays.
I saw myself sitting at the table in the damp cottage with a sad frozen pizza and a single candle, singing a tearful and lonely Silent Night.
Okay, stop. Lew told you on your first day that he’d be spending Christmas with you. So what if they aren’t coming back?
“They didn’t bother with me for the last decade. Why the fuck does it surprise me that they don’t give a fuck now?” I asked my cat who just snoozed on. “Right? With Lew, it’ll be the best Christmas ever.” I sighed but Mr Pickles still ignored me.
Hogmanay was a bigger thing in Scotland, but I’d come to appreciate Christmas festivities.
My Austrian ex had transformed our rental in Bali to a Christmas wonderland that looked like Santa's Village and a handful of elves lived in our house with two Christmas trees and every type of decoration you could imagine.
“Maybe we can get a tree, Mr Pickles.” I dropped my bag on the couch and imagined a beautifully decorated Christmas tree between the fireplace and the window.
Lew and I would curl up on the couch, eat whatever he cooked for us, and then fuck our brains out.
“It’s going to be the best night ever,” I told my sleeping tomcat.
I uploaded a post from my drafts, and remembered the friends-only list I’d made for Lew. I triple checked that I picked the right settings before I posted one of the pictures from Kirkmuir on it. It showed me straddling his hips while he wore his ridiculously hot crop top.
Let’s show him what he'll enjoy later tonight.
Maddie’s car had been a godsend. Lew still took me to the shops once or twice a week because he knew how much I struggled with shopping, but it was so nice not having to ask him for a ride all the time.
I parked it by the staff housing and ran into Ollie.
“Noah, hey.” My brother gazed at his phone. “Are you here for the pub night?”
“Yeah, I—” I broke off when I realised he wasn’t listening. “See you later?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry, I have to take this.” He waved at me, but his mind was already on the call he’d accepted.
Alright, yeah, lovely to see you too, brother dear.
“No, Arden, I won’t come to see you this weekend. I, no, this ….” Ollie’s voice trailed off as he wandered across the yard with his shoulders tense and his posture defeated.
What the hell is going on?
I made a mental note to talk to Lew about it.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. I dropped by the brewery to say “hi” to Lew and Perla, who barely greeted me before she asked how Mr Pickles was.
“I’ll see you at pub night later, okay?” I muttered and briefly squeezed his hand. I didn’t have to pretend with Perla.
“Yes, Puppy.” He leaned in. “And Gods, that picture you posted earlier?” Lew rumbled with pleasure and reciprocated the squeeze to my butt cheek. “You know you won’t get a lot of sleep tonight, right?”
His colleague snorted behind my back as I stalked back to the door with my face flaming in the heady air.
I locked myself away in my office and replied to comments and direct messages on Lone Fox’s ArgoS page.
One message caught my eye.
Louise Reid was Radio-Active’s morning voice and she wanted to do a feature on our Christmas market.
Fantastic!
I sent a screenshot of it to Maddie before taking my bag up to Lew’s apartment and getting changed.
The slow drizzle turned from rain to snow as I made my way across the yard.
Plenty of people were already crowded into the pub, and I pushed past them, craning my neck to spot Lew.
Where is he?
We found each other a minute later, and it was like the sun came up in the room.
Let’s hope Ollie won’t see the way he looks at me. We both sucked at masking what we felt for each other.
Before I reached him, someone crossed into my path.
Hunter beamed at me and caught me off guard with a hug.
“Noah, hi. It’s good to see you.”
I flung an arm around his neck in reflex. “Hunter, hey.” Then I met Lewis’ eyes over Hunter’s shoulder. Lew’s pink nostrils flared, and he looked ready to pounce on the Naga and tear him to shreds. Why is my big winter husband looking murderous such a turn on?
“Yeah, uh, good to see you. How are you?” I asked him when we backed out of the hug.
“Oh, I’m fine. What about you?” He gave me a hopeful little smile.
Lew turned on his heels and pushed through the crowd towards the doors.
Shit. I hadn’t even mentioned running into Hunter the other day. Did he just need the bathroom or was he jealous?
When he didn’t return and I found him nowhere in the pub, I pulled out my phone and texted him.
Noah: I’ve looked everywhere for you
Noah: Where are you??
Lewis: Meet me behind the brewery
What on earth is going on?
“Lew?” I called softly when I arrived in the shadow of the brewery building. It was pitch dark and cold. No lights from the restaurant reached here, and nobody answered. I wrapped my coat tighter around me.
Fuck. Are we playing games, Sinclair?
Then I noticed that the back door was open. I pushed it wider and entered. The intense scent of the mash hit me and made me a little lightheaded.
“Lewis? Come the fuck on. Where are you, you big stubborn kitty?” I took another few steps. “Pspsps, here kitty kitty.”
In the next moment the door slammed shut, and I was pressed face first against the wall.
“Puppy,” he growled, and rubbed his hot body on mine.
His hard cock dug into the small of my back.
Oh God, I shouldn’t have loved his behaviour as much as I did, but I got hard, too.
“First you say we can’t tell Ollie, then you conveniently forget to mention you met Hunter fuckin’ McBride until I see his hands all over you? ”
“I was looking for you,” I grunted and struggled in his hold. My voice already shook with arousal.
Lewis snorted.
“Why? Did ye miss me?” he huffed, but hurt laced his voice.
Oh no, he’s hurt.
“Yeah, I did,” I told him.
“Didn’t look like it when you were in Hunter’s arms.”
“What? Listen, I love how jealous you are, Lew, but this is ridiculous.”
He growled in my ear. “That’s how you see me? Just a dumb, ridiculous guy?”
“What the fuck?!” I shoved him hard in the ribs.
“I didn’t say that, and you know it. I would never call you ‘dumb.’ I said your behaviour was ridiculous.
I didn’t mention that I met Hunter because it meant nothing.
” His hold on me lightened a bit. “He flirted with me, and I was flattered, yeah. And I am not going to apologise for it. I told him I was seeing you, you jealous bastard.”
I had carefully curated my speech over the past couple of years but the anger bubbling up inside me brought my Scots right out with it. “And ye need tae stop this shite. Ye cannae guilt trip me into being wit ye. And if ye dinnae want tae lose me, ye’ll get a grip on yerself, ye cunt.”
Lew dragged my face around and slanted his lips over mine in a way too gentle kiss for what I’d just called him.
“You’re right to call me out.” He kissed me again. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
“If you promise me that you will grow up, I can.”
He swallowed hard and nodded.
“Thank you.” His lips pressed more firmly against my mouth. “I need to be inside you, Noah,” he muttered into my parted lips. “I grabbed the lube from my bedroom. That’s where I went. Can I fuck you, Puppy? Please, tell me I can show you how much I need you.”
“Nng,” I groaned, unable to speak straight. “Yes. Do it.”
He tore open my button and zipper, and rucked my trousers and underwear down. I breathed through the stretch when his slick fingers worked me open. “I’m ready, do it now!”
Lew buried his face in my neck, whimpering into my skin as he sank inside me. It stung like a bitch, but I fucking needed the pain.
“You’re mine, Puppy.” He pulled out and filled me again. “This hole is mine to breed.”
Fuuuck meee.
My eyes rolled back in my head.
“Yes,” I bit out. “I’m yours.”
His mouth found mine again as he wrecked me against the brewery’s back door.
“I belong to you, too, Noah. Tell me you know that.”
“I know, baby.” I fisted his neck fur and thrust his tongue between my lips.
Lew sped up until his heavy balls slapped against mine with every sharp thrust. We whimpered and grappled with each other until he sank his barbed length into me in one deep slide and my climax bulldozed into me.
“I love you, oh, fuck, Puppy!” he sobbed into the kiss and filled me up with small bucks of his hips.
Lewis hugged me to his chest and rested his bulk on the wall. His heart hammered against my back so hard I felt it through my jumper.
Oh my God. He just said…
“I love you, Lewis Sinclair.” I pecked him on the lips, then rubbed my nose over his. “But you can be really thick at times.”
He opened one bright blue eye.
“I can’t think of a comeback.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I can feel your comeback leak out of my ass.”
Lewis huffed a laugh.
“I’ll help you get to the bathroom in a moment.”
I leaned my forehead against his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Puppy.”