HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

“Hazel?” His voice broke into my thoughts and I realized he’d offered me a hand up.

  As he pulled me up, I thought about how my name sounded in his voice. Like it was something sweet, something savory he craved. When he pulled me against him, my cheeks went bright red. Oh my, but I could feel how much he was craving me.

  “I’m sorry, I gotta run,” he murmured, then hesitated. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” I blurted out, then I bit my lip, realizing how that must have sounded.

  Ben smirked, his eyes dark with need. “Won’t be back until much later, if at all. Lock up, okay?” Then he pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered in my ear, “Tomorrow.”

  Ben escorted me almost all the way to the cabin, then took off at a jog through the woods, heading for Aunt Sil’s house, I assumed. I’d been so dazed by what had happened, our walk back had been quiet, and now I regretted that. I had so many questions.

  Starting with: why did he want to send me away if he also was kissing me like that?

  I walked into my room and slammed the door behind me to siphon off some frustration. Glancing into the mirror, I started, and gawked at myself. Twigs were snarled in my hair, along with leaves. My lips were swollen, cheeks bright pink, and eyes sparkling. Somehow I managed to look away, get ready for bed, and crawl in.

  But I couldn’t sleep. I kept straining for the sound of Ben entering the cabin – not sure what I would do if I heard him. All I knew was there was an ache between my legs that had to be satisfied by him. And a thousand questions he needed to answer.

  Eventually, I fell asleep after falling into half-dreams, half-daydreams about Ben, and then I woke up, blinking in confusion. Grabbing my watch, I saw that I was nearly an hour late for the site, and flung myself out of bed. Hastily, I got dressed, and then taking a deep breath, left my room.

  No Ben.

  Half-relieved, but also filled with disappointment, I ate breakfast and ran to the site. A few people gave me funny looks, but no one said anything, not even Maxwell.

  The morning dragged by, lunch taking forever to arrive, but it came and went without Ben. I tried not to feel disappointed, even as uneasiness rooted in my gut. An uneasiness that grew as the rest of the day passed and he didn’t appear.

  When I heard the roar of the ATV around 3:30, my heart leaped. Then it abruptly sank back down to where it had been, somewhere by my ankles. It was only Cree.

  Rubbing his neck as he slowly swung down, he dragged his feet as he walked over to the tent, and said, “Hey.” Then he yawned hugely.

  “Hi Cree.” I set aside the vase we’d found last week in the cave, and gazed at him, wondering if I should ask him where Ben was.

  “Somethin’ the matter?” he asked, his eyes half-closed and his voice weary.

  Glancing around, I saw that no one else was around except for Whitsy and few others in a serious conversation a few yards away, so I asked in a low voice, “Have you seen Ben?”

  “Not since this morning, why?” Cree’s eyes lit up and he gave me a mischievous smile. “You miss him? Thought you didn’t even like him.”

  “What? No,” I demurred hastily. “I just… It’s nothing. Excuse me.” Blushing, I fled the tent. Wandering down to the river, I folded my arms and stared into the woods.

  Had we moved too fast? Was he regretting last night? Or was I overreacting? Rubbing my elbows, my mind flashed to the memory of his lips against mine, the way his heart thundered and echoed my own, and the pull between us. I’d never felt this way about anyone.

  Whatever had happened, it was real, I thought, trying to quell my anxiety. Right?

  Taking a deep breath, I told myself to be patient and turned around. Maxwell was standing there and I had to fight the look of disgust from crossing my face. “Yes, Maxwell?” I asked stiffly.

  “It’s pretty pathetic how you moon over that firefighter,” he said in a low voice.

  I recoiled, my mouth dropping open. “What?”

  Maxwell stepped closer, a cruel smile playing around his mouth. “Your little crush on Ben. It’s obvious, Hazel. And very obviously one-sided. Why waste your time?”

  “Mind your own damn business,” I snapped, unsure of what to deny, or say.

  “Seriously, Hazel, you’re too good for him.” Maxwell’s eyes darted down my body.

  What a creep, I thought angrily. Pushing past him, I decided not to respond.

  Then he said, “Hey, since he’s not getting the job done, I assure you, I can.”

  Gross. Irritated, I glared at him. “Bugger off, Dierkis. Now. Because if you speak about Ben like that again, or to me at all, I’ll report you to Whitsy, and your university.”

  Stomping off, I grabbed my stuff and went to the cabin. I took a shower, made dinner, and then sat outside on the swing as sunset, then twilight fell.

  It was getting late and colder by the minute, but I stubbornly remained where I was. Clamping my arms around my knees, I stared moodily at the stars.

  A waxing gibbous moon was rising, lighting up the woods, and I started to shiver.

  Couple more days till it’s full, I thought vaguely. My lower lip trembled and I shivered harder. He’s not coming back, is he?

  “Hazel?” Ben’s voice called across the clearing and I stood up. I couldn’t see him, and then he appeared, striding towards me. “What the hell are you doin’? You’re almost blue. Get inside.”

  I wondered how he could have seen me in the dim light, but then I was being towed inside, my hand in his, and I smiled. “Where have you been?” I asked as we walked inside.

  “Had to run an errand for Auntie Sil,” he said, dropping my hand and walking towards the fire. I noticed he was wearing different clothes than yesterday. Jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a winter hat. When he pulled it off, his hair stuck up everywhere, and I tried not to laugh. “You hungry?”

  “A little,” I told him, rubbing my arms, and he eyed me.

  With a sigh, he walked over to the fireplace, and two seconds later a fire was roaring in the grate. Resting an arm on the mantle, he looked down at it, and asked, “What were you doing out there?”

  “I was waiting,” I said, and when he looked at me, I added, “for you.” Ben hung his head and muttered something. “What?” I asked, approaching him slowly.

  He was distant tonight, in a tired way – much like Cree had been. I wondered what had happened and wished I could get Ben to tell me.

  “I didn’t think yesterday through, Hazel,” Ben said, his jaw tight, and he looked down. All the air left my body in a rush. “You don’t know much about me and I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I said, my throat aching, as the fear I’d been trying to stave off all day rose up, choking me. “Ben, last night was – I didn’t want it to end,” I said, sounding braver than I felt.

  Ben’s eyes caught mine, full of wonder as he stared down at me. “Don’t say that.” He breathed. “I can barely think straight around you as it is. You’re like kryptonite for me.”

  I let out a small laugh. “Oh really?”

  “You have no idea,” he murmured, then he swallowed, and gritted out. “Hazel, please try to understand, no matter how much I want to, I can’t be with you.”

  A sense of being shot in the heart, pieces shattering, hit me, followed by a cold, terrible kind of numbness.

  “Why?” I finally gasped out. “We have a-a connection. Don’t you feel it?”

  Ben’s face twisted with agony. “Yes. You have no idea.”

  “I think I do,” I snapped, as ire sparked from the broken pieces of my heart.

  “I have a difficult life, Hazel. There’s no room for…” He stumbled over his words. “For what I want. You wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

  My heart twisted in pleasure and pain. “Why not? What aren’t you telling me?”

  Ben glanced away. “You’d be in danger.”

  Terror and hope clashed within me like a thunderstorm. “I don’t care,” I
said.

  He looked back at me, his fists clenching. “But I do.”

  “We’ll make it work,” I declared, refusing to give in.

  Ben laughed, dropping his head into his hand. “You don’t even know what that entails.”

  “Tell me, then,” I demanded. “Please.” But Ben just lifted his head and shook it. “That’s not fair; you can’t do that to me, Ben. You’re breaking my heart,” I choked out.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Ben said, looking desperate, “but this is the way it has to be.”

  “Is it because I couldn’t help you five years ago?” I burst out, voicing one of my fears, one that had lingered for all those years. “Is it because you can’t forget how useless I was? I’ll just get in the way, huh?” Tears pushed into my eyes and I looked down. “I wanted to, you know. I hated feeling so helpless. I used to hope that if I ever met you again, maybe I could make up for that.”

  The man in front of me said nothing, but I sensed how his body went rigid, the silence yawning between us. Biting down hard, my chin trembled, and bleak thoughts rushed through my head. This is how it ends? We find our way back to each other and you push me away? Even though I want – hell, need you, Ben? And you feel the same? I’m meant to be with you.

  Part of me wished I was speaking these thoughts, but I was using every last ounce of willpower to keep from falling apart. Why can’t you see that? Why are you doing this?

  Chapter 10

  I was sure the universe had just imploded because I couldn’t move.

  Something unbearably warm and fulfilling had come over me at Hazel’s words. And now all I could do was gape at her like a fool in my shock, watching her watch the floor with her words spinning through my brain.

  She’d thought about me? Worried about me? It had bothered her that much that she hadn’t been able to answer my hasty, half-formed question back then? She’d cared about what happened to me?

  I’d assumed she would remember the encounter, but I never dreamed she’d cared about some ass who shoved his way into her boss’s office, made her promise to keep a secret, and then took off his shirt. I’d only hoped she felt that same spark.

  But Hazel was like no one else. Of course she cared. I knew that was part of the reason why she’d been unable to help herself that first night, chattering at me like I hadn’t been the world’s biggest jackass earlier in the day and all but forgiving me then and there. Even last night, she couldn’t stay mad and she’d seen straight through my act.

  I flushed to think of it, even as it made my chest hum. Warmth was rapidly turning to heat.

  She was so brave and honest, too. Staring me in the eye and asking me if I felt the connection between us. I swallowed. Of course I could, the taut pull made even an inch of space between us feel like a chasm needing to be filled.

  Yet I had told myself sternly the attraction was one-sided. Yesterday was nothing but a random heat of the moment thing.

  Now, standing there, I found myself again wondering why I’d felt so complacent, so sure of trusting Hazel all those years ago. I’d always assumed it was some combination of me being impulsive and attracted to her. I mean, before we got interrupted, I’d considered staying in Seattle, asking her out for a drink…

  The memory of her warm fingers pressing against my bare chest shot through me. Over a thousand days later and I could still recall it. Another memory of her that haunted my dreams.

  Starting to come to my senses, realizing I’d been standing there like a hunk of stone, I saw that her shoulders were trembling. She’s trying not to cry. Heat and grief now mingled.

  “Hazel, you…” My fingers lifted her chin. “You thought about me?” My voice was gruff and I cleared my throat. “You cared that much? I was a stranger…”

  “Not to me,” she said, eyes serious if a bit glassy. “It was like I’d always known you.”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. The sadness in her eyes needed to be put right.

  Reaching out, I gripped her lower back and pulled our bodies flush against each other. Hazel gave me a surprised look that turned soft and needy before my blood blazed into an inferno, and I captured her mouth.

  Just like last night, she tasted like sweetness, only now there was a trace of saltiness from a few escaped tears.

  Her hands found my shoulders, slim fingers digging in, and I deepened the kiss. Overpowering her, I dominated her tongue, and the wild in me reared up, wanting all of her. Hazel responded in her own soft, sexy way, supple and pliant against me. And when she rubbed against me, I went hard in an instant, and let out a growl.

  Pulling her lip between my teeth, I nibbled on it, and Hazel let out a soft moan. Her fingers were dragging up my neck now, across my jaw, and then she sighed.

  At that, I broke away and saw her eyes were shining, as were her cheeks. Gently, I brought a hand up and brushed away those tears. “You were right,” I said.

  “What?” she asked, looking a little dazed.

  “Last night you said I owed you.” A smile curved into my cheeks and I pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. Then into her ear, I whispered, “How about I start right now?”

  Hazel let out a small, triumphant laugh, then gasped as I trailed my mouth across her jaw, then down her neck. “I plan on collecting in full.”

  Nuzzling the space between her collarbones, I let out a deep hum of assent, then began to bite her collarbone lightly.

  “Dammit, Ben.” Hazel’s voice was ragged.

  Concerned, I looked up, and asked, “What? What is it?”

  But Hazel didn’t look like she was in discomfort. Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips parted in a smile as she panted a little, and then she swatted me. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

  “I don’t mean to be,” I said, feeling chagrined. “I just…” I stopped, frustrated, and uncertainty rose in me. Should we be doing this? Came a nagging voice in my head.

  “Stop that,” Hazel ordered, and I looked at her in surprise. “You think too much, Ben.” She looped her arms around my neck and tugged on my hair. I grit my teeth as my hips bucked forward. “Stop thinking; just go with it.” She laughed a little. “Trust me.”

  So I did.

  Finding Hazel’s lips again, I worked her mouth slowly at first, cherishing every contour. I’d thought nothing could top last night, but every time we touched, it seemed ten times more intense. She was blowing my mind right now, what little of it I had left.

  At first, the brooding, surly side of me insisted it couldn’t be this good, it had to taper off eventually, but it didn’t, and that voice vanished. The reckless confidence that had been my trademark once upon a time, stirred by Hazel’s presence – fourteens days full of a constant reminder of who I’d once been – now came roaring back from its dormant slumber.

  Only now it was also fueled with the hard-won wisdom of the last five years. I’d thought becoming a coyote shifter had meant taking things seriously, but like everything in my life, perhaps I’d taken that too far. Now I felt a sense of wholeness, of completion. I could have howled in joy.

  What are you doing to me, woman? How are you doing it? I wondered as Hazel kissed me back even more fiercely. But all those thoughts were swallowed up by her hands fisting in my shirt as we came up for air and our eyes met again.

  “I want you,” I said, my voice rasping, trying not to wince at the pressure in my pants.

  “I know.” Her lips pulled up in a smirk. “It’s mutual.” With that, Hazel tugged on my shirt, her cheeks flushing pink, even as her eyes dared me to keep up. Smirking back, I helped her sweep it off. Biting her lip, she gazed at me and swallowed. Suddenly she looked a little uncertain, and shy. “You’re bigger.” Then she went bright red. “I didn’t – I meant stronger.”

  Laughing, I reached out and played with her hair. “You’re even more adorably beautiful.” I twirled my fingers through the soft strands as Hazel smiled. “You might be the impossible one, you know.”

  “What?” she burst
out indignantly, her smile growing, even as she squinted at me. “How?”

  Drifting my hands down her arms to the hem of her shirt, I tugged on it. “The things you make me want to throw to the wind.” I moved my hands up her arms. “The way you’re so sweet but damn sexy.” I laughed, a little rueful, and swallowed. “The things you make me think about…and say,” I murmured. Hazel’s breathing hitched in her throat as I pushed my hands into her sweater, pulling it off her arms. Then I tugged on her shirt and pulled it up slowly. “Just, Hazel, you…”

  “Really?” Her voice was full of shy, hopeful incredulity, and it made me smile.

  Pulling her shirt over her head, I was momentarily breathless, then I grinned. Hunger was driving me now, raw, and primal. “Of course,” I said, then I pressed a kiss to her neck before moving my mouth lower, and lower, till I was on my knees at her navel.

  Her hands were in my hair as I traced my lips from hip to hip, kneading her firm ass while doing so. Muscles quaked under my touch. Oh, I wanted to make her tremble, shiver, and shudder all over. Hear her breathy voice cry out my name.

  But above all, I wanted Hazel to know just how grateful and in awe of her I was.

  Sliding her leggings down, I watched her kick them off, then leaned back on my heels to take in the sight of Hazel in nothing but a bra and panties.

  They were navy blue, a little lacy, and her skin looked bright against them, the pale white of a morning star. However, she was dotted with gold freckles, her cheeks rosy, and her sapphire eyes were full of firelight. Watching the flames toss shadows across her body, I had the sense of looking up at a masterpiece. Not only that – but one meant for me.

  Rocking back onto my knees, I lavished kisses across her lower belly, moving lower and lower. Hazel was gripping my hair now, soft moans fluttering from above me. When I hooked my thumbs into her panties, she gasped, arching against me, and her fingers tightened.

  Slowly I slid them off, then lifted, and hooked her knee around my neck. Licking my lips, I leaned in and devoured her molten core. I wanted to let my tongue praise Hazel.

  While tasting her, I went even more unbearably rigid.