Slade worked his way down Noah’s back, then wriggled to the side to work on an arm and relieve the pressure of his jeans on his full shaft. He’d never massaged a lover before who responded with such heartfelt enthusiasm.
Once Slade finished both arms, he gave Noah’s hip a nudge. “Take off your jeans, and I’ll do your legs.” Such a bad idea. Oh, damn. Talk about tempting fate.
Noah stilled.
“Noah? You okay?” Had Slade offended him?
“Can… can I lay here a minute?”
Oh? Oh! So, Slade wasn’t the only one affected. Could Noah be a virgin if no one properly touched him in his thirty years?
The breath Slade intended to be calming failed miserably. “Can I ask you something? You can tell me it’s none of my business if you want to, but have you ever had sex with a man?”
“No,” Noah mumbled into the pillow.
“Woman?”
“No.”
“Why not? Is it something to do with being a werewolf? Do you just want your own kind?” The erection Noah appeared to be hiding lay waste to the notion.
Silence reigned for a few moments until Noah huffed out a sigh. “I’ve never trusted anyone enough. You can’t be attracted to someone if you’re afraid of them.”
Holy fuck! The poor man. “Fair enough. You’ve never been attracted to anyone?”
Noah finally rolled over but showed no signs of his recent erection. “I guess you deserve to know. And I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. But…”
In the quiet cabin, Slade easily heard Noah’s hard swallow.
“About ten years ago, right after Paul left, a stocker at the grocery store asked me out.”
When nothing else came, Slade prompted, “What happened?”
Noah told the story slowly, not meeting Slade’s eyes. “He took me to the lake and left me.”
“Left you?” What a bastard.
“Someone paid him. There were five of them and one of me.” Noah pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. He still didn’t look in Slade’s direction. “They kept asking me about my pack. The leader stabbed me.” His voice remained monotone.
“And then what?” Something compelled Slade to ask, but the clenching in his stomach said he already knew the answer.
“My wolf defended us.” Noah’s voice came out as barely a whisper.
“He…”
Noah gave a faint nod. “He killed all five of them. Well, one had a heart attack, I think, but my wolf got the rest.” Noah looked up then, a lone tear streaming down his cheek. “So, yes. I’m a murderer. You’re traveling with a killer.”
A killer. This man killed people. For a moment, every instinct screamedRun!But no. Noah may have killed, but he wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. “They would have killed you.”
“Yes, and my entire pack if I had one. They might have killed Paul for all I know since I never saw him again.”
“If they hadn’t been hostile, would you have harmed them?”
“No. I keep my human mind when I shift, but I depend more on my wolf’s senses and instincts.”
Slade cradled Noah’s chin in his hand, heart banging away in his chest, and lifted until their eyes met. “There’s a big difference between murder and self-defense. Judith told me whole families out there hunt your people, so I’m thinking they weren’t innocent.”
“The leader’s brother trashed my cabin. I mean, he wasn’t even looking for anything. He just destroyed everything I owned. Every dish, every piece of furniture. I didn’t have much, but he took everything.”