Silence of the Wolf
Page 49
He grabbed some of his warm wool socks, a button-down shirt, and sweatpants out of a bureau drawer in the bedroom. Then he seized a first-aid kit from the bathroom and quickly returned to her side.
He slipped a double pair of the socks onto her ice-cold feet, then rewrapped the blanket around them. “I’ll clean your cuts and then bandage them. They look pretty shallow, no debris, and should heal within a day or so.”
He gently wiped down her wounds and applied antibacterial ointment as she shut her eyes and sucked in her breath. Then he bandaged all of her scrapes.
“I’ll take off your wet bra. If I can’t get it off easily, I’ll cut it off.”
“It’s the only one I have with me,” she gritted out.
“I’ll take care to remove it, but I do have your bra from before.” Tom still had the bra she’d worn the day she arrived in Silver Town.
“I’d meant to wear it the next day.”
He chuckled. “Sorry about that. It’s home safe… waiting for you. You should have come for it.” He glanced up at her to see her response. She wore a smidgen of a smile.
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t have gotten far. I would have made sure of it.” He would have found out just why she’d been upset and why she’d planned to run away. And he wouldn’t have let her.
She might be cold, but the heat of the fire and the anxiety he felt from trying to take care of her and not hurt her further was making him burn up. He slipped off the bra and considered the thin material of the button-down shirt he’d taken out of his bureau.
“Cinderella,” she said.
“Hmm?” He pulled his own sweater off and then unbuttoned his flannel shirt.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“I’ll help you to sit and dress you in my flannel shirt. It’s warmer than the one I brought for you from the bedroom.”
She nodded.
“Cinderella?” he asked.
“Cinderella left her… glass slipper behind.”
“With the handsome prince. Only Cinderella is a beautiful shifter, and she left behind a sexy, lacy blue bra,” he said.
She smiled a little.
“And of course, she left behind the prince,” he said, arching a brow.
“A wolf.”
“A prince of a wolf,” he qualified.
He couldn’t be more relieved to see her smiling up at him. Once he’d pulled the shirt on her and buttoned it, he said, “Okay, now the panties come off, and I’ll put some sweats on you.”
She raised her brows. “Seems… we’ve been doing this a lot when we’re together.”
“Yeah, and for all the wrong reasons.”
Her teeth chattered, but the shivers had lessened some and the color had returned to her pale lips. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just strip down and lie together so I can warm you up?” He dropped her wet panties on the hearth, then pulled on the sweats.
“I bet you say that to all the girls… you rescue.”
He chuckled. “You think that’s what we do on ski patrol?”
She smiled again.
“How are you really holding up?” He applied some ointment on the scraped skin around her wrists.
She sighed, the shivers lessening. “Better. Thank you.”
He wrapped the blanket around her. Then he zipped his coat up to her throat. “Good,” he said, but he didn’t like how cold she still was.
He began to clean up the gash on her forehead using a damp cloth. “It isn’t too bad. Head wounds bleed a lot, so they can look really awful.”
She grimaced as he wiped the blood away too close to the injury.
“Sorry.” He cleaned her blood-matted hair as much as he could, then bandaged the cut on her forehead. “Nothing needs stitches. Your toes look good. Color’s coming back. The same with your fingers.”
She licked her lips. “Teeth,” she said wearily.
He didn’t want to discover that she had any missing or broken teeth. “Open your mouth.”
She did, and he looked inside and smiled. “Great set of teeth. Nothing broken. Nothing missing.”
“Good,” she said. “Where are we?”
“My brothers and I own this cabin up in the mountains. I was up here tracking when the blizzard hit and I heard your plane crash. Do you… want to tell me about the handcuffs?”
Elizabeth stared at Tom for a minute, wondering why he would ask her about them. Then she realized he probably thought she was some kind of criminal.
Tom studied her, but she couldn’t read his expression. He had the most beautiful brown eyes with amber flecks of light that sparkled from the flames flickering in the fireplace. He was a handsome devil of a wolf, his face a little flushed from the heat, his hair a little longish, and a couple of days’ growth of beard making him look even more sexy. And she realized just how much she’d missed him.
A prince of wolves? He was that.
Her gaze trailed down his naked chest. She’d thought he was planning to strip and get naked with her until he put his warm shirt around her. It smelled so deliciously of him—the great outdoors, musky male, and wolf. She was glad he hadn’t bothered to put on another shirt to hide his chest.
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Elizabeth.”
Her gaze shifted back to his. She’d forgotten the question.
“The handcuffs?” he asked gently.
He slipped a double pair of the socks onto her ice-cold feet, then rewrapped the blanket around them. “I’ll clean your cuts and then bandage them. They look pretty shallow, no debris, and should heal within a day or so.”
He gently wiped down her wounds and applied antibacterial ointment as she shut her eyes and sucked in her breath. Then he bandaged all of her scrapes.
“I’ll take off your wet bra. If I can’t get it off easily, I’ll cut it off.”
“It’s the only one I have with me,” she gritted out.
“I’ll take care to remove it, but I do have your bra from before.” Tom still had the bra she’d worn the day she arrived in Silver Town.
“I’d meant to wear it the next day.”
He chuckled. “Sorry about that. It’s home safe… waiting for you. You should have come for it.” He glanced up at her to see her response. She wore a smidgen of a smile.
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t have gotten far. I would have made sure of it.” He would have found out just why she’d been upset and why she’d planned to run away. And he wouldn’t have let her.
She might be cold, but the heat of the fire and the anxiety he felt from trying to take care of her and not hurt her further was making him burn up. He slipped off the bra and considered the thin material of the button-down shirt he’d taken out of his bureau.
“Cinderella,” she said.
“Hmm?” He pulled his own sweater off and then unbuttoned his flannel shirt.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“I’ll help you to sit and dress you in my flannel shirt. It’s warmer than the one I brought for you from the bedroom.”
She nodded.
“Cinderella?” he asked.
“Cinderella left her… glass slipper behind.”
“With the handsome prince. Only Cinderella is a beautiful shifter, and she left behind a sexy, lacy blue bra,” he said.
She smiled a little.
“And of course, she left behind the prince,” he said, arching a brow.
“A wolf.”
“A prince of a wolf,” he qualified.
He couldn’t be more relieved to see her smiling up at him. Once he’d pulled the shirt on her and buttoned it, he said, “Okay, now the panties come off, and I’ll put some sweats on you.”
She raised her brows. “Seems… we’ve been doing this a lot when we’re together.”
“Yeah, and for all the wrong reasons.”
Her teeth chattered, but the shivers had lessened some and the color had returned to her pale lips. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just strip down and lie together so I can warm you up?” He dropped her wet panties on the hearth, then pulled on the sweats.
“I bet you say that to all the girls… you rescue.”
He chuckled. “You think that’s what we do on ski patrol?”
She smiled again.
“How are you really holding up?” He applied some ointment on the scraped skin around her wrists.
She sighed, the shivers lessening. “Better. Thank you.”
He wrapped the blanket around her. Then he zipped his coat up to her throat. “Good,” he said, but he didn’t like how cold she still was.
He began to clean up the gash on her forehead using a damp cloth. “It isn’t too bad. Head wounds bleed a lot, so they can look really awful.”
She grimaced as he wiped the blood away too close to the injury.
“Sorry.” He cleaned her blood-matted hair as much as he could, then bandaged the cut on her forehead. “Nothing needs stitches. Your toes look good. Color’s coming back. The same with your fingers.”
She licked her lips. “Teeth,” she said wearily.
He didn’t want to discover that she had any missing or broken teeth. “Open your mouth.”
She did, and he looked inside and smiled. “Great set of teeth. Nothing broken. Nothing missing.”
“Good,” she said. “Where are we?”
“My brothers and I own this cabin up in the mountains. I was up here tracking when the blizzard hit and I heard your plane crash. Do you… want to tell me about the handcuffs?”
Elizabeth stared at Tom for a minute, wondering why he would ask her about them. Then she realized he probably thought she was some kind of criminal.
Tom studied her, but she couldn’t read his expression. He had the most beautiful brown eyes with amber flecks of light that sparkled from the flames flickering in the fireplace. He was a handsome devil of a wolf, his face a little flushed from the heat, his hair a little longish, and a couple of days’ growth of beard making him look even more sexy. And she realized just how much she’d missed him.
A prince of wolves? He was that.
Her gaze trailed down his naked chest. She’d thought he was planning to strip and get naked with her until he put his warm shirt around her. It smelled so deliciously of him—the great outdoors, musky male, and wolf. She was glad he hadn’t bothered to put on another shirt to hide his chest.
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Elizabeth.”
Her gaze shifted back to his. She’d forgotten the question.
“The handcuffs?” he asked gently.
