She yanked off her T-shirt and washed her arm with soap and water, grimacing and gritting her teeth as the claw marks stung. Intending to take a quick shower, she kicked off her boots and had barely yanked off her socks when she heard a key shoved in the lock and the door opened. She twisted around and left the bathroom, figuring it would be Connor.
But it wasn’t. Wade loomed in the door frame, bag in hand, face grim, and his blue-green eyes darkened to nearly black.
Chapter 19
“Thank God you’re okay. Connor’s all right, isn’t he, Wade?” Maya asked quickly.
Wade set the bag down, pulled the door shut, and stalked toward her. “Hell, Maya,” he swore under his breath, his heated gaze going from her face to her bloodied arm.
“I’m all right. Is Connor—”
“He gave me the spare key to your place and told me to check on you. He’s fine. He’s getting cleaned up and dressed.” Wade sounded irritated and worried at the same time. “I’d kill the shifter that did this if Connor hadn’t insisted that I stay and watch over you.”
She parted her lips, unable to say anything for a moment. “Where were you? We waited as long as we could, but then we had to go or miss the excursion.”
“Chasing down Lion Mane. Only he led us on a damn wild-goose chase. We lost him at the river. We kept trying to catch his scent and where he had gone to, hoping to end this. We finally gave up and headed here, worried he might have come after you at the resort.” His gaze moved down her injured arm again.
“I’ve got to hurry and shower before they close the dining room.”
“Yeah, but this won’t wait.” His voice was rough with need and frustration. Wade took her arm gently and considered the claw marks.
“It’s okay,” she assured him, not wanting him to fuss over her. “You know how we heal.”
He pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her hard, his tongue penetrating her parted lips. She was surprised at his passionate reaction. He rubbed against her like a cat needing to put his scent on her, growled when he smelled Lion Mane on her, and kissed her some more.
She was still stiff in his arms, worried about her brother and Kat, when Wade stopped kissing her and placed his forehead against hers, his breathing labored and his hands clenching her shoulders. “Okay. Go take a shower. I’ll be all right.”
She chuckled, then kissed him on the cheek, and hurried into the bathroom.
She took an ultrafast shower, and then she quickly dried and rushed to get some clothes.
Wade was showering on the back deck. She watched him for a moment as he ran his soapy hands over his naked body, his eyes closed. Transfixed, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. God, he was a beautiful specimen of a wild cat. Grabbing a pink-and-yellow strapless sundress from the closet, she slipped it over her head and shoved her feet into a pair of jeweled sandals.
When she was done, he was drying himself. He pulled on a pair of Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt and sandals, then headed inside. He stopped when he saw her and smiled.
“You clean up nicely if you don’t mind the cliche,” he said, stalking toward her. She thought he was going to begin kissing her all over again.
Instead, he took her arm and examined the claw marks. They had stopped bleeding, and he kissed them gently. “I suppose you don’t have any bandages.”
“No, afraid not. I thought I had some in my suitcase.” She envisioned David and the ladder of colorful, fanciful bandages across his forehead. She was almost glad she didn’t have any of
“Okay, let’s go. David has a first-aid kit in his bag.” Wade caressed her back with his hand, and she thought that if they didn’t leave the cottage quickly, they’d end up in bed together instead.
“Just plain old bandages?” she asked.
Wade smiled down at her and kissed her nose. “We’ll have to add some fancy ones to the kit just for you. Your brother didn’t expect us for dinner, but he and Kat and my brother are saving us seats.”
She felt her face heat. “I take it you’re planning on staying here this evening.” She motioned to Wade’s bag as he escorted her past it, hoping he was planning on sleeping there. “And you’re not taking off after Lion Mane in the dark.”
She didn’t feel comfortable being alone if Lion Mane had any intention of returning to finish what he started.
“Oh yeah. If I hadn’t insisted on it, your brother would have. He doesn’t want you to be alone until he gets you home. He tested my resolve first, though.”
“Tested you?” she asked, puzzled, as Wade led her down the walkway toward the lodge.
“Yeah. He said David and I could stay in your cottage, and you could stay with your brother and Kat. I said no.”
Maya looked up at Wade, saw the determination on his face, and smiled. She smelled the aroma of red fish and stewed pork cooking and sighed. “I’m hungry. Is Connor really okay?”
“Yeah. He took a bite out of Lion Mane, though.”
Her mouth gaped for a second. Then she nodded. “Good. What about the hunter who’d been with him?”
“He’s joined the other one in the river.”
Maya pulled Wade to a stop. “What happened?”
“He held a gun on me at our cabana. I believe he’d been ordered to hold David and me hostage until the shifter returned. He didn’t figure on me not going along with the plan.”
Maya stared at Wade, then took a deep breath, tears misting her eyes. He pulled her under his arm and walked again with her toward the lodge. “Everything turned out all right. We just need to get Lion Mane now.”
“Did you get the name of the buyer?”
Wade chuckled. “No. I mean, it’s not funny. But you’re the third person who’s asked me that tonight.”
“Your brother and mine,” she guessed.
“Yeah. I only have my boss to add to the list when I call him.”
When they reached the dining hall, several of the guests were still arriving after cleaning up, some looking a little shaken from their ordeal with the jaguar.
“There had to be three or four of them,” one woman complained. “At least. They were roaring and screeching, and I was sure the lady…” She looked up to see Maya walking in with Wade and snapped her mouth shut.
Wade escorted Maya to the table where David and Connor rose from their seats. Kat remained seated, looking a little pale.
“Are you feeling all right, Kat?” Maya took a seat, and the men followed suit.
“I’ll be fine once I have something to eat.” Kat was already nibbling at a garden salad. She looked at Maya’s arm, which was burning like crazy. “What about you? Are you okay, Maya?”
Without any bandages, Maya hadn’t wanted to wear a sleeve that would rub against the open wound. David was already rising from his seat as the waitress approached.
Once they ordered their food, David said, “I’ll get a bandage for Maya,” then hurried out of the dining room.
Everyone was quiet for a while, then someone started talking again at another table about the jaguars attacking them. Maya said to her tablemates, “We saw the most beautiful crystal cave today where the Mayans held some of their ceremonies. A treasure trove of ancient pottery was strewn about. When we come back here, maybe you and David could see them with us.”
The conversation at the other tables died.
“It
