Lynx Northern Shifters 3

around in his mind and couldn’t find anything he liked. He settled on, “I
don’t know.”
Lifting his upper body so he rested on his elbows, Ethan looked across at Bram, then glanced up at the
camera. He briefly closed his eyes before he rolled off the bed and came over to Bram on all fours. Stalked over , Bram thought, and there was grace in it.
Day-old stubble adorned Ethan’s jaw and his badly cut hair stuck up haphazardly. The bones of his
face were too sharp, even if he had put on a bit of weight since staying here. Bram thought he was so
beautiful and could never tell him.
“Are we out of sight?” Ethan asked softly.
Bram nodded. He had hunkered down in the corner with his knees up, his legs blocking Ethan, who
had stopped just out of reach.
“My cat wants out, out of this room, out of this body.” Ethan’s gaze burned, which made Bram feel
hot. “But I think that might be a death sentence here.”
“No one is going to kill you.”
Ethan’s mouth twisted. “That’s what Gabriel once told me.”
“Doug is no Gabriel.”
“And yet, I am still his sacrifice, no?”
Bram wanted to shake his head, but he remembered that there were people out there who Doug said
would take care of Ethan. Was that a sacrifice? “I don’t think so.”
“I suppose I should take some comfort from the fact that you don’t appear to want me to be a
sacrifice.”
“I don’t,” Bram whispered.
“What do you want, Bram?”
The air seemed to thicken, a tension, and Bram didn’t know where to look. Ethan’s gaze refused to let
go and while usually it was a good thing to look away from someone and cede way, that wasn’t the case
here and now. Ethan was no werewolf. Instead he was a captive cougar asking for something Bram was in
no position to give. Freedom.
Pulling himself up into a crouch, inches from Bram, Ethan reached out a hand and placed it on Bram’s
knee.
He tried to stifle his reactive shudder but didn’t succeed.
Ethan waited until Bram got used to the heat of his hand on his knee.
“Bram?” asked Ethan in a low voice.
Bram gave up pretending he was unaffected. “It’s hard to breathe.”
Cocking his head, Ethan regarded Bram as if trying to interpret a foreign language. “You held me, not
that long ago. You held me repeatedly.”
“That’s different.”
“Okay.” In one movement, Ethan turned and slid sideways in between Bram’s knees, a surprising
invasion that Bram couldn’t resist. Then Ethan turned so they had their familiar embrace, his back resting
against Bram’s chest.
He should push Ethan away. It was the right thing to do, but slowly and carefully Bram wrapped his
arms around this thin stranger who jerked in the hold even while moving deeper into Bram’s lap. They
were awkward and difficult with each other, but Bram did not want to let go. Neither did Ethan, for Bram
could smell his desire.
“Your cat is…?” Bram didn’t know how to ask if Ethan’s cougar was desperate to get out. “Okay. For now, anyway.” Ethan turned his head to lay his cheek against Bram’s chest. “You’re okay, you mean.”
“I’m not okay, you must know that. But…this is better. Can you tell me why I like to hear your heart
beat?” It was an oddly wistful question and Bram felt completely out of his depth. Was he supposed to even
answer? Well, he couldn’t. Ethan gave a shuddery sigh that echoed something inside Bram. “I don’t really
think you’re okay either, Bram.”
Bram held Ethan tighter, and breathed in Ethan’s scent. There was something a little wild and foreign,
something cat, or maybe just Ethan. It turned Bram on.
Ethan had to know, had to feel his erection pressing against the small of his back. Bram nuzzled
Ethan’s neck in apology, and Ethan repeated, “Okay.”
“Okay what?”
He didn’t answer, simply leaned back, head against Bram’s shoulder to rest there. Bram shouldn’t, but
he raised one hand and stroked that long neck. Ethan groaned, turned his face into Bram’s neck and licked
the skin.
Bram jittered in reaction and Ethan said, “Shhh. Settle down.” Before Bram could declare that was
impossible, Ethan slid his tongue along the dip above Bram’s collarbone, and Bram jumped again. “You have me at a disadvantage.” Ethan spoke against Bram’s throat. “So many disadvantages. You
can smell my arousal, but my sense of smell is not quite so acute. On the other hand, I can hear your heart
beating too fast, your breath going in and out quickly.”
Bram