He caught her hand and held it between his, his stare on the floor.“No.I turned around and made it back here somehow.”
She rubbed her free palm over his back.“You’re freezing.Let me fix the fire.”
He nodded.Some of the shadows that had hung around his eyes had lifted.She pried her fingers from his hold and went to the hearth.She heard him snap open the lid of the water bottle and take deep gulps as she positioned the wood for a longer burning time.She lit a match, and the flame licked around the bark and slowly spread across the log.
“There.”She straightened and returned to the table to sit next to him.“It’s hard to believe the mountain lion is still roaming the area.”
A shudder shook his back.She pulled a blanket off the living room chair and wrapped it around his shoulders.He shifted to face her.
“I think it killed the deer and when the asshole left your property, he scared it away from its prey.”He swallowed and his eyes met hers.The fire warmed her back, and the golden flames were reflected in his eyes.“It was watching me.”He held up his hand in objection.“I know I sound crazy, believe me.But I’ve never been scared in the woods before.”
She brushed her hand over his forearm.Heat burned her palm through his shirt and she retracted her hand.Man, the guy was like a furnace.Even with wet clothes and after being in the cold.The acupuncturist in her wanted to point out the strength of his yang energy, but she bit her tongue.Not the time.
“You’re not crazy.As a matter of fact, I’d still be a blubbering mess if I were attacked by a mountain lion.”She lifted her hand and peeled back the neckline of his shirt.“We should clean and change the dressing.And your clothes are wet again.”
He rubbed his hands over the wet patches on the knees of his pants.“Ah, hell.”He stood and pulled his shirt over his head, leaving his rippled abdomen on display right in front of her eyeballs.Goodness.Her body ached to rub against the solid, smooth wall of man in front of her.
She cleared her throat and stood.“They’ll dry quickly by the fire.”She knotted her fingers in her now frizzy hair and kept her back to Jaxon.
The sound of his zipper peeling down sent a tremor to her core.She tightened her arms around her and watched the flames eat away at the logs.Wet denim smacking the floor came next, and she fought the urge to squeeze her eyes shut.He moved to the fire.His black briefs hugged the plump muscles of his ass.He draped the pants and shirt over the hearth and returned to the table.
“All set?”she asked.
His cough, light with laughter, broke the silence.“I’m not naked, McKenna.But if you’d like me to cover up with the blanket, I can.”
Her tongue swelled inside her mouth.She forced a gulp of saliva down her throat.Truth be told, she’d rather burn the blanket than let him cover himself with it.She turned around and lifted her shoulders.“No, of course not.”Her eyes twitched with the need to gaze at the glorious ridges of his body, but she kept them glued to his amused face.“I’ll get the first aid kit.”
She fled for the hall closet.Knowing she was out of his sight, she pressed her palm to her galloping heart.She was attracted to Jaxon.He was funny, kind, protective...hot.All the things she’d hoped to find in a man one day.The total package.Only no one was the total package because everyone had flaws and Jaxon’s were just hiding under a really, really pretty bow.
“Do you need a hand?”Jaxon’s rumbling voice strummed the delicate nerves of her nether regions.
Good god, she needed help.“I’m fine.Coming.”She snagged the kit from the shelf and returned to the living room.Glancing out the window, she saw only fat snowflakes.No man stood in her yard, but she’d never shake the invasive sensation of being watched.
Jaxon looked over his shoulder at the window.“Want me to close the curtains?”
She returned her attention to the kit and removed the items she’d need.“No.If he comes back, I want to know.I don’t want him to have the luxury of lurking around my property anymore.”
“He won’t.”Jaxon’s hard statement reverberated through the room with promise.
She flashed a tight smile and pulled the old bandage off his neck.The two slashes caught the afternoon sun.Dried blood was caked around the cuts, and bright red lit the center.
“How’s it look?”
“Still fresh.But it will scab soon.No sign of infection, so that’s good.”She reached for the bottle of colloidal silver and doused the gashes.When she was satisfied the wounds were clean, she applied a new bandage.“There.Good as new.”
She dropped the items back into the box.Jaxon’s hand moved from his knee to circle her wrist.The pads of his fingers smoothed over her flesh, making it sing.She lifted her lashes and stared into the unwavering sea of his eyes.
“McKenna.”The word purred from his lips.
Her nipples tightened, and every muscle in her body wanted to melt into his.She couldn’t speak.Couldn’t breathe.She could only stare and wait.
“I’ve watched you in town for a long time.You’re sweet and you keep to yourself, but you also watch over everyone.You care deeply about people and genuinely want to help others.I know that’s why you opened your door to me.”His gaze shifted, breaking their connection.He worked his jaw back and forth as if trying to weigh his words.
Anticipation churned deep in her gut.Her heart danced at his words, truthful yet hesitant.His gaze swung back to her and his mouth quirked.
“I don’t want to fuck anything up for either of us.”
His words fell with the weight of an anvil.
