Losing Myself in You by Heather C. Myers Page B

not.
    It didn't matter.
    The beasts were whimpering now, nursing each other's wounds. With one glare from the werewolf, they all disappeared into the night.
    It was then that Bridgette noticed how heavy the werewolf was breathing. He turned and looked her in the eyes; she was caught for a moment. She recognized those hazel eyes. Could it be -?
    Her eyes took in the cuts on his body, and without fully realizing what she was doing; she reached out and gently rubbed his head. Then, before her very eyes, she watched him transform into none other than Marcus Sterling, the man who had brought her here. He was completely nude, but she didn't seem to notice. All that mattered was getting him inside, getting him warm, and cleaning up his wounds.
    "We have to get you inside," she told him, shifting her position in order to stand up. She reached down and helped him up; it was more difficult than she originally anticipated due to the fact that he was taller than she was by nearly a foot, and had more muscles than she could count. "We have to get you cleaned up."
    Marcus nodded and allowed Bridgette to help him up. Normal ly, he was a very prideful wolf and whenever he came back from runs, he wouldn't let anybody treat him if he was wounded. However, for whatever reason, he felt comfortable enough with Bridgette to allow her to take control of this matter. She grabbed his arm delicately and wrapped it around her shoulder. Then, to the best of her abilities, she tried to support his weight and match his stride, and wrapped her arm around his bare waist in order to aide him.
    Bridgette struggled as she assisted Marcus back to the house, but she managed to hold her own.  She didn’t want him to see her falter, so she pushed her lips into a tight, white line and tensed her muscles to continue to take the brunt of his weight.  Marcus reached out and typed in a key code into a security system Bridgette hadn’t even noticed.  The door popped open automatically and she led him into the kitchen. When they reached the marble sink counter, she paused. "I'm going to get you some pants," she told him. For whatever reason, it did not bother her in the slightest that he was completely naked. All that mattered was that he was going to be okay. It was as though she had completely forgotten the fact that she was angry at him. And maybe she wasn't anymore. She just needed to take care of him. "You stay here. I'll be right back."
    Marcus didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded, trying to catch his breath and ignore the pain.
    It didn't take Bridgette long to find Marcus's room, and she grabbed the first pair of pajama pants she could find. While Marcus was putting them on, Bridgette was searching the kitchen for some kind of first aid kit, a bowl of warm water, and two towels. They were a pack of wolves; they had to have the materials for such wounds. A few moments later, Bridgette had everything she needed. He was modest by the time she returned, his palms flat on the edge of the counter, causing his shoulders to hunch up.
    Bridgette turned on the kitchen light, getting a good look at his torso and the damage that was done. There was nothing on his chest except a few scratches, but when she walked around him, she saw a good portion of deep cuts. She frowned at this, and dipped one of the towels in the warm water. The first thing she concentrated on was wiping the blood that was already starting to dry away.
    "Okay," she murmured in a soothing voice, glancing over her shoulder . "This may hurt."
    Again, Marcus didn't say anything, but he tilted his head away to signal that he had heard. Bridgette bit her bottom lip and as gently as she could, placed the rag on his back. She heard him breathe in sharply and grip the counter tighter . For whatever reason, Bridgette placed her free hand on his bare shoulder in hopes it might calm him down and soothe him in some way.
    "Are you okay?" he asked in his gravelly voice, his tone deeper than normal due to his