Amber Eyes (Amber Eyes #1)(13)

Heaving herself upward, she prowled over to where Hunter sat on the couch. He regarded her warily until she rubbed her head along his leg. She let him pet her for a moment before backing away. Then she headed toward Jericho and offered him the same affection.

After allowing him to stroke her ears, she stalked to the door and paced back and forth, her tail swishing.

“Had enough, girl?”Hunter murmured as he got up from the couch.

He walked over and opened the door. Cold air burst over her, ruffling her fur. With one glance back at the two men who watched her, she loped away, disappearing into the trees.

***

Hunter had taken up Jericho’s post by the window. Why, he wasn’t sure. Jericho was the worrier, the pacer. Hunter preferred a warm fire and a good book and shutting out the world around him.

When he looked up, he was certain he’d imagined the scene before him. There was no f**king way it could be. He blinked and leaned forward, his hand against the frosty pane.

“Holy Mother of God.”

He turned and ran for the door, grabbing one of the afghans from a nearby chair.

“Hunter, what the hell?”Jericho hollered after him.

Hunter plunged into the snow, racing toward Kaya who stood at the edge of the trees, naked and trembling, her arms braced around her frame as she tried to keep warm.

She looked at him with frightened eyes when he grabbed her and yanked the blanket around her.

“I’m not going to hurt you, damn it,”he growled.

Not waiting for her response, he swept her into his arms and charged back toward the cabin. Jericho was at the door, his jaw tight.

Hunter shouldered past him and lowered Kaya to the floor in front of the fire.

“I’m all right, Hunter,”she said in a small voice. “Just a little cold.”

Jericho exploded. “A little cold?”

Hunter looked up. “Keep your cool, man.”

Jericho shook his head. “What are you thinking, woman? Have you lost your mind? What the hell were you doing out there naked? Goddamn it.”He dropped to his knees beside her and tore the blanket open.

“Jericho, what the hell?”

“Are you hurt?”Jericho demanded, ignoring Hunter’s reprimand.

Not giving her a chance to respond, Jericho laid her back and ran his big hands over her slim body. Hunter turned away from the sight of her pale flesh all but glowing underneath Jericho’s caress.

He wanted to be the one touching her, and yet he had no cause.

Kaya stared up at Jericho inquisitively. “Jericho, why are you so angry?”

Jericho’s mouth fell open. “Angry? Angry? I’m furious! Are you trying to kill yourself?”

She was honestly puzzled over why Jericho was spitting nails. Hunter watched the confusion simmer in her eyes, and his own grew. Something wasn’t right here. More than the obvious of her bizarre behavior.

“Could I…could I have some clothes?”

She stared earnestly up at both men, her arms clutched around her body to shield her nudity. Which seemed pretty damn odd when you considered that she seemed to spend her life cavorting about in the nude.

Jericho rose, his face still drawn in anger—and worry. “You stay here and make damn sure she doesn’t go anywhere,”he ordered Hunter.

Hunter’s eyebrows rose at Jericho’s tone. Jericho stalked away, and Kaya’s troubled gaze followed him.

“You can’t be surprised that we’re angry,”Hunter offered in a soft voice.

Kaya turned to him, and for a moment he was lost in the sheer beauty of her eyes. He’d looked into those eyes earlier. He sucked in his breath at how alike she and his cougar pet were.

“I did not mean to make you angry.”

“Kaya,”he began, “what were you doing out in the snow with no clothing?”

“I had no clothes,”she said simply.

Hunter shook his head in absolute confusion. He was ready to beat his skull on the floor.

“We gave you clothes when you were here, and you left them. Why?”

Her gaze dropped. “They were not mine to keep, and I did not want them to be ruined.”

“Ruined? How would they get ruined?”

She looked away, turning her face and resting it on the arms laid over her knees. Jericho stomped back into the room with the same shirt and sweats she’d worn before.

“Put these on,”Jericho directed. “Then I’ll make some hot chocolate. Are you hungry?”

She hesitated a fraction, looking first at Hunter and then Jericho. “I would like something to eat, yes.”

“Have you eaten since you left here?”Hunter asked bluntly.

“Y-yes.”

He didn’t believe her. You only had to look at how slight she was to know food wasn’t in abundance wherever she lived. He looked at Jericho in silent surrender. No matter what, she wasn’t leaving again.

Chapter Eight

Kaya stepped into the living room after a trip to the bathroom to see both men sitting. Waiting. Hunter was on the couch, and Jericho was in a chair adjacent. They’d built the fire back up, and it licked warmly at the logs that had been added.

She walked around the couch, feeling the eyes of both men on her. Hunter wasn’t reading his book. It lay to the side, page-down to mark his spot.

Without waiting for an invitation, she carefully got onto the couch next to Hunter. Drawn by his warmth, by his comforting scent, she crawled close and snuggled underneath his arm. He stiffened all over in surprise, but he didn’t push her away.