“The people of Scarlet take care of their own.”
“But … I’m not even from here.”
Chaska gave a soft chuckle. “Try telling them that.”
Chaska layin his boxer briefs on his bed, staring up through the darkness at the ceiling, his arm bent behind his head. Ten minutes ago, he’d been beat, ready for sleep. Now, he felt wide awake, his body buzzing with sexual energy.
Naomi.
He’d been on his way from the laundry room to his bedroom when he’d heard her hit the floor and cry out. He’d opened the door to find her there, tears on her cheeks and in obvious pain, her dark hair in tangles around her shoulders. He’d done his best not to hurt her, but he’d had to do it without his brain. It had stopped working the moment he had touched her.
He could have set her down on the bed and kept his distance, but he hadn’t. Yeah, he’d wanted to make sure she was okay, to offer her some comfort, but he could have done both of those things while standing on his feet. He’dwantedto be close to her because …damn.
He closed his eyes, images of her filling his head, his cock already hard. Her sweet face. Her dark hair in tangles. Her nightgown slipping to reveal the graceful line of her collar bone, the soft curve of her shoulder, the valley between her breasts. The silky skin and feminine shape of her legs. He’d wanted to hold her and kiss her, to bury his face in her hair, to inhale her sweet scent.
It was nothing more than biology, simple neurochemistry, the attraction of male to female, but knowing that didn’t make the urge easier to ignore.
He wanted her.
Oh, no. No. Bad idea.
She was vulnerable right now, a guest in his home. He had promised her safety, a place to rest and recover. No, he wasn’t a gentleman in any sense of the word. Even the concept was foreign to him. But hehadbeen taught to respect women and honor visitors. That rarely included trying to get between their legs.
Unless, of course, she felt the same attraction…
Would you listen to yourself,kola?
Naomi was a guest. She would be heading back to Rapid City soon anyway, so what was the point?
He reached inside his boxers, took hold of himself, and gave his body the release it wanted.
Naomi woketo find sunlight streaming through her window, Chaska and Winona already gone. There was a note from Winona on the kitchen counter.
Call me when you’re up.
Naomi typed in the number Winona had left, adding Winona to her contacts.
No answer.
She left a message, then made herself a bowl of cornflakes. She’d just stuck the empty bowl into the dishwasher when her phone rang.
It was Winona. “How are you feeling? Chaska said you fell last night. He thought you might want to call your doctor.”
Her leg felt better today than it had last night. “I’m fine.”
“I thought you might want to visit the clinic, get a tour. We’ve got lots of baby fawns, a little burrowing owl, a pair of fox kits, some mountain lion cubs—”
“I wouldlovethat.” Winona thought she had to ask?
“I’ll come get you. I don’t want you to try to walk here by yourself. It’s not far, but it’s kind of rocky.”
Naomi hurried to get ready for the day and had just finished dressing when Winona arrived, wearing a white lab coat over her green scrubs. They walked together out the back door, Winona staying close beside Naomi as Naomi hobbled along on her crutches. The backyard seemed surprisingly small for the size of the house—just a small patio with a gas grill, two reclining patio chairs, a raised vegetable bed, a few rose bushes, and a large shed. Then Naomi remembered that they’d set aside part of the property for Shota’s enclosure.
Winona pointed to the shed. “That’s Chaska’s workshop. That’s where he does his machining, his mad-scientist work.”
“I would love to see the kind of tools he uses.”
For some reason, this made Winona laugh. “I’m sure he’d be happy to show you.”