by Jools Louise
Spirit of Sage 10
Opposites Attract
Fly is a cheetah shifter with a princess attitude and a love of high fashion, who has his diva routine on tap. Noah, a bear shifter, is laid back, has zero interest in being trendy, and is quite happy living an easy life...until he is injured again, and moves in with Fly. The pair dance around their attraction for each other, until things reach a boiling point and they finally acknowledge that they're more than just roomies.
When Fly's mother arrives in town, Noah discovers a side to Fly that is well hidden. The cheetah shifter has been verbally abused for years, and now has to deal with a woman who is determined to continue hurting her son, at any cost. To add to the drama, Flashpoint is becoming bolder...and Fly discovers his mother is a possible accomplice.
The two shifters are now friends with benefits, but they want more. Can they ever live together as mates? Or are they just too different?
Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Western/Cowboys
Length: 45,752 words
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Spirit of Sage 10
Jools Louise

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Copyright © 2017 by Jools Louise
ISBN: 978-1-64010-666-6
First Publication: October 2017
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
DEDICATION
I hope you all enjoy Fly and Noah’s story. Two shifters who really shouldn’t fit, but find love and solace in each other’s arms…and a whole lot of aggravation from those determined to knock them down. The perfect match isn’t always the most obvious. Sometimes, those are the best kind. JL xxx
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’m a nearly-fifty-something single female whose love of creative writing goes back to childhood. When getting a “proper” job took priority, writing took a back seat. I took the plunge a little while ago to get serious, wrote a manuscript, then sent it off, and the rest is history…several books published now, and I’m writing plenty more. I love writing LGBTQ erotic fiction because it crosses boundaries and explores prejudice, which is what I try to convey.
I live in the northwest of England, close to the English Lake District, just a few miles from the sea and with beautiful scenery all around.
I hope you enjoy the stories I’ve written so far. Feel free to look me up on Facebook, Twitter (@joolslouise1), or my website, www.joolslouise.com, and leave feedback, ask a question, or just say hi.
For all titles by Jools Louise, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/jools-louise
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The Spirit of Sage series is a long-running series, preceded by the Two Spirit Ranch series. The books are best read in order, to get the best understanding of the characters, and plot lines. Coming soon is first of the Warriors of Sage series. This is a spin-off series, and follows Mikhail and his fellow Warrior Brigade recruits to other locations. Sage is going global.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
About the Author
Author's Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Landmarks
Cover
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Spirit of Sage 10
JOOLS LOUISE
Copyright © 2017
Chapter One
“Noah, you really are a slob!” Fly was furiously sniping at his roommate over a glass that had been left in the sink. It was early, before six in the morning, and he was already in a pissy mood. Noah had no clue why. “Is it too much trouble to put your glass into the dishwasher?”
Noah eyed the cheetah shifter warily, sensing the guy was not in the best of spirits that morning. Fly was usually a little flaky, but not mean, or obsessive about clutter. “It’s just one glass,” Noah replied calmly. “What’s the big deal?”
“Today, a glass,” Fly shot back, glaring. “Tomorrow, the whole sink will be full of dishes and pans, and there’ll be vermin running everywhere.” The sun was bright that morning, glaring in through the cream-colored vertical window blinds with ferocious intensity, heralding the arrival of spring after the long months of winter.
Noah sighed, ducking his head in shame. He’d forgotten, for just a moment, how Fly felt about cockroaches. Noah despised the things, having eaten enough of the smelly little critters to survive a time or two, but Fly had a complete phobia, and was a little schizoid about attracting them. They had both been imprisoned in an abandoned mine over in Colorado, courtesy of a mad, greedy bastard, Daniel, who had harmed his own wife and sons in the process. When Noah and Fly, and a whole lot of others, had refused to be a party to the assaults, they had been left to die, after being beaten half to death.
“I’m sorry, Fly,” Noah said remorsefully, moving to the sink. “I didn’t think. I’ll do better in future.” He walked with a limp, having been kidnapped and beaten up a few months ago by their newest enemy, Flashpoint. Members of the gang had drugged him, taking him to their camp north of town, and then forced him and other shifters into their very own fight club scenario, winner kills all. Some of the shifters had not survived, refusing to cooperate, and had been beaten to death, or had fought, and been killed by their opponent in the ring. Noah had been badly injured after taking on Mikhail Ivan, an ex-circus inmate who had been captured with his mates at the same time. He had only just been released from the hospital, and now shared an apartment with his friend, Fly, under the pretext of Fly keeping an eye on the big bear shifter, Noah.
Fly looked upset, then sighed, as well. “I’m sorry, too,” he said, walking to stand beside Noah, stroking his broad back gently with a slender, fuchsia tipped hand. “I’m a bitch today.”
Noah shot him a look, and refrained from the obvious answer. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem, since he loved to tease the prissy cheetah shifter, but he sensed something was worrying Fly. Then he put his foot in it.
“Just a little more than usual, that’s all,” he replied with a shrug. “Is something wrong?”
Fly’s eyes narrowed, his gaze now sharp as a laser. “More than usual?” he asked in a dangerously quiet tone.
“I meant that you’re normally only a little bit bitchy. But just then, you were really going for it,” Noah said, bracing himself for the explosion that he knew was going to come. He fig
ured if Fly got whatever stress he was feeling off his chest, he’d be back to just the usual sniping.
Instead, Fly looked hurt, a flash of intense pain darting into his eyes for a split second, before he masked it behind a wall of quiet dignity. “I think perhaps moving in together was a mistake,” he said quietly. “You obviously don’t like me, and I’ve behaved as though we’re friends, just because we were trapped together in horrific circumstances. Apparently, I’m just an irritation to you. I’ll start looking for alternative accommodation today.”
Noah blinked at the sudden change in Fly’s manner. This wasn’t the feisty princess he was used to seeing.
“I don’t dislike you,” he said, and saw disbelief shadow his roomie’s face.
“That’s a lie,” Fly retorted, in that same, calm tone. “I’ve been irritating you, admit it. Bossing you around night and day, making assumptions about our relationship. I’m sure you’ll be relieved when I move out.”
“Whoa!” Noah said, loudly. “Why do you get to decide everything?” he asked, feeling a little irritated himself. “Making assumptions? You’re still making assumptions, without actually asking me how I might be feeling. Where the fuck do you get off telling me anything? I may not be the most intuitive guy on the block, but I do know when something is wrong. Now why don’t you start being honest with me for once, instead of carrying on with all this drama queen attitude? That’s irritating.”
Fly stared at him as though startled by the outburst. Noah scowled back. He may be a laid back kind of a bear, but that didn’t mean he’d take this kind of crap lying down. Fly was hurting, and they were roomies. What was all this about moving out? What a crock of shit.
“I overheard you talking to your friends about me,” Fly retorted, looking tense. He was avoiding Noah’s stare, and seemed uncomfortable for some reason.
Noah stared at Fly’s gleaming blond locks, which were perfectly coiffed into a bunch of curls atop his head, with the back and sides trimmed close to his scalp Fly was a unique individual, who had developed his own chic, which bucked the stereotypical trends that society clung to for males. Fly wore his style as a statement, one that stuck two fingers up at convention, and told anyone who looked that he was his own person, and not someone to be put in a box with a label attached.
“What did you hear?” Noah asked, frowning.
“You told Axel and Doyle that I was high maintenance,” Fly muttered. Noah’s eyebrows arched high in surprise.
“You don’t think you are?” Noah asked, tilting his head.
Fly shrugged. “I’m not that bad,” he said, pouting.
“No, you aren’t,” Noah admitted, smiling. Fly looked up, his golden gaze gleaming with tears, and Noah sighed heavily. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms wide.
Fly didn’t move, eyeing Noah warily. “I don’t think so,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his chin up at a stubborn angle. “You’re just trying to pacify me.”
“Clearly,” Noah drawled, grabbing Fly’s arm and tugging him closer. “Now, quit sulking and being a bitch, and tell me what all this bullshit’s about. Because it for damned sure ain’t about me calling you high maintenance. You usually wear that label like a crown.”
Dragging Fly into his arms, Noah held his friend in a loose embrace, and felt the shudder that ripped through the slender man. Fly was almost reed thin, naturally so, and carried himself with a grace and litheness that Noah envied. The man glided, he didn’t walk. Fly wouldn’t look out of place as a catwalk model, his face all angles and high cheekbones. A stunning looking man. He had an innate dignity about him, beneath which the man had a healthy sense of humor, and could laugh at the most raucous jokes. The attitude was a self-defense mechanism. Noah just didn’t know why Fly didn’t relax around him enough to be honest.
“I don’t fit in,” Fly said after a few moments of silence. Noah felt the guy relax against him, his face buried in the crook of Noah’s neck, his moist breath dampening Noah’s skin. A delicate fragrance wafted up into Noah’s nose. He felt a sudden twinge in his groin, and his cock began to grow in response to the feel and scent of Fly. The man had somehow managed to burrow under Noah’s skin, without him realizing it.
“You fit okay right here,” Noah said huskily, feeling Fly’s soft sigh.
“I thought I did,” the younger man said, nuzzling into the warmth of Noah’s neck. Noah closed his eyes, enjoying the intimacy. He loved to cuddle, and this was the first time that Fly had allowed anything resembling closeness. He wondered what had happened in Fly’s life that made him so wary of intimacy. Fly wasn’t one to share too much about his past.
“Why don’t you fit in?” Noah asked, rubbing his hands over Fly’s narrow back, feeling the tensile steel of his friend’s body against him, surprisingly strong despite his skinny frame.
Fly sighed and pulled back a little, looking up into Noah’s face intently. “I always seem to say the wrong thing to people. I’m sharp when I don’t mean to be, and I upset people without thinking. Then I don’t know how to fix it when I do.”
Noah cupped Fly’s cheek gently, rubbing his thumb along the cheetah shifter’s delicate jawline. He watched as the deep gold irises flared with sultry lights, warm and inviting yet tinged with something akin to fear.
“Who did you upset?”
Fly glanced away, looking tearful. “I told someone that they might feel a little happier about themselves if they lost some weight. She was complaining a lot that she felt uncomfortable about her looks.” He grimaced. “The woman is taking drugs for cancer,” he added. “She got really embarrassed, and left. I was mortified when I realized she had health issues. Alfie and Kaden were understandably annoyed with me for being so outspoken.”
Noah gathered Fly close again, then lifted him up, despite his gammy leg, and limped to the sofa, sitting in the corner with Fly lying snugly against him. “Honey, you can’t apologize for being you,” he said gently. “But perhaps you could just think before you speak sometimes? It’s real easy to judge people based on their appearance, without knowing anything about them. Sometimes it’s not the words but the delivery, you know?”
Fly sighed again, and snuggled closer, closing his eyes. “I think maybe I’ll be fired anyway,” he said glumly. “The first job that I got all on my own, without interference from my mom, and I screw it up in less than three years.”
“Your mom doesn’t want you working?” Noah asked, incredulous.
Fly snorted. “She’s a control freak. She wants to run my life. She hated it when I wanted to train as a beauty therapist, and forced me to change my major at college. I had to take my beauty courses in secret, at a private facility, and work three jobs to pay for it.”
“You trained as an engineer, didn’t you?”
“Yes, for my sins,” Fly pouted. “Those hard hats just played havoc with my hair.”
Noah burst out laughing at that, and kissed Fly’s soft hair. “Baby, you just weren’t meant for that kind of work. Being a masseur is your thing.”
“Just as long as I don’t come into contact with the public,” Fly said dryly, his long body draped over Noah like a blanket. Noah inhaled Fly’s scent again and felt drool begin to moisten his mouth.
“I kind of like the contact,” Noah whispered, and placed a deliberate kiss on the upper curve of Fly’s ear, testing the shifter’s reaction.
“You’re distracting me,” Fly said accusingly, with little heat, his voice breathless. Noah felt his cock thicken even more, and the responding arousal from the man currently wrapped around him.
“Is it working?” Noah asked teasingly, stroking his big hand down Fly’s back, to the mound of his buttocks, wanting to squeeze the taut little globes, wanting to lick all that perfumed flesh.
Fly shuddered and lifted his head, his golden brown eyes dark with arousal. “Where is this heading?” he asked, then whimpered when Noah cupped his ass and squeezed firmly.
“Wherever you want it to go, honey
,” Noah said, breathing deeply, seeing the flash of pure lust in those beautiful eyes. “I’ve wanted you for ages. Just don’t know how to talk about stuff like this. I’m more the grab and go kind of guy.”
Fly grinned suddenly, transforming his face into a thing of beauty. “I’ve noticed,” he retorted, sitting up and straddling Noah’s lap, their cocks connecting beneath their clothes, hard and aching.
Noah rocked the man back and forth, grinding upward into the man’s crotch, watching the myriad of emotions that wandered over Fly’s expressive face. It was a tapestry of lust, excitement, and a healthy dose of pleasure.
“Like that, do you?” Noah asked gruffly, cupping the back of Fly’s neck with one hand, keeping up the rhythm down below. “Of all of us, down in that mine, you were the strongest. Always positive, always sassy. Even when things looked dire, when we all assumed we would die down there without ever seeing the light of day again. You were always the one who told us not to give up.” He ground more strongly, seeing Fly’s eyelids flutter closed as he lost himself in passion. “I wanted to wrap you up and never let you go. I wanted to put you in my bed when we escaped, and keep you under me so you’d never leave. Dislike you? Baby, I’ve been struggling to keep my hands off you.”
Fly groaned at that, then gave a shrill cry and bucked atop Noah, the scent of cum pungent in the air as he came. Noah licked his lips, lifting Fly’s little tube top over his head and revealing his slender, yet toned, upper torso. “I want to taste you,” Noah said with a growl. “Give me your cock, darlin’.”
