Amber Eyes (Amber Eyes #1)(26)

She shook her head vigorously. “If you can accept the cougar then there is nothing about you and Hunter I cannot accept.”

Jericho kissed the top of her head again and settled her against his chest. “We accept you, honey. I’m still dumbstruck by what I saw you do, but I accept it and you.”

Chapter Fourteen

Hunter sat reading his book in front of the fire, the cougar sprawled on the couch beside him, her head resting on her paws. Jericho sat on the opposite end, his hand lying over the cougar’s soft fur.

Several days had passed since Kaya had broken her arm, and it was nearly healed. She’d shifted periodically, and the two men had watched in agony, wincing in sympathy as her body contorted and went through unspeakable torture.

With each shift, the break healed more. The splint was gone, and all that was left was residual tenderness and limited motion.

Absently, Hunter stroked the cat’s ears, and then he turned the page of his book. He settled his hand back on her head as he resumed his reading. Underneath his fingers, she trembled. Hunter looked up at Jericho.

“Get a blanket and her clothes. She’s been colder coming out of her shifts. I’ll build up the fire.”

In another minute, Kaya lay shaking beside Hunter. She raised her arm and flexed it, rolling her wrist as she bent her elbow back and forth. As she raised her head, Hunter had already laid aside his book, and he reached for her.

She went willingly, curling into the warmth of his body. He savored these moments, when she came out of her shift like a spindly colt trying to get its legs underneath it. In that moment, she depended on him and Jericho. She always sought them out, cuddling into their warmth. Her trust humbled him. She trusted them not to hurt her, and she made Hunter want to keep that unspoken promise.

Her bare skin pressed flush against his flannel shirt, and he cursed having anything on at all. He wanted to feel her against him. He and Jericho had not made any moves toward her in the days following her injury. He had no idea what Jericho’s thoughts were on the matter, but it was important to Hunter that she trust them completely and that they not take advantage of her.

When he made love to her, he wanted her whole, completely yielding and understanding. Hell, he didn’t even know exactly how old she was, just that she was young and innocent, somewhere around twenty-three or twenty-four, and he was old and jaded. He wasn’t even sure she’d ever had a lover. How could she when she’d led such a secluded, isolated life?

The idea that she was a virgin terrified him and appealed to him in equal parts. That she’d never belong to anyone else was a fact he relished, but at the same time, he didn’t want to hurt her, was terrified of not being gentle or tender enough.

Jericho returned with a flannel shirt and the sweatpants they’d altered to fit her. At some point they’d have to go down the mountain into town to buy her better clothing, but as long as the snow kept coming down, they were stuck in the cabin.

She stood shivering, laughing as she yanked on the clothes in jerky motions. When she was finished, she dove into Jericho’s waiting arms while Hunter stood to tend the fire.

Hunter turned and chuckled as Kaya tried to burrow underneath Jericho. Jericho’s face was a study in tenderness as he looked down at Kaya. His hand brushed lightly over her hair and down her cheek.

How odd that they both had vowed to never get involved with the same woman after Rebeccah, and yet here they were, inexorably tangled. With Rebeccah it had just been understood. They’d always been friends, and when she died, they hadn’t just lost a lover, they’d lost a part of their past.

Kaya…Kaya spoke to a part of his heart that hadn’t been previously opened. He was hard-pressed to explain it, and he wasn’t sure exactly the extent of his feelings for Kaya. They were too new, too raw. With Rebeccah, things had been easy. Fun, a little wild, even tumultuous at times.

Kaya was sweet, and she called to his protective nature. Rebeccah hadn’t needed him and Jericho. She never had. Kaya was strong, but she needed them, and he couldn’t control the surge of satisfaction that gave him.

Jericho watched the range of emotions flickering in Hunter’s eyes. Eyes that had been cold and unfeeling for so long. As conflicted as Hunter was about Kaya, Jericho knew that he’d made a firm decision that he didn’t want to let Kaya go, even if he didn’t yet know what he felt for her.

Kaya stirred restlessly against him, her slim arms wrapping around his waist as she rubbed her cheek over his chest. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple. A sense of contentment gripped him. Contentment he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

She felt…right.

It went beyond simple lust. He hadn’t taken her to bed yet, but she settled him. He was happy. And God, when was the last time he could say that? When had either he or Hunter been able to say that? They’d made a practice of existing from one assignment to the next.

Kaya’s fingers touched his cheek softly, and he looked down to see her staring up at him, her eyes questioning.

“What are you thinking?”she asked softly.

“That you’re beautiful.”

She flushed a delightful shade of pink, but her eyes shone with happiness.

“I’m glad you find me beautiful. No one has ever thought I was beautiful.”She said the last in a wistful tone that twisted a region deep inside his chest.

“Would you like me to show you just how beautiful I find you?”he asked huskily.