“We have to get going.” His voice sounded deep and raspy after a night of sleep. Of course, the fact he had a raging hard-on didn’t help either. He hated to disturb her, but he expected that today was going to be as bad, if not worse, than yesterday. They were closing in on the Wolf Creek pack territory and the males from the other packs, as well as the bounty hunters, would be getting desperate.
Alex raised her head and blinked at him like a sleepy owl, her eyes a pale silvery gray in the early morning light seeping into the cave. He loved her eyes. With their unusual color and thick, brown lashes, they were a sight to behold. And extremely expressive.
He loved to watch all her emotions flash through them. If eyes were the mirrors of the soul, then she had a beautiful one. Not that he had any doubts on that score. Not after the few days he’d spent with her. And what the hell was he doing waxing poetic over her eyes? They had to get going.
Still, he didn’t sit up and dislodge her. She’d had a hard day yesterday and deserved a few minutes to wake up on her own. It had nothing to do with how damn good she felt cradled against his body.
The bruise on her forehead was a lovely shade of purple and yellow this morning. He touched it gently with his fingers, probing carefully around the edges. “How do you feel?”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Good. But then again, I haven’t moved yet.” She started to lever herself away from him, but that drove her hips into closer contact with his groin. He hissed out a breath and rolled, shifting her to the ground beside him.
“Sorry about that.” She ducked her head, but not before he caught a glimpse of the light blush covering her cheekbones.
“No problem.” He grunted as he sat up, his own muscles protesting. He swiveled his neck from side to side, feeling his bones crack as he climbed to his feet. The hard, cool ground had made his muscles stiff, so he raised his arms in the air, stretching them. He bent his elbows and let his hands fall behind his head when he clasped them behind his neck. It felt good to work the kinks out of his body. If he’d been alone, he would have changed into his wolf form last night and curled up in a corner of the cave, but that would have meant leaving Alex to lie by herself.
She seemed accepting enough of his wolf form when he was fighting, but he didn’t think she was ready to accept a wolf sleeping beside her at night. Or maybe it was him who wasn’t ready to test her. Either way, he wouldn’t have traded last night for anything. Having Alex lie so trustingly in his arms was something he wouldn’t soon forget.
He watched her as she rolled up onto her knees and then carefully placed one foot flat on the ground and pushed herself upward. She groaned and he could hear the slight crack of her bones as she rolled her neck and shoulders.
“Now how do you feel?” He lowered himself back to the ground, hauled on his boots and began to lace them.
“Like I was in an accident and then trekked through the woods all day yesterday.” She groaned again as she lowered herself back to the ground and reluctantly pulled her boots over to her.
“Wait.” Joshua grabbed what was left of his T-shirt and tore two long strips off the end. He scooted over in front of her and pulled her right foot into his lap, carefully removing her sock. Her foot was sore in several places. He knew she needed some healing salve and a few days of rest for her feet, but that couldn’t happen yet. Taking one of the strips, he carefully wrapped her foot and then tugged her sock back on. Then he did the same with her left foot, carefully inspecting it as well. One wasn’t any worse than the other. She could walk, but it wasn’t going to be fun.
When he was done, he helped her put her boots on, brushing her hands aside as he laced them up himself. He stood and then pulled her up beside him. “How does that feel?”
She took a few steps and smiled at him. “Better, thanks.” She glanced down at the remains of the shirt in his hand. “I don’t think there’s enough left for you to wear.” She bent down and hefted the jacket off the ground. “You should wear this.”
He shook his head. “You need it more.” He could already see the goose bumps on her arms. The morning was cool, but it would heat up as the day wore on. “Here.” He handed her the T-shirt. “There should be enough for you to wear. It will help keep you warm.” He took the jacket from her and held it while she slipped the remains of the shirt over her head.
It fell to just below her bra and was more of a crop-top than a shirt, but it was something. Shaking out the jacket, he held it while she slipped her arms inside. He didn’t miss the slight wince on her face as she moved. He knew the wound on her arm was sore, not to mention the fact that the muscles across her chest and shoulders were stiff from yesterday’s accident.
Not for the first time, Joshua wished she had already gone through her change. Once her werewolf had integrated fully within her, she would heal much faster. She’d be less vulnerable too, able to shift to her wolf form and run swiftly and silently through the forest.
Very carefully, he pulled her into his arms. She melted against his bare chest immediately, rubbing her nose against his chest hair. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent, letting it soothe him.
“It’s going to be another rough day.” He wouldn’t hide anything from her. She had to be prepared.
“I know.” She continued to rub her cheek against his skin as if she couldn’t get enough of him. He knew her actions were unconscious, part hormones, part instinct. His erection, which had gone down slightly, sprang to life again.
“If there were any other way…” he trailed off, uncertain what else to say. They both knew there was no other way, no going back.
“I know,” she whispered again, her arms tightening around him one final time before she stepped away. Straightening her shoulders, she reached into the pocket of the jacket and pulled out the sheath with his hunting knife. She handed it to him hilt first. “My gun and two knives are gone. This and your handgun are all we have.”
He closed his hand over the knife sheath and pushed it back toward her. “You keep it.” She started to protest, but he held up his hand. “If I sense anyone else near us, I’m going to shift. I can protect you better that way.”
She nodded, but still seemed concerned. “All right.” The sheath hooked easily over the waistband of her jeans and she adjusted it several times until she was satisfied it was within easy reach.
He checked his gun. “There are only two bullets left in here and they’re not silver.” He handed it to her and watched as she tucked it into the pocket of her jacket.
Her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear, reminding him that neither of them had eaten since around noon yesterday. But she never said a thing about being hungry. Then again, he’d known she wouldn’t. She was an amazingly practical and resilient woman.
Her hunger probably hurt him more than it did her. For him, it was another reminder of how he had failed to take proper care of her. He also knew she’d be pissed with him if she knew what he was thinking.
Taking her hand in his, he twined their fingers together. “Remember, if I tell you to do something, just do it. There may not be time for me to explain.”
She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze as he led her out of the cave and into the early morning sunshine.
Alex squinted against the glare, which really wasn’t all that bright. But after being in the dark cave all night, her eyes needed time to adjust. She would have loved to have the time to just look around and explore the area. The birds were singing an early morning song and the air was clean and crisp. She pulled the jacket more firmly around herself and then stared at Joshua’s naked back wondering if he was cold. Not that he’d tell her. Heaven forbid he admit to any kind of weakness.