“What do you want to do?” he whispered.
“We rest for a minute. Then we move to higher ground.”
Taylor’s face turned toward him. “We could split up. Make it harder for them.”
“We’re not splitting up.” Will held Taylor’s eyes with his own. “Never again.”
Taylor laughed.
“Something funny?”
“The whole goddamned thing is funny.” It sounded like he had recovered his breath, anyway. Will took care of that by covering Taylor’s mouth with his own in a quick, hard kiss.
* * * * *
The sky was turning a peachy pink when they started up the slope, sticking to rock as much as possible in an effort to hide their tracks.
Without his map it was hard to be sure, but Will thought they were on the west side of Elk Pass. This was confirmed when they later came upon an old, half-tumbled down mining shack.
There had been no sign of any pursuit since they’d made their escape down the cliff the night before. Will thought they could risk going to ground for a few hours. It wasn’t like they had a choice, really. Taylor was moving on willpower alone, and he needed time to figure out how they were going to get to help before Orrin and Bonnie got to them.
Will kicked the door, and half the wall fell in. Taylor began to laugh. And soft though it was, it echoed off the rocks and bounced around the canyon, a ghostly chuckle in the crisp, cold dawn.
“Shhh. Shit,” Will hissed, but he started to laugh too. “Be quiet, for God’s sake.” He grabbed Taylor and pushed him through the broken door — and wall — realizing how glad he was to have an excuse to hold him.
“Jesus, there could be snakes…spiders…” Taylor was letting Will guide him under the half-fallen logs which made a kind of lean-to. He got down on his hands and knees. “Are you sure this is safe?”
His muffled complaint nearly started Will laughing again.
“You mean is it up to code? Probably not.” Will shoved him, not ungently, hands lingering. “Get in there.”
And Taylor handed him the rifle and crawled the rest of the way beneath the makeshift shelter. He drew his long legs up, and Will wriggled in beside him. The smell of damp earth and moldering wood and leather and perspiration was warm and strangely reassuring. Taylor was scrunched up against him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.
“Comfortable?” he asked, and Taylor started that wheezy laughing again. “Will you shut up?” But he couldn’t get any heat into it.
After a few moments, Taylor quieted. “I don’t see why they would come after us. It makes more sense for them to give up on the money and get out while they can.”
Will didn’t answer.
“Don’t you think?”
“No,” said Will. “And neither do you.”
Taylor sighed and shifted. They sat for a time…listening.
Taylor’s head dropped forward, and he jerked awake. He swore quietly.
Will whispered, “Put your head on my shoulder.”
“I’m awake.”
“Put your head on my shoulder. I’ll take first watch.”
There was something wary in Taylor’s silence. At last, he adjusted position, lowering his head to Will’s shoulder. They sat there stiffly for a moment or two, but then Taylor settled more comfortably; his breath was warm against Will’s throat.
“Hold on,” Will mumbled. He wriggled, got his arm free, and slid it around Taylor’s back, pulling him close and offering a little more support. “You can stretch out if you want to.”
“There’s no room.”
“Yeah, there is. Stretch out to the side of me.” Will tried to shift more, and Taylor inched down a little. A board slid from above them, clattering loudly in the crisp morning.
They both froze. Then Will said grimly, “Careful. Don’t knock down our happy home.”
Taylor’s laugh was a breath of sound, then he swore again, and Will guided him down the length of his own body, hands moving over Taylor’s jean-clad legs, his hips, his torso. He just managed to avoid Taylor head-butting him, and then Taylor’s hand landed on his crotch.
Will was a little surprised at his body’s instant reaction, but that was adrenaline for you. His cock pressed uncomfortably against the canvas pants.
“Ow,” Taylor said.
“Whaddya mean, ‘ow’? You’re the one doing all the banging.”
There was an astonished silence, then Taylor muttered, his knee just missing a vital part of Will’s expanding anatomy, “I’m pleading the fifth.”
He finally got himself positioned to his satisfaction, the heat of his body pressed down the length of Will’s, his head resting once more on Will’s shoulder. He put his arm around Will’s waist, and Will put his arm around Taylor’s shoulders.
“Comfortable?” He was grinning, although there wasn’t much to smile at.
“Oh, yeah. You didn’t forget to put out the Do Not Disturb sign, did you?”
“Nah. And room service at seven.”
Taylor expelled a long breath that sounded mostly like a moan.
Will patted him absently. Seconds later he could tell by Taylor’s breathing he was asleep.
Chapter Eight
He came awake to shivery darkness, and he couldn’t remember for a moment where he was or what had happened. But he was lying with someone — on the cold, very hard ground it seemed — and he was being undressed, warmed. Warm hands undoing his shirt, sliding inside and stroking him. Part caress, part reassurance, part…salvage effort. Comfort and joy — and he…knew those hands. Knew that touch.
He parted his lips and to his delight, a warm mouth covered his own. And he knew that taste too.
Taylor opened his eyes and Will was a warm bulk lying against him, Will’s hands moved over him, and Will was undressed too, heated skin, soft hair, hot mouth licking Taylor’s nipples into taut little points.
“We’ll be warmer like this,” he whispered.
Yes, it was definitely warmer like this. Taylor slipped his hands beneath Will’s arms for a moment, enjoying being held, treasuring
