Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves - K.A. Merikan Page 0,17

a fox about to storm the chicken coop.

“You know. Mature. Decisive.” Radek poked at Yev’s chest. “I’d go as far as honorable.”

He could sense a change in Yev’s scent, could almost hear his body hair bristling, but he stayed still, smiling up at the giant who had so easily carried him last night. The bastard.

“You still have those on?” Yev asked, taking hold of Radek’s hands to look at the two metal cuffs around Radek's wrists. How were his hands so big? Larger than Radek’s by at least a third.

Radek shouldn’t have been flushing like an idiot. He wasn’t here to fuck Yev. He swallowed. “You got me. I was hoping you could take them off?”

Yev smirked, grabbed one of the cuffs, and pulled, making the metal cry out. And then it was open—just like that. “It’s this flimsy thing.”

Radek stared at it with his heart racing as if it were a fox and had a pack of wolves on his tail. He’d tried to pry the cuffs open himself earlier and failed miserably. “Thank you,” he uttered and stood on his toes to plant a peck on Yev’s lips. He needed to kick-start his plan fast, or the tables might end up turned against him.

Yev stilled, his eyes meeting Radek’s as he freed the other hand and dropped the cuff to the floor. He smelled as if he’d spent the entire night by the fire, dropping herbs in until the smoke soaked into his hair and clothing. It was such a warm, pleasant aroma. So honest and earthy. “That’s… okay,” he said, still hesitant, as if he had some further moral objections against following up on the attraction that was clearly there.

Which was frustrating. How was Radek to reject him, if Yev didn’t make a move?

“You live here on your own?” Radek trailed his fingertips over the top of Yev’s hand, teasing his wrist when he slipped his pinkie under the cuff of the sweater. So maybe this was coming dangerously close to taking that first step, yet at this rate, he’d be punishing himself by leaving.

“Just me. I’m… single,” Yev said, taking a deep inhale while leaning closer, almost as if he were about to sniff him. Radek had never been a sucker for accents, but Yev’s soft words, spoken in a raspy, low voice, were surprisingly sexy

He couldn’t remember feeling this overwhelmed by the closeness of any man since his first time. Maybe it was the warmth of this room, or the soothing mix of smells, but he knew he would melt into this guy if he didn’t pull away now.

So he stepped back, faking an awkward laugh and delivered his blow. “Oh, you’re far too old for me. Sorry if I got your hopes up.”

He was about to go straight for the door when Yev followed him and placed his hands on Radek’s hips, gaze intense, as if it really were a blade sliding over the surface of Radek’s skin.

“I don’t think you really want to leave.”

Radek bit his lip. Fuck. He did not.

How was this stupid house so hot? “I don’t?” he uttered in the most pathetic-sounding whisper.

He’d come here to take revenge, not fuck. Why was Yev not taking offence? Why was he ruggedly sexy, as if he’d just finished chopping wood under a waterfall, or some shit? He wasn’t even Radek’s type. Radek dated tattooed bad boys who spent their weekends clubbing, not wholesome men as tall as bears, who smelled of nature, not cologne.

Yev nodded with a small smirk and took hold of Radek’s coppery hair, wrapping it around his hand as he leaned in for a whiff. This guy lived in the woods, had a scar on his face, and lived off a forest ranger's salary. What gave him this kind of confidence?

“You don’t. I think you want to kneel in front of the fire and take a look at what I have to offer.”

Radek’s face must have become the Wikipedia illustration of the color red. Last night, when Yev hadn’t succumbed to Radek’s charms, he’d convinced himself that maybe the new forest ranger was shy, that maybe despite being such a big, strong guy, his internalized homophobia didn’t allow him to be open to men hitting on him. It seemed his thoughts had been completely misguided.

Radek had always been weak when it came to denying himself the things he wanted. So he kneeled. He might have come here to grind down Yev’s ego but was far too horny to care