Page 3 of The Suspicious Mate

"Exactly." Mac agreed, and Noa did not understand what they were talking about. He was a perfect partner and very highly sought after. He could have any man in the place. He just wasn't interested in what was currently on display. He was hit on five times just while he sat there talking with Mac men loved him.

CHAPTER TWO

Wow, that was a right kick in the teeth when Mac said he was going to call and for him to listen in. He thought it had something to do with the interview he had set up for the morning. Turns out it was a platform for his friend Noa to rip Kallan to shreds. Who the fuck said he wanted to date him anyway? Kallan knew he was in good shape and decent looking and had never had a problem finding his own dates? Noa could go straight to hell.

Mac was such a sweetheart that it was impossible to be mad at him, even if Kallan was trying very hard to be upset. When Noa really started in on him regarding his looks and demeanor, Mac closed the call so Kallan could only imagine the level of insults that followed.

How a lovely man like Mac could end up with someone the caliber of Noa as a friend was a mystery, but Mac was a very patient and kind man, so this Noa character probably took advantage of him. Kallan doubted Noa had any real friends apart from Mac men like Noa usually had to go it alone because no one could stand to be around them. Those were a few of the things Kallan wished he could have said to Noa if only Mac hadn’t closed the call and would have handed the phone over to the guy. Kallan was half tempted to call back and ask for Noa.

After about a half-hour, his phone rang, and it was Mac. Kallan let it ring a few times before answering, not sure if he was ready to hear that it was a misunderstanding and that Noa was really a nice guy, but you had to get to know him first. Mac was a softy of the first order, and Kallan would have him no other way.

"I'm sorry about that, Kallan." He began in earnest. "Noa was having a bad day, and please don't judge him too harshly. He's not that big of an asshole in reality."

“He was a pretty big asshole, and even if he is only half that bad, he is still awful. I wouldn't go out with him if he were the last man in Cincinnati." Kallan pointed out, and Mac started to laugh.

"I just wanted you two to meet. I thought you'd get along, but obviously, I was wrong, really, really wrong." Mac laughed again when Kallan barked out an incredulous "Wrong, really, what made you think that?"

“It was the way he slathered on the insults, and you followed up with gutting him. Hell, maybe you two are meant for each other." Mac laughed again, enjoying the banter and the fact that Kallan never held a grudge, at least not where he was concerned.

"I love you, Mac. You are my favorite cousin, but please, no more attempting to set me up." Kallan implored as nicely as possible.

"No promises, but I'll try to resist." Mac continued to chuckle.

"See you in the morning." Kallan told him, and they said their goodnights.

Noa at the Zephyr Club had some rather distasteful opinions about people, and although Kallan did not know the man, he found himself silently seething at the insults and quelling hurt feelings. It was absurd that he was feeling anything at all since the man meant absolutely nothing to him.

He recalled the deep character of his voice and the way the sound skittered across Kallan's senses, making him shiver with sensations. The sound was erotic and gave Kallan all kinds of impure thoughts until the nature of his words started to hit home. There is nothing sexy about put-downs and insults, and all sexy thoughts and feelings ended right there. Kallan pushed the obnoxious man from his mind and decided to shower and go to bed. He needed to be up early for breakfast with Mac.

Unfortunately, Kallan found that obnoxious man appearing repeatedly in his dreams throughout the night, although he was in shadow and obscured by mist. He didn't know what the irritating man looked like, but in the dreams, he was overbearing and rude beyond measure.

He was also attractive as hell, so the dreams were good and bad at the same time and caused him to wake repeatedly throughout the night. Kallan decided he would have to meet this man in order to put him and his rude behavior out of his mind and out of his life.

Noa was at the door preparing to close up, and the memory of his behavior toward Mac's cousin would not leave his mind. An hour before closing, he gave those still in line the message that no one else would be allowed inside and then stepped into the foyer and locked the large glass doors.

They were disappointed as usual, but Noa was glad the evening was winding down. He'd let people in over the past hour that were marginal at best, and some should not have entered at all. It was so obvious that his mind was not on the job that Cross paid him a visit in order to assess the problem. He gave him a half-assed explanation and promised to get his focus back on the job. The man on the phone was riding him so hard, and he didn't know why.

He held no responsibility for the feelings of the man on the phone. It was unfortunate that Mac had the call open when he was going on his tirade about his lack of interest, but it wasn't his fault. Again, he held no responsibility for this man, and yet he couldn't get him out of his head. He would have to find some way of apologizing, and then maybe he could put the sense of guilt and shame to rest.

Mac had left shortly after the incident and didn’t seem upset, just disappointed that he couldn't make a love match with Noa and his cousin Kallan. Noa shook his head and chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

Mac was a great guy but fell far short in the looks department with a gruff demeanor and hands the size of a catcher’s mitt and a body that was equal parts muscle and misuse,. He did not tick any boxes for Noa. He did solidly tick the friend box, and was a kinder and more loyal friend Noa had never known. But with that said, if Kallan looked anything like Mac, he was not someone Noa wanted to date.

Yeah, sure, he probably had a great personality, but Noa was not interested in personalities or relationships of that nature. He didn't do long-term or deep connections when it came to meeting his physical needs. There were no boyfriends in Noa's past or present, and he didn't see any happening in his future, not for a long while. Mac wanted something from Noa that he was incapable of giving, and that was all there was to it, so why was he having such a hard time forgetting.

"I was surprised to see Mac here tonight. He usually stops by on Saturdays." Parc commented as he wiped down the bar in preparation for the Club closing. The last of the patrons were being slowly shepherded toward the door, and cleanup was about to begin.

"He wanted to set me up with his cousin, who is new to town and doesn't know anyone." Noa felt like a total heel. Parc stopped what he was doing and stared at Noa in a way that indicated he knew that Noa handled it badly.

"It didn't go well?" He asked, and Noa took a seat at the bar and glanced off to the side at nothing. He just couldn't hold Parc's gaze any longer.

"I made an ass of myself." He admitted. "Mac is okay. He's not holding it against me, but his cousin Kallan overheard some of the things I said, and I know it must have hurt him."

“His cousin was here?”

"No, Mac had him on the phone on speaker. I didn't realize it until it was too late." Noa couldn't get a grip on why he was feeling so damned bad over this. He should be able to forget it like every other faux pas he has committed.

"No offense, but social issues like this don't usually bother you. You have a sharp tongue and tend to speak your mind, and you've never considered that a problem before." Parc leaned his forearms on the bar and contemplated his next words. "Is it Mac? Are you afraid you may have damaged your friendship by insulting his cousin?" Noa was shaking his head.

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