Page 46 of Coyote

He stared at our hands. "Then I'll ask again tomorrow."

My chest pulled tight around something that had nothing to do with the stitches. "All right."

He laced our fingers together. "Nobody came looking for you?"

"My parents are gone. I have a sister. Sarah. She called every Sunday after Little John died," I said. "I'd tell her I was fine. She knew I was lying, but she let me do it."

"She thinks you're dead."

"Maybe."

"Do you want her to know you aren't?"

"Yes." My hand tightened on his. "I think I do."

Coyote looked toward the cave mouth. "If she came looking," he said, "would you go with her?"

"I don't know."

His hand started to pull away again. I held on.

"I'd see her," I said. "I owe her that much. After that, I don't know what I'd do. But I wouldn't leave without telling you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Coyote searched my face. His gaze shifted past me to the cave mouth. His fingers pressed into mine, hard enough to hurt.

Then he climbed into my lap.

He came up to my chin standing. Sitting astride me, he still had to tip his head back to look into my eyes. His knees barely reached around my hips. He held my face between both of his hands, and I stayed where he put me.

"I found you," he said.

"I'm alive because of you."

His eyes darkened.

His lips closed over mine. The kiss wasn't a demand. Not at first. He pressed his lips to mine and waited.

Once I'd known how to do this without thinking. Now I had to remember the pressure of another mouth. The scrape of stubble. The breath caught between two men when neither one wanted to pull away first.

I kissed him back.

Coyote made a low sound and settled more heavily onto my thighs. His fingers slid into my hair. Mine spread across his back and nearly covered it. I slid my hand up and down, drinking in the warm skin, the ridges of old scar tissue, the bony knobs of his spine beneath my palm.

He kissed me deeper, and when he pulled away, I chased him.

He grinned and nuzzled against my neck. "Want something, big man?"

"You."

"You have me."

"Not enough."

He laughed into my lips.