His Saving Grace

by Lynn Hagen

  He could have called Mikko and asked to stay the night. His best friend would never turn him away, but Noah also didn’t want to hear Mikko railing about killing whoever had done it and having a hissy fit.

  Right now Noah just wanted calm. He didn’t even want to be there when the cops showed up.

  He grabbed his laptop and the power cord and then returned to the door, refusing to look behind him at the destruction. For now, and for sanity’s sake, Noah would put it out of his mind.

  Justin placed a hand on Noah’s arm. “I promise to get to the bottom of this. Whoever attacked you is going to pay, as well as whoever trashed your home.”

  Noah just nodded, trying his best to hold it together. He also knew that if Justin hadn’t come by to take him to the park, Noah would have faced the “perp.”

  He stepped outside his apartment door and walked up the steps, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. He wasn’t going to fall apart. That was one thing Noah refused to do. He’d already taken enough blows, and he wasn’t going to allow whoever had done this to break him.

  Noah wasn’t going to fall into despair. He’d been on his own for a long time, had faced a lot of challenges, and he was still standing.

  Justin opened the passenger door. “We’re going to wait for the unit to show up. I need to talk with them, and then we can go.” He hunkered down in front of Noah when Noah took a seat. “Talk to me.”

  Noah shook his head. “Not right now, Justin. I just need to process this.”

  Just then a cop car pulled in front of Justin’s car, and Justin went to talk to them. Noah was tempted as hell to call Mikko. His best friend had been his lifeline since forever, but Noah was still in shock and sat there looking out at his neighborhood as Justin spoke to the cops.

  He didn’t know what he could do about the attack. It had happened, and the bastard was still out there somewhere.

  But he knew what could be done about the break-in. Noah needed to move out of this crappy part of town. Unfortunately he couldn’t afford to. He made a decent living but not enough to help him to move to somewhere better and safer.

  Something had to give. Noah just prayed nothing else happened while he pieced his life back together because he wasn't sure he could take another blow.

  * * * *

  When Justin was done talking with his partner, he moved between cars and called John, telling him what had happened. “I smelled a strong odor of pine cleaner.”

  “The person was masking their scent,” John growled. “Is Noah safe?”

  “Yeah, but he’s pretty shaken up.” Justin had seen how Noah was trying not to fall apart, and he wouldn’t blame the guy if he did. Justin would’ve gone apeshit if someone had broken into his home and vandalized it. His home was his sanctuary, the place where he didn’t think about the outside world.

  If someone had violated it, Justin would’ve been out for blood.

  “I’m going to send some pack members to his house to do a little investigating of our own,” John said. “We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.”

  Justin would’ve said he could do it but not when Noah was with him. Maybe tomorrow he could take Noah to John’s so he could look into things. Justin didn’t think this was random. Two weeks ago his mate had been attacked and now a break-in?

  That couldn’t be simple coincidence. The two were connected. His gut told him they were.

  “I appreciate the help.”

  “It’s my job,” John said. “We protect our own.”

  That meant a lot to Justin. Before John had fought and won the title of alpha, the pack had been a mess. The last alpha had been more worried about his image and politics. As a result, being gay in the pack hadn’t been an option, and Justin had felt the brunt of such prejudice a few times.

  John had come in and cleaned house. Justin wasn’t going to say things were one hundred percent better, but their pack had vastly improved. There were still some who despised Justin because he preferred men, but they now kept their unwanted opinions to themselves.

  Justin wasn’t someone to trifle with, but a guy’s chances of defending himself became harder when not only pack members fucked with him but their alpha encouraged such heinous behavior.

  There were many members who backed Justin, and now that they were under a new alpha, those people weren’t afraid to speak their minds.

  “I’m taking him home tonight. Tell the boys I’ll be by tomorrow.”

  “Trish and I will talk to them,” John said. “We know your attention is split right now. Take care of whatever you need to do. The triplets will be here waiting on you.”

  Even so, Justin felt guilty for not seeing his sons sooner. They were his entire world, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them.

  “Again, thanks.” Justin hung up and headed for his car. Right now his only concern was Noah. If he hadn’t come by to take Noah out, there was no telling what would have happened. The thought of Noah being hurt made Justin insane with anger.

  He drove them to his house and made them something to eat. While he cooked, Justin decided he wouldn’t tell Noah about wolves until he was certain Noah was his mate.

  That had already been disastrous when he’d made a bad judgment six months ago, telling Viktor that he was a wolf. The human had flipped out at first, and then he’d started demanding things. Justin wasn’t an idiot. Viktor’s demands were a veiled attempt to blackmail him. When Justin had broken things off, Victor hadn’t taken it well.

  Justin was just glad all that was behind him. Thankfully dating was no longer on the table. Even if Noah wasn’t his mate, Justin didn’t see himself giving the guy up anytime soon.

  He plated the pork chops and mashed potatoes before going in search of Noah. He found the guy sitting on the carpeted floor in the living room, typing away.

  Justin leaned against the doorframe and watched, smiling at the look of pure concentration on Noah’s face.

  “Dinner is ready.”

  Noah gasped and jerked around, staring wide-eyed at Justin. “Don’t sneak up on me!”

  Justin chuckled. “I wasn’t trying to. Come eat.”

  Noah set his laptop aside. “It smells good in here. Pork chops?”

  “Good nose.” Justin winked. “Not to brag, but I’m a damn good cook.”

  Noah looked skeptical. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  Justin was just trying to make Noah smile, trying to make him forget that some asshole had broken into his home and trashed it. Who had done it? Had anything been taken? Had it been a random act or had Noah been targeted?

  Those were the questions Justin wanted answers to.

  Noah took a seat at the kitchen table and dug into the food. He moaned as he bit into the pork chop. Justin never knew eating dinner could be so erotic.

  “You were right.” Noah licked his lips. “This is really good.”

  Justin’s pants tightened as he watched Noah’s tongue slid across his lips. Fuck. He was having a hard time concentrating. Justin had to force himself to eat and not think about pulling Noah from the table and ravishing him.

  Ten minutes later they were on the couch, Noah patting his stomach. “I’m so full I might fall asleep.”

  Justin turned the television on and sank back into the couch, pulling Noah’s legs onto his lap. “I hadn’t realized how starved I was.”

  “Right?” Noah yawned. “I’m just glad you were there for me.” Noah looked at him. “I haven’t told you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

  Unable to stop himself, Justin stretched out next to Noah. “I’m just glad I could be here for you.”

  Justin brushed his hand over Noah’s long, dark hair, wondering if he was doing the right thing. He knew Noah was in a vulnerable place and didn’t want to take advantage of him. Justin wished he’d met Noah sooner. Maybe he could have saved his mate from the attack.

  Then again, if Noah hadn’t been attacked, Justin might not have met him.
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  Noah locked gazes with him, and Justin was amazed once again at how beautiful the blue coloring truly was. Everything about Noah appealed to him. His compact body, handsome face, inky-black hair, and pretty eyes made up one hell of a package.

  “You have been. Every step of the way,” Noah said.

  Justin’s eyes were glued to the man’s mouth when his tongue flicked out and licked his bottom lip. Before he knew what he was doing, Justin leaned in and tasted his mate for the second time. Only, this time, it was even better than their first kiss.

  Justin licked purposefully at the man’s upper lip and was granted entry to the warm wet cavern. The kiss sent the pit of his stomach into a wild swirl as he pressed his lips to Noah’s, caressing his mouth more than kissing it.

  Their tongues dueled and fought as Justin pinned Noah against the couch. As if in slow motion, Noah’s head tilted back as Justin kissed his mate’s throat. Noah moaned as Justin teased his flesh with his lips, and the sound sent shivers through him.

  Justin moved back to Noah’s mouth, and their tongues tangled in an intimate glide, his emotions whirling and skidding, the need to claim almost overwhelming.

  “I can’t.” Noah pushed at Justin’s chest.

  Justin pulled back, gazing down at his mate, and then their mouths crashed together again, hungrier and more desperate than before, muffling the sounds of their pleasure.

  Noah arched his back, opening his mouth wider, and Justin felt as if he were burning in the fiery passion of their kiss. Justin guided one of Noah’s hands to his aching cock. He thought the man would try and push him away again, but Noah’s touch was oddly soft and caressing.

  The smoldering flames he saw in Noah’s blue eyes startled him. Justin smiled when his mate’s cheeks colored under his gaze. It was like the man had been starving for affection and Justin was finally feeding him. But he wasn’t foolish enough to think that Noah was totally giving himself over.

  The man wanted sex, pure and simple. It was a way for Noah to deal with what was happening to him, a way to forget his troubles and ground himself in something. Justin didn’t mind giving the guy a distraction.

  Noah didn’t protest when Justin released the man’s wrists and began to remove his mate’s pants. He tossed them aside and then stood, undressing. Noah’s eyes stayed riveted to Justin as he lowered himself to the couch, blanketing his mate, careful of his weight.

  He braced himself by his hands on either side of Noah’s head as he leaned down to recapture Noah’s kiss-swollen lips. Noah’s arms wrapped around Justin’s neck, his lips opened to his.

  Shudders of pleasure raced beneath Justin’s skin as his free hand began to caress Noah, moving up the man’s back, over his waist, and up Noah’s side as his tongue stroked his lover’s mouth.

  Justin slid his hand lower, his fingers searching for and finding the heated length of Noah’s cock as it pressed against Justin’s side. Thick and iron-hard, throbbing beneath his touch, the silken flesh was like a flame in Justin’s hand.

  “Oh god.” Noah’s head fell back. His hips arched against Justin’s touch as his fingers began to slowly stroke the man’s heated flesh.

  Justin gave a low growl when Noah tangled his fingers in Justin’s hair. His mate gave a light tug, and pleasure surged through him.

  Damn, if Justin didn’t fuck Noah, he was going to die from the need. He had to get inside his mate. He had to fill him, thrust inside him. Feel the pleasure that exploded into complete nirvana when he came inside him.

  His cock hardened to painful intensity at the need.

  “Sex…just sex.”

  Justin nodded, even though it pained him to do so. He wanted more than just sex with his mate but knew that was all Noah had to offer at the moment. Releasing his mate’s cock, Justin moved farther up the couch. “Suck me.”

  He leaned over and fed his hardening dick to Noah’s panting mouth. His mate took Justin’s erection into his mouth in one swift move and sucked ferociously. Justin hissed as he pushed his cock to the back of Noah’s throat, waiting for the man’s reflexive swallow to squeeze the sensitive tip before retreating and fucking into him again.

  Every time Noah’s gaze met Justin’s, Justin’s heart turned over in response. His fingers curled into the back of the couch as he watched his cock repeatedly disappear between Noah’s lips.

  Justin suppressed the growl rumbling in his chest. That wasn’t what Noah needed to hear right now. His mate didn’t want to get to know Justin’s wolf right now. Justin knew Noah wasn’t ready for that.

  Justin began to thrust his hips toward Noah’s face and cried out when Noah played with his balls. His mate knew exactly how to drive Justin insane.

  Knowing this, knowing that he was only a means to sate Noah’s lust, Justin held Noah in place as he rolled his hips backward and pulled his dick from his mate’s mouth with a damp pop.

  Noah gazed up at him in confusion.

  “On your hands and knees,” Justin commanded in a rough tone. He moved back enough to give Noah room, watching as his mate turned over and presented Justin with his smooth, tight ass.

  Justin scooted back and then began to lick at Noah’s tight entrance. His tongue flickered and probed, caressed and stroked, each lick light and easy, teasing and tempting. As he feasted on his mate, Justin reached down and pulled the travel-size lube from his jeans. Tearing the packet open, he lubed his fingers before slipping two into his mate’s backside.

  Noah bucked, his legs sliding farther apart as he jutted his ass into the air. His ass clenched around Justin’s fingers, holding a tight grip against the rapid strokes that Justin filled his mate with, stretching him.

  A need poured through Justin, ripping at him. His canines elongated, the need to claim strong. It was a hunger he couldn’t eradicate from his soul., The way the sensation thundered through Justin was wild. It throbbed in every beat of his heart, kept him on a ragged edge of desperate hunger.

  Justin reared back and pressed the swollen head of his cock against Noah’s stretched hole, nudging against the tight opening.

  He gripped Noah’s hips, barely able to breathe for the silky heat cupping the tip of his cock. As he sank deep, fiery sensation tore through him. His thighs tightened, and his hips arched as he thrust his shaft harder, deeper inside Noah as he fought back the release that nearly slipped his control.

  Hips clashed, writhed, and perspiration built. He could feel the whirling sensation as it attacked his senses. The feel of his cock inside Noah, throbbing, thrusting in and out in deep, rhythmic strokes was almost too much.

  Noah arched his back, moans filling the room as he began to meet Justin thrust for thrust. Their movements became faster, harder, stronger.

  Noah was the first to cry out, screaming Justin’s name. Justin’s control slipped, just a notch, and then it shattered as Justin’s climax tore through him. Unable to stop his beast, Justin sank his teeth into Noah’s shoulder as his wolf howled in satisfaction. His heart stuttered to a halt and then restarted, beating in rhythm with Noah’s.

  He knew it! Noah was his mate. Now Justin had no doubt that this slip of a man belonged to him. His to protect, to love, to cherish.

  Justin hips were moving at lightning speed as he rode a wave of such pure pleasure that control was impossible. His hands held Noah’s hips fiercely as he thrust into his mate, plunging, throwing himself higher with each stroke into an orgasm that threatened to destroy him.

  He circled his arms around Noah as he pulled his canines free. His hand stroked down his mate’s chest. “Mine,” he whispered.

  Chapter Six

  Noah woke and sat up, staring down at Justin, who was still asleep. He couldn’t believe Justin had bitten him. Crap. Noah needed to call Mikko. This was a mind-blowing revelation that he hadn’t seen coming.

  Noah knew wolf shifters existed. He and Mikko had gone to high school with a guy who’d accidentally shifted in the locker room during first period. It had been only Noah and Mikko in the room at
the time, but it had blown Noah’s mind.

  Farron had been a cool guy, had explained about wolves, and had sworn them to secrecy. Even so, Noah sat there stunned that Justin was a wolf shifter. That was the only explanation as to why he’d bitten Noah.

  “I can feel you watching me.” Justin cracked his eyes open and smiled at Noah. “Good morning.”

  Noah slid from the bed and stood. “Good morning. Now tell me what the hell is going on. You bite me last night, and since I’m not a chew toy, I need you to tell me why.”

  Justin did a full-body stretch, and Noah had to stop himself from groaning. Why did Justin have to look so damn good? Noah wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump back into bed, but he also wanted answers.

  “I know you’re a wolf shifter.” Noah wasn’t dead certain, and the worst Justin could do was laugh and call him crazy. Well, that wasn’t the worst Justin could do, but Noah didn’t think the guy would attack and eat him.

  Not after the mind-blowing sex they’d had.

  Justin tucked his hands under his head, looking so damn sexy that Noah found it hard to concentrate. “How do you know about shifters?”

  “Is that really important?” Noah tucked his hair behind his ear. “I’m trying my best not to freak out, Justin. You’ve been overly nice since I met you, have gone out of your way to help me, and this attraction between us is insane.”

  “That’s because we’re mates.” Justin sat up, his stomach muscles bunching. “I felt the connection to you right away.”

  What the hell did that mean? “What do you mean we’re mates?”

  Farron hadn’t explained that to Noah. In fact, Farron hadn’t mentioned anything about mates at all.

  Mikko was going to flip out over this. Noah just knew it. How did he keep getting himself into these situations? This was why he should have never left his apartment. Crazy crap kept happening to him.