HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  “No, we’re about sixty miles or so from there,” I told her as I carefully put her down and gave her a gentle shake. Hesitating for half a second, I said, “Kalin, I gotta get you out of these clothes. Okay?”

  She laughed a little, her head lolling. “You first. How’d you find this place? It was so well hidden… It’s like you’re part of the mountains, I swear…”

  Slightly startled, I shook my head at her, then pulled out the extra blankets and towel Hazel had insisted I pack. Tugging Kalin into a seated position, I peeled off her sweatshirt, then her shirt, and her pants. A soft cry escaped her as the air hit her bare skin, skin that was flushed with angry scarlet blotches. As I dried her off with the towel, I tried not to notice the swell of her curves around her hips and breasts, now only hidden by a bra and panties. Not the time, Young!

  Kalin seemed to wake up a little with that, her delirium and drowsiness fading somewhat. I held up a blanket, looking away as she stripped down completely, and then wrapped her in it.

  For one breathless moment, I held her in my arms, feeling the soft contours of her body under the blanket. Then I wrapped her in another one. Grabbing the towel again, I squeezed out the excess water from her hair, then told her to give me her wrist.

  A hair elastic circled it and I snatched it up. Awkwardly, hoping I wasn’t hurting her, I twisted her hair into a bun and slipped the band around it. She gave me an odd look, but no pain crossed her face. Then, crawling back, I pulled her feet out and onto my lap, rubbing them in gentle circles. Her skin here was nearly bloodless.

  This is going to hurt, I thought.

  As if on cue, Kalin let out a cry of pain. She tried to pull away, snapping out, “Ouch! Wes, that really hurts. Do you know what you’re doing?”

  “You wanna lose one?” I shot at her as I continued to rub her feet, blood rushing back in.

  “No,” she murmured. “Sorry. I’m tired. A bit cranky, too.”

  “You have to get warm,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm as I finished with her feet. “You’re still in danger of hypothermia.” Reaching behind me, I grabbed my bulky roll of a sleeping bag and spread it out. It was big and fluffy and Kalin giggled as I rolled her in it like a burrito.

  “It’s appropriate, because I’m Latina,” she told me between giggles.

  I tried to smile, but it seemed to hurt my face. Her brown eyes were hazy and terror jumped through my veins. Her delirium was back and getting worse. “Try to keep wiggling your fingers and toes. I’ll be right back, just have to build a fire.”

  “That’s hot,” Kalin let out a loud laugh, sounding like she’d downed an entire bottle of Jose Cuervo. Inside the sleeping bag, she seemed to be doing a dance as she moved around. “It’s a good joke, Wes, laugh.” I nodded at her as I collected rocks and then began to place them in a circle near the entrance. “C’mon, laugh. Don’t you get it? Because you’re hot! Fuego!” Again she laughed.

  Wait, what? Heat raced over my skin, making me flush, and I stopped moving for the span of a few breaths. Then, snapping back awake, I coughed and tucked my chin into my chest. “You’re getting loopier by the second,” I muttered. “Your body temperature is still too low.”

  Getting up, I began gathering up scraps of sagebrush and branches from the cave’s mouth. Piling them high, I went to my bag, digging out my flint, char cloth, and oakum.

  “What about you, Wes?” Kalin suddenly asked, voice slurring, and I glanced back to see her tilting her head at me. “You’re still in your wet clothes. You should get them off. C’mon, join the naked party. I don’t want you to get sick. I don’t want to cause you any more problems.”

  Problems? My entire body went rigid as I turned to look at her. “What did you say?” I asked.

  Kalin just bit her lip, shook her head, and burrowed into my sleeping bag. Her cheeks were red, eyes bright, and she looked completely delirious. “Nothing,” she finally answered.

  “Okay,” I hesitated another moment, then went back to the kindling. Damn, she was so distracting right now.

  In another moment, I had a flame curling up, and heat drifted through the cave. Sighing, I plucked at my soaking wet shirt, chafing my skin. Turning back to Kalin, I saw her eyes were half-shut, and the giddiness seemed to have left her. “Kalin, don’t fall asleep, okay?”

  “I won’t,” she said, her voice sounding clearer. I turned back to the fire, stoking it, and then she said, “The sleeping bag smells good. Like you. I think it’s making me delirious. Well, more delirious.”

  Hunching up my shoulders, my chin dove towards my chest again and heat rushed up into my face. “Hopefully we don’t get smoked out,” I muttered.

  Then with a deep breath, I turned and walked over to Kalin. Dark shadows lined her eyes and she looked like she was having trouble staying awake.

  Reaching down, I cupped her cheek and a jolt went through me. She was still icy-cold to the touch. “You’re not warming up,” I said. “But why? You’re dry, you’re by the fire…”

  “I’m sorry, Wes,” she murmured, her skin like soft snow under my fingers. “It’s not your fault.” A shaky sigh escaped her. “You need to get warm, please, get out of those clothes…”

  “No!” I burst out. Suddenly it hit me. “Hell no. You’re crashing because you barely ate. Low blood sugar, so your body is shutting down…” Digging into the bag, I found a candy bar and peeled away the wrapper. “You have to eat this, now. Please.”

  Kalin nodded, accepting it and nibbling on it, but my heart was sinking fast. It wouldn’t be enough. Letting out a small huff, halfway between a laugh and a sigh, I stood up and swept off my shirt.

  That seemed to wake Kalin up. “W-what are you doing?” She gasped, cheeks brightening.

  “Didn’t you just tell me to get undressed?” I tried to grin at her. “Now close your eyes for a second. Jeez woman, this isn’t a peep show.”

  Lips parted, Kalin obliged, and I quickly stripped. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain to her that my body temperature wasn’t affected by the river, but that was tomorrow’s problem. Right now all that mattered was getting her warm. And for that, she needed body heat.

  Sometimes you get what you want, just not the way you’d imagined, I thought wryly.

  “Scoot over,” I ordered. “Sleeping bag is big enough for the both of us.”

  Jumping a little, Kalin did so, and I slipped in. Her sweet scent filled my nose, along with dark chocolate, and I tried to keep my cool. But when our skin met, mine like fire to her ice, it felt like sparks jumped between us. Adrenaline and desire poured through my body in a heady rush.

  “You can open your eyes now,” I finally said as I pulled her flush against me. A squeak escaped her lips as our bodies melded.

  Skin on skin. Dammit, Kalin, you’re killing me in every way right now.

  Heat pooled in my stomach, radiating outwards, and I half expected to see steam rising from us. Primal hunger padded low in my belly.

  Eyes like the chocolate in her hands met mine. She swallowed and offered me a timid smile. In spite of myself, a smirk tugged up in my cheek. “You gonna eat that?”

  Nodding, Kalin bit into the chocolate, and I looked beyond her head to the cave entrance. Desire warred with logic. The smell of her, the candy, and the sensation of bare skin was too much; however, that icy cold skin of hers was also keeping me calm and collected.

  “You’re gonna be okay, Kalin,” I murmured as she finished it. “Don’t sleep on me yet, girl, we have to get your body temp up.” Carefully, I began working her back, letting my hands find each muscle and knead it gently. She pressed against me harder and I let out a nervous laugh. “Warmer?”

  She nodded, then suddenly her legs intertwined with mine. A small, cold foot slid against my calf and I sucked in a breath sharply.

  “That’s good,” I managed to get out a moment later, my voice sounding a little strangled. Suddenly two ice cold hands pressed on my chest and I jumped. “Damn, woman.”

  “Sorr
y,” Kalin said, now pressing her cheek to my chest. I hoped she couldn’t hear how hard my heart was pounding. Then her breath tickled me as she spoke and I shuddered. “I’m nothing but a pain in the ass for you, huh?” She rubbed her nose against my chest. “God, you’re so hot.”

  I laughed in a feeble attempt to hide how this basically torture then sighed, “Please don’t apologize. Just rest. Warm up.”

  “Why do I keep doing this?” she murmured. “I keep screwing up, making everything worse. All I wanted to do was find my sister and put things right. We got in a stupid fight the last time I saw her, at the end of the summer. About money and our parents. We made up over the phone, but things were still tense. Not the same. Then she vanished,” Kalin sucked in a watery breath. “It seemed like punishment or something. It felt like my fault.”

  “Kalin…” My throat ached. I didn’t know what to say. “You take too much on yourself.”

  “Only because I cause so many damn problems.” Her voice was bitter and low.

  “No, because you care,” I said, tucking her head under my chin. “You have a big heart.”

  “And a big mouth,” she muttered.

  I chuckled. All the stress, aches, and frustrations that had knotted me up were easing out of my body. Closing my eyes, I relaxed against Kalin, a deep contentment stealing through my bones. Then I slowly, carefully unknit the stone floor below us, turning it from solid granite to soft sand.

  We lay together, sharing the warmth of our skin, and the soft crackle of the fire filled the cave. A lazy joy filled me, one where I was not bothered by the passage of time, or the prospect of the next morning. All that mattered was the here and now.

  All that mattered was Kalin.

  Gently I touched her hair, checking to see if it was dry, then I leaned back, trying to gauge whether she was awake, but her head was bowed against me.

  “Kalin, you awake?” I whispered, my hand drifting down the slope of her neck and along her shoulder. “I think you’re out of danger. Man, you really scared the shit out of me.”

  I’d thought she was asleep, but with those words, Kalin locked up against me, and wetness trickled down my chest. “Why are you being so nice? You don’t have to pretend, Wes.”

  Gripping her shoulder, I tried to look at her, but she pressed her face into her hands and sobs shuddered through her body. Panic swamped me and I stared down at the top of her head, completely at sea.

  “I’m sorry I keep putting you in this position,” she said through her hands, her shoulders shaking. “I just…” Gulping, Kalin trailed off.

  “Kalin,” I said. She didn’t respond. Sliding my arms free, I leaned back to get a better look at her and then pried her hands from her face. Her cheeks were blotchy, eyes shining, and as I looked at her, more tears overflowed. Tears and Kalin seemed incongruous. But I’d realized I’d taken her outer armor too much for granted. Holding her wrists, I said, “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing, I’m sorry, I’m doing it again,” she tried to twist away, but I held on more tightly.

  At that moment, I realized how worn out she looked. Remorse swamped me. I’d been pushing too hard, idiotically assuming Kalin could keep up because she didn’t complain.

  “I’m not letting you go until you explain yourself. What did you mean by that? Pretending and putting me in what position? What do you think you are doing, exactly?”

  “Forcing you into a corner where I take advantage of what a good man you are,” Kalin whispered. “It must be exhausting.”

  Letting go of her wrists, I propped myself up and held her face. “No, I think I owe you…”

  “No!” she said in a breathy rasp, tears in her voice now. “Please, I don’t want you to hate me any more than you already do, Wes.”

  Time screamed to an abrupt halt, her words hitting me like the impact of plummeting off a cliff. “What?” I gaped at her. “Hate you?” It was almost funny, but the pain in her eyes was gut-wrenching. It clouded my judgment, broke me down, and then wrung me dry.

  “I-I’ve been nothing but trouble since you met me, causing you problems,” Kalin said.

  “Yeah, so?” I asked, and she blinked. “And you haven’t been causing me any problems. Well,” I ruminated for a moment, “maybe a couple. But that’s okay. I don’t mind. And I caused you problems, too, you know.”

  “What?” She stared up at me. “No.”

  “Yeah, I have, and I’m sorry for that,” I said.

  “I don’t understand,” Kalin said, shaking her head. “I don’t know…”

  “Look at me, Kalin,” I stared her down. “I do not hate you.” Smoothing my fingers across her cheek, I gently traced her bottom lip with my thumb. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.” Kalin’s eyes were wide, her breathing quickening, and I rolled back onto my side, getting comfortable, but never unlocking our gaze. “Now, sleep,” I told her.

  This startled her too. “What?” she said.

  “Go to sleep,” I growled, pulling her close again, only this time, I nestled my face in the crook between her shoulder and neck. She shivered under my touch. “We’re both exhausted. We’ll talk in the morning. Now, sleep. Please.”

  Closing my own eyes, I felt the instant tug of slumber, and let myself sink into it.

  But not before I felt Kalin settling against me. Her cheek pressed to the top of my head, her shoulder snuggled up against my chest, my forearm resting across her stomach, and her hand curled up between us, right about where my heart was.

  As I fell asleep, that awful question still nagged at me, though.

  God, what did I do? What made you think that? I can’t believe you ever thought that. I don’t hate you, Kalin. I never did. I couldn’t if I tried.

  Then another thought hit me, full of a fierce possessiveness and protectiveness.

  I’m going to have to prove that to you, Kay. You will never think that again.

  Chapter 11

  I’d had a lot of strange mornings over the past week or so, but this one defied description.

  When we’d fallen asleep, Wes had been resting against me, holding onto me in a loose, comfortable way. Now our bodies were intertwined. His head was resting in the center of my chest, his body half on mine, his right hip bone rubbing against my left one, and his arms looped tightly around me. My arms were resting on either side of his neck, hands cupping the hard ridge that made up the bottom of his scapula, fingertips tracing the top edge of his defined lats.

  Eyes wide, I tried to keep my breathing even as I glanced around. But the events of the previous day were already playing before I’d opened my eyes, and my heart was taking off.

  Now that I’d actually slept, was no longer succumbing to hypothermia, and wasn’t lost in a morass of moping of my own making, I could feel heat rising in my cheeks.

  Did I really say those things to him? I wondered.

  Calling him hot, then telling him to get undressed, and then blubbering on him.

  Oh, God, I thought, wincing as I remembered.

  Then his words, just before we’d fallen asleep, lit up every nerve ending in my body. My lower lip tingled as I recalled the brush of his thumb across it.

  I do not hate you. He’d said it so simply, but with an emphasis I hadn’t seen in Wes this far, his hazel eyes almost glowing gold in his passion. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Heart racing now, I wondered what would happen when he woke up. What on Earth did he want to talk about? Was he going to tell me his secret? Or would he sternly tell me the dangers of hypothermia? Or would he forget all about it?

  “Mmm, Kay,” Wes suddenly rumbled in a sleepy groan, his deep voice vibrating through my entire body. “What are you already worrying about this early in the morning?”

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Your heart is pounding, your body is all tensed up,” Wes said, only sounding half-awake. “Woke me up, woman. Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” I said, taking a deep breath and tryin
g to calm my heart.

  He shifted his head and let out a sigh. “Not ready to wake up yet,” he murmured. “Too tired. Too many good dreams. And way too comfortable.”

  Something unbearably sweet rushed through me. “Go back to sleep, then,” I said in a soft voice. “Please.”

  I swear I felt a smile pull against my skin. “Sounds good to me.”

  Soon his breathing was soft and rhythmic again. Heart overflowing, I nestled closer, letting my fingers trace over his skin, and falling back into my own dreams.

  All I could hope is that they’d be the same as Wes’s.

  Wind whispered through the trees above me. It was dawn, his favorite hour of the day.

  In the distance, a full moon was sinking and I pulled in a breath as I marveled at its golden light. It filled the woods, splashed across the wide lake, and lit up the hills.

  Arms slipped around me, familiar and warm.

  Tilting my head up, I saw Wes smiling out at the scene. He was wearing his winter hat, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his clothes were clean. This seemed different, but I couldn’t quite understand why.

  “You should paint this,” I suggested after a moment, looking back at the landscape, even though I hated to interrupt the silence. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “Yes,” he murmured in my ear and I turned to see his eyes on me. A white grin flashed on his face. “It really is.” Wes moved his lips closer to my ear.

  “Wes,” I said softly, turning to him.

  “Kay, I–”

  Then he was gone.

  “Wes!” I cried out.

  “Wes!” I gasped out and sat bolt upright.

  “What, what is it?” he asked, at my side in an instant. “Kay?”

  I stared at him as looked at me and tried to catch my breath. The dream had jolted me awake into a completely different morning than the one I’d previously woken up in.

  Wes was now dressed, no longer naked with me in the sleeping bag, spooning me in his sleep and listening to my heartbeat.

  And he looked fine. Better than fine. My breathing slowed and I realized he was waiting for me to reply. “I just had a weird dream,” I said, and bit my lip. “I thought you were in trouble.”