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  “I’ll wait with Stone,” Rowan offered. “It was so nice to meet you, Rory. I hope you feel better soon. I’m sure I’ll see you later.” He smiled and left the bedroom, shutting Phoenix and me inside alone.

  Phoenix took the jar from the nightstand, but I cleared my throat to stop him from dipping his fingers into the cream. “Could I please use the restroom before we start?” My bladder felt as if it were about to pop.

  “Of course,” he replied, nodding quickly. He placed the pot back on the nightstand. “I’m sorry; I didn’t even think about that. The bathroom is right through there.” He pointed to a doorway on the opposite side of the bed. Phoenix folded the blankets to the side, exposing my entire body to the cool air of the room. The extreme temperature difference made me shiver. “I’ll get you some warm clothes.” I chewed on my lip; I didn’t think I could wait to use the toilet that long. “When you’re finished,” he added, and I blew out a sigh of relief.

  Phoenix took my hands and slowly pulled me into an upright position. He pivoted my hips so that my legs were hanging over the side of the bed and supported me by the armpits as I stood. “You got it?” I nodded slightly and took a step forward. Not too bad. After two more steps, however, my head swam and my legs trembled. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Phoenix scooped me into his arms, keeping my injured side away from his body. “Is this okay?”

  “Perfect,” I whispered. We stared into each other’s eyes as he carried me across the room. He was sure of his movements, not even needing to look away to see where he was going. His strong body was firm and warm against mine, but he cradled me so gently in his arms like I was something precious.

  “Here we go.” I hadn’t even noticed we’d entered a different room. Phoenix looked away from me to turn on the light to the bathroom, breaking the trance between us. He stepped until we were in front of the toilet and set me on my feet. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.” He left the room and closed the solid wood door behind him.

  I shimmied down my underwear as my legs started to shake. Even though they hadn’t been injured when I fell, my entire body was weak. I didn’t think my legs would support me, so I sat down to piss. It seemed to go on forever, giving me a chance to look around. The bathroom was a good size. The walls were made of the same pretty honey-stained wood logs as Phoenix’s bedroom. He had a hunter green shower curtain and bath mat on the floor. The toilet and pedestal sink were bright white.

  I finished, flushed and stood up way too quickly. My body teetered and I reached out to grab the basin of the sink to steady myself. “Phoenix?” The door opened quickly and in a blink, Phoenix was before me. “I got dizzy.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here.” He sank to one knee in front of me and I wondered what in the hell was happening until he grabbed my underwear off the ground and pulled them up my legs. He straightened the waistband around my hips and stood up again.

  “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” My cheeks heated with embarrassment. “I forgot they were down.”

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he soothed, cupping my cheeks in his hands. He seemed totally at peace with just having seen my dick and I didn’t know what to think about that. Was he not impressed? Granted I was soft; hell, even when I was hard, my length was proportionate to my body size and not the biggest thing in the world, but...he just saw my dick! How is he so chill about this?

  He steadied me in front of the sink so that I could wash my hands and then scooped me into his arms again. This time as he carried me to the bed, he didn’t look into my eyes. I made it weird. What if he thinks I purposely flashed him my junk? He obviously didn’t like it. God, of course he didn’t like it! Look at him! He’s huge and hot and probably has a baseball bat in his boxers!

  Phoenix placed me on his bed again, resting me against the pillows piled on the headboard. “I’ll get you those clothes now,” he said without so much as a glance to my face. He turned and walked to his dresser, and my heart sank. Something changed between us and it was all my fault. He’d been so nice to me and I made him uncomfortable.

  “I’m really sorry,” I whispered, and Phoenix glanced over his shoulder at me. A look of confusion marred his handsome face. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward. I really did forget my underwear were down. I just got dizzy and scared and called for you. I’d never do that on purpose. I hope you can forgive me.”

  “Oh, Rory, no.” He took three giant steps and was at my side. He sat on the edge of the bed and took both of my hands. “Sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong. I was worried I made you uncomfortable.” I narrowed my eyes in confusion and Phoenix sighed. “I’m trying to be a gentleman because of your condition, but I can’t help the way my body reacts to you.”

  What is he talking about? My eyes trailed over his body, looking for clues. I found a big one pressing against the front of his boxers. “Oh shit!” Smooth, Roar.

  “I’m sorry,” Phoenix replied quickly. “I promise you’re safe with me. I would never take advantage of you. I don’t want to scare you. I-”

  “I’m not scared,” I interrupted. “I’m beyond confused about how I could affect you like that, but I’m definitely not scared.”

  He looked offended over my lack of self-esteem. “Rory, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. Your body is exquisite; I can’t help but be affected by you.”

  “Thank you.” Was that a weird thing to say? Hey, thanks for getting a boner? My god, I’m so bad at this. Phoenix smiled at me, calming my inner struggle. “I think you’re gorgeous,” I blurted out, my cheeks heating again. Hell, I’m already this far in; might as well go for it. “Your body is incredible and your face is like, ridiculously handsome and even the way you treat me is attractive. You’re just the total package.” I hope all this extra blood flushing my face doesn’t pop my bruised brain.

  Phoenix’s grin stretched across his whole face as he stroked my heated flesh with the backs of his fingers. “Thank you, sweetheart. You don’t know what that means to me.” He leaned in and I held my breath as his lips gently touched my cheek. The bristly scruff of his beard tickled my skin and his earthy, woody scent filled my nostrils. It was the most incredible thing I’d ever experienced. I didn’t even care it took a jumbled brain to get it.

  Phoenix was still smiling brightly when he pulled away from me. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I flinched when they brushed against the lump on my scalp. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry; I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not fondling you.”

  “I like the fondling,” I argued before I could stop myself, making Phoenix laugh.

  “Me too, but still…” he grabbed the small jar from the nightstand. “I better get this on you or Rowan will have my hide.”

  “Okay.” I agreed easily because one, pain relief sounded great, and two, Phoenix rubbing ointment on my body was still technically fondling.

  He dipped his fingers into the jar, scooping out a large white blob of lotion. “Tell me if I’m too rough, okay? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I couldn’t answer because I was momentarily stunned at how dirty and wonderful his words sounded. “Oh, right, yeah, I’ll tell you,” I mumbled after staring at him for way too long. Phoenix didn’t even try to hide his smile as he touched his fingers to my side.

  He gently massaged the ointment onto my skin in large, smooth circles. The herbs tingled on my skin, leaving a slight burning sensation in their wake. “Rowan was right; that does burn a little,” I told Phoenix as he finished applying the lotion to my ribs.

  “I feel it on my fingers,” he agreed. “Is it too much? I can wipe it off of you and ask him to make some that’s a little weaker.”

  “No it’s okay. That just means it’s doing its job, right?”

  Phoenix smiled. “Let’s hope so. Is it okay if I put it on your temples?” I nodded and he got another pile on his fingers. He massaged it gently onto each side of my face.

  “Mm, I love the peppermint smell,” I said, taking
a deep whiff as he closed the jar and put it back on the nightstand. “It reminds me of Christmas.”

  “I take it you love Christmas?” Phoenix asked, taking my hand in his. He seemed to want to touch me as much as possible and I sure as hell wasn’t going to stop him.

  “Everybody loves Christmas,” I shrugged and he chuckled. “But yeah, it’s my favorite time of year. Dax and I always binge on Hallmark movies and eat sugar cookies until we’re sick.”

  “It sounds like you two have a lot of fun together.” His eyes were sparkling and he still had a smile on his face. He didn’t seem jealous; more like he was interested in hearing about my life.

  “We do. We used to spend a lot more time together before Justin entered the picture.”

  “Who’s Justin?” he asked curiously, cocking his head.

  “Dax’s boyfriend,” I snarled.

  “Okay, I take it you don’t like Justin,” he chuckled.

  “He’s an ass. He treats Dax like crap, but anytime I try to talk to Dax about it, we fight, so I just keep my mouth shut. I just wish he could see how great he is and find someone who treats him the way he deserves to be treated.”

  “You care a lot about him.”

  “Just as a friend,” I reminded him, and Phoenix chuckled again.

  “I know, sweetheart. It sounds like you are close to Dax the way I’m close to Rowan and Stone. They’re my best friends and my family, but there could never be anything romantic between us.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed, glad he understood. “I really like your friends, by the way. Rowan seems very sweet, and Stone...well, Stone didn’t say much, but he helped save me, and that tells me everything I need to know about him.”

  “That means the world to me,” he replied, squeezing my hand. “I’m sure you three will become great friends over time.” Butterflies erupted in my gut; Phoenix was envisioning me being around for a while.

  “Phoenix?” He raised his eyebrows, showing he was listening. “When I’m healed up and can go home...do you think you’ll still want to see me? I mean, maybe you’d want to hang out? With just you and me? Not that I wouldn’t want to hang out with Rowan and Stone too. It’s just...I don’t know…Nevermind.” I. Suck. At. This.

  Phoenix didn’t laugh at me, though. He dropped my hand and cupped both of my cheeks in his palms. “Rory, I think now that I’ve met you, I won’t be able to live without you.” Oh my. A shiver rocked through my body at his words. “Shit, I forgot your warm clothes. I’m a terrible caregiver.”

  “You’re a wonderful caregiver,” I argued. “And that shudder wasn’t from being cold.” Phoenix smiled and pressed another gentle kiss to my cheek. My eyes slid closed and I hummed gently. Too soon, he was gone. I peeled my eyelids open to see him digging through his dresser drawers. He stepped into a pair of dark jeans and pulled on a dark green Henley top. He grabbed some more clothes out of a different drawer and turned to face me.

  The fabric of his shirt clung to his torso. His defined abs showed through, and the top corner of his tattoo peeked out of the open buttons. The dark denim of his jeans hugged his strong thighs and made my mouth water. Good lord, how does someone put on more clothes and get sexier?

  “Here we go,” he said as he returned to my side. “I’ve got some clothes for you to wear; your jeans won’t be comfortable to relax in. Besides, I’d like to wash your outfit to get it fresh for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that. You’ve done so much for me already.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” I took that as his polite way of saying he was going to do it whether I wanted him to or not.

  “Thanks.” He smiled and helped me into a black sweatshirt, which was at least two sizes too large. Then he lowered the blankets and shimmied a pair of gray sweatpants up my legs. They gaped off of my stomach, but it was okay since I was lying down. Phoenix rolled the bottoms of the legs up several inches so that my feet poked out the holes.

  “Comfy?”

  “Very,” I smiled, loving the feel of his clothing on my body.

  “And you look adorable.” I blushed; nobody had ever called me adorable before. I’d heard ‘nerd’, ‘shrimp’, and ‘fairy’ a million times, but never adorable. “I know you’re probably tired, but can you drink some more of the tea Rowan brought for you?” I’d forgotten about the tea with all the fondling. I nodded and Phoenix handed me the thermos. I tipped the liquid to my lips and drank. It was still warm and felt good in my stomach. I drained the mug and handed it back to Phoenix, who smiled. “Thank you.” I tried to answer him, but a huge yawn took over my lips.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You need your rest.” He eased my glasses off of my nose and folded them up on the nightstand. “I’m going to talk with Rowan and Stone, but I’ll just be in the next room if you need me.”

  I’d also forgotten his friends were here because, well, fondling. I started to thank Phoenix for the hundredth time, but had a better idea. I crooked my finger and he bent over, lowering his face to mine. I pressed a kiss to his scruffy jaw and heard a subtle gasp escape his lips.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. He tucked the blankets around my body and stroked my cheek again. “Rest well, sweetheart.” He turned out the light as he left the room, and I was out almost as quickly.

  Chapter Five

  Phoenix

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Total Package himself,” Stone teased as I joined him and Rowan in my living room. It wasn’t that they’d been eavesdropping; as shifters, they couldn’t help but overhear what was said in the next room.

  “Jealous?” I asked with a shrug.

  “Not a chance. My package puts your package to shame.” He was joking, but it was also true. We were nude often from shifting and I’d seen Stone’s package; I wasn’t small by any means, but the man was a beast.

  “Too bad for you Rory is only interested in my package,” I shrugged again.

  “Mm-hm. I heard about all the fondling going on in there.”

  “Oh calm down, I touched his cheek.”

  “His ass cheek?” he asked excitedly, but I just rolled my eyes.

  “Well don’t take this the wrong way,” Rowan butted in, “But I hate you.” I blinked in surprise at my friend. “Your mate is sweet and beautiful and right in the next room,” he pouted, crossing his arms. I fought the urge to growl at him; he didn’t want my mate, he wanted his own. “So I hate you.”

  “Just don’t take it the wrong way,” Stone added with a smirk.

  “Of course not.” I flopped down on the brown leather sofa next to Rowan. Stone was seated in my favorite spot, the matching recliner. It was extra wide and had massage and heat built in. He knew it was my favorite, and insisted on sitting there every time he visited. So, when I visited his place, I made sure to sit in his recliner and smoosh my butt around, messing with what he claimed were his “ass grooves” that took him years to create. We picked on and pestered each other, but the two men had my back on all of the important things. Speaking of which…

  “I have a job for both of you.” Rowan and Stone sat up straighter, listening for their instructions. “The guardrail needs replaced on the Deer Hill path where we found Rory. Until it’s done, we need to mark off the trail so that no one else gets hurt. While it’s closed, I’d like for you two to search the grounds at the bottom of the cliff. I want to make sure none of my mate’s belongings were left behind.”

  The two of them looked at each other before looking back at me. “It’s already done,” Rowan offered. “After we prepared your cabin for Rory’s arrival, we took some wood planks up to Deer Hill and replaced the railing. We wanted to make sure visitors were safe without delaying the trail opening today.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled. “I know I can always count on you two.” I wasn’t surprised they anticipated the needs of the public; they were both smart, motivated men whom I was happy to have on my side.

  “We also searched the area,” Stone added. “The only thing we found was
that.” He pointed to my small kitchen table in the next room, where a few lumps of black plastic rested.

  “What is it?” I asked as I rose from the couch and walked to the table.

  “It used to be a camera,” Stone answered.

  I remembered something Rory said when I found him while in wolf form. If I had my camera, I’d take your picture. “Shit, it’s his,” I sighed. I picked up the remains and was able to make out a name brand. “Could I ask one of you for a favor?” I didn’t hand out official jobs unless they were pack business. Requesting personal errands as tasks was no way to lead.

  “Absolutely,” Rowan answered. When I turned to look at them, Stone was nodding his head in agreement. They’d do anything to help me out, as I would do for them.

  “Could one of you collect some things from town that I need for Rory? I would go, but I want to stay close to my mate in case he needs me. I’d like to buy him another one of these,” I shook the plastic chunk in my hand, “Along with some fresh fruits and vegetables, and some comfortable clothes in size small.” I’d seen the size on my mate’s shirt when I took it off of him earlier. I loved seeing my clothing on Rory, but I also didn’t want him tripping over them when he was able to get up and walk around more.

  “I’d be happy to,” Rowan smiled.

  “Thank you.” I retrieved my wallet from a bowl by the front door and gave him my bank card along with the chunk of camera that showed the model name. “Get anything else you think he might need as well.”

  “I think he might need a motorcycle,” Stone replied, making his eyebrows dance.

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing Rowan is going shopping.”

  Stone shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

  “I’ll be back soon,” Rowan promised, ignoring Stone. “And I’ll make some more tea when I return.”

  “Thank you.” Rowan nodded his head and disappeared out the door. Through the window, I saw him climb into the extended cab truck that we all shared. We mainly kept to ourselves and our land, with intermittent trips to town, so one vehicle to share was really all we needed.