“We do nothing,”Alex shot back, which was not what he expected from his friend.
They’d spent an hour talking about Tawny. To his surprise, Alex said that Tawny was his mate. Liam quickly corrected him by saying she was his. It took a few times back and forth before they realized she was meant for both of them. Sharing was never a problem, thankfully. Too bad Mason claimed she wasn’t into that lifestyle. Alex and Liam decided that once they located Zach—assuming they did—their goal would be to convince her that she needed to be theirs. Having her chose would be terrible.
Tawny stopped at the end of the makeshift mattress, probably trying to decide if she wanted to do this. She didn’t seem the type to take sleeping between two wolves lightly. After all, both he and Alex could shift back into their human form and give her a lot more than physical warmth. However, if Alex could behave himself, so could he, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be getting any sleep knowing that the delicious Tawny Granger was between them.
Since she might want to know that they were okay with her sleeping there, he opened his eyes.
She knelt on the cushions. “I’m cold,” she said. “It will be warmer here.”
Liam reached out a paw and touched her arm lightly. He then closed his eyes, wanting her to know she’d be safe with them—at least for now.
Once she settled down between them, her scent invaded his soul and turned his thoughts toward being with her forever. The urge to shift back into his human form so that he could cuddle with her nearly drove him crazy, but Tawny needed time to become accustomed to them. He understood that patience had to be his mantra.
* * *
It must have been a log dropping in the fire that roused him. How he had fallen asleep, Liam didn’t know. When he rolled over, Tawny was watching him.To hell with it.He had to get up soon anyway. Liam shifted back into his human form. “Good morning,” he said with as much cheer that he could muster.
“Good morning.” Tawny raised her arms over her head and stretched.
“Did you sleep?” he asked.
“Some.”
“Me too.” Liam sat up. “I’m surprised I didn’t hear Alex get up.
“I think he is relieving himself outside.”
Liam chuckled. “You have a bathroom.”
She shrugged. The front door opened and blew in bitter cold air. Alex was carrying several logs.
“I see the sleepy heads are awake.”
Liam gave him the finger. “I was the smart one. I thought I’d let you be the one to get the wood.”
“Uh-huh.”
Tawny slipped out from under the blanket. “It’s cold in here, but don’t waste the wood. We’ll be leaving soon. However, if I don’t make some coffee, I won’t be civil.”
“I already made some, which is why we needed more wood,” Alex said.
Tawny smiled. “I’m impressed.”
“Suck up,”Liam telepathed.
“What better time than now to try to win her over?”Alex shot back.
Tawny poured everyone a cup of coffee while Liam replaced the cushions on the sofa. “I’ll put the blanket and pillow back upstairs,” he said.
“Thanks.”
“See? I can win points too,”Liam telepathed, trying not to smile.
After they finished their coffee and cleaned up, they took the wood they didn’t use outside so the bugs wouldn’t come inside. They left the cozy cabin just the way they found it. It wasn’t snowing, but the storm last night had dumped quite a few inches.
“Which way?” he asked.
“I figure if anything happened to Zach at the climbing site, he’d want to find shelter. There are a few caves near there.”