"Not a fan of thunderstorms I take it?"

"No, not at all." Kay replied, squeezing Kane's hand as he guided her deep into the forest. The rain began to quiet down with occasional thunder claps in the distance making Kay jumpy.

"Forgive my friend, Rain. I know she can be intense, but once you get to know her, she doesn't bother anyone," he said, talking about the silver wolf as if she were a person.

"Aren't there two of them?"

"Midnight would be that second one you're referring to, and he only comes out at well—midnight."

"Clever," Kay smirked, getting the connection with the names. "Biskane—the fire burns as he howls against the night sky," she recanted his words from the night they spoke. "I guess that makes sense too, except for the fire."

"Oh, there was a fire. My birth was a ceremonial event. The whole tribe was present for that celebration. My parents gave me the name because they complained I cried too loud that night," he scoffed.

Kay giggled, wondering if he inherited his sense of humor from his parents as well.

They trudged the rest of the way in silence, eventually arriving at a clearing by a lake where a quaint little cabin nestled beneath canopies of white spruce, oak wood, and pine.

"This is me," Kane said as Kay's eyes widened with awe.

The cabin was like a page out of a children's story book. A place where the characters got lost wondering too far in the woods and took refuge, making it their own. Built with cedar and pine, the cool and warm wood tones gave the place a look straight out of a catalogue, featuring a beautiful stone chimney. Her eyes honed in on the kiwi green finish of the windows and door, and the front lawn decorated with various pots of flowers and shrubbery.

They crossed a gravelly path and up a small set of stairs that led to the porch. Warmth greeted Kay as Kane pushed the front door open.

"Make yourself at home."

Inside the all-wooden interior, the kitchen greeted her eyes as she turned right. In the cozy living room area, a large white shag rug instantly caught her attention, taking up most of the center. The room contained the basic furniture a person needed. Wooden chairs, small bookshelves, cozy little fire place, and a blue couch accented with cream colored pillows. Books aligned along wall shelves near the ceiling. Glancing at the rug, Kay found herself yawning, tempted to sprawl in its fluffy thickness and sleep away her exhaustion.

She peered over at Kane while he kicked his boots off by the door, then glanced at her own feet. Soiled with filth, Kay suddenly felt the need to hide, her insides enflaming. Unsure of whether she should remove her own shoes covered in god knows what, she settled for the island counter stool near the kitchen instead. She didn't want to ruin anything in his place even if he told her it was okay.

Kane came behind Kay, draping a blanket he picked up from the couch around her shoulders.

"Oh um, thanks," she grasped it, tightening it around her.

"Thirsty?"

Kay nodded, watching him as he pulled a pitcher of water from the fridge and pour it into a glass he grabbed from the cabinet. From behind, Kane's triceps rippled with simple movements. She found herself wondering what his muscles felt like against her hands as her gaze traveled to his butt. She licked and bit her lip, imagining it to be soft and firm. He rotated around the island with her glass and she averted her gaze, pretending to stare at her hands.

"Thank you," she uttered before tipping the drink to her lips. She downed half the glass, unsure if it was her own thirst or the heat of lust overwhelming her senses. Peeking over the rim, Kane turned, yanking his wet shirt over his head and exposing the bronze tone of his yummy eight pack. Kay's eyes danced, swallowing the water down the wrong pipe and breaking into a fit of violent coughs. His head shot in her direction.

"Hey, you OK?" He bent down in front of her, plucking the glass from her hands and placing it on the counter. He rested a hand on the edge of her knee. She found herself drawn to the pool of concern in his mocha eyes and wanted to drown in them.

"I'm-OK," she choked, her skin burning from his closeness.

"You sure?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded nervously. His hand slithered down her leg until they reached her ankles.

"Let me get these off for you," he said, undoing the straps on her heels and freeing her feet. She pressed her knees together, aware of the heat from his palms caressing her skin. She knew he meant her shoes, but the fervor in his eyes gave her a different impression—the want to remove something more.

No, that's all in your head. A guy like him can get any woman he wants. He's just being nice.

"How women wear shoes with spikes for hours amazes me," he chuckled, his expression darkening as he gathered her foot in his hands. He gently kneaded her skin, making her wince from a sore spot caused by her tight shoes. "Your feet must be tired from all the walking you did out there." He pressed his thumb into the ball of her foot, his skillful fingers working her toes and sending small waves of electricity up her shins and abdomen.

A slow exhale slipped from her lips as she squirmed in her seat—the heat in her belly migrating south. "Does this hurt?" He asked, looking up at her for a moment.

"Um - uh, no..." she answered quickly, her cheeks tinging a shade of pink. He went back to work, digging his fingers into a full blown, deep tissue shiatsu.

"Mm..." she grasped the edges of her stool as it gently scraped the wood floor, on the verge of rupturing. Yearning to run her fingers through his wet dark hair, taste his lips and have those skillful hands explore the rest of her. The sensation was driving her mad and he'd only been massaging her feet.

"I think I - uh. . .should grab you a change of clothes I found, and you can use my shower to clean up," he murmured, bringing the massage to a crashing halt. He stood abruptly, his hands slipping away as he turned and disappeared around the corner—abandoning her in a cloud of desire. Shaking her head, she worked to steady her breath.

Wow. . .

Kay couldn't remember the last time Ryan actually took care of her with a simple gesture of affection.

A shirtless Kane returned, handing her a pile of clothes.

"Thanks," she swallowed, trying to focus on something other than his stunning body when she caught sight of scarring that looked like a bullet wound in his left shoulder. Her eyebrows knitted with concern and heightened when her gaze trailed to the second wound located above his hip bone. He caught her staring and pivoted away, making only his profile visible to her.

"They're healed, don't worry," he told her before she could say anything. "Bathroom is around the corner, to the right."

Kay nodded, climbed down from the stool and vanished around the corner.

***
"Shit," Kane breathed, willing his thudding heart to still as he watched Kay fade from his peripheral view. He pressed his body against the island, grasping the edges as he groaned. The bulge in his cargo jeans screaming for its release. If he hadn't stopped himself in time, he would've made a complete fool of himself with her. He panicked when he caught her staring at him, relieved it was the gunshot wounds that distracted her and not his erection.

The soft click of the bathroom door signaled the all clear and he stepped back, ambling toward his bedroom. He passed his messy bed, grabbing a navy blue shirt - the biggest in his closet - and threw it on. Kane leaned against the closet door, outstretching his long arms over the edge and shut his eyes.

He'd been so lost in the reactions he elicited from Kay, he almost didn't stop. The temptation to touch her, too good to pass up. She held back—he could see it. Fighting with herself to behave normal so Kane wouldn't hear the rising tempo in her heartbeat. But he did. All of it. And the more he pressed against Kay's tissue, the more she wrestled to cage her soft moans.

Biting his lip, his hand plunged into his cargo jeans as he grasped the base of himself with soft, circular strokes. Picturing the way she would.

Aware of all the sensations he incited in her. The tension in her muscles, the way her cute little toes curled against his hands, and the rosette shade on her nails, he damn near lost it. When his fingers reached her soles, her heart pounded against his ear drums like an ASMR rattling down his spine.

He released a shuddery breath. Increasing the rhythm in his strokes, he applied pressure, his other hand grasping the edge of the closet until spider cracks splintered the wood.

Holding her captive. Nowhere for her to go, she was putty in his hands.

His breath hissed, blood surging, cells thrashing throughout his body as he reached his climax. The strokes slowed, and he was breathless from his release as his body shook from the sensitivity. He regained some of his senses, staving his appetite for the moment.

He picked up the squeak of metal next door, the bathroom shower shutting off. Kane made quick work of cleaning up before Kay noticed anything suspicious.

After washing his hands and wiping everything down, he turned off the faucet in the kitchen sink when a crunch in the distance jolted his ears to attention. He tilted his head, swiveling his body to the front door.

Rain. What's going on out there?

He summoned the animal. No answer. She'd gone quiet, cutting off the connection to her mind.

Another crunch.

Possibly deer. No - footsteps. The pacing sounded much too heavy and with Rain going rogue—it meant something else or someone got too close. Kane eased open one of the kitchen drawers, and picked up a sheathed hunting knife before heading out to investigate.

***
Wiping the fog off the mirror, Kay worked her fingers through the mats in her loose wavy hair before running them against the spot where Ryan struck her. The bruise no longer hurt but left an emotional scar in its wake. There were smaller scratches with bruising on her forehead and chin she sustained from the fall, but they too were healing.

She dressed in the clothes Kane given to her—a pink long sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants which fit a bit loose, but were far better than the battered clothes she had. The shower soothed away the stress she'd been dealing with and all she wanted more than anything was to lay her head on something soft, firm—preferably Kane's chest. A blush crept to her cheeks at the thought of him. His brown skin, kissed by sunlight, yearning to comb her fingers through his raven hair. She bit her lip, took a deep breath and exhaled, exiting the bathroom.

The cold air sliced through her as shower fog evaporated behind her. The adjacent door, which she assumed was Kane's bedroom was closed. Perhaps he decided to lay down.

"Kane?" She rapped softly on his door, but didn't receive a reply so she turned for the kitchen, disappointed. With nowhere to be seen in the kitchen and living room, she decided to search his fridge for a quick bite. Nothing but the filtered pitcher of water, fruit, and condiments inside, she settled for a pink lady apple, washed it and took a bite. The sweet juices dripped into her palms as she devoured it like it was her last meal.

Kay made her way toward the living room, exhaustion hijacking her brain. Maybe the couch or that white rug she spied earlier would be the perfect spot for a nap. She crossed the threshold as a draft drew her gaze toward the front door, slightly ajar.

In the distance, faint rumbling of thunder tumbled in the clouded sky. She walked toward the door, about to close it when she heard voices outside. Inclining her ear toward the sounds, she recognized Kane's. He sounded stern, defensive even.

Pulling the door open, she peeked out, spotting his large frame blocking the entryway to the cabin. He descended the steps onto the gravel pathway, stopping several feet to talk to whoever was in front of him. Kay edged further out onto the deck, attempting to get a view over Kane's boulder shoulders.

"Everything OK?" She called out to him, wrapping her arms around her body. She padded barefoot down the steps onto the cold gravel, her hairs rising on edge from the wind. "Kane?"

He remained silent. Stoic. Gaze locked dead ahead as she moved next to him. She mirrored his action and froze, her skin blanching, eyes bulging—wishing she'd just stayed inside.

Ryan's hollow fern eyes locked in on her as he dangled an object hooked to his finger above his head.

Her keys.

"Missing something?"