elbow, the bullet wound fully showing.
And now nothing more than a puckered pink mark on Jesse’s skin. Sam was awed. He reached out and gently touched the healing skin. He snatched his hand back when Jesse jerked. “Does it hurt, Jesse?”
“No,” Jesse murmured against Sam’s chest. “It’s a little tender, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. It will finish healing the more I shift.”
“Then shift again.” Sam couldn’t figure out why Jesse didn’t continue to shift until he was completely healed.
Jesse tilted his head back to look at Sam. “It takes too much energy to shift over and over again, Sam. Lycan have a very high metabolism. We burn of calories really fast, which is why we eat so much.”
“So you can’t shift again until you eat?”
“I shouldn’t. I need to conserve my energy in case I need to shift again.”
“Do you need to eat?”
Jesse smiled as he pushed himself to his feet. “I’m good, sunshine.”
Sam frowned. “Yeah, we need to discuss that sunshine thing.”
“Nope.” Jesse crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow as if daring Sam to argue.
“No?”
“I like calling you sunshine.”
“But it makes me sound like a girl.” Sam knew he was whining. He just didn’t care. There were a lot of other things Jesse could call him besides sunshine .
“Honey,” Jesse said as he dragged Sam up against him, “there is nothing girly about you.”
Sam felt his face flush with heat. Hell, his entire body was flushing with heat. “Jesse, you’re naked.”
Jesse burst out laughing. “And you’re just figuring that out now?”
Sam gulped and looked down to where their bodies met. He could feel Jesse’s hard cock poking him in the abdomen. “Jesse,” he croaked, “you’re naked.”
Jesse groaned. Sam felt the man’s head drop down onto the top of his. “Don’t remind me, Sam. There’s nothing I can do about it until we get you somewhere safe.”
“But your clothes…”
“They will have something for me at the bunkhouse. We keep a closet of clothes there for just this reason.”
“You seem to have an explanation for everything.” Sam tilted his head back and looked up into Jesse’s gray eyes. “Want to explain to me how I’m supposed to concentrate on my surroundings while following your naked ass?”
Jesse grinned as if that was the best news he had heard in ages.
Sam rolled his eyes and pushed at Jesse’s chest, pointing beyond his shoulder. “Go.”
The sun was starting to set by the time they reached the tree line by the bunkhouse. Sam hadn’t realized it had taken them so long to make their way through the woods until they reached the edge of the trees. The setting sun was casting a pink hue out over the skyline and the woods were growing dark and ominous.
“Jesse,” Sam said as he reached over and grabbed Jesse’s uninjured arm. “It’s almost dark. We’ve been gone for hours. Your brothers have to know by now that something is wrong.”
“They do, Sam. I told them, remember?” There was a dark, brooding look on Jesse’s face when he turned to look at Sam over his shoulder. “We haven’t heard any more gunshots in a couple of hours. I’m hoping that means everyone is safe, but we won’t know until we reach the bunkhouse.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
Sam couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh or the way he leaned into the hand Jesse cupped around the side of his face. Jesse’s gentle touch seemed to ground him and make things not quite so scary and weird.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, sunshine,” Jesse said as he nuzzled his face into the hair on the top of Sam’s head. “This is your home. You’re supposed to be safe here. And no one has the right to take that away from you.”
Sam’s breath caught in his throat at Jesse’s words. He wondered how much of what Jesse said he actually believed. Or how much Jesse understood what the ranch meant to him. No matter where he went or how long he was gone,
And now nothing more than a puckered pink mark on Jesse’s skin. Sam was awed. He reached out and gently touched the healing skin. He snatched his hand back when Jesse jerked. “Does it hurt, Jesse?”
“No,” Jesse murmured against Sam’s chest. “It’s a little tender, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. It will finish healing the more I shift.”
“Then shift again.” Sam couldn’t figure out why Jesse didn’t continue to shift until he was completely healed.
Jesse tilted his head back to look at Sam. “It takes too much energy to shift over and over again, Sam. Lycan have a very high metabolism. We burn of calories really fast, which is why we eat so much.”
“So you can’t shift again until you eat?”
“I shouldn’t. I need to conserve my energy in case I need to shift again.”
“Do you need to eat?”
Jesse smiled as he pushed himself to his feet. “I’m good, sunshine.”
Sam frowned. “Yeah, we need to discuss that sunshine thing.”
“Nope.” Jesse crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow as if daring Sam to argue.
“No?”
“I like calling you sunshine.”
“But it makes me sound like a girl.” Sam knew he was whining. He just didn’t care. There were a lot of other things Jesse could call him besides sunshine .
“Honey,” Jesse said as he dragged Sam up against him, “there is nothing girly about you.”
Sam felt his face flush with heat. Hell, his entire body was flushing with heat. “Jesse, you’re naked.”
Jesse burst out laughing. “And you’re just figuring that out now?”
Sam gulped and looked down to where their bodies met. He could feel Jesse’s hard cock poking him in the abdomen. “Jesse,” he croaked, “you’re naked.”
Jesse groaned. Sam felt the man’s head drop down onto the top of his. “Don’t remind me, Sam. There’s nothing I can do about it until we get you somewhere safe.”
“But your clothes…”
“They will have something for me at the bunkhouse. We keep a closet of clothes there for just this reason.”
“You seem to have an explanation for everything.” Sam tilted his head back and looked up into Jesse’s gray eyes. “Want to explain to me how I’m supposed to concentrate on my surroundings while following your naked ass?”
Jesse grinned as if that was the best news he had heard in ages.
Sam rolled his eyes and pushed at Jesse’s chest, pointing beyond his shoulder. “Go.”
The sun was starting to set by the time they reached the tree line by the bunkhouse. Sam hadn’t realized it had taken them so long to make their way through the woods until they reached the edge of the trees. The setting sun was casting a pink hue out over the skyline and the woods were growing dark and ominous.
“Jesse,” Sam said as he reached over and grabbed Jesse’s uninjured arm. “It’s almost dark. We’ve been gone for hours. Your brothers have to know by now that something is wrong.”
“They do, Sam. I told them, remember?” There was a dark, brooding look on Jesse’s face when he turned to look at Sam over his shoulder. “We haven’t heard any more gunshots in a couple of hours. I’m hoping that means everyone is safe, but we won’t know until we reach the bunkhouse.”
“I’m sorry about this.”
Sam couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh or the way he leaned into the hand Jesse cupped around the side of his face. Jesse’s gentle touch seemed to ground him and make things not quite so scary and weird.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, sunshine,” Jesse said as he nuzzled his face into the hair on the top of Sam’s head. “This is your home. You’re supposed to be safe here. And no one has the right to take that away from you.”
Sam’s breath caught in his throat at Jesse’s words. He wondered how much of what Jesse said he actually believed. Or how much Jesse understood what the ranch meant to him. No matter where he went or how long he was gone,
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