“Thank you.” Liana meant it from the bottom of her heart.
Eddie was right. The odds would have been against her had she stayed out in the car. Eddie’s eyes lifted to hers. For a heartbeat, neither of them looked away. Electricity filled the air. Liana’s breath caught.
Eddie stood abruptly and took a step back.She rubbed her hands on her jean-covered thighs.
“We need to get you out of those pants so I can wrap your ankle properly. Don’t move.” The woman disappeared back into the other room. She sure did give orders without a thought. She must be used to telling people what to do.
Was it the same in the bedroom with her lovers? Heat crept across Liana’s cheeks at the thought. She leaned back against the couch, no longer trembling from the cold.
A shiver rippled through her, but this time, it was because of the way Eddie had looked at her.
Like she’d seen something.
Someone she wanted.
Liana raised the mug and took another sip of the tea. What was she going to do? The shifter had elicited a reaction from her that she’d never experienced before.
And from the howling of the wind outside, they may be stuck here together.
For a while.
Chapter Two
The moment Eddie stepped into her bedroom, she pressed a hand to her chest. Her bear paced inside her, right beneath the skin, restless and growling softly.
Mate.
The word was whispered loudly inside her head.
“Not now,” Eddie hissed. She went over to her closet and pushed the door open so she could assess what she had that Liana may be able to wear.
Liana was fragile, injured, and held the scent of fear on her. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. Her ankle was swollen and had needed attention.
But all Eddie’s bear wanted to do was nuzzle her, wrap her arms around the woman, and mark her.
Ridiculous.
She grabbed a pair of thick fleece pants, a fitted thermal shirt, and soft wool socks. She muttered a curse. Was Liana going to need help taking her jeans off? They were soaked from the amount of snow that had fallen on them while they had made the walk from her car to the cabin. Eddie shuddered at the thought of seeing Liana’s brown thighs. Her dark-brown eyes, smooth brown skin, and plump, kissable lips had immediately caught Eddie’s attention. Then her scent hit her, which had sent her bear crazy.
Eddie held the clothing to her chest. She closed her eyes and blew out a deep breath. She had taken this time away from her beloved clan because she needed a break.
One week of peace and quietness.
No commitments. No meetings. No demands.
Just her and her bear spending some time in the wilderness.
Then fate had decided to screw up her plansand toss a beautiful, injured human directly into her arms.
Her bear didn’t care about the logic of the situation. She wanted to claim that woman on the couch now.
Mine.
Eddie clenched her jaw. She could still smell Liana’s scent all the way in here. It was sweet, and now nervousness was mixed in. The scent of fear was gone. The woman smelled like cinnamon and honey.
Eddie opened her eyes, unsure what to do. This was the first time she hadn’t had a plan. She, the alpha of the Brown Claw Clan, who always had the answers for all those who came to her, didn’t have a clue on what she should do about the guest in the other room.
Protect her,her bear rumbled.