Snow Cat

by Edward Kendrick

  “Yeah, that. Damn.”

  One look at Mick’s face and Wynn knew he was in pain. “Why the hell didn’t you say something?” he growled as he managed to get him into his room and onto the bed. “Where are your pills?”

  “In my jacket pocket, which is downstairs. I mean the jacket, not the pocket—but it’s down there too. The pocket I mean.” Mick closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists.

  “Don’t move,” Wynn ordered before hurrying to find the pills. He was back moments later, setting the bottles down on the nightstand. “Water. Bathroom,” he muttered, looking around. He found it behind one of the doors, filled the glass he found on the counter, and came back. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he helped Mick sit up enough to take the pills he needed.

  “Thanks,” Mick barely whispered when Wynn eased him back down again. “Now if they’d just kick in.”

  “They will. Just close your eyes.” Wynn gently brushed Mick’s dark hair off his sweat-covered forehead.

  “Mmmm, nice.”

  Wynn continued stroking Mick’s hair until his breathing deepened and slowed. Then he took off Mick’s shoes and pulled the comforter over him. “Sleep well,” he murmured, bending to kiss Mick’s forehead.

  With that accomplished, he went down the hall to the other bedroom, took off his shirt and shoes, washed up, and got into bed. He had one last thought as he fell asleep. I could get used to this. Well, not separate bedrooms, but being with him.

  Chapter 15

  Mick woke to the smell of something cooking, which might have enticed him if he hadn’t been in pain. Moving gingerly, teeth clamped together, he managed to sit up. If he’d been capable at the moment, he would have smiled. A glass of water and one of each of his pills were laid out neatly on the nightstand. He took them all, waiting for the painkiller to kick in.

  Once it had, he made his way to the bathroom, did what he could to make himself feel almost human, and got dressed in sweatpants and an over-large sweatshirt that wouldn’t press against his wound.

  Then he walked carefully downstairs and into the kitchen.

  Wynn turned, frowning. “Why are you down here?”

  “Because whatever you’re cooking smells good and I wanted some?”

  “I was going to bring it up to you.”

  “Too late now,” Mick told him with a grin, as he sat down at the table.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Hungry?”

  Wynn rolled his eyes. “I sort of got that. I mean otherwise.”

  “I’ve felt better, but for sure I’ve felt worse. I woke up hurting. Oh, and thanks for leaving the pills where I could get them. I’m not going to be running marathons anytime soon but I figure if I’m careful, I can go in to work…”

  “No way in hell!” Wynn told him. “You’re staying home until you get the okay from the doc at the clinic.”

  “Now wait a minute. The hospital doctor said I was supposed to walk every day. And I don’t think he meant pacing around the living room.”

  “That’s different from trying to go back to work.”

  Mick sighed. “Okay, for now I’ll follow orders. And where’s my food? I’m about to faint from starvation.”

  Wynn snorted. “Not hardly.” He filled two plates with the scrambled eggs and sausage he’d been cooking, added blueberry muffins he’d found in the fridge and microwaved, and set them on the table. Then he filled a glass with milk, putting it down by Mick’s plate, and got coffee for himself.

  “Hey, I want coffee too,” Mick protested.

  “Nope, milk’s better for you.”

  “But Wynn…” Mick whined.

  “But Mick…” Wynn whined back, mimicking him. “You’ll survive without it. Honest.”

  “Says you,” Mick muttered as he started eating.

  “Go slow,” Wynn cautioned.

  “God, are you going to be like this for the next however long until the doctor says I’m back to normal?”

  Wynn laughed. “You bet. So deal.”

  * * * *

  “Slow down,” Wynn said, several hours later as he and Mick walked down the lane leading from Mick’s house to the main road.

  “Damn. Okay…Nurse McGuire.”

  “You bet I am, for the time being.”

  Mick grinned. “That’s all right. Male nurses are sexier than hell.”

  Wynn started to say that was not where Mick’s mind should be going at the moment then just shook his head.

  “Well they are, damn it.” Mick’s grin widened. “Walking is supposed to increase my stamina, right?”

  “That’s what the doctor said.”

  “So just think how much a good round of sex would do that.”

  Wynn stopped where he was. “First off, that’s off limits until you’re totally healed. Secondly, aren’t you jumping ahead just a bit?”

  “I’d love to be jumping a…” Mick shut up when Wynn glared at him. “Okay, so that was probably going to be one real bad joke. But still, you know we’re working toward that, I think.”

  “We are, but slowly—and much slower now.”

  “Yeah. Damn it. No, damn Danny for what he did.”

  Trying to defuse Mick’s suddenly darkening mood, Wynn chuckled and patted his shoulder. “You need to come up with a new swear word. You’ve been overusing that one today.”

  “I guess I have, but damn…I mean…okay, give me another one.” Mick’s lips curled up in a small grin.

  “Doggone it?”

  “Naw, it doesn’t have the right punch,” Mick said as they started walking again.

  “Dagnabit.”

  Mick snorted. “This may be a small western town but that’s carrying it a bit too far, don’t you think?”

  “Hell fire and…”

  “Damnation. That’s just a fancy way of saying ‘damn’.”

  They began rattling off other words they knew and in the end decided, laughing hard, that Mick should count to four before saying ‘damn’.

  “At least that way you might cut down on it,” Wynn pointed out.

  “Like hell,” Mick muttered as they continued on down the lane. Mick stopped before they got to the end, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. “I hate this,” he growled. “We haven’t even gotten to the road and I feel like I just ran a mile dead out.”

  “Considering you were shot then spent two weeks pretty much flat on your back, it’s not surprising and you know it. Let’s get back to the house, you can rest a bit, and we’ll walk again this afternoon.”

  “I’m going to make it to the road first.”

  Wynn started to say ‘No’, noting how pale he was then thought better of it. I do that and it’ll undermine his confidence. He really doesn’t need me playing ‘nurse’—just friend. “Okay,” he replied. “And this afternoon we’ll even cross the road.”

  Mick grinned, albeit a bit weakly. “Like the chicken?”

  “Yep. Gotta see what’s on the other side.”

  “That’s not how the joke goes. It’s ‘to get to the other side’.”

  “You tell it your way, I’ll tell it mine.”

  “My way’s the right way,” Mick grumbled, as they started down the last few yards to the road. Then he smiled. “You’re good for my morale.”

  “Well that is why I’m here,” Wynn responded as they turned and started back to the house.

  “Damn. I thought it was because you cared for me.”

  “I do,” Wynn said softly. “You know that.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Mick paused. “So show me.”

  “Gladly.” Wynn cupped Mick’s face in his hands and kissed him.

  It deepened as Mick returned the kiss wholeheartedly, wrapping his arms around Wynn then moving his hands down to grip Wynn’s ass. Wynn started to pull back, knowing what that could lead to.

  He didn’t have to, though, since Mick stepped away with a sigh. “I swear, when I’m healed I’m going to take you to bed and keep you there until you beg for merc
y.”

  Wynn grinned, kissing him quickly before putting his arm around Mick’s waist. “Nope. I never beg, so get that idea out of your head right now.”

  Mick grinned back. “We’ll see; we’ll see.”

  * * * *

  Mick was due to go back to the hospital for a final checkup by his surgeon two weeks after his release.

  In the interim, the sexual tension between him and Wynn heightened to the point Wynn suggested he should move back to the hotel for the time being. Mick put his foot down, saying they were adults and could handle the situation. Wynn finally agreed, and not all that reluctantly. The more time he spent with Mick, the more he realized how important Mick had become to him. He was certain Mick felt the same. So they danced around their physical needs, for the moment, instead taking long walks and even running a few times. Short runs, since Mick was still not up to par, but each time his distance and stamina improved.

  Wynn had also, finally, called Maribel to let her know he was still alive. She’d read him the riot act for not getting in touch sooner then asked when he was coming back.

  “I’m not sure that I am,” he replied.

  “But…but…your studio’s here; your work is here,” she’d protested.

  “I can paint anywhere, you know that. As for a studio, I can probably find a place here to rent or buy that would work.”

  “Get a house, then I can come visit.”

  “That…might already exist.” He went on to tell her everything that had happened since he’d last seen her.

  She was elated things seemed to be working out between him and Mick, then asked, somewhat pointedly, “Have you been painting or has all that pushed it to a back burner?”

  “Not painting but sketching a lot. I’ve had some new ideas for paintings, once I get things set up.”

  “I get first dibs for the gallery!”

  “Well, yeah. Did you think otherwise?”

  She’d laughed, told him he’d better get to work because people were asking when she’d have more to offer from him, and they’d hung up with promises that they’d see each other soon and keep in touch until then.

  Chapter 16

  “You’re recovering very well, even better than I had expected,” the surgeon told Mick after the examination. “I don’t foresee any complications arising as long as you don’t push yourself beyond your limits. Go back to work, but don’t try chasing down a felon on foot just yet. Leave that to your deputies.”

  “What about…?” Mick glanced at Wynn who had joined them in the surgeon’s office after Mick’s exam.

  The surgeon smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with sex, as long as it’s not acrobatic or protracted.”

  Mick snapped his fingers, muttering ‘Damn’ as he remembered his promise to Wynn to keep him in bed until he begged for mercy.

  Wynn chuckled before asking the surgeon, “Is there anything else we have to worry about?”

  “No. As I said, he’s doing well. If that changes for any reason—” the surgeon looked sternly at Mick, “—you’re to admit it. And I’m talking about mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. I know you’re used to violence to a certain extent because of what you do, but this time it was directed at you personally by someone you trusted. You seem to be handling that well so all I’m saying is, be aware if your emotions start to fluctuate—and ask for help.”

  “Got it,” Mick replied. “I’m well aware that’s a possibility. Trust me.”

  “Very good. Now unless you have any other questions…” When both men shook their heads, the surgeon stood, offering his hand to Mick. “Keep up the good work, remember you’re human, not Superman, and hopefully I won’t have to see you again.”

  “Believe me, I don’t want that any more than you do,” Mick said with a laugh. “Thanks, Doc, for everything.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he replied as he escorted them to the door.

  “And that’s that,” Mick said as soon as the door closed behind them. “Shall we go home and celebrate?”

  “Sure. I’ll take you out to supper at the diner.”

  “That is not what I meant and you know it,” Mick grumbled as they headed down the hallway to the elevator.

  “I know. As for anything else, well, we’ll see.”

  “Wynn. Damn it!”

  Wynn just smiled as they waited for the elevator. When it arrived, empty, they stepped in. Seconds later Wynn had Mick up against the wall and was kissing him hard. That lasted until the elevator doors opened at the hospital lobby. It might have lasted even longer if a rather amused nurse hadn’t pointed out as she got on that they had an audience. They broke apart quickly and got off, both of them avoiding looking at the people standing there.

  “This feels like the time my tenth-grade teacher caught me in the janitor’s closet with Bobby March,” Mick muttered, as they hurried to the exit.

  Wynn laughed. “Hopefully you weren’t doing more than kissing.”

  “Hell, we hadn’t even gotten that far.”

  “Do tell.”

  So Mick did as they walked to the car.

  * * * *

  “That was a good supper. Damned good,” Mick said, as he unlocked the front door. “Now I’m ready for…”

  “Don’t say ‘dessert’. It’s so cliché,” Wynn broke in, chuckling.

  “Now would I say that?” Mick grinned, opening the door and stepping aside to let Wynn enter first.

  “In a…” Wynn didn’t get to finish his sentence. He was suddenly wrapped in a pair of strong arms, his mouth taken by a kiss so heated his toes curled. So he did the only thing possible, he returned it in kind, his tongue waging war for dominance with Mick’s as they hungrily tasted and savored each other’s mouths.

  “Upstairs, now,” Mick ordered, many long moments later.

  “In a hurry?” Wynn’s eyes glittered with amusement then darkened with need when Mick growled in the affirmative while practically tearing off Wynn’s shirt.

  “Damn, you’re spectacular,” Mick whispered, his gaze raking over Wynn’s muscular chest.

  Rather than reply, Wynn began unbuttoning Mick’s shirt. When he finished, he pushed it off Mick’s shoulders. He knew what to expect. He had, after all, spent a great deal of time with Mick at the hospital. Still, the sight of the scar from the bullet wound had him hissing in a breath. He traced a fingertip around it, watching Mick’s face for any sign that touching it caused him any pain.

  Mick took Wynn’s hand, pressing it against the scar. “It’s fine. I’m fine, so get that idea out of your head right now.” Still holding Wynn’s hand, he tugged him toward the stairs.

  They made it to Mick’s bedroom with several stops along the way filled with passionate kisses. Then they slowly finished undressing each other, savoring the process, until they each stood totally naked. Wynn was now definitely much more aroused than he had been when they started, if that was possible. And it only took one glance to know Mick was as well.

  Wynn closed the distance between them, placing his hands on Mick’s hips, walking him backward to the bed. When Mick’s calves hit the edge, he sat. Before he could do more, Wynn was on his knees in front of him, one hand wrapped around his thick erection. Then he bent, running his tongue over the leaking slit before taking him halfway into his mouth.

  “God,” Mick moaned, sucking in a deep breath. “Just…damn.” He leaned back on his hands, arching into Wynn’s mouth then suddenly tried to pull away.

  Wynn looked at him in surprise. “You don’t like?”

  “Hell yeah, I like, but we need—” Mick pointed to the nightstand drawer.

  “Shifter here,” was all Wynn replied before returning to what he’d been doing.

  “Oh. Well…” Mick let out a deep groan when Wynn took him fully into his mouth and deep into his throat.

  Wynn continued his ministrations, his fingers stroking Mick’s balls until he felt them tighten. He swallowed hard around Mick’s cock then again as Mick exploded, flooding
his throat with cum, Mick’s shout of release echoed through the room. Pulling back some, Wynn sucked and stroked until Mick was finished.

  “Shit and damn and…and…” Mick gasped out, once he could speak again.

  Wynn smiled, crawling onto the bed beside his now-reclining lover. Mick pulled him closer and kissed him, whispering “Thank you” against his lips.

  * * * *

  They lay like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, until Mick said, “So we won’t need condoms?”

  Wynn shook his head. “Another perk of being a shifter, I don’t get sick, with anything. Not,” he added, “that I’ve had a chance to recently, just in case you were wondering.”

  Mick smiled, brushing a kiss across Wynn’s lips. “I wasn’t. I’ve got the feeling you’re not the sort of man who plays fast and loose.”

  Wynn said, “No, I’m not,” returning the kiss. Then he rolled over, opening the nightstand drawer by Mick’s bed. “So no condoms, ever. Lube on the other hand—” It was obvious he had hoped Mick had some when he sighed in relief after finding it, handing it to Mick.

  Mick cocked an eyebrow. “For me or you?”

  “Your choice,” Wynn replied with a grin. “I’m a switch.”

  “Well, hot damn. Me too. So I think we’re going to be just fine together.”

  Wynn laughed. “You doubted it?”

  “Not really.” Mick looked at Wynn, his gaze moving down to Wynn’s rampant erection. “You must have a great deal of self-control.”

  “Only with someone I care about who cares about me in return, because I know my turn will come in time.”

  “And that time is now.” Mick sat up, squeezing some lube into his hand. “You know this is going to turn you on even more,” he told Wynn with a lascivious grin as he began stroking his hand over Wynn’s cock.

  “No…shit…” Wynn gasped. “Keep that up and my self-control will go south in a hurry.”

  “Don’t want that happening until you’re in me.” Mick lay back, asking, “Do you want me…how?”

  Chuckling low, Wynn replied, “Yes, I want you. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” When Mick flipped him off, he said, “That’s exactly what I’m planning on doing, so stay just the way you are and lift your legs.”