After what had happened the night before, Ammon hadn’t been able to fall back to sleep. Now, as he watched Kohana make breakfast, he wished he’d at least tried to get some more rest. After all, his eyes were as heavy as hundred-pounds weights, and his brain was fuzzy and dull, as if he was sedated in a doctor’s office. He stifled a yawn as he watched Kohana run his fingers up the length of a banana.
A banana which, at the moment, looked a lot like a dick to Ammon’s guilty mind. He winced.
Kohana must have seen his change of expression. “What? Not in the mood for bananas?”
“Bananas are fine.” Right now, he would be happy with anything other than fish, even if the food he was eating happened to have a suggestive shape.
Kohana held his gaze, and heat filled his cheeks. He looked away hastily. Good God, what was the matter with him? Was he some sort of kid? Adult men didn’t flush and glance away like he just did. Frustrated, he forced himself to look back up and maintain eye contact with Kohana, even though he experienced an odd combination of lust and shame as he did so.
Kohana inspected him. “Your face is flushed. You aren’t getting an infection, are you?”
Only an infection of the mind... “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Kohana held his gaze for a moment longer. Then he let out a grunt and peeled the banana. The man was just in the middle of piecing the fruit when he froze and his eyes darkened. Within seconds, Kohana leapt to his feet, spilling banana all over the ground.
Ammon jumped to his feet too, fighting down panic. “Is it Matwau?”
Though Kohana shook his head, he didn’t say anything more. Ammon hung back but searched the camp for some sort of weapon. Eventually, he laid eyes on a huge branch and seized it. Even though Kohana had told him that he should try to run to the ocean if he was in trouble, the shore was at least a half a mile away. He had no hope of outrunning a pissed-off man-beast. The only way he would survive this encounter was if he fought.
While he prepared for the worst, branches cracked and then a bear came rushing out of the underbrush straight toward Kohana, who let out a roar of anger and tackled the opposing creature to the ground while he was still in human form. Instead of fighting back, the enemy bear let out a growl that sounded more panicked than angry. Dark fur became skin. A moment later, the bear transformed into a thin, lanky man who was probably about the same age as Kohana.
The man yelled words in a foreign language. Kohana released him and fell back, muttering in the same tongue. Ammon loathed the fact that he couldn’t understand what was being said.
He stepped forward, unable to hold back his questions. “Who is this? What’s going on?”
Kohana glanced warily at the other man. “Ammon, this is Tapco,” Kohana said. “He came to give us a warning.”
“A warning?” Was Tapco a good guy?
Tapco peered straight into his eyes. “Matwau is angry about the letters in the sand.”
“Letters in the sand?”
“Our sign on the beach,” Kohana said. “He saw it, and he didn’t like it.”
“Oh.” Shit. He should have known.
Kohana and Tapco started talking in a foreign tongue again, frustrating Ammon to no end. There was also a lot of hand waving, feet stomping, gesturing, and then, finally, a low growl of warning from Kohana that sent Tapco in reverse.
Ammon glanced back and forth between the two of them, confused. “What’s wrong?”
Fierce anger showed on Tapco’s face. “You’re a lucky white man.”
“Huh?”
“If you weren’t Kohana’s mate, you’d already be dead.”
Mate? What? As Ammon’s eyes widened, the fury on Kohana’s face only deepened.
Ammon gazed at Kohana in confusion. “What did he mean by that?”
Tapco surprised him by giving a laugh, though it wasn’t a friendly one. “You didn’t tell him?”
Kohana let out a growl of warning that sent a chill down Ammon’s spine. If he’d heard the man growl at him like that, he would have sprinted as fast as he could in the other direction.
“Fine.” Tapco’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “Protect your white man. But when Matwau loses control and attacks, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Without even glancing in Ammon’s direction, Tapco sprinted through the trees whence he came.
After he recovered from the shock, Ammon faced Kohana. “He said that if I wasn’t your mate, I’d be dead. What did he mean by that?”
Kohana wrinkled his nose. “It’s nothing.”
Oh God, there were more secrets. He could tell from the way Kohana dodged his question. “It didn’t sound like nothing to me.”
“I said it’s nothing.” Kohana once again spoke in a way that said the subject was closed.
“But—”
Kohana shot him a look of warning that stopped him mid-sentence. It was during moments like this that he was reminded that he wasn’t dealing with a mere man but a fierce shifter instead.
“Fine.” He backed off before he was devoured. “It’s nothing. I get it.”
“Good.” Kohana’s shoulders slumped. “And I’m sorry about my tone. Tapco’s arrival put me on edge.”
“Well, it sounds like he was trying to help you. Do you trust him?” The man had sounded pretty serious about his warning.
“Yeah, we were childhood friends. Even though we aren’t close anymore, I think he still feels a sense of obligation toward me. Plus he owes me one. When we were kids, Tapco ended up in a big fight. He was losing, and I jumped in and saved him before he was killed. He would have died if it wasn’t for me.”
“Well, he sounded worried about Matwau.”
“Yeah, but I already knew that Matwau wouldn’t be happy about what we did.” Kohana scooped up a handful of dirt and tossed it onto the fire. “Still, I think we’d better leave the area right away. Tapco takes his position in the pack seriously. He wouldn’t have risked upsetting the others unless he thought that I was in danger.”
The words shook Ammon up, even though he was already unnerved to begin with. “Right.”
Kohana shocked him by grabbing his wrist. “You don’t have to wear such a frightened expression. Moving is just a precaution. Once we relocate, the others will have a much harder time tracking us, even Matwau. Trust me.”
Though Ammon was alarmed, Kohana’s touch had a calming effect on him. He realized that his trust in Kohana was returning—and other feelings were surfacing as well.
* * * *
The trek up the hill was exhausting. Kohana marched in front of Ammon, his gait so fast that Ammon had to power walk to keep up with his long stride. Tapco’s warning must have alarmed Kohana more than I thought. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be going so fast. Ammon forced himself to continue onward even though they’d been walking eight hours and his stomach rumbled in hunger. He was so focused on maintaining his stride that he almost crashed into Kohana when the man came to a stop next to a small river.
“I think we traveled far enough for today.” Kohana looked around, his lips thin. “We’re going further south, which is the goal.”
Ammon had to fight to keep himself from crying out in relief. One more mile, and he was pretty sure his legs would have fallen off. He sank down on a log and stretched out his legs. His joints cracked, reminding him that he was no kid in his twenties.
Kohana’s eyes softened. “I overworked you today, didn’t I?”
Ammon waved away the man’s words, trying to maintain his pride. “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I’m fine.”
Minus the aching joints.
Kohana gave him a wary smile. “When you lie, your eyebrows furrow.”
He had to fight the urge to clap his hand to his forehead. “Oh.”
Kohana reached for a strip of bark that lay on the ground. “I’ll get a fire started. It’ll be dark soon, and I think both of us could use some dinner.”
Nodding, Ammon stood and began to grab pieces of wood.
Kohana surprised him by seizing his hand. Thankfully, his burns were healing well enough that the action didn’t cause the back of his hand to ache like it once would have.
“You’re tired.” Kohana tugged at his hand. “Let me handle this.”
“You walked the same distance I did.”
“Yeah, but you’re...” The man stopped, likely sensing that Ammon would be offended if he finished his sentence.
“What, a human?”
“Well, yes.” Kohana nodded. “I can go a lot farther than you without feeling exhausted.”
Ammon hated feeling inferior to anyone. “I’m a pretty strong guy.”
“Believe me, I know.” Kohana gazed at his body appreciatively.
When he saw Kohana looking at him with such interest, his groin tightened. Leave it to me to get a hard-on during a life-threatening situation, he thought, then cursed himself. He turned away and started collecting wood, once again overcome by shame.
Silence fell, which Ammon was grateful for. He needed the quiet in order to regain his composure. And he couldn’t believe his body was reacting like this now, of all times. He wondered whether he’d flipped some sort of psychological switch when he’d discovered he was gay.
While he muttered under his breath, Ammon dumped his collection of wood in a pile. Once he straightened, he saw that Kohana was still watching him with interest. The man’s eyes raked his body, and Kohana’s tongue darted to the corner of his mouth. Ammon noted that the other man’s cock was hardening, and the sight only added fuel to the fire. Damn it all, couldn’t the men here wear clothes? Trying to control himself and hide his own arousal at the same time, Ammon turned away from the other man. Unfortunately, Kohana chose that moment to amble up behind him.
“Show me,” Kohana said.
“Show you what?”
Kohana surprised him by forcing him to turn around. “Your body. I saw how you reacted. You want me too.”
Oh God. He had to lie. “No, I don’t.”
“No?” Kohana surprised him by laying his hand right on Ammon’s engorged rod. “Well, your body is saying something else.”
Ammon stared at Kohana, and Kohana stared back at him. The other man’s golden eyes dropped to his lips. Once again, Ammon’s thoughts and emotions did battle. He wanted to push Kohana to the ground and have his way with him, but he also wanted to run away.
Kohana made the decision for him by grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling him into a mouth-scorching kiss.
Their lips melded together, and heat coursed through Ammon’s body. At first his arms fell slack at his sides as he tried to digest what was happening. I’m kissing a man. A man. The embrace was different than anything he’d ever felt before. Kohana’s entire body was rock-hard, while Ammon was accustomed to the soft curves of a woman. Where a woman’s lips were full and yielding, Kohana’s lips were rough and thin.
As he struggled with his thoughts, Kohana pressed him against the trunk of a palm tree. Once Ammon was braced against the rough bark, Kohana cupped his cheeks and kissed him harder. Their teeth clacked together, and Ammon moaned from both shock and pleasure. The other man took advantage of his parted lips and slipped his tongue inside Ammon’s mouth. Finally, as Kohana stroked his tongue with his own, Ammon’s shock ebbed away, and he lifted his trembling hands and laid them against the other man’s neck. He could feel Kohana’s vein throbbing beneath his palm, and he knew that the other man’s heart was beating wildly.
Ammon tasted his sweet breath, and Kohana’s right hand journeyed under the tattered remains of his T-shirt. Kohana explored the hardness of his belly and then, finally, his bruised chest. While Kohana ignited Ammon’s body with his touch, he continued to kiss him, tormenting him and yet claiming him at the same time. And for a brief moment in time, Ammon wanted to be claimed.
At least until Kohana pressed him harder against the tree, causing his dick to brush against Ammon’s. Ammon sucked in air as realization struck for the second time—he was making out with a man. And not just any man. A beastly shifter. He pictured Kohana transforming, and suddenly, Kohana’s sweet tongue tasted sour. There was a time and a place for making out against palm trees, but this wasn’t one of them. Not when his life was in danger and the person he was kissing could have eaten his face off in more ways than one.
Ammon gasped and tried to push Kohana away. “No.”
Though his push didn’t jostle Kohana, the other man stepped back.
“I can’t.” Ammon took a deep breath. “This is too soon. I don’t think I’m ready.”
Kohana glanced pointedly at Ammon’s engorged dick. “You look ready to me.”
“Just because my body is ready doesn’t mean my mind is.”
Even though Kohana’s eyes darkened, he nodded. “Fine. I understand.”
“Good.” Ammon’s balls ached, and he wished his own body understood too.
Grunting, the other man turned from him and splashed into the small river.
Ammon followed him with his gaze. “What are you doing?”
“You don’t expect me to walk around like this all evening, do you?” Kohana waved at his engorged rod, the sexual frustration clear in his eyes.
Frowning, Ammon backed off. After all, he needed to calm down himself. As he found solitude a few feet away from Kohana, he wondered whether he was stupid for hesitating when it was pretty clear that they were both interested in one another.
But Kohana’s the same sex and a freaky bear shifter and...and... Ammon glanced over at the other man, who was dousing his body with cool river water. And he’s the person who saved my life.
Ammon’s jaw clenched, and he almost wished he’d let Kohana keep going. Almost.
* * * *
That night, Ammon lay at Kohana’s side, feeling awkward. The two of them had been silent through their dinner of fish and potatoes, and now the atmosphere was as heavy as a thousand-pound weight. Ammon sighed, hating how uncomfortable he felt around Kohana yet again.
“I’m sorry,” he said, wanting to clear the air.
Kohana rolled onto his side and gazed at him. “For what?”
“For pushing you away.” He suddenly couldn’t look at the other man. “I want to be with you. I just don’t want to want to be with you.”
Kohana flinched, and Ammon realized that he’d said something offensive.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting you,” he said quickly, feeling like the stupidest man on the face of the planet. And who knew? Maybe he was. “It’s just that I never realized that I was interested in men before. I was always the tough guy back home, so my sudden interest in men has changed how I look at myself.”
“But you’re still basically the same man you were back home, even if the way you look at yourself has changed.” Kohana propped himself up on his elbow. “I like other men. Do you think I’m not tough?”
Ammon examined Kohana and his bulging muscles. “No, you’re tough all right. Tough enough that you scare the shit out of me.”
The other man let out a bark of laughter, and some of the tension in the air dissipated. “You don’t ever need to be scared of me, but I’d like to think that I’m strong. Next to Matwau, I’ve always been the toughest person in the pack. So you see what I mean? Your sexual preference doesn’t make you any less of a man.”
“I know you’re right. It’s just hard for me to digest.”
“I can understand why, but people are constantly discovering new parts of themselves. It’s how you deal with the discoveries that matters. And anyway, it’s not like the world is going to end because you realized you are different than you thought.”
“I guess so.” The world isn’t going to end, huh? Somehow, Ammon began to feel a little better. Not good enough to straddle Kohana and have his way with him, but better all the same.
Kohana nodded, then drummed his fingers on his own muscular chest. “But I’m assuming that the fact that I’m a man isn’t the only reason you wanted to stop tonight.”
Though he had to cringe, Ammon knew there was no use lying about his discomfort with Kohana’s abilities. He nodded. “Yeah, I haven’t quite gotten used to the fact that you’re some supernatural being either.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“But I’m beginning to get used to it.” He was desperate to make things right between them. “I think that if I was given more time, I’d be okay with what you are.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Ammon relaxed. “Thanks.”
“Yeah.” Kohana’s kind gaze turned lustful. “But Ammon?”
“Uh-huh?”
“If you do decide you want to be with me, just let me know.” Kohana met his gaze. “I’ll be ready.”
The heated words started a fire in his groin. Unfortunately, the words also started a fire in his face as well. “Oh, okay.”
Kohana grunted and rolled onto his side. Ammon stared up into the starry sky, realizing that tonight was going to be another lust-filled, sleepless night.