It occurred to Alex that he might pass out. “I think we should get inside now,” he said, swaying unsteadily in the middle of Nina’s garage.
The red splotch under his leather jacket was growing. With an alarmed look on her face, Nina rushed forward to help him into her townhouse. Once inside, he removed his leather jacket and motorcycle chaps, and then his blue and red flannel shirt, which he wadded up and pressed to his side, hoping to stem the fresh bleeding. Then he kicked off his boots and collapsed on the leather couch.
“I need you to get some clean towels, hot water, and something to help sanitize my wound,” Alex said. “Alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will work if you have it, liquor if you don’t.”
After Nina disappeared, Alex allowed himself to close his eyes and relax slightly. Full-blooded bear shifters healed more quickly than half-breeds. But if he could stop the bleeding and get some rest, his side would soon mend.
Letting his mind drift, he smiled inwardly. His mate was not only beautiful, but curvy as all get-out and sexy as hell. After she had helped him up, it took tremendous self-control to tamp down his bear, which wanted to roar with approval.
When she had been tucked under his arm, her body had fit perfectly against his. He had been secretly pleased when she had instinctively molded herself against him and wrapped her arms around his hard body to give him the strength to stand. He couldn’t wait until he was well enough to have her soft, naked curves pressed against another hard piece of his anatomy...
When their bodies were close, he had inhaled her scent, which was sweet and alluring like honey, to make sure it matched the scent on the scrap of fabric that the Elder had given him. Up close and personal, there was no doubt in Alex’s mind that Nina was his mate. They would be good together, he was sure of it. Now all he had to do was convince her of it and claim her as his.
Convincing Nina that that she belonged with a bear shifter would be hard enough. But he also needed to talk her into leaving her current life behind to start a new life with him in Colorado, which he figured would be no small task.
Alex could already tell that she was a headstrong woman with a mind of her own. How would she react when he told her he was a were-bear and that he planned to make her his mate? It was possible that she would pick up the nearest object and crack him over the head with it.
If he had to, he would force her to go with him, for her safety as well as his own. But he would only do that as a last resort. A better plan would be to seduce her.
Alex had never met a woman who could resist his many charms. He had romanced more than his share of female humans over the years. His father had actually encouraged him to sow his wild oats while he was young because once he became the clan’s Alpha, he would be expected to settle down and become a one-woman-bear.
He could think of worse things than spending the rest of his life bedding the lovely, voluptuous Nina. His cock twitched at the mere thought of having her naked curves beneath him as he spilled his seed inside of her. He imagined that she would be a passionate lover, one who was more than willing to satisfy his voracious animalistic appetites.
When his hands caressed her ample flesh, would she moan softly, whispering his name while begging him not to stop? Would she allow her own warm, soft hands to explore his steely frame, working her way deftly down his chest and six-pack abs until she reached his throbbing member? And when she finally wrapped her fingers around his length, would she sigh at his impressive size before bending down and closing her plump lips around the rounded tip—
“Sorry that took me so long, I was looking for alcohol or hydrogen peroxide like you said but came up empty handed.” Nina’s abrupt return brought Alex crashing back to reality, and his cock twitched once more before softening.
Oblivious to his arousal, Nina dropped to her knees beside the couch and put the items she gathered on the coffee table, including a bottle of whiskey. She removed the lid from the liquor bottle and took a swig. “Want a drink?” she asked. Alex nodded, sitting up just enough to swallow without choking.
“I’ve never taken a first aid class or anything, but I’ve had my share of cuts and scrapes,” Nina said as she got down to business. She gasped when she pulled the blood-soaked shirt away from Alex’s side.
He winced when the ragged edges of his wound was exposed to air. “Did I forget to mention that I was shot?”
Nina looked horrified. “With a gun?”
“More like a hunting rifle.”
With a scared look on her face, Nina inched away from the couch. “I’m not sure what you’re mixed up in, and I don’t know how to remove a bullet or stitch you up. Please, let me call a doctor or something.”
Alex thought she might cry. “The bullet went all the way through, so there’s nothing to remove, Nina. And it’s little more than a flesh wound, really.” He kept his voice calm, even, reassuring. While he was in bear form, the bullet had left a gaping hole in his side. But now that he had shifted back to his human form, the injury appeared to be more of a gouge in his flesh. “I don’t need stitches, either. Just clean me up with that water, pour a little whiskey on the spot where I was shot, cover it up, and let me sleep for a bit.”
Nina didn’t look convinced. “What if it gets infected or something?”
Alex knew that wouldn’t happen. “Then we can talk about a trip to the hospital, okay?”
Nina must have been satisfied by his response because she inched back toward him. With a shaky hand, she soaked one of the towels in water and cleaned the blood away. Then, after tucking another towel underneath him, she picked up the whiskey bottle and poured it over his wound. Despite the searing pain, Alex forced himself not to flinch. He didn’t want to spook her any further.
“Am I hurting you?” she asked.
“A little,” Alex responded through clenched teeth. “But it’s not too bad. You’re doing great, Nina. Almost done.” Darkness threatened to envelope him, and Alex took a few deep breaths in an attempt to stay alert.
Nina blotted his wound with a dry towel. Then she covered his wound with clean gauze and used medical tape to hold it in place. “Do you want some aspirin for the pain?” she asked.
Alex shook his head. “No. But I’ll take another hit of that whiskey.” She passed him the bottle and he drank deeply. “Do you have a guest room? A little sleep would do me a world of good.”
“The only bed is mine and it’s upstairs. If you think you can make it, I’m happy to give it to you for the night.”
“I’m pretty sure I can make it up the stairs if you help me.”
Together, they limped up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the townhouse. Without thinking, Alex stripped off his jeans, boxers, and socks before sliding between the sheets of Nina’s bed. In seconds, he was fast asleep.
He didn’t even notice the look of surprise that crossed his mate’s pretty face.