The Long-Eared Easter Enigma

by Kian Rhodes

  Joey, fresh out of the academy and the youngest of my deputies at twenty-two, snorted in amusement. “Big bad sheriff is scared of a little snow?”

  I flipped him the bird and laughed along with them. “Fine, fine. I’m going.” I shoved my arms into the sleeves on my heavy coat. “See? I’m gone.”

  Cheerful voices were chorusing their adieus when I pulled the door open and quickly stepped into the swirling snow. My Dodge Ram was chewing up the miles of road between the edge of town and the dirt drive that led to my cabin when a pair of lights began to twinkle ahead of me.

  Cursing under my breath, I glanced out the window for a marker to tell me if I was in his lane or if he was in mine. A willow-thin branch straggling up through the snow slapped against my passenger side mirror and gave me my answer; if I moved any more to the right, I’d be at risk of sliding down the embankment.

  I hit my horn and flashed my lights, hoping the other driver understood. I saw the lights jerk suddenly to the right and breathed a sigh of relief when we passed with scant inches to spare.

  I was reeling from the sight of a sports car driving with the top down in a blizzard when a metallic groan managed to pierce through the wind. I looked up to my rearview mirror just in time to see the tiny sports car spin out of control before leaving my sight when it launched over the edge of the road into the valley below.

  Shit!

  I braked slow enough that I wouldn’t also slide out before slapping the dashboard button for my hazard lights and reaching for my cell phone.

  No bars. No service. Well, of course not, I was stopped directly between two rocky peaks. I ground my teeth in frustration. I could either backtrack a couple of miles to call for help or I could go forward a few, the outcome would be the same. We’d still have to wait for help.

  Backing up to the spot where the car had left the road, I reached for my heavy ski gloves and pulled my snowshoes and tow strap out from under the front seat. Then, I climbed out of my truck, secured the tow strap to the bumper, and began to pick my way down the mountainside, through the plastic debris scattered on the snow.

  When I finally reached the car, I was relieved to find the driver was conscious, but, honestly, when he started bitching about the travel advisory on the radio, I wasn’t able to hold back a tiny flare of annoyance.

  “Well, we’ve been issuing warnings for the last few hours. You could have heeded one of those,” I huffed before I could stop myself. Then, I promptly felt like the county’s biggest asshole when he jumped and bumped his arm, making him cry out.

  Great, not only had he wrecked his car and gotten trapped, he was hurt, too. I was an even bigger asshole.

  But when the driver turned pain-filled mocha eyes on mine, my jaw nearly dropped. The trapped and injured driver I’d just sniped at was none other than the sweet Omega I’d run into helping my cousin, Alex, recover his Omega from a train a few weeks earlier.

  The same Omega I’d given my card to in the hopes that he’d felt the same flare of arousal that I had when our eye met.

  “What’re you doing out in this weather?” I asked, reaching for the door handle. “You could have been killed!”

  Even though he was obviously in pain, the Omega gave me a sweet smile and a little shrug. “Actually? I was hoping to run into you, just not, well, this literally.” He gave a small laugh and my stomach lurched. “I, ah, don’t know if you remember, but you gave me your business card a little while back.”

  He’d been injured looking for me and I’d scolded him.

  I was definitely the universe’s biggest asshole.

  Chapter Three

  Antoine

  The man standing over me was glowering, anger radiated off him in waves so thick that I swear I could very nearly see rings of fire spreading out into the frigid air. With his jaw clenched and the breaths puffing out of his nostrils in clouds of steam, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen a more intimidating man. And still, when he asked me why I was out in the storm, I stupidly blurted out the truth – that I’d been looking for him.

  Either I really did have a head injury or I was just stupid. Given that I was sitting in a totaled car I wasn’t supposed to have in the middle of a snowstorm that I shouldn’t have been driving in at the bottom of a mountain where I wasn’t supposed to be, stupid was starting to look more probable.

  The sheriff continued to stare at me before finally heaving a massive sigh. “We need to get you out of that car,” he said, his voice was still firm, but the angry edge was gone. “Besides your head and your arm, are you injured?”

  “My head?” I parroted, wondering for a second if he’d read my mind.

  He reached out and touched the side of my face. When he pulled his finger back, I could see blood glistening on them.

  “Oh.” I swallowed. “I didn’t know I was bleeding.”

  “I don’t think it’s serious,” he assured me, wiping his fingers clean in the snow on the hood of the car. “But we need to get you out of this weather before shock sets in,” he said, glancing up the ravine to the road above. “And since we’re in a bad cell area, we can’t really call anyone unless I leave you alone for a little while.”

  I bit down on my bottom lip, but it was too late to stop the whimper from escaping. To my surprise, the sheriff gave me an understanding look.

  “Yeah, I’m not really a fan of that plan, either,” he said with a smile. “So, that brings me back to the question of injuries.”

  “I don’t think there are any more, sir,” I assured him, nearly choking on my relief that he wasn’t going to leave me there. After all, if I had no choice, I thought I might be able to survive a night in a blizzard, but it wasn’t a hypothesis I was eager to test.

  “Keeson,” he said, wriggling the door handle. “My name,” he clarified when I didn’t answer.

  Oh.

  Right.

  He wouldn’t know that I’d memorized every detail on the business card that he’d given me. The same card I had tucked into my shirt pocket, next to my heart.

  Or that I’d stalked him on every available social media platform and memorized everything I’d found there, too.

  “I’m Antoine,” I told him. “I’m really sorry about this mess.”

  Keeson was still working to pry the door open. He shrugged as it finally gave way. “I’m sure you didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I swear. I really, really didn’t.”

  “Well, no sense in worrying about it now,” he said calmly, kneeling to run his hands over my legs. “I don’t think anything is broken except maybe that wrist. Do you think you can stand?” He reached one hand toward me.

  Reaching across my body with my good arm, I let him help me out of the car, stumbling when I sank up to my knees in heavy, wet snow instantly. Keeson caught me around the waist with his other arm, steadying me against his solid body.

  “Careful,” his chest rumbled under my cheek. He relaxed his hold slightly, checking to see if I was steady on my feet, and I immediately missed his touch.

  “Thanks,” I gasped, the cold wind rapidly stealing the warmth I’d built up wrapped in the deflated airbags.

  Keeson was frowning. “Where’s your coat?”

  “It’s in the trunk,” I admitted, dropping my eyes.

  The sheriff’s breath hissed, but he didn’t comment as he looked at the smashed trunk lid. Instead, he turned back to the steep embankment and studied it in silence.

  Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion and began to speak. “I strung an emergency line down part way, but the only way up is to climb,” he said quietly. “And that will take both arms. Even if I splint your injured wrist, you won’t be able to do it safely.”

  My stomach lurched at his words. “Please! Don’t leave me here!” I begged him, but Keeson shushed me with a finger against my lips.

  “I’m not leaving you here,” he promised. “I’ll take you up on my back.
It will take us a little longer to get out, but we’ll make it.” His playful wink took me by surprise. “No man left behind, right?”

  My relief escaped in a sharp exhalation that left me lightheaded.

  “Do you have everything you need? Wallet? Keys?”

  I nodded. “In my pocket. I, uh, think my bag of clothes is probably somewhere on the hill, so no sense in worrying about it.”

  Keeson laughed. “Okay then,” he said, tugging me carefully by my good arm until I faced him. “Here we go.”

  Kneeling, he slid one hand between my legs, making me gasp. To my disappointment, his hand stopped at the midway point on my thigh, supporting me as he lifted me over his shoulder in a rescue carry. “Try not to squirm, he advised as he began to work his way through the massive drifts blocking our path. “I wouldn’t want to drop you.”

  Chapter

  Four

  Keeson

  Boy, when I told Antoine not to wiggle while I made our way to safety, he certainly took me seriously. Which was especially impressive considering the hard-on pressing into my shoulder the entire time. Each time my arm flexed and rubbed against him, I felt him tense and hold his breath. By the time we reached the edge of the road, he had his eyes screwed shut and he was struggling to keep from panting. Either the kid was a serious adrenaline junkie or I had read him right the first time we met. I was pretty sure it was the second one, and, honestly, that boded pretty well for us.

  Because I’m an asshole, when I lowered him to the ground, I unzipped my coat and slid him down my body, holding him close to feel every inch of our bodies rubbing together. By the time his dick met mine, my erection had nearly caught up with his.

  He stood in front of me, head bowed and eyes closed. His shoulders were heaving with the effort of controlling his breathing.

  “You okay?” I asked, bending close to his ear. The shiver that ran down his spine made me smile.

  Antoine nodded, but didn’t look up, so I tilted his chin up. To my amusement, he kept his eyes closed.

  “Hey, can you look at me?” I kept my tone light, but I did have the slightest little kernel of concern about the head injury. “I mean, I did just carry you up a mountain.”

  Antoine’s eyes flew open and to my relief instead of pain or confusion, they were overflowing with lust. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” I opened the passenger door to the truck and offered him a hand. “Let’s get you in out of the wind while I roll up my tow straps.” When I climbed into the driver’s seat a few minutes later, he was slumped over in his seat.

  “Tired?”

  Antoine nodded. “Is there a motel or something nearby?” he asked hesitantly.

  My right brow arched up. “You don’t have somewhere to stay?” When he didn’t respond, I suspected I knew the answer. “It doesn’t matter,” I said carelessly, pulling the truck off the shoulder of the road. “There’s no reason to take you back to town when my place is just up the road.” I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He looked surprised, but not unpleasantly so. “Unless you want me to take you back?”

  “Oh, no!” Antoine rushed to say. “I mean, if you don’t mind me crashing at your place?”

  “Not at all,” I assured him, the warmth in my chest growing. “In fact, I’m looking forward to it.

  ~*~

  “That was delicious, Antoine,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair and patting my stomach. When we’d gotten back to my cabin, I’d called the hospital only to find out that they’d lost power and were on emergency admittance only. Since Antoine’s injuries weren’t that serious, I’d rushed him into a shower to chase away the last of the chill and bandaged his head and wrist. Then, when I’d finished my own shower, he’d surprised me with a late-night dinner of vegetable stir fry. Pretty impressive for a guy with a broken wrist and a head wound in a strange house. “Thank you.”

  “It was the least I could do,” he said shyly, pushing a stray carrot around on his plate. “Sorry it was veggie but I, ah, didn’t see any meat.”

  I laughed. “Well, since I’m a vegetarian, that’s perfect.”

  “You are?” Antoine’s jaw dropped and, oddly, his eyes seemed to light with excitement.

  “Uh-huh. Always have been. Why?”

  “Me, too!” Antoine blushed. “I mean, I haven’t always been because my parents made me eat meat, but I am a vegetarian now.”

  Well, now. That was unusual. Not impossible, obviously, but definitely unusual. But, if I was honest, it did encourage my fantasy that there might be a future for us. Which was kind of laughable since we didn’t really even have a present, yet.

  “Why don’t you go stretch out on the couch while I do the dishes?” I suggested. “You probably shouldn’t be taxing yourself any more than you have to until we can get you to a doctor to get that head checked.”

  “Yes, sir,” Antoine stood slowly, making me frown.

  “You’re hurting?”

  “Just stiff,” he disputed. “It’s nothing serious.”

  Well, he had fallen down a mountain a few hours earlier. “You want a pain killer?”

  Antoine shook his head. “No, thanks. That stuffs not good for your liver, so I try to avoid it.”

  A vegetarian who was worried about pain relievers? Seriously, he was an Omega after my own heart.

  “Okay.” Then a thought occurred to me. “How about some time in the hot tub, instead?” Antoine’s eyes lit up again and I knew I had a winner without him saying a word. “You sit down for a few and it can heat up while I do the dishes,” I promised him.

  I stepped out onto the deck to quickly build a fire and then returned to the kitchen. Antoine was already dozing on the couch when I finished, so I eased down next to him.

  “You’re done?” he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

  “Yep. Are you sure you feel like getting up? You look pretty comfortable.”

  “I am,” Antoine agreed through a yawn as his eyes blinked open. “But the hot tub sounds like a great idea.” He hesitated for a minute, his cheeks pinking as he smoothed a hand down the t-shirt I’d lent him after his shower. “I, ah, don’t have a bathing suit.”

  I laughed.

  “Really?” I teased him. “You can’t just conjure one out of thin air?” Antoine laughed. “Seriously, I never wear one, but if that makes you uncomfortable, you can go in alone. I want you to be able to relax.”

  “You won’t!” Antoine blurted, making me swallow a grin. “Make me uncomfortable, I mean. I wouldn’t feel right about kicking you out of your own hot tub.” He gave a fake innocent shrug. “Besides, how would I get my clothes off over the splint without help?”

  I gave up on holding the grin in. Things were definitely looking up.

  Chapter

  Five

  Antoine

  My sheriff was, regrettably, a perfect gentleman, helping me out of the too-big borrowed clothes and into an equally too-big robe with clinical detachment.

  “You’re feeling okay?” Keeson asked when I finally stood before him, wrapped chin to toes in soft caramel-colored terry cloth. “No dizziness? I didn’t bang the arm too much?” His warm eyes were serious as he peered into mine. “Your pupils look okay.”

  “I’m fine,” I assured him stifling a yawn. “You’ve got my wrist so immobile that I doubt the bone could shift if I wanted it to.” When that didn’t seem to reassure him, I realized I’d missed the second half of the question. “Oh, my head.” I smiled through another yawn. “Not dizzy. Not even a headache.”

  “Good.” Keeson finally relaxed a bit. “Well, the hot tub is ready, if we are.” Opening the back door, he led me out onto an expansive deck covered in several inches of snow. It seemed even the patio cover wasn’t quite up to the challenge of holding the blizzard at bay.

  “Brr!” I laughed, dancing a bit as the icy cold snow assaulted my toes.

  Keeson snickered and waved a hand to the far corner where steam
was rising up into the air and mixing with the swirling snowflakes. “The water will chase the chill away.”

  At the base of the steps, an orange flicker caught my eye and I turned to Keeson in surprise. “You have a wood-fired hot tub?”

  “I do.” He unwrapped the robe from around me and tossed it over a chair that was mostly protected from the storm. “Let me help you in, okay?”

  “Yeah, probably safer that way,” I agreed, following his lead when he reached for my good arm. Once I was seated in the hot, soothing water, Keeson began to strip out of his clothing. Broad shoulders led to well-muscled arms, and a smooth, firm chest. His flat stomach tapered into a defined V that drew my eyes to thick thighs and perfect calves. It wasn’t until he was standing in front of me in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts that I realized I was staring.

  I started to apologize, but then I caught the heat in his eyes as he stared back at me. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his shorts, Keeson tugged them down, oh-so-slowly revealing a long, thick cock that was already standing at attention.

  The water bubbling around me was having less and less to do with the sudden spike in my body temperature. My swallow was audible in the night air.

  Keeson kicked his boxers aside and sent me a long, slow smile. “You’re sure you don’t mind me joining you?”

  I groaned, forcing myself to stop staring at his dick and meet his eyes. “If you don’t, I’m going to cry,” I said with a sigh. “And that’s absolutely not an exaggeration.”

  Keeson didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped into the water and slid onto the seat.

  The one across from me. I frowned.

  “Something wrong?” In the dim light from the underwater lights, I caught the sparkle in his eyes.

  “You’re awfully far away.”

  Keeson cocked his head and I could see he was fighting a grin. “You want me closer?”