Page 55 of Coyote

John kept his face innocent. He rubbed his foot along the outside of my thigh.

"Keep that up and you're eating it burnt," I said.

"You seemed tense."

"I'm hungry."

"So am I."

He wasn't talking about the rabbit. My cock thickened, and John's mouth curved when he noticed.

I grabbed the bag of dried fruit and tossed it at his chest. "Eat that."

He caught it one-handed. "You're no fun."

"You weren't complaining earlier."

"No. Earlier you let me have meat."

I almost dropped the knife.

John opened the bag and ate a piece of dried apple like he hadn't said anything. I turned back to the rabbit before he saw me smile.

This was what I wanted. John in my cave, eating my food and putting his hands wherever he pleased. Nobody calling for him. Nobody waiting to drag him back into a life where he belonged to everybody except himself.

Except me.

I had enough food in the tins to keep him there for a few days. After that, I could hunt. There was water at the spring below the ridge, ammunition against the wall, and blankets for when the temperature dropped. The horses had grass in the wash.

The gelding still had a saddle.

I looked toward the overhang where I had left the tack. One cut through the cinch would take care of that. John didn't know horses, and he couldn't walk down the mountain with his thigh and ribs torn open. He would have to stay until I decided to help him leave.

I had stopped turning the rabbit.

"You're burning it," John said.

I moved it away from the hottest part of the fire. "It's fine."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Whether you'd complain if it was raw."

"I'm a doctor. Of course I'd complain."

I cut into the thickest part of the thigh. The meat was still pink near the bone, so I set it back over the fire.

John's foot touched my hip again. I caught his ankle and held it this time. His pulse moved beneath my thumb, steady and warm.

I could keep him.

The thought settled something inside me that had been clawing since Rafe put Sarah's report in my hand.

Then leather knocked against metal somewhere below the cave, and John stopped moving.

"What was that?"

A horse started up the trail.