Hmm, come to think of it, Iamolder than Teddy—by five whole years! I’ll be twenty-nine soon, and Teddy just turned twenty-four. A stab of worry pierces my happiness-bubble; I sure hope his mate bond thingy is accurate and hasn’t given him a false reading, because I’m mad about that boy.
It’s still hard for me to cleanse Teddy’s wounds without a tear trickling down my cheek, which I silently swipe away. Since he’s on his stomach, he doesn’t notice how much it hurts me to see what Rafe did to him. When I’m finished, I lean over, kiss his shoulderbelow the bite mark, and then rise from the side of the bed.
“Hey,” says Teddy with a smile. “No fair; I can’t return the favor while I’m lying here face down.”
“That’s not a problem, Mr. Barker,” I reply in my frostiest, fake-nurse tone. “I will collect from you later, once you’re fully healed. But interest compounds daily. One unreturned kiss today means you owe me two tomorrow, and then four the next day… and well, you get the idea.”
“I’m up to the challenge, Nurse Sophie,” quips Teddy as he slowly, painfully rolls onto his side facing me, “but I may need some extra time to pay you back.”
“In that case I fear you shall never be able to make full restitution, Mr. Barker,” I sigh dramatically. “You will be in my debt forevermore.”
“Then I will be your faithful servant, Nurse Sophie, and my payment shall be in kisses, hugs… and other pleasantries.” Teddy tries to maintain a straight face, but I collapse into giggles, and soon we’re both laughing.
I gather up the water bowl and old bandages, ready to step out of the room so Teddy can dress, when I pause; someone is pounding on the front door. I put everything back down on the bedside table, hurry out to the living room, and pull open the door.
“Marv!” The giant cop seems relieved to see me; he gives another reassuring nod at Teddy, who’s hobbled out into the hallway after me, tugging down his tee. “What’s wrong?” I ask, fear gripping my insides. “Has anyone been hurt?”
“No one’s been injured… but someone has vandalized your bakery. They spray-painted the front of the building and smashed one of the windows; there’s glass everywhere.”
I clutch my stomach, which is suddenly churning. “Do we have any idea who might have done it?”
Marv shakes his head. “It appeared to have happened early this morning; there were no witnesses, or at least none who’ve come forward. But I’ll need you to unlock the shop so we can take a look around. I’d like to find whatever was tossed through the window.”
Teddy drapes an arm around me, but I jump when he accidentally pinches my waist with his claws. “Ow! Your fingernails are kinda sharp.”
“I’m sorry,” says Teddy, immediately retracting his claws. “My inner wolf is reacting to the possibility this was Rafe’s doing… It’s the sort of spiteful, cowardly act he specializes in.”
I turn to gaze up at Teddy’s bruised face. “But Rafe told Vreeland he was going out of town.”
“I wouldn’t believe anything he says,” mutters Teddy.
Scowling, Marv nods. “We’ve been trying to track down MacTire for the past few days, but he’s disappeared without a trace after your fight. We’ll keep looking for him, but in the meantime, be extra cautious until we can bring him in for questioning.”
“Thanks, Marv,” I say with a small shudder.
He nods. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
After Marv leaves, I turn to Teddy and whisper, “I’m scared.”
Teddy wraps his muscular arms around me, drawingme protectively against the solid wall of his chest. “I promise I won’t let Rafe get close to you.”
I pull back just far enough so I can peer into his swollen face. “It’s not me I’m worried about—it’s you!”
Teddy kisses my forehead. “I can take care of myself.”
“Uh-huh. I can see how well that turned out!”
He folds me into his chest once more and rubs my back. “Let’s not jump ahead of ourselves; perhaps it was rambunctious teens having a bit too much fun.”
I don’t reply, relishing the warmth of Teddy’s arms. But deep down in the pit of my belly, I’m afraid Rafe could be hanging around, waiting to cause more trouble for Teddy and me.
Reluctantly, I step out of his embrace. “Marv’s waiting; I’d better go. Don’t forget to take your meds. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Alright, but don’t try cleaning up the bakery by yourself.”
“I’ve got this, Mr. Clean.” I raise one eyebrow. “And I promise, once you’re up and around, you can re-sweep the floorboards to your heart’s content.”
That makes Teddy chortle. “Fine… just be careful.”
