Lynx Northern Shifters 3

to cities,” Trey repeated.
“What about you, when you’re human for a long time?”
“Well, it makes me tense.”
Jonah breathed in through his nose. “You don’t seem tense now.”
“I’m not,” Trey said softly.
But Trey was aroused while Jonah was sleepy, relaxed. He wanted to end it while things felt so good between them. Comfortable. He hadn’t been comfortable with someone for ages. So he backed up, slipped over to his own cot, and only then did Trey turn. His eyes were slumberous, sexy, warm. All those things.
“I’m tired,” said Jonah quickly.
“I know.” Trey wasn’t offended. In fact, he looked…lighter than he had in ages. Perhaps Jonah’s contact had accomplished that. Trey’s mouth kicked up. “You can lean against me any time you want.”
The stupidest question came out of Jonah’s mouth. He had sworn not to ask and yet the words escaped. “When are you leaving next?”
“I’ll do the same thing in a month. I expect they’ll be fine and I’ll be back. If there’s a problem, I’ll be gone longer. Not entirely predictable, I’m afraid. I can’t promise quick returns.” There was a certain anxiety there, beneath the surface of Trey’s expression, a worry about how Jonah would take this information.
Jonah nodded. “Okay.”
Truth was, it might be okay, or Trey might disappear for ages. But tonight wasn’t the night to dwell on that. Instead Jonah lay down and thought about the musculature of Trey’s powerful back, shaped by spine and shoulder blades. He’d breathed in the tang of Trey’s wolf, his musky deep scent.
Horton had wanted Trey’s blood and he hadn’t got it. Throughout the ordeal and the aftermath, that was something Jonah remained proud of. He was almost dozing before he realized Trey had crouched beside his cot, close but not too close.
“Jonah.”
He lifted eyelashes to look at that now-familiar face. “Yeah?”
“I love you.” The delivery wasn’t fervent or passionate. It was a statement of fact, and Jonah didn’t know what to do with it.
So he said, “Okay.”
Before he had time to wonder if he’d answered wrong, Trey smiled and rose, walked away.

Chapter Nineteen
    The next morning Jonah chose not to deal with the can of worms he’d opened by leaning against Trey’s back. Instead he shifted to lynx and ventured out into sunshine and snow for the day, continuing his long reacquaintance with the area he considered home. With the mild temperatures, deer were plentiful this winter. There was plenty of potential firewood—not that they needed any since Trey had been hard at work providing for them.
    But his sojourn proved not entirely successful. After he came back inside, still lynx, the first thing Jonah found himself doing was going up to Trey and rubbing against him, purring. He then lay by the fire as Trey cooked food. He could practically smell Trey’s happiness, and there was a recognition of the power he held over Trey if Jonah’s actions mattered this much.
    Yes, Trey had been wrong to leave Jonah for years, but it clearly wasn’t from not caring. Jonah was coming to accept that, accept that Trey would leave him again too. Maybe next time it was for the long haul, Jonah would be mature enough to handle it. He’d been young, not only in years, he recognized. Strangely sheltered and unused to the feelings he’d developed so suddenly, almost brutally, for Trey, Jonah hadn’t been able to cope with the fallout.
    Next time he vowed to handle himself differently. He knew what making such a vow to himself meant—that he and Trey were about to become lovers again. Jonah was ready. Almost. He stayed lynx for another day, preparing himself for what was to come.
    When Jonah rose, shook himself and stalked into the back room, Trey had a good idea why he’d done so. He waited. It seemed to him that their relationship had developed around the concept of waiting. Jonah had done more than his share, Trey was quick to recognize. But still, he hoped that one day in the not too distant future, their relationship could be about more than waiting and its attendant problems.
    Trey glanced around, working hard not to think about what Jonah was doing or in what state of mind he’d be once he emerged from the shift. This house was wonderful in its way, but also oppressively small. Trey would like for them to be able to settle elsewhere, especially for the winter, and perhaps only spend part of the summer here.
    Jonah should get his university degree