Amber Eyes (Amber Eyes #1)(24)

A soft little sigh escaped, and she leaned into his body.

“Kiss me, Jericho.”

Forgetting all about Hunter who stood a few feet away, Jericho gathered her gently in his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips were crushed petals, as sweet as a spring flower.

His grip tightened, and her whimper escaped into his mouth. He released her immediately and cursed his lack of care.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She smiled ruefully down at her arm. “I will be well soon.”

“How soon?”Hunter asked.

She turned as if she too had forgotten Hunter’s presence.

“A day, maybe two.”A frown wrinkled her brow. “Could be longer. I’ve never broken an entire arm.”

Despite her serious tone, Jericho had to laugh at the way she’d said it. “An entire arm? What have you broken, then?”

“A finger,”she said as she flexed her index finger on her right hand. “I had to set it, but it didn’t hurt as bad as last night.”

She seemed surprised by that fact, and he and Hunter just shook their heads at each other.

Hunter moved forward, nudging her gently toward a chair at the table. “Have a seat, Kaya. Breakfast will be up shortly, and you need to eat before we ask you twenty questions.”

“Only twenty?”

At first Jericho thought she was teasing, but there was solemnity on her face that suggested she had no idea it was a joke.

“Well, maybe a few more,”Hunter said with a smile.

Jericho cocked his head in Hunter’s direction. He seemed a lot more relaxed this morning. More accepting. As if he’d gone ten rounds and finally scored a knockout in the final seconds. Try as he might, he couldn’t catch Hunter’s gaze to verify his suspicions. Oh well, he’d just see how it played out this morning. He had a feeling he wouldn’t have to wait long.

Kaya settled down and fussed a few minutes as she tried to get comfortable with her clunky splint job. Jericho turned back to the stove and forked out the last of the frying bacon.

Hunter ambled over to get plates and forks while Jericho finished putting the food on the table. Kaya looked at all the food with what Jericho could only describe as sheer wistfulness.

“Dig in, honey. Get as much as you want,”Jericho said as he plunked down on the chair beside her.

He and Hunter watched as she piled her plate high with eggs, bacon and toast. After a few minutes fumbling awkwardly with the fork, she forewent utensils and ate with her fingers.

What should have been slightly barbaric turned into an erotic exercise that was destined to drive both men insane. After each tiny bite, she licked delicately at her fingers, sometimes sucking the tip between her lips only to release it with a slight pop.

When she was finally done, neither man had eaten much and Jericho quickly cleared the table of the dishes.

“Let’s go into the living room, and I’ll add some more wood to the fire,”Hunter said. “We can talk there.”

Kaya hesitated and looked back at Jericho, her eyes gleaming with questions.

“Go on. I’ll be there in a minute,”he said.

She seemed to relax as Hunter ushered her away. Jericho tossed the dishes in the sink and decided to take care of them later. There were a hell of a lot of questions he wanted answered, and he wanted to make sure Kaya didn’t get any crazy ideas about leaving again.

***

Kaya settled onto the couch and watched as Hunter added more logs to the fire. When it crackled and blazed higher, he came back to the couch and sat down on the end. There were at least two feet of space between them. She fidgeted, going back and forth between staying where she was and moving closer to Hunter. But if he’d wanted her close, he would have sat next to her.

Jericho suffered no such compunction. When he entered the living room, he went straight to the couch, picked her up and settled her onto his lap. Surprised by his show of affection, she snuggled into his chest and let out a contented sigh.

Her cheek resting on Jericho’s shoulder, she gazed over at Hunter who regarded them intently. What was it about these two men that compelled her so solidly? They’d drawn her out of the mountains, caused her to risk discovery. She couldn’t stay away. It was as if some invisible force guided her back to them time and time again.

Perhaps it was the Maker’s way of ensuring she wasn’t left alone forever. For that she was grateful.

“Two mates,”she whispered in wonder. Was it possible?

“What was that, honey?”Jericho asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”She didn’t know their intentions, and the last thing she wanted to chance was rejection.

“Will you tell us about yourself, Kaya?”Hunter asked. “We have so many questions.”

She tensed against Jericho, and he pressed his lips to her hair in a reassuring manner. “Don’t be afraid.”

“It’s not that. It’s just…”

Her voice trailed off as painful memories, long buried, welled to the surface. Unexpectedly, tears stung the corners of her eyes.

Hunter scooted forward on the couch and carefully brushed away a tear with his thumb. Then he cupped her cheek in his palm. “Whatever it is, we can help you.”

She braved a shaky smile. “The memories are painful for me. Once I had a home and a family.”