Rebecca stopped just inside the door. “He needs to have his foot taken care of. I-”
Logan shook his head.
He carried her upstairs, leaving Jake to reassure the swingers she was all right.
Despite her halfhearted protests, he stripped her of her clothing and put her into a steamy shower, joining her a second later. Seeing her there, feeling her naked body against him, eased the last remnants of worry inside him.
Fuck, but she'd scared the shit out of him.
Soaping up her body only deepened his anger. Vivid scratches stood out on the delicate skin of her arms. Another red line marred her cheek. She was so fragile and soft, and she could have died so easily.
When he tried to dry her off, she shook her head and pulled the towel out of his hands. “I can do it, Logan. My ankle's hurt, not anything else.”
He almost growled at her then, but the fury inside him would have to wait for a more appropriate time. He yanked on jeans and a T-shirt. After tossing more pillows on the bed, he hunted up water and medicine, then prepared an ice bag.
For the comfort of his modest sub, he searched her suitcase for a nightgown and handed it into the bathroom. “Let me know when you're ready to come out.”
A second later, she appeared in the door, her injured foot touching the floor slightly.
He carried her to the bed. Her fragrant body felt appallingly breakable in his arms, and he wanted to hold her. To take her. To beat her ass. He set her on the edge of the bed, handed her a couple of ibuprofens and a glass of water. “Take these, and I'll see how much damage you've done.”
She swallowed the pain pills. “I think it's just sprained. It hurts less now.”
“Uh-huh.” Since he'd unwrapped the ankle in the shower, it had doubled in size. He palpated the bones carefully. He could see the way she bit back her groans. How her hands fisted in the covers. Fuck, he hated hurting her. A man protects his woman, and he'd done a lame-ass job. He should have told her more of the dangers, should have insisted she come with him to town. Should never have left her alone. He sighed and released her foot. “Without an x-ray, I can't say for sure, but looks like just a sprain. Lie back.”
He strapped her ankle tightly enough to keep some of the swelling down but not cut off circulation, then elevated her leg on a couple of pillows.
She studied his handiwork. “You're pretty good at that. It looks almost pretty.”
“Sports, military, wilderness training. I've had a lot of practice.” He picked up the pillowcase that he'd filled with plastic bags of ice and draped it over and around her ankle.
A staccato rap sounded on the door, and without waiting for a response, Jake strolled in.
Logan scowled. “You ever consider I might be busy?”
“Later, I'm sure, but you won't jump her ass when she's hurting.” The glint in Jake's eyes showed he knew what Logan planned to do to that pretty ass. “Here's some soup. It'll probably go down better than anything else right now.” He handed Rebecca a steaming mug and a plate of toast. Buttered, even.
One of the most popular Doms in the area, Jake could be hard as nails, but for a hurt female, he turned as soft as the butter on that toast.
“Thank you, Jake,” Rebecca said, taking a sip of the soup and giving a sigh of enjoyment.
“My pleasure.” He nodded at Logan and left, his boots thudding loudly on the stairs.
Logan turned and looked at Becca. Foot up and iced, water on the nightstand, food in hand. Pink colored her cheeks again, and the lines of pain had eased around her mouth and eyes. As his fear for her died, the urge to yell at her grew. He needed to leave and let her rest. For a bit. “Foot feel better?” he asked, just to check.
She wiggled her ankle slightly. “Just some throbbing now. I'm sure it'll be fine in the morning.”
“You'll stay off your feet for a couple of days. And we'll get it x-rayed tomorrow if it still hurts at all.” He could take her down the mountain in the morning, have it checked out. “Finish your food and take a nap. One of us will be downstairs, so if you need something, you yell. Don't get up.”
She nodded, apparently willing to obey his orders.
As Logan left the room, Rebecca felt tears prickle at her eyes. It had taken all her resolve not to break down and drench the man in tears again. He'd rescued her. And then he'd actually carried her every time she started to give out. Carried her. And taken care of her like she was his…his girlfriend or something. Surely he wouldn't have climbed into the shower with any of the other guests.
She sighed, knowing her emotions were messed up from exhaustion and fear. Her body felt like she'd run a marathon, so she did what Logan had ordered. Finished the food, drank the water, and took a nap.
Tapping at the open door wakened her. “Yes?” She blinked and looked around. Logan must have been in earlier, since all the bedroom lights were off. She glanced at the glowing clock. Ten thirty. She'd been asleep almost three hours. “Come in,” she called.
She could hear footsteps, and then Matt appeared in the doorway. “Hey, babe. How are you doing?”
“Better.” She grimaced. “I wrenched my ankle good, though.”
“So I hear.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I didn't realize you'd gone off by yourself. Why didn't you come and get me?”
“I didn't think I had time to run around looking for a hiking partner. I was too worried about Thor.” And rightly so. He had been hurt and needed her. “Did you see him? Is he all right?”
“Yeah, Logan doctored his foot and wrapped up his paw.” Matt grinned. “Thor had the gauze off in minutes.”
Rebecca laughed, and the worry knot in her stomach loosened. Thor would be all right.
“Anyway, I wanted to ask you about tomorrow. I'd planned to leave right at dawn. Is that still going to work for you?”
Leave? The unexpected reminder hit her like a kick in the stomach, stealing her breath. They were leaving tomorrow.
Maybe he felt shy?
But Matt needed an answer now. Make plans now, they could always be changed later. “Dawn is fine. I'll meet you on the front porch.” She nodded at her suitcase. “Can you leave me some clothes for tomorrow, and take the suitcase now? With my ankle screwed up, I'm not sure I can haul it down the stairs.”
“Sure.” He knelt by the suitcase and pulled out a bra and panties first, added jeans, and held up a top. “Will this shirt be okay?”
A painful pang shot through her. No more of Logan's flannel shirts. “Sure.” She didn't even bother to see which one. “Works fine.”
“Good.” He set the clothing in a stack on the dresser, then picked the suitcase up. “I'd better go, so you can get some sleep.
She dredged up a smile. “See you in the morning.”
After Logan returned from making the rounds of the lodge, he checked the main room. With Thor at his feet, Jake sat by the fire, talking with Ted and Vince. The two were managers of a recreational sports company, and his brother had wanted to get a good deal on new equipment for the lodge.
Logan nodded at Ted and Vince, then asked Jake, “Everything all right with the crew?”
