A short time later, I spot the trail to a hunter cave. I immediately head in that direction, moving toward it. The privacy screen is up to protect the cave’s contents, but no one is inside. I pause, considering the skies once more, and then turn to my mate.
“We are stopping here for the day,” I announce, unstrapping myself from the sled.
Kira pulls off the thick fur covering the lower half of her face like a mask and gives me an odd look. “We haven’t gone very far, have we? It’s not even been a few hours.”
“I will not chance getting caught in a snowstorm with you and our kit,” I tell her, moving to her side and taking her hands to help her to her feet. “You said you did not care if this took many, many days, right?”
Her mouth quirks in a hint of a smile, but she nods at me. “I did say that.”
I help my mate waddle into the cave (perhaps I did wrap a few too many layers of furs around her) and start a fire so she can warm herself while I unpack. As if the skies have decided to agree with me, large flakes of snow ride the wind, and the day grows dark despite that it is mid-day.
“You see?” I tell Kira as I haul our packs inside. “Your mate is always right.”
“I’m gonna ignore that,” she teases, holding her pink hands toward the fire to warm them. “Do you need help?”
“If you go near the front of that cave, I will spank you like a naughty kit,” I promise her. “Sit and warm up.”
I work on unpacking the sled that I just packed not too long ago, and by the time I am done, the snow is easing up. I wait for Kira to point this out, but she says nothing, feeding bits of fuel to the fire and setting up a tripod and pouch so we can make tea. She has stripped most of her extra layers off and created a nest of furs in the back of the cave, and when I put the privacy screen over the entrance to block the wind, she straightens and smiles at me.
“All done?” she asks, a smile on her face.
I nod, taking the food satchel out of her hands. “I know you think I am overprotective, but I would rather be cautious than caught out in the cold with you and the kit.”
“Did I say anything?”
“I could hear you thinking it,” I tease her. “You think very loudly.”
“Not loudly enough, it seems,” Kira says, moving to my side. She unties the belt holding my clothing to my body, letting it slide to the ground. She pulls at my clothing, peeling one layer off and then another. “I was just thinking that there’s nothing wrong with us taking our time. Spending a little quiet time together, just you and me. I think you could use a vacation.”
“A vay-cay-shun?”
She nods. “It’s where humans take a little trip to get away from their worries.”
“You think I have worries?”
She tugs on another thick layer of furs over my chest, smiling up at me as she leans close. “Or maybe you just need to get away for a little bit.” She lets the fur slide to the ground and then I am in nothing but a vest and my leggings. Kira moves behind me, her hand sliding across my backside.
“Are you seducing me?” I ask her. “Should I expect a courting gift?”
“No courting gift. But…would it be so bad if I was seducing you? Should I stop?” She presses her cheek to my arm and hugs me from behind, her hands on my stomach. “Is it so bad if I like touching my mate?”
“It is not bad at all.” My breath quickens, and the press of her smaller body against mine makes me hungry for more. I ache to touch her, to fling her down onto the furs and just rut into her welcoming body…but she is carrying my kit. We must be careful. “Are you tired?” I ask instead. “Should you lie down and rest?”
“Rest? From sitting in a sled all morning?” She lets out a derisive little snort and one of her hands slides to my cock. “I’m feeling pretty good, actually.” Her fingers graze up and down the front of my leathers. “It seems you feel pretty good, too.”
I groan at her feather-light touch. Just that small caress is enough for my cock to harden, and I pull my mate tighter against me. I tilt my head back, giving my body over to her touch. “It is because I have the finest mate in both caves,” I tell her. “Just knowing that she is mine makes me impossibly hard.”
“It’s a wonder you’re not hard all day,” she teases, rubbing her mouth against my bare arm and then biting me lightly. “Just wandering around the hills of snow, your dick standing up for all the world to see.”