* * * *
As Josh listened to her breathing, Elaine studied his face, as she’d been accustomed to doing. Although the doctor’s face was always schooled, the picture of calm, she’d glimpsed his nerves. Her case bothered him and not just as a medical professional, as a friend.
“Breathe in…and out.” He moved the stethoscope chestpiece to another spot on her back.
It was the first moment since the woods that she’d been able to catch her breath. To be able to sit quietly in the doctor’s office was almost a blessing, especially because she wasn’t feeding off Connor’s emotions as well.
Connor had joined her initially in the exam room, but Josh told him to wait in the reception area. Her feline friend had obeyed, but he hadn’t looked pleased. No doubt he was plaguing the receptionist Sharon with his incessant pacing. He didn’t wait well.
Of course, it had been a tumultuous day.
Connor had done his best to find the person who’d taken the shots at them but had come up emptyhanded. No matter how proficient he might be at stalking, Gemini Island was immense and boasted so many hiding places she doubted even Ryland knew them all. It didn’t stop Connor from worrying he’d failed her yet again, and he’d told her as much. Now he was fit to be tied.
They’d returned to her cabin, and he’d phoned Ryland to let him know what happened. The entire security team was now on high alert, scouring the woods. With everything they’d been through the last while, the team at the Ursa took any threat seriously. Perhaps the incident was some sort of accident, but none of them believed it.
Connor had brought Elaine up to speed on the illegal hunting situation. It made sense whoever pulled that trigger was involved in some way. Otherwise, there was no reason to run. There was certainly no reason to bring a weapon onto the island. No one hunted there, and if any of them needed to fight, they each had an arsenal of weapons at their disposal, courtesy of their animals.
Everyone on staff was now in a state of hypervigilance. With the resort working at full capacity once again, filled with teen program attendees and their families, the last thing any of them wanted was trouble.
As Ryland had said to Connor on the phone, so loudly Elaine could hear it too, “If someone else has come to fuck with us, they’ll learn they fucked with the wrong animals.”
No one was in the mood for this shit, least of all Elaine. She’d already lost enough.
As she stared ahead at the white paint on the exam room walls, her eyes glazing, Elaine wondered how Connor was faring in reception.
That kiss.
Thatnakedkiss.
She wasn’t even sure what to think about it. Thinking seemed impossible in the face of that caress. There was no thought, only feeling. She remembered each rasp of his beard on her face, each nibble on her lips. The velvet embrace of his tongue was something she knew she’d dream about that night.
Although borne of adrenaline and fear, it had been the perfect kiss. She knew she’d be spending much of her time dreaming about how to sneak another.
When they’d returned to her cabin, Connor had fetched them a couple of robes to warm them up. He’d then insisted on patching up her hip wound. Her hips had already started bruising from colliding with the trees, but when he glimpsed the cut he’d given her, he grimaced.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt much.”
With gentle fingers, he’d scraped out the tiny bits of debris and applied alcohol. Sighing, he’d covered it in gauze and sealed it with first-aid tape.
Connor met her gaze and smiled when he found a twig in her hair. Pulling it out, he said, “We need to talk.”
“I know.” Although somehow Elaine knew any talking would lead to more kissing, and any kissing would lead to other things she wasn’t ready for.
The little voice inside her, the one belonging to her frail human rather than her bear, reminded her of her betrayal of Lloyd’s trust.How could you kiss another man?
Luckily, with everything going on and with having to go to Josh’s clinic, there was no opportunity to talk to Connor about their newfound intimacy. She’d had to call Fleur to ask her to keep the kids inside, and Connor had been busy with security issues. Once they were settled, they’d taken one of Lex’s boats to the mainland, and Connor had taken her to the clinic.
Josh completed his examination. He removed his stethoscope, sat down on his stool, and stared at her.
“Josh?”
“I’m sorry, Elaine.” He rubbed a hand over his pale face. “It’s just…your heart.”
Whatever state her heart was in, it sank. “Don’t tell me. It’s gotten worse.”
“Actually, no.”
