Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened, then she snapped it shut. “Fine, but if you die from complications then I’m burying your furry ass and will refuse to feel a moment’s guilt.”
“Deal.” He growled, his mouth stretched in a wide grin. “I won’t die…I promise.” He’d heal up, maybe have a bit of fun with the good doctor and then head out to the Christmas festival as planned. Nothing needed to change. He would find his future mate in time for Christmas.
“I’ve never treated a human before. I’m not sure I have the right drugs or…” The female was frowning. He could scent her fear, she was afraid for him. Afraid that something would happen to him, that she would not be able to take good enough care of him. Although this was born from her own guilt, he’d never had a female care so greatly for him before.
He took ahold of her hand and squeezed. “Female.” It came out sounding deep and gravelly. His chest vibrated as he spoke. “I don’t need any drugs, just a bed.”
Her eyes were wide. Her chest heaved. “I’m a damned good vet, but I’m—”
He squeezed again. “Good…a damned good vet is just what I need. My name is Tyler.”
The female gave a half smile. “Jackie.”
“What do you say we straighten my leg?” Tyler looked down at the limb. This was going to hurt.
Jackie looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “What do you say we get you back to the practice first? That leg might require surgery, although, I may be able to perform a closed reduction. I’ll have to pretend you’re a dog though. Better yet, change back into a wolf and I’ll sort you right out.”
“No surgery, no drugs. I told you, all I need is a bed.” He allowed his gaze to drift to her mouth for a second. “We need to sort that out though.” He pointed at his leg this time. “Right now, before it has a chance to heal crooked.”
“You can’t be serious. I’ll need to x-ray it first.”
“No time.”
“You need a local anesthetic.” Again, her eyes filled with concern…for him.
“I’m a big, badass shifter. I can take it. I’ve been through worse.”
She started assessing his leg, he could see that her mind was working at a million miles a minute. “You are healing at an accelerated rate.” She ran her little hands up and down it. “Both the tibia and fibula are broken. It feels like a clean fracture.” She gave her head a shake. “I need to x-ray to be sure.” She sighed. “If we wait, I’m going to have to re-break the bones. Not ideal.” She gave a small shrug of the shoulders. With a sharp pull and a push, pain exploded through his limb, causing him to snarl. Tyler threw his head back, feeling every muscle cord and strain. Pain continued to course through him. His leg throbbed.
“I’m so sorry.” She leaned over him, concern marred her features. “Are you okay?”
Tyler groaned. “You are wicked.” He was panting, pain radiated through the limb. “A little heads up would have been great. I can count you know.”
She actually looked pained for a few seconds. “Sorry, I didn’t want you to tense up, it makes it more difficult and actually hurts more. Are you okay?” Her eyes were filled with concern.
He nodded. “Give me a few minutes and you can help me to your car.”
“Are you sure I can’t get you an ambulance?” She pulled her lush bottom lip between her teeth and he noticed how sexy it looked despite the pain that lingered.
Chapter Three
The wolf…man…shifter was lying under the sheet. Saying that he was under the sheet though was probably an exaggeration. The material barely covered his…privates. The rest of his body was exposed, and in all of its glory. Tyler lay on his back with one hand tucked under his pillow. His chest was wide and muscular. It rose and fell rhythmically as he slept. His abs were seriously ripped…her mouth fell open…he was sleeping and still had ripped abs? How was that even possible?
Jackie took the opportunity to study his face. He wasn’t classically good looking nor could he be considered handsome. His features were too coarse for that. He had a masculine jaw, full lips. His nose was broad. His hair was thick and dark, it had been cut close to his scalp. His lashes were long. Too long and thick to be on a man but they suited him.
He was gorgeous.
Beyond hot.
Damned near perfect.
“Are you checking me out?” He said in his deep gravelly voice. His eyes stayed closed.
Her heart rate kicked into overdrive. Jackie cleared her throat. “Of course not. I was checking in on you. I consider you to be a patient, in my care.” She cleared her throat and licked her, suddenly dry, lips.
His eyelids cracked open and his golden stare hit her with its full force. Damn. Just damn. Jackie pulled herself more upright. He was a patient. A wolf dammit. She was not going to perv over him. It wasn’t right. “It’s just that I was gone for about a half hour. Mrs. Trimble brought in her little dog, Maverick. He’s getting on in years so she doesn’t mess around with his health.” She was babbling, so she forced herself to shut it. She clasped her hands together in front of her and nodded once, feeling completely out of sorts.
“And?” His beautiful eyes stayed on her.
“And what?”
“What was wrong with the dog…with Maverick?” His mouth curled up slightly at the edges and his eyes crinkled.
“He had a blade of grass stuck in his eye, under the top lid. It’s a good thing she brought him in. I was able to flush out the grass. He has a mild case of conjunctivitis. Thankfully though, there were no scratches to the cornea.”
“Yeah, that’s a good thing.” He smiled, making her stomach do little flip flops.
Ignore it, Jackie. Ignore the hell out of it. She’d spent the last few years in Sweetwater, moving there after she and Todd had broken up. No one had snagged her interest as of yet. Not a single soul. Now was so not the time to have her libido fire up and in full force. “I prescribed him a topical antibiotic and a mild painkiller. Maverick is going to be just fine.” She shrugged. “We close in half an hour, but I’ll stay until you are ready to leave.”
“Give me another hour or two and I’ll be good to go.”
She frowned. There was no way he was going anywhere so soon. Jackie decided not to argue though. “What brought you to town?” She paused. “Then again, it’s probably top secret. Forget I asked.”
Tyler shook his head. A devastating smile on his lips. “Not at all. We were headed to town. The plan is to go to the Christmas Festival.”
“We?”
“I came with two pack mates.” He put his free arm behind his head, propping himself up.
She felt herself frown. “Where are they then? Why were you alone earlier? Should I call them?” It was as if she turned into a blithering idiot around this guy. It irritated her.
Tyler smiled. “No. I lost them on purpose. Although I love my pack, it can get a bit stifling. I wanted some time.” Then his face turned serious. “I’m in Sweetwater to find a mate.”
Jackie felt her eyes widen. “Oh…I see. I didn’t realize. Are there a lot of wolves living in Sweetwater?”
Tyler shook his head, looking amused. “I’m looking for a human female. The plan is to go to the festival later. There will be a lot of human females there.”
She nodded. “There will be. Everyone in Sweetwater goes.” She felt strangely disappointed.
“Are you going?” He asked.
Jackie shook her head. “Nah. I’m on standby. There might be an emergency. Besides, I’m not leaving you.” She realized how it had sounded. “Being that you are a patient in my care.”
“I will be fine. I still plan on going.” His eyes dropped for a second and if she didn’t know better, she would think that he was checking her out. Just as quickly as they dropped, they snapped back up to hers, his expression neutral.
There was no way a guy like him was looking at a girl like her in that way. She wore glasses and had a little too much in the way of buns and thighs. Her hair was curly a
nd wild if left to its own devices.
Tyler looked like the kind of guy that dated supermodel types. Tall, athletic women with long straight hair that always looked perfect. Then she realized what he had just said. “You can’t possibly go to the festival. You have broken bones, damaged internal organs. You’re staying right where you are.”
He narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see.”
“Can I get you anything? Something to drink? To eat?”
“I could do with a bath or a shower.” His voice was low and gravelly. She had to suppress a shiver.
“We have a shower, but I don’t think that you should be getting up. You could faint…hurt yourself.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t allow it.”
“You will need to help me then.” His eyes twinkled.
“No freaking way.” She shook her head harder. “You can forget it. If I was a nurse and this was a hospital…” She looked around the room. “Then I would give you a sponge bath, but I’m not a nurse and we treat animals here.”
Tyler smiled. He had dimples in his cheeks. Honest to god dimples. One on the left cheek and two on the right. His level of hotness was obscene. “You are a doctor and I happen to be a shifter…more animal than most. I think that qualifies for a sponge bath. Don’t you?”
“Hell no,” she squeaked. Just the thought of coming anywhere near all of that skin, those hard muscles, left her breathless. It had been a very long time since she had, had sex. Too damned long now that she thought about it.
His brows lifted. “You’re a doctor and I’m your patient. You promised to take care of me. I’m covered in dirt and blood.”
He was right. Smears of dirt and blood streaked his chest and arms.
“It would be a quick wipe down. That, or you can join me in the shower…just to be sure I was safe of course.” He winked at her.
Winked.
At.
Her.
The air in the room thinned. Her eyes felt wide. Her blood drained. Jackie shook her head. Then she reminded herself that flirting came naturally to guys like Tyler. They did it without thinking. It didn’t mean anything. “No. It’s not happening. A little bit of blood and grime never killed anyone. All of your wounds have since healed so you won’t get an infection.”
Tyler shrugged. “I understand.” He slid his legs over the side of the bed and pulled the sheet the rest of the way off himself.
Oh god! His back was broad and beautiful. She’d never found a back beautiful before but his was truly magnificent. Well muscled and sun kissed and…
Wait just a minute.
“What are you doing?” A soft squeak. She cleared her throat.
Tyler stood up on a hard grunt.
Holy freaking hell, his ass was every dream she had ever had come true. Hard and sculpted. Just as tanned as the rest of him.
“I’m going to look for a shower. You might want to point me in the right direction.” He threw her an amused look and her mouth dropped open.
Then he chuckled. “Do you check out all your patients’ asses?”
Jackie made a noise born from shock and embarrassment. “I was making sure you were…still okay.” Weak, but she had to say something.
“You didn’t hit my ass with your car.” He smirked and turned. “You hit me more to the front of my body.” He pointed to the right side, including his chest and hip.
Oh wow! Her mouth dried up and she struggled to breathe. Broad shoulders, a strong chest, ripped abs - even more so now that he was awake, he had that vee thing going on. Her eyes lowered. Oh lord! Oh hell!
“You didn’t hit my cock with your car either.” Tyler chuckled.
She made a pained noise and averted her eyes. “Y-you shouldn’t walk a-around naked. It’s not right. It’s…”
“You’re a doctor. Besides, I don’t mind if you look at my cock, or my ass. Is it true that human males have much smaller dicks?”
Understatement of the century.
“I would rather not talk about…such things. You need to get back into bed.” Just as she said it, he swayed on his feet. “Dammit!” She rushed over to him and threw an arm around him to support him.
“I’m…good.” He said, his voice deep and low. “Take me to the shower.”
“No. You nearly fell. You need to get back in bed.”
“One quick shower. You can stay with me to make sure I’m okay.” He secured an arm around her hip. It wasn’t lost on her how he leaned on her.
She raised her brows. “You’re not okay. Get back into bed right now.” She put as much force into her words as she could muster. “Doctor’s orders. You are in no shape to be walking around. You may have enhanced healing, but—”
“Okay.” He sighed, allowing her to help him back into bed. “Please, can you bring some water and a cloth? I won’t make you wash me…I can mostly do it myself. It’s just…look at me.” He gestured down his body and her eyes tracked the movement.
Crusted blood. Streaks of dirt and grime. Blue and black bruising along his ribs. He still smelled pretty darned good though, which was crazy. Musky, manly, pretty dammed delicious. Wait just a freaking minute. “Why are you…you know…why is that there?” She pointed at his erection. Thick and long. It jutted from his body like a beacon. The head was bulbous and red. A long vein throbbed along his entire length. She had to work hard to pull her eyes from between his legs.
“I thought you were a doctor.” His voice was deep and gravelly. It held a humorous edge. “Do you really need me to explain anatomy basics to you?”
“I know what it is. What is it doing there? Why are you…you know?” Heat infused her cheeks.
He smiled, looking so damned attractive. “You know what?” he raised his brows.
“You know…” She swallowed hard.
Tyler shook his head. That infuriating smile still on his lips. Lips that were made for kissing, dammit. Not just kissing but sucking, licking and biting as well. Then again…lots of parts on this man were made for all of those things. “Hard. Why are you hard?”
“You smell good.” He growled softly. “Really good.”
“That’s your explanation?”
He nodded. “I’m a male. I get hard easily. Don’t let my dick bother you”—he pulled a sheet over himself—“there. Is that better?”
She nodded, still feeling a little hot and a lot bothered. Jackie sighed. “Much better, thanks. I’m just not used to big, sexy, naked guys parading around at the practice.”
“You think I’m sexy?”
Shit. Her big damned mouth was going to get the better of her one day. “Um…” She squeaked. “You’re not bad.”
He smiled like she was full of it…which she was. “Which is it then, sexy or not bad?”
“Not bad,” she said quickly. “I’ll go and get some soap and water.”
It was tempting to get cold water. For herself.
“Thank you.” He smiled. “I won’t be in your way for much longer.”
“Stay as long as you need. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off the road. It was stupid.”
His eyes turned serious. “I didn’t mean it when I said those things earlier. You are not a bad driver. I wasn’t paying attention. My focus was on getting away from my pack mates. It is my own fault. Do not feel guilty.”
She nodded. “Don’t worry. I don’t.” A total lie. “I still think that you might need glasses though. I should probably check your eyes before you go…just to be sure.”
Tyler laughed. “You can check anything you want, Jackie.”
She turned to leave, her heart racing. Was he flirting with her as opposed to teasing her? Then she pushed out the breath she was holding. Nah! He was just teasing her.
Chapter Four
The human female was a sight to behold. Her scent damn near killed him. Her shy smile was true beauty. All bashed up and he couldn’t seem to get his dick under control. Hard and throbbing. It had been months since he had last had a female.
Her blue eyes
moved to him as she set the steaming bowl down on the table next to the bed. There was a sponge in the soapy depths. She put a dry towel down on the bed next to him, and held a larger towel in her hands.
“Let’s put this one underneath you so you don’t wet the bed while you clean yourself. I don’t have a spare set of sheets.”
He nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the help...even though you owe me.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and she scrunched up her nose. “Rubbish. I can’t help that you ran in front of me and that you are short sighted.”
Tyler smiled. “Don’t blame your bad driving skills on me.” His smile grew as she pretended to scowl at him.
Careful to keep his dick covered, Tyler grimaced as he moved forward so that she could slip the towel behind his back. Supporting his weight on his hands, he lifted his body so that she could pull the fabric all the way beneath him. Her hand brushed his ass.
Tyler watched as her cheeks flushed red. He heard her heart quicken. How she drew in a deep breath. He caught her fruity scent of arousal. Berries. Fresh, ripe, oh so fucking juicy.
“I’ll leave you to it,” she said. It came out sounding breathless. His dick twitched beneath the bunched up sheet. “Just shout if you need help.”
“I need help.” He kept his eyes on her as he spoke.
She frowned. “You haven’t even tried to…wash yourself.” It was so cute. She actually looked afraid of touching him even though he knew she wanted to.
“Would you mind washing my back and maybe my legs?” He raised his brows.
Jackie licked her lips. He was fucked if the tip of her little tongue didn’t have him salivating.
She finally nodded. “O-okay.” Another swipe of her tongue. “But you will have to do the rest yourself. I need to go and lock up.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s closing time.”
Wolf Whisperer Page 2
