Page 11 of Untamed Instincts

“Is everything okay?” Noah hugged the jacket around his shoulders. As large as it was, his mate looked as if the fabric was swallowing him.

“Just an old acquaintance in town.” Quinton tucked his phone back into his pocket. “I wanted to explain to you why you feel the pull.”

His phone chimed again. Quinton clenched his jaw and pulled it out again.

Did you get my texts?

Toro was a pain in the ass, but Ryker was acting as if the vampire was running around town draining humans. As sadistic and unhinged as the vampire was, he always kept a low profile.

Quinton texted him back.

I’m kinda in the middle of something. Stop blowing up my phone!

Ryker’s response was almost immediate. That hot little number from the bar? We have more pressing issues.

“I should go.” Noah shrugged off the jacket and set it aside. “It seems your old friend really wants to see you.”

“But you’re the one I’m interested in spending time with.” Quinton slid his jacket back around his mate’s shoulders. He liked seeing Noah wrapped up in it. The sight made his bear softly growl.

Noah’s gaze flicked to the windshield when the now-steady rain tapped against the glass. He seemed lost in his own head as Quinton studied his side profile. Something was still weighing heavy on his mind.

Then he turned his head and gazed at Quinton. “I’m sorry we didn’t have breakfast together.”

That couldn’t have been what the man was deep in thought about.

“Would you...” Noah cleared his throat, and Quinton wondered why his mate was blushing so hard. “Would you like to go to my place for some coffee?”

Was that code for “wanna have sex,” or was Quinton just a little too hopeful? “I could use a cup.”

Noah’s cat-green eyes rounded slightly as his blush reached the tips of his ears. “Okay. Um, you can follow behind me.” He started to slip the jacket off.

“Keep it on,” Quinton insisted. The longer he wore it, the more his scent would permeate the fabric. “Your car is going to be cold. You can give it back later.”

Noah stared at him a moment longer. Quinton could see the wheels turning in the guy’s head. He just didn’t know what they were turning for.

Then Noah grabbed the handle and slipped out, hurriedly opening his car door. The rain was coming down harder now.

The sedan came to life, headlights shining against the brick wall in front of it before the wipers swished back and forth. Quinton could see his mate shivering a little in the oversized jacket.

Going to Noah’s was better. Quinton would rather find out where the guy lived before he told him everything. It would also give him time to think of a way to break the news to Noah that he was a bear shifter and they were mates.

Noah reversed from his parking spot and headed onto the street, Quinton right on his tail.

His phone erupted in the quite interior of his truck. Of course it was Ryker.

“What?” he growled when he answered.

“Why are you not hitting the roof that Toro is in town?” his eldest demanded. “Am I the only one who recognizes the danger? You’re acting just like Killian.”

Quinton connected the call to his truck then mounted the phone, keeping a close eye on Noah’s car. “Did I not tell you I was in the middle of something?”

“Since you answered your phone, I’m assuming you wrapped that up. Are you heading home?”

Was it Quinton’s imagination, or had Noah sped up to get through the amber light, leaving Quinton with a red one?

Thankfully, it was still too early for a lot of traffic. He ran the red light, wondering why his mate sped up.

Had he changed his mind and was now trying to lose him? Quinton wasn’t sure, but his mate had tried to ditch him once already.

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