Page 134 of Beau and the Beast

The things that he’d found so obnoxious about the other man, in retrospect, had rubbed him the wrong way because of how left out he’d felt when he’d seen Lincoln doing dumb things with his buddies. As he laughed along with Lincoln’s dumb commentary of the movie, Noah realized that Lincoln hadn’t changed but Noah’s view of him had undergone a dramatic shift.

Maybe he could understand what Beau saw in Lincoln after all. He had never been truly malicious—just a big brute who laughed too loud and burped the Star Spangled Banner because he thought it was funny and didn’t care what anyone thought of him.

Will he still want to be my friend after Beau is home and safe?he wondered with a bittersweet pang.

* * *

Noah woke up with a jolt, his body contorted at a strange angle.

“Hey, whoa,” Lincoln said in the dark.

He placed a steadying hand on Noah’s arm and Noah realized that his head was against something warm and alive. He’d fallen asleep with his head in Lincoln’s lap.

“Jesus, sorry,” Noah said, pushing up and away to sit up on the couch, embarrassed that he’d apparently decided to cuddle the other man in his sleep. Had Lincoln been too weirded out by it to wake him up?

A new movie Noah didn’t recognize was playing on the TV but the volume was turned down low. He couldn’t remember falling asleep, though he’d gotten bored toward the end of the second movie Lincoln had picked out.

“It’s ok,” Lincoln said. “You fell asleep at this weird-ass angle so I moved you so your back wouldn’t be all fucked up when you woke up.”

So Lincoln was the one who had pulled him into his lap?

“I’m gonna turn in,” Noah said, moving to stand abruptly.

His legs didn’t want to work right though, and even as he pushed up he realized how stiff and unsteady he was. Lincoln was up like a flash, holding him tight by the waist and steadying him until he was confident Noah could stand on his own.

“Hold up,” Lincoln said, stepping around him and grabbing his cane off the ground. He pressed it into Noah’s hand. “Here. G’night.”

Noah leaned on the cane appreciatively for a moment, surveying the pizza boxes and empty beers in front of the couch. It seemed unlikely but he’d actually spent a pleasant evening with Lincoln. Something strange tugged in his chest.

Not even you are fucked up enough to fall for your brother’s ex,Noah told himself as he said thanks and goodnight and made his way back to the bedroom alone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It had beenthree days since Wolfram had experienced his earth-shattering, first-time-in-ten-years orgasm at the hands of another person—and three days since he’d tried to explain to Beau what had been stopping him from allowing them to go further.

Wolfram shouldn’t have been surprised that Beau was persistent in pursuing his desires, though.

He’d tried teasing Wolfram, using his body against Wolfram as if he could convince him in that way—but each time Beau had only succeeded in turninghimselfon and Wolfram had gotten him off in the same ways he had before.

After that had backfired several times, though, Beau decided to take the same calm and logical approach that he’d taken earlier in the week.

It was flattering of course, and he’d proved his point the other night that Wolfram certainly wouldn’t lose his presence of mind or total humanity simply by having an orgasm with someone else in the room. But more than the instincts frightened Wolfram.

There was the simple reality of their bodies to contend with. And maybe sex would be a different story when it came to his instincts.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I wouldhurtyou, Beau,” Wolfram said finally after Beau had sidled up to him before dinner. He could tell just from the look in Beau’s eyes that he was about to try a new tactic. Wolfram could sense his body preparing for what Beau wanted, the way he shifted on the cushion next to Wolfram, the way his heart beat differently.

“Maybe I have a thing for it,” Beau said after a long pause, not meeting Wolfram’s eyes. “How big you are.”

Wolfram chuckled. Had Beau really thought he was anything less than transparent in that regard?

“Be that as it may,” Wolfram said, stroking a hand down his back, “you’re sosmall.”

“I don’t think you’d have to worry about it,” Beau said confidently, leaning back into his touch. “It wouldn’t be my first time working with something big.”

He slid a hand up, tracing one fingertip lightly up the underside of Wolfram’s hardness through the fine material of his breeches.

“It’s definitely not impossible,” Beau added.

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