“I probably don’t smell too good,” I told him, laughing. “The nurse helped me shower yesterday, but it was all of that scentless stuff.”
“You smell like you.” He smiled, ignoring my awkward comment.
“I can’t wait to get out of this bed. I swear I’m going to lay in a bath for days.”
Theo chuckled at me, sitting in the seat Caddy had previously inhabited.
“I can’t wait to take you home,” he said. I breathed in deeply, feeling like our bond was swelling with affection.
“Are you going to carry me over the threshold?” I joked, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Calm down, sweetheart.” He smiled cheekily. “We’ve got to get you better first.”
“I know,” I pouted, sinking further into my nest of pillows and blankets.
“It shouldn’t be long now.” He shook his head. “Maybe a few days.”
“A few days seems like a lifetime. I’ve been here for twelve days already.”
“I know, but I’ll make it up to you, little one,” Theo said, smiling, a glint of mischief sparkled in his blue eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he was thinking about.
“How are you going to do that?”
Theo moved closer to me and set his hand on my hip, rubbing lightly with his fingers. A shiver ran up my back and settled in the nape of my neck. I closed my eyes at the feeling.
“I’m going to take care of you.”
“That could mean so many different things,” I whispered, trying to catch my breath. He smirked and rubbed my hip a little harder, dipping his finger into the soft flesh at the apex of my hip bone and stomach and what was below.
“I’m going to take care of you.” His eyes left mine as he dipped his head, kissing my neck quickly, then my hand.
“Oh,” I said breathlessly, twitching.
“Don’t worry.” He smiled sweetly. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
If I Touch You There
I was released from the hospital three days later when the slight infection in my leg had cleared. The doctor came in and gave Theo specific instructions on how to clean and properly cover my leg. We were sent home with gauze and bandages, disinfectant, anti-inflammatories, and most importantly-pain medication.
The stream of guarded cars came to escort us from the hospital to Theo’s house. Theo didn’t let me move an inch on my own, carrying me in and out of the car and to the wheelchair he acquired for me.
“The doctor gave me crutches, I don’t need this,” I told Theo as he placed me in the fancy wheelchair.
“You aren’t going to be walking around on those crutches if I’m not here with you. I can just picture you falling down those stairs all too easily. Plus, Doctor Dernon said you were on bedrest for another two days to let the swelling go down.” I cursed his good memory.
“Well, even if you aren’t here with me, Caddy can help,” I said happily, stroking the arms of the wheelchair lightly.
Theo looked down uncomfortably.
“What?” I asked.
“Caddy left three days ago. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh,” I said, recalling him telling me goodbye. “Those pain meds made my head so foggy.”
“It’s okay, love.”
“I guess,” I said absentmindedly.
“What’s wrong?” Theo said down on a couch and pulled the chair closer to him, so our knees touched.
“It’s just…I don’t really have a lot of friends around here. I only know you and your family and friends…and they’ve been great! But it’s just…”
“They’re still ‘my friends.’” Theo looked down guiltily. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”
I reached over a placed a hand on his knee. “It’s not your fault,” I quickly said. Theo pursed his lips, and a stormy look came over his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Hang on,” he told me, holding up a hand. A distant look crossed his face, and I knew he was mind-linking someone. I waited and gently pushed his hand that was up to silence me back down and out of my face. He blinked a few times and looked back towards me.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he said, forcing himself to smile. I remained straight-faced, unamused. “I’m serious, Margo. The only thing you should be worried about is recovering. We all need you healthy again.”
“Tell me what it is,” I demanded. He groaned and ran his hand over his face, his arm muscles clenching. “Tell me.”
“Alright.” He gritted his teeth. His face became angry. “It’s really nothing, but Cam finally tracked down where the wolf who attacked you was from. It wasn’t the Forte Pack like we had thought, which is actually worse because that means our enemy base is growing. Porter is gaining allies, ones that have no problem dying for his cause.”
I nodded, processing the information.
“But it’s nothing for you to worry about, I’ve got this under control.” He grabbed my hands, holding onto me tightly.
“I’m not worried. I trust you.”
His smile grew.
Theo drew me a bath and allowed me to relax on my own for a while before we crawled into bed. The soft -cushions and blankets felt like a dream compared to the hospital bed I had laid in for two weeks. I was required to stay in bed, or at the least, not exert any energy for two days while the last fibers of skin and muscle repaired themselves from the infection.
Theo catered to my every whim, bringing me breakfast and lunch in bed, bringing me books from his library, watching movies with me through the afternoon. Halfway through one of his favorites, he began tracing his fingers up and down my arm. I shivered and tried not to move.
He brought his lips to mine, softly pressing them against my mouth. I sighed happily at
