It was twilight by the time we woke up. The woods were coming alive with the sounds of nocturnal critters waking up for the night. We’d slept so deeply we’d shifted back to human form. When I opened my eyes, Jules and I were a mass of long arms and legs. He disentangled himself from me quickly and stood up. We walked to the river to bathe. I didn’t say much. Jules chattered loudly about everything and nothing. He walked in front of me. I made no effort to avoid watching his ass as he moved. I knew when I was beaten. And believe me, his ass had me whipped.

At one point, he turned back and smirked at me. “You fixing to spank me again?”

My throat went so dry, the best I could do was croak, “Uh, um, no. I won’t s-spank you.”

He shook his head at me, flicking his eyes to the sky. He turned and kept walking. The way he moved was so sexy, I couldn’t take it. His cheeks hitched up and down as he walked. Left then right.

“Unless you ask me to,” I whispered. I didn’t mean to say it, but I couldn’t help it.

The sound of his laughter rang out across the valley. A gray jay called out in consternation. A robin fluttered its wings and took off from its perch. I hung back when we got to the river. Jules dove straight in.

“Get in here, Sully,” he cried. “The water’s amazing.”

I waded in, careful to stay up-river from him. The scent of his heat had grown so powerful, I didn’t like my odds of behaving if I got doused in it. Jules came over. I took careful breaths through my mouth. He splashed my chest and then raked his fingers through my chest hair.

“You’re a mess,” he said, casting his eyes down at the dried blood on my body. He was right. I was a mess. I was a mess in more ways than one. He scooped up a handful of water and poured it on my chest. The water was icy, but he followed it with the warm touch of his palm. My senses were shot.

Cold hot.

Hot cold.

I wasn’t sure what to say or think or feel.

“Y-you’re still in heat,” I spluttered.

“I know.” He said it like it was obvious. So obvious, he couldn’t understand why I’d feel the need to point it out.

“I’m only telling you because I don’t want you to get mad that I was keeping it from you again.”

“I know that, too.”

I pushed down a smile. “Well, since you seem to know everything today, do you happen to know why the hell you’re still in heat?”