How selfish could she get? Regardless of what actually happened, these men had saved her life somehow. She couldn’t abandon them in their time of need. The least she could do was help patch them up and then go.
She reached behind her for her pack so she could call 911. “My pack! It’s gone.”
His cheeks sagged. “Where did you leave it?”
She searched her mind. “I set down my bag to get out my water bottle when Kellum gave me those flowers.”
He squared his shoulders. “Perhaps later, I’ll retrieve it for you.”
There was no way she could ask him to go back to wolf territory. Nothing was as important as a life. “Forget it. I don’t need it.”
“Then come with me.”
The stubborn man seemed determined. “Okay, but shouldn’t you call someone?”
“No.”
It was his body. As she walked across the living room toward a hallway, she looked around the home. It was set up much like a typical luxurious home in Denver with an open floor plan. The two walls that overlooked the forest were all glass from floor to ceiling. This place was enchanting and alluring.
Instead of following Taryn, she was drawn to the breathtaking beauty of the trees. She wanted to investigate how high up they were, and she glanced down. Given the distance to the ground, this was probably the penthouse, all nestled in the trees. “Beautiful,” she mumbled to herself.
“I’m glad you find it appealing.”
She jerked at the intrusion. She thought he’d be in the bathroom by now. She turned around. “Sorry.”
He held out his hand. “Please. Come.”
She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t mean to be so selfish.” What had she been thinking? His wounds were serious, and here she was sightseeing. Maybe witnessing the melee had blocked out all intelligent thought.
This time she did follow him down a hallway. Halfway down the hall, the sound of water reached her. Kellum must be taking a shower. That meant his wounds weren’t life threatening, though they sure had looked like it.
“I’m afraid we only have two showers.”
Only? “I’ll wash my arm then help you get clean.” It was the least she could do. While she wasn’t medically trained, she could apply some antiseptic and put a bandage on him.
Taryn grinned, but she didn’t understand why he was being so cheerful. He had to be in incredible pain. He opened the bathroom door and motioned her in. She stopped short. “This is as big as my condo.” That was an exaggeration, but it was nearly as large as her University of Denver dorm room had been.
A huge blue-tiled pool, perhaps ten feet long, five feet wide, and one foot deep, sat in the middle of the room on a raised platform. She had no idea what something as shallow as this would be used for, as she didn’t spot any whirlpool jets. At the far end of the massive room was a shower with a ton of showerheads sticking out from the sides and ceiling. “Wow.”
“You’re not used to something like this?”
Was he kidding? “Hardly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything this grand.”
The sink was basically one long porcelain trough over ten feet long that had six faucets jetting out from the wall high above the sink. Once more, the setup confused her. At least there was a normal-looking toilet.
“It suits our purpose.”
She stuck her hand under the faucet and water came out. It was one of those with an automatic sensor. She rubbed the blood off her arm, but her sleeve was still covered in red. Perhaps after Taryn cleaned up, she could rinse out her shirt before getting on her way.
“You can take it off if you want.”
The man could read minds. She leaned back and faced him. “I’m good.” Heat raced up her face as she watched Taryn unhook his loincloth. “What are you doing?”
He stilled for a moment. “I have to see the extent of my wounds.”
That made sense, so she turned her back.
The last thing she expected was for him to laugh. “What’s wrong? I’m just removing my clothes. You’re welcome to watch.”
“I don’t even know you. You’re a stranger.”
“I saved your life. That hardly makes us strangers anymore.”
The lions had saved her life. She planted a hand on her hip. She could walk out of there right now and take the elevator down to the forest floor. There had to be a lobby in a condo of this size. Surely, there’d be a concierge who could direct her back to Spirit. Or better yet, arrange for someone to drive her into town.
But she wouldn’t do that. “It’s not appropriate.” Dear Lord in Heaven, she sounded like her mother. Lara wasn’t a prude, but she did have limits. On the other hand, this man had protected her, his first name did begin with a T, and he was more attractive and virile than any man she’d ever seen.
“You offered to help.” His cheer had disappeared.
His sudden sullenness jammed her full of guilt. She spun back around. “True.” Her breath caught. That was a big mistake. He was naked and his huge cock was standing erect. Dried smears of blood covered a large part of his body. “Oh, my.” Her thoughts disconnected.
Taryn walked into the vast shower and motioned that she join him. “I need help washing my back.”
She hadn’t studied his back. He probably had cuts on it. She owed him. “Okay.”
She took off her shoes, but that was as far as she was willing to undress. There was blood on enough of her clothing that it made sense to wash them while she wore them. He turned on one showerhead. He must have instant hot water because he stepped under the flow.
Her instincts kicked in. Not only did he need help, but she bet Kellum did, too. Wanting to hurry and move on, she stepped behind him and looked for the soap.
“Press the blue tile.”
His constant ability to know what she was thinking was beginning to frighten her. She did as he asked and the tile moved inward. From the top of the box, a nozzle appeared. She stuck her hand in the enclave and soap drizzled out. Perhaps using a cloth would be more sanitary, but she didn’t see anything like a cloth, so she dragged her hand down his back.
“Tell me if my touch hurts.” He had two six-inch gashes on his back.
“You’ll do fine.”
As if he’d willed it, another spray shot out water between herself and Taryn. The warm water splattered onto her. She couldn’t worry about getting wet. Making sure Taryn healed was of paramount concern.
After she finished with his back, he turned around. Since he could reach the rest of his body, she wasn’t sure what more she could do.
“Your touch is soothing. Continue please.”
She hadn’t expected him to say that. Maybe there weren’t many women on Anterra, though why she’d draw that conclusion she didn’t know. His hospitality had been outstanding. After the wolf attack, the two men could have left her there. Instead, they carried her to their home, despite being horribly injured.
Besides, what harm could come of touching a man with well-developed muscles and who looked like a Calvin Klein model? Absolutely nothing. Despite him sporting an erection, he probably wasn’t up for sex anyway.
She pressed the blue tile again and more soap poured onto her palm. “You sure you want me to rub the injury?”
“Maybe just around it.”
That made more sense. By now, she was totally drenched, but she didn’t mind. If she could give Taryn some comfort, she’d try. Once he got out of the shower, perhaps she could talk some sense into him or call 911 herself. The attack must have messed with both of the men’s heads, too. Why she hadn’t seen them in the fray she didn’t know, but she knew memories got erased during high-stress events.
As she massaged the soap over his chest, her mind stopped functioning. His skin, while smooth, had a slight coarseness to it, like he’d spent his life outdoors. Its texture was thicker and not as delicate as her outer layer.
Perhaps it was the chest hair on his upper body that fascinated her the most. It was silky and plentiful, and
except for the trail that led to his still-hard cock, it stopped right below his overly large pectorals.
“You have such smooth hands.”
She was about to say he had some smooth parts, too, but that wasn’t her nature to be so overt.
Really? Then what was she doing in the shower with a man who was naked with a hard-on that was bigger than any she’d ever seen before?
“I like your skin. It’s manly and rugged.”
He smiled and her heart raced. “Maybe you could wash my calves. It hurts to bend over and wash them.”
She’d do anything to make sure he healed quickly. The easiest way was to get on her knees. After she drenched her palms in soap, she lowered her body and got to work cleansing him. What she thought were large gashes turned out to be merely scratches after she washed away the blood. With all the dark-blond hair on his legs, it had been difficult to tell at first.
After she finished washing the first leg, she moved to the other one. Her skin prickled as her lips passed within an inch of his rigid cock. She had to blink a few times to keep the water out of her eyes.
Liar. She had to blink because she’d never seen a cock that large. He was almost inhuman in size.
“Staring at it will only make it larger.” The chuckle in his voice heated up her whole body this time.
“I wasn’t looking.” She kept her gaze averted.
“If that’s your version of telling the truth, I’d like to visit your reality someday.”
She opened her mouth and gazed up at him. His grin made her swallow her not-so-nice retort. Wanting to finish and leave Anterra, she carefully scrubbed his legs. His calves were massive, larger than what she’d seen on the average man. Maybe when a person lived in the woods, he spent most of his time exercising. The man’s lack of fat attested to her theory.
“What do you and Kellum do for a living?” Given their expensive home, they might be executives. Perhaps this was a weekend house and their other home was near their office.
“We’re sentries of a sort. We’re kind of like your Homeland Security.”
My Homeland Security? “Is that what you were doing when you found me?”
“Yes.”
Aha. “Then where were your weapons?” They couldn’t have hidden any of them under the loincloth. Their cocks took up too much room.
“We are hand-to-hand combat experts.”
He said it with such confidence that she saw no reason to argue with him. She finished washing him and stood. “All done.”
His eyelids half lowered and his jaw softened. When his hands gently clasped her waist, her mind dissolved into mush. It was as if she really had been transported into another reality. Her headache had miraculously disappeared in the steamy shower and her stomach no longer bothered her. When he lowered his lips, all she could do was sigh. The concept of the soon-to-be kiss being wrong in any way never entered her mind.
Taryn pulled her close and pressed his soft, full lips to hers. Her hips seemed to move forward on their own, yearning for some contact. Being so close to him must have altered her from the inside. Her body exploded with surprising need as his hard cock dug against her belly. The urge to touch him prompted her to grab hold of his massive arms, and she inhaled his delicious aroma. His erotic scent teased her nostrils, but she was unable to identify the origin other than to say it was exciting and powerful. She opened her mouth, wanting to taste his magnificence. Never before had she acted so wantonly, but she rationalized that this man had saved her. The truth was that she wanted him.
His tongue darted around hers, almost as if he were an explorer who understood he needed to tread lightly. Her pussy went crazy, creaming and pulsating with each thrust of his tongue.
This man had too large of a hold on her. She shouldn’t be attracted to him, but she was. He claimed to be a shape-shifter for heaven’s sake.
He leaned back. “You did believe me when I said I could change into a lion, right?”
She stared him. “Maybe?”
“Maybe yes or maybe no?”
Should she lie? “Maybe no.”
He exhaled. “Then we have a problem that I need to address.”
She didn’t know what he meant, but the magical moment between them disappeared. He let go of her and stepped back. Water continued to cascade down both of them.
“Maybe you should turn off the water if we’re finished.” She would have done it herself, but since she detected no dials, so she didn’t know how.
He passed his hand over some invisible sensor and the water stopped. Holding open the door, he nodded for her to go first. She stepped onto the soft, lush mat and wiped her feet. A lot of good that did since her wet clothes still dripped. “I’ll help patch you up first, but then I need to leave.”
“You’re all wet.”
Being wet would be the least of her worries, though if the concierge were able to get her a cab, she wouldn’t want to mess up the seats. “So are you.” That was a stupid comment, but her brain had jumbled.
“That’s because I’m naked.”
He wasn’t making any sense either. “So?”
“You need to get out of your clothes. Otherwise, they’ll never dry.”
He did have a point. “Okay. You can dry off and then I’ll change.” Into what she didn’t know, as she had no other clothes. In fact, she didn’t detect any towels she could wrap around herself.
While his kiss might have excited parts of her body that had been dormant for too long, she didn’t need to get naked in front of him. That would be tantamount to announcing she was willing to have sex with him. She had a date with Amy and Krista for dinner and didn’t have time for something so frivolous. Krista was probably already frantic about not finding her.
“Are you ashamed of your body?”
His words finally sunk in. “Ashamed? No. Why?”
When she did the love scenes with Brad, she’d almost be naked with a ton of cameras inches from her body. All sense of modesty would have to vanish. Until then, she’d hang on to her old-fashioned ways.
He slowly unbuttoned her drenched, see-through shirt. Her sports bra covered her nicely, so she didn’t mind. When his fingers brushed her skin, every cell reignited. Her gaze focused not on what he was doing, but on his eyes and his sensuous mouth that twisted with each turn of the button. He lowered the shirt down her arms and let the material drop onto the bathroom floor. Forcing herself to breathe, she bent over to retrieve her top.
He stopped her. “Just so you know, the women around here go topless.”
She’d heard a lot of come-on lines, but none that good. “I doubt that.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
This time he let her pick up her shirt.
“Where are the towels?” There were none on any racks.
“We don’t need them.”
He moved her a few feet in front of the shower and a huge blast of air from the right and left blew out of the walls. It was like standing in a wind tunnel. All she could do was hold out her arms and laugh. She closed her eyes while she slowly rotated and let the warm currents blow over her. The water evaporated from her skin in no time, but her clothes remained damp and rather uncomfortable.
As quickly as the air started, it ceased. Taryn appeared quite dry. He reached under the sink and pulled out another loincloth. Apparently, that was his only attire. In one quick move, he covered himself.
“I’ll be right back for something for you to wear. With just Kellum and me living here, I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of choices for you. My sister left something here one time. She’s about your size.”
“Great.”
Part of her was thrilled there wasn’t a wife around. If he had been married, his mate undoubtedly would have been furious to know they’d brought some stranger home and gotten naked in front of her. Taryn walked out. From the back, his wounds didn’t look as bad as they appeared in the shower. When he did return, she’d offer to put some ointment and bandages on the worst o
f the cuts. How all the bleeding had stopped in such a short period of time, she didn’t know.
To help dry her shirt, she hung it over the shower door. Two minutes later he came back with what looked like a long skirt. “The women wear the cloth around their waist, but I imagine you’d like to wear it a bit differently.” He held out the piece of clothing.
Since the fabric was lightweight and thankfully opaque, she wouldn’t turn it down. “Thanks.” He waited, almost as if he expected her to undress in front of him. “Could I have some privacy?”
His brows pinched as if he didn’t understand the word. His head bobbed once and then he disappeared. Talk about being awkward. She wasn’t sure what was going on with these men, but perhaps they’d lived in the forest too long. It might do them good to spend a few days in Spirit to remember what life was like.
To prevent Kellum or Taryn from walking in while she changed, she leaned against the door. Since all of her undergarments were wet, she removed them and hung them over the shower door next to her shirt. If she could figure out how to create the wind tunnel again, she would.
She slipped on the skirt. Since it had an elastic waistband, she pulled it up over her chest and then stepped in front of the mirror. She looked like a drowned rat since the wind cyclone had blown her long hair every which way. Perhaps she could borrow a comb from Kellum. His hair was longer than Taryn’s.
When she was satisfied she’d done the best she could with her appearance, she headed back into the living room. Only Taryn was there standing by the window looking out.
“Hi.”
He turned around and smiled. “Not the usual way to wear the skirt, but the color suits you.”
She had to admit the light blue was one of her favorite shades. “Where’s Kellum?”
“He hasn’t come out of the bathroom.”
Her stomach churned. That wasn’t good. While she wasn’t attached to these two men, she hated seeing anyone harmed. “Should we check on him?” He could have passed out from the wounds.
Taryn’s smile disappeared. “You’re right. It’s not like him to stay in there so long.”
Melody Snow Monroe Page 4
