Wait a minute
. When had he been bitten? During the killing scene, neither man had been around, or so she believed. Maybe she was the one who wasn’t remembering things well.
His lips pressed together. “I’ll be fine.”
There was a huge hole in his thigh and he had cuts all over his legs. She still couldn’t re-create what had happened. Nothing made sense. “I didn’t see the wolves attack you. How did you get injured? Were there other animals?”
A full-blown smile filled his face. Dear Lord in Heaven, but this man was a gloriously beautiful human, even better than her soon-to-be costar.
Don’t go there.
For a moment, she’d gotten lost in her prurient thoughts. It was the trauma that was affecting her rational thinking.
“No.”
It took a moment to remember her question. She waited for him to explain, but he didn’t. “I didn’t see you.”
Please make some sense out of all this for me.
He inhaled.
“That’s because he transformed into the lion.” The voice came from behind her. She whipped around, only now realizing that Taryn hadn’t joined them on their journey up to the house.
“Taryn!” She stepped toward him but halted as soon as his condition registered. He, too, was covered in blood. His arm was lacerated and he had scratches all over his body. “You were attacked, too.” Her stomach turned over at his horrific injuries. If only she’d studied medicine, she could help him.
“Yes.” He looked over at Kellum. Their gazes locked. Kellum nodded and jogged out of sight.
Why was Kellum leaving? Someone had to call for help. “Do you have secret hand signals or something to communicate?” Why was nothing making any sense to her?
“Or something. I need to wash up, as do you. When we’ve cleaned up, we’ll eat and I’ll explain some things to you.”
She liked the part about the explanation, but the men’s health had to come first. “Your brother is stubborn. He and you both need medical care.”
He faced her and cocked a brow. “You’re willing to help take care of me?”
“If I could I certainly would, but you need stitches, and I can’t do that.” The words Taryn had spoken about transforming into a lion finally registered. “Wait a minute. Not that I believe people can shift into animals, but why did you say that Kellum transformed into a lion?”
“Because he did.”
Blood from her arm dripped onto the floor. “I’m sorry. I need something to clean up my mess.” Her comment was probably an excuse to avoid what might actually be the truth. These men had been bitten, but she wasn’t ready to address the possibility of shape-shifters existing. Those creatures were myths, yet she’d seen the wolves, and she’d seen two lions come from nowhere and save her. Before she could form a coherent explanation, Taryn clasped her arm.
“Come with me. You should take a shower, too. You’ve got blood all over you.”
She wasn’t willing to do anything until he explained himself. “That drug Kellum gave me. Was it a hallucinogen?” That seemed to be the only logical explanation for what she’d witnessed.
“No.” He held out his hand. “Please. I need to clean up before an infection sets in.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to impose. If you could get me a paper towel, I’ll be good to go. I need to get out of your hair so you can tend to your wounds.” She took a step backward then stopped.
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.