When I reached the ex-bridge, the sun had just topped the trees. My breath hung in the air like a fog until I walked through it, ever vigilant in my pace. I hoped making it to the bridge now meant I was making good time. Especially since it was so goddamned freezing out here. Maybe I’d try running for a while after I crossed the tree bridge. I should’ve fashioned a scarf.

Without much hesitation, I stepped up onto the fallen tree and began a slow walk across. Feeling myself getting a little too cocky toward the middle, I slowed down. The water didn’t look all that deep, but it was probably enough to cause hypothermia if I managed to fall in with no one around to save me.

Suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of an engine. My temper flared. Damn the man. I couldn’t let him talk me into going back with him. It just wasn’t safe.

He pulled up, cut the engine, and stood. He looked like he had a lot to say.

“Go home, Luke!” I yelled, the anger in my voice startling both of us. Closing my eyes, I took a few calming breaths. When I opened them again, I turned away from him. “Go home,” I repeated, as if ordering a stray from my yard.

“Jack, it’s a day’s walk,” he insisted, and I heard his boots on the tree.

I whipped around. “Stop!”

“Let me come with you,” he pleaded, and I felt terrible, ungrateful, for just up and walking away. “I don’t understand why you’re leaving! What happened?”

“Step back off and go home, Luke. You don’t want me around. It’s not safe. Now go!”

He must have been a hellacious two-year-old and a worse teenager because he took three more steps out of pure defiance. I could see the fire in his eyes from here.

It was the fourth step that changed defiance to terror. His foot slipped out from under him, his body twisted to compensate, and his arms windmilled as he lost his balance.

I screamed his name and threw myself in his direction as he pitched head-first into the water.

Pain shot through my chest as I landed, but I managed to grab behind his knee just seconds after he went under. Breathing so hard my lungs hurt from the freezing air, I reached deeper and grabbed hold of his belt. Using that, I pulled him up, twisted him around, and dragged him from the water. He coughed, gasped, and scrambled off the tree and onto the bank with me. He was thoroughly soaked and most of my upper half was too, but we made it to the ATV.

I didn’t know if I should strip him here or just race back to the cabin, but when he huddled against me and said, “Drive,” I trusted that he knew what to do and just did that. He sat in front of me, and I reached around him to steer. I was acutely aware of his every tremor.

Over and over again I damned myself for causing this.

The drive seemed to take forever and yet we got back to the cabin faster than I thought it should’ve taken us. Luke tumbled off the ATV and started crawling for the porch before I could cut the engine. Odd how I knew what to do if I didn’t try and think about it. Then I flung myself half on top of him to haul him onto his feet and get him inside.

Bursting into the cabin, I saw Mickey the cat dash under the couch as I hustled Luke over to the fire. He started trying to pull his clothes off, but he shook too badly to work the wet cloth. Sinking to his knees, curling up, I basically had to fight his instincts while I pulled and struggled to get him out of his coat, then shirts.

“S-s-s-so c-c-cold.”

“I know, baby,” I sympathized. “Just hold on.”

I pulled his shoes off, stripped his socks, and then attacked his jeans. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized I was fulfilling a fantasy, but damn it, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He was pale and prickled with gooseflesh, shivering and groaning. I felt lightheaded looking at him, but not in a good way.

His eyes were huge and pleading while I tugged his jeans and boxers together down his legs. “You’ll be fine, honey,” I assured him with false cheer. “Just fine.” Smiling, I tried to make him grin with, “Remember what you did to warm me up? Guess I get to return the favor, huh?”

He did grin while his teeth kept right on chattering. His arms shook where he’d wrapped them around his chest and the hairs all over him looked too bright orange against all that blue-tinged skin. I cleared my throat to stifle a moan when I saw his naked groin, and then was grateful he curled on his side and drew his knees up. Here he was, half-frozen and suffering, and I was thinking that a blowjob would get him all pink and warm down there for sure.

And, of course, then I went and got myself naked to warm him up with shared body heat. Letting his front have the fire, I fit myself to his back, then remembered to pull the blankets off the couch behind us. Now we were spooning and covered up, but the deviant thoughts just kept on coming to me since his firm butt cheeks were cradled my too-interested cock. He clapped my arms around his chest, though, so I figured he didn’t mind. Which would’ve been laughable if we weren’t half-frozen.

Minute by minute, his shivering lessened as his skin warmed against mine. Where he touched me, he still felt entirely too cold, but he was getting better. I tucked into the back of his neck and breathed through my open mouth to maybe help warm him there too. Laying quietly like that, trusting to warmth, I had nothing to distract me from the feel of his body. Evidently, Luke’s borderline hypothermia didn’t come close to deterring my desire for him. All I could think about was how much I wanted to touch all of him and make him moan with desire.

But this was my fault. I’d left to avoid hurting him and had hurt him anyway. I had no right to feel anything right now except guilt and the desire to make sure he didn’t die. He didn’t need and probably wouldn’t now want what I wanted.

Quietly, he asked, “Why did you leave, Jack?”

No point in keeping the truth from him now. “There was a gun in the bag. My bag.” I heard him gasp. “Without thinking, I pulled it out and made like I was going to put it in my shoulder holster. Then I got hit with this memory of yelling and shooting and running around. Escaping. I don’t know who I shot at or why, but the magazine’s empty.” Shame slithered through me like black oil.

He smoothed cool fingers along my arm. “Are you afraid?”

“I don’t know what I am, Luke. I could be any kind of criminal and you’re putting yourself in danger by letting me stay here.” Even as I said it, knew it was true, I hoped he wouldn’t believe it.

“You left so you couldn’t hurt me,” he stated, his voice still so quiet.

“Yes. I had to.”

“You hurt me by leaving.”

“Damn it, Luke, don’t you get it? What if—?”

He turned over and wrestled me into the position he wanted me in. I didn’t really protest. Just couldn’t. I wanted to have him half on top of me, holding me down and gripping a handful of my hair. He wasn’t just warm now, he was also hard. When he kissed me, I was just gone. That was all I needed to go tripping off to a world of shadow, fire, and satin skin covering hard muscle.

Under that blanket and in front of the fire, right there on the floor of his cabin, I gave up trying to be rational and do the right thing. I didn’t think, didn’t want to, as my hands glided along the channel of his spine, and he pressed that lean, lightly furry chest against my own. I didn’t want anything but to feel his hands in my hair, his body moving into the cradle of mine, my hands pulling him closer, my body coming alive for more.

When he lifted his head from that devouring kiss, his smile was tender, contented, and beautiful. I nodded up at him and resisted saying something cheesy like “take me, I’m yours” even though that was exactly what I was now. No more resisting, no more questions.

“Yes.”