4. Noah
4
NOAH
I was totally fucked.
The second I met Milo, I felt something click together in my soul like I’d found the missing half of myself.
Milo was mine.
I knew it like I knew my own name.
But he only wanted to be friends.
Which sucked, but I’d made a silent vow to be the best damn friend I could be, even though I couldn’t get the scent of his arousal out of my nose.
He thought I hadn’t noticed he’d been hard and leaking slick at the bar the first night we hung out at the Ice House, but I’d definitely noticed, and when I’d caught the scent of his slick on the air, it had been all I could do not to hoist him up onto the bar and eat him out until he was dripping and begging me to fill him with my cock.
I’d almost jerked my dick raw in the two weeks since, Milo’s beautiful eyes, pupils blown wide with pleasure, always the visual that pushed me over the edge, my cum painting my fingers and his name falling from my lips.
I wanted Milo in my bed and in my life so bad I ached with it, but he’d moved to Key West with something to prove, and until he told me differently, I’d keep him however I could.
So for now, we were friends.
Taking a breath to clear my head, I pushed open the gallery door.
Music played from a small Bluetooth speaker on the counter at the front of the space, the indie rock I’d learned Milo loved echoing a little in the empty space.
Milo’s phone sat next to the speaker, so I knew he was here somewhere.
“Milo?”
A muffled curse came from the storage room, and Milo appeared, hand on his chest.
“Shit, Noah. You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry. I brought you breakfast.” I held up the bag from Nico’s bakery.
The bakery was named Josefina’s after his grandmother, but Nico had been running it for the last ten years.
“If there’s a cinnamon roll in that bag, I’ll kiss you.”
I shook the bag and waggled my eyebrows.
“Come see.”
Milo was across the room in two seconds flat.
He snatched the bag from my hand and tore it open, an obscene moan spilling from his lips as he pulled out the confection.
“Oh, god. It’s still warm.” He brought the cinnamon roll to his mouth and took a huge bite, an expression of bliss taking over his features, and I had to will my dick to stand down.
His sinful little noises weren’t for me, even if I wished like hell they were.
“Good?” My voice came out a little strained, and I cleared my throat to try to cover it.
“So good.” Milo licked frosting from his fingers, and my cock twitched.
There was nothing I could do about it.
“I’m glad. Are we still on for the beach today?”
“Yeah.” He looked away, moving to the counter and setting his cinnamon roll down on it.
“I have a confession to make first.”
My heart flip-flopped in my chest, unsure where he was going with this.
“Okay…”
“I, uh…I can’t swim. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, I totally get it.”
“Why would you think I can’t be friends with someone who can’t swim?”
He shrugged, his cheeks going pink.
“I don’t know. You’re a stingray shifter. Swimming is kind of your thing, and I can’t swim with you.”
“A couple of things. First, there are other things to do at the beach besides swimming. Second, if you want to learn to swim, I’m more than happy to teach you.” A look of panic twisted Milo’s features, and I held up my hands.
“No pressure. But if you do want to learn, I promise I will keep you safe.”
There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to keep Milo safe and happy.
Milo shook his head.
“I don’t think I want to learn how to swim right now, but thank you for the offer.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
Milo smiled.
“I will. You’ll be the very first to know. So what else did you have in mind?”
“We could go for a walk and look for seashells.”
“That sounds great.” He picked up his cinnamon roll and took another bite, his tongue darting out to lick a smear of icing from his top lip.
“Perfect. I’ll swing by after work to pick you up.”
“I’ll be here.”
I looked around.
The space had really come together.
Fresh white paint covered the walls, and the floors had been polished to within an inch of their lives.
They glowed in the natural light spilling in through the wide front windows.
“It looks really good in here. You’ve done an amazing job.”
Milo’s cheeks darkened again, and I wondered if he blushed like that whenever he received praise.
“Thank you. I can’t wait to get art on the walls.”
“Did you ever get in touch with Matteo?” I’d talked to Charlie early last week and he’d passed along his mate’s contact information.
“I did! I have a meeting with him on Friday.”
“Cool.”
Milo finished the last bite of his cinnamon roll and closed his eyes, another moan slipping from his lips.
“God, that was just what I needed.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Thank you again. I owe you one.”
“Nah. But I do recall you saying something about a kiss.”
The blush returned to Milo’s cheeks.
“You’re right.”
He closed the distance between us, and my heart started trying to jackhammer its way out of my chest.
His hand cupped my cheek and he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.
The touch of his lips burned my skin like a brand, and as he moved away, looking a little dazed, I pressed my fingers to the spot, my knees a little weak.
Milo busied himself folding up the bakery bag and pointedly not looking at me.
“You know Matteo pretty well, right?”
It was my turn to shrug though my bones felt like Jello after the simple press of Milo’s lips against my skin.
“I’ve gotten to know him better over the last year or so. Before that he kind of kept to himself. He was gone for a long time while he was in the military.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.” Milo finally looked at me, his eyes bright with excitement.
“Charlie said Matteo is looking forward to meeting you too.”
Milo turned and surveyed his space.
“I have a feeling things are going to be really good here.”
I hoped they would be.
I didn’t think my heart could take it if Milo left.
He was mine, and I needed him to stay.
“I think so too.”
Milo and that tiny, chaste kiss had been on my mind all day, and Cas had called me on being distracted more than once.
“Seriously, what is wrong with you today, Noah?” My brother shook his head as he coiled rope on the deck of one of our boats.
We didn’t have any dive tours scheduled for the day, so we’d spent the day taking care of admin work and making sure the boats were in excellent condition and adequately supplied.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been like this since you met Milo.” Caspian rolled his eyes.
“So are you guys fucking or what?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what’s it like? Because this moony-eyed moping thing you’ve got going on is so not the vibe.”
I blew out a huge breath, which earned me another eye roll from my brother.
“Do you believe in fated mates?”
Cas’s eyes went wide.
“Do you think Milo is your fated mate?”
“I dunno. When we met it felt like something came into focus. It was like my heart and soul recognized that he was mine, and thinking about not being near him makes me want to crawl out of my skin.”
“Whoa.” My brother’s expression turned uncharacteristically thoughtful.
“I don’t know if I believe in fated mates, but I think I’d like to. The thought that there is someone out there meant just for me? Yeah, that would be cool.” Caspian’s eyes narrowed.
“But, like, how would that even work with you two? He’s a snow leopard shifter and you’re a stingray shifter. Like could you be more opposite in the most basic way?”
“Charlie and Matteo made it work. Mags said Charlie’s friend Dominic is an eagle shifter and his mate is a dolphin shifter.”
“Yeah. You’re right. I guess when I’ve thought about finding a mate I’ve always assumed it would be someone from my own shifter species, but maybe that’s shortsighted of me.”
My brother was a great guy, but he rarely got this philosophical.
He nodded and continued.
“If Milo makes you feel like you described, then I think whether you’re fated mates or not, you need to hold on to him.”
“I wish he’d let me, but I feel like I’ve been friend zoned.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Cas tossed the rope he’d finished coiling on the deck and held up a hand.
“You guys aren’t dating?”
“No.”
“Huh. I thought you were definitely dating. You spend almost every evening together. You do all kinds of datey shit. I just figured you weren’t banging yet and that’s what had you all sad puppy eyes.”
“The stuff we do isn’t datey. I told him I’d show him around town. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Uh-huh. And what’s your plan for tonight again?”
I closed my eyes and sighed.
“Walk and picnic on the beach.”
“I rest my case, Your Honor. That right there is some romantic shit.”
“Okay, fine. I see your point.”
Cas shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter. I have a feeling if you just keep doing what you’re doing, Milo will come around. He’s still new in town and still getting settled. Give it time.”
I nodded.
My brother was right, and I’d keep Milo in my life however I could.
I couldn’t give him up now.
If I wanted Milo forever, I needed to practice patience.
Too bad I’d never been good at waiting.