“I think I’m okay to walk?—”
“Let me help you.” I wiped her eyes and shot her a wink. “We both know you’re the badass who beat me up so at least let me get you to my SUV. I think you kind of owe me that.”
I got her on my back as the wet frigid snow covered us. I felt her shaking as I climbed my way up to my vehicle. I put her in the passenger seat as her teeth continued chattering.
She closed her eyes. “Well, this blows.”
“Agreed.” I grabbed my emergency blanket from under the seat and wrapped it around her.
I went around to the driver’s side, and once inside, I looked over to see her wipe her face before looking at me. The shock in her eyes wound something tight in me.
I reached over and pulled her as close as possible so our legs were touching before I kissed her lips. I buckled her seatbelt as silence filled the space between us for a long minute. Something was happening that I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around, but there was an unexpected connection between us.
We pulled up to the cabin. I hopped out and opened her door. “I’m going to carry you in.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Now don’t be a pain in the ass. The dash was crushing your legs. Let’s just get you inside for now.”
She looked exhausted as I scooped her up, her body still shaking something fierce. I took her straight up to my bathroom and set her on the vanity. I felt a panic to get the sweet, smart-ass Fern back. Seeing her distraught put a weight on my chest.
“I need to check your legs. Take off your pants.” Okay, I could’ve thought through that sentence before spitting it out.
A giggle snuck through her chattering teeth. “First of all, you will not get me out of my pants. Secondly, if you remember correctly, I’m a nurse, and I can feel my legs are, well, most likely okay.”
“You either let me check out your legs, or I drive you to a hospital right now.” I raised my brows. “Secondly, at some point, you’ll beg me to get you out of your pants.” Shit, did I say that aloud? Was another punch on the way? The words cut through the air as she inhaled deeply, which I liked very much.
I grabbed my navy and green plaid bathrobe from the hook behind the door and placed it next to her. “I’m going to get your suitcase so you can get some dry clothes. You put this on so we can assess those legs.”
She just sat there blinking at me so I guessed she was in agreement? When I returned a few minutes later, she sat on the countertop wearing my bathrobe that was huge on her and made me weak in the knees because her wet clothes were on the other side of the vanity. I knew she was naked under there. NAKED IN MY ROBE.
“Let me take a peek at your legs.”
“You’re bossy.” She lifted her legs and pulled the robe up, MY ROBE, with her legs as nude as the day she was born. Pull your head out of the gutter!
My stomach tightened when I saw the purple bruises forming under both her knees, screaming how hard she’d hit the tree. “Oh, baby.”
Her cheeks grew rosy at my words.
“Any pain in your neck or a headache?” I reached out and put my hands at the base of her neck as she turned her head side to side.
“Headache, yes.”
“I have Tylenol or some muscle relaxers from an injury I had last year if you want to try one.”
“Yes, please.”
I leaned in close. “Dr. Gabe is just checking your pupils for dilation.”
“Impressive.” she whispered. “You know your shit.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve lost many brain cells over the years from my head injuries.”
“That explains a lot.”
“Truth.” I leaned in, and those baby blues zapped me. Beautiful, stunning, icy, and I loved them. Wait, no, not loved them. I did not love them. What I meant was that I liked them in the appropriate amount for someone I found hot as hell but had only known a short time. Delete the word love.
Luckily, the eyes I only liked seemed normal. When I shifted my gaze, her look seemed to speak to me as she put her arms around my waist and pulled me close. She rested her head on my chest and inhaled deeply. All sorts of things were shifting, and I didn’t know what to make of it, but I also knew I didn’t want to move an inch. Ever.
