Cara hopped up from recliner. "Need some bandaging, Hunter?"
Hell, he forgot he'd removed his bandages on the run, and Tessa was sure to wonder how come he was healing so fast as soon as she saw his naked torso when they went to bed. "Yeah, let's go to the bathroom."
In the hall, they passed Tessa carrying an armful of bedding, and she gave Hunter a scornful look. He was definitely in the doghouse, but he didn't know why. He closed the bathroom door behind him.
Cara located the bandages in a drawer. "You're going to have to turn her."
"No."
"The way you look at her, you could melt her heart. She'll accept our ways before long." Cara taped up his shoulder.
"She has a brother. Even in the distant past, lupus garous targeted those who had no families so they wouldn't be missed."
"All right, so change her brother, too."
"I've already got enough trouble on my hands in the form of two new lupus garous."
"Your wound is looking much better, but I bet it hurts after that run you took for as long as you were gone." She found some medicine and handed him a glass of water. "I want to join your pack."
He choked on the pills. "I thought you didn't like pack politics." All he needed was another female alpha upstart in the pack. Although they were always short on females, and she might entice some of the rest of his pack to return.
She smiled and wound a dark curl around her finger. "I didn't like my pack's politics. But I'm intrigued with yours. Besides, you need some help with these new guys. I don't think your sister is interested in showing them the ropes."
"Don't push Ashton too hard."
"Hmm, he's an awfully interesting candidate. The vote is still out on him. But I'll let you know one way or another what I decide."
"I mean it. He doesn't understand our rules, even though I've explained them to him. Don't force him on this."
"As in seduce him? I'll try not to."
Someone banged on the bathroom door. "Are you going to hog the bathroom all night, Hunter?" Meara scolded. "Why don't you use the master bathroom since you'll be sleeping in the master's bedroom anyway?"
Cara patted Hunter on the chest. "Yep, you could use my help."
Hunter opened the bathroom door, brushed past his sister, and stalked into the living room. Time to settle matters between him and Tessa and get a good night's sleep.
Tessa was speaking low to Rourke while she helped him make a bed on the couch. Hell, couldn't Rourke make his own damned bed?
She gave Hunter a cursory glance and then ignored him. He shared a look with Rourke that meant he had better not be getting any ideas about Tessa either.
Rourke quickly caught the message. "I can do the rest of this. Thanks, Tessa."
Hunter seized Tessa's hand. "We'll be leaving early in the morning, Rourke, so get a good night's sleep."
Before Tessa could object, Hunter hauled her down the hall.
Cara winked at her from the entrance to Michael's bedroom. "Sleep tight."
Meara was already running the shower in the guest bathroom, and Ashton had gone to bed. Hunter hoped Ashton could resist Cara's charms if he didn't truly want her in the event the woman decided to seduce him after all.
In Tessa's bedroom, Hunter released her hand and shut the door.
She folded her arms and glowered at him. "What, Hunter? What do you want from me? I'm not in the habit of having flings with guys I've just met. And since you've made it abundantly clear you're leaving as soon as you fulfill your promise, I don't want you staying in here with me any longer."
Hunter motioned to the window. "If I leave you alone, the stalker could try to break in. So I'm staying with you, end of discussion."
"That's it? That's all the reason you're giving for wanting to sleep with me?" Her eyes flamed hotter than a fire's blue flame.
"That's a pretty damned good reason."
She whirled around and headed for the master bathroom, walked inside, and slammed the door.
He raised his brows. If he didn't know better, he would think Tessa was going through her first wolf's heat. Women.
He yanked off his shoes, sweatshirt, and pants and climbed into bed. Why couldn't women be more like men? More... logical? Surely, she could see how he needed to be here for her protection after all that had happened. He pulled the covers to his waist.
She took forever in the shower and even longer drying her hair. The mattress in Michael's bedroom began to squeak, the bed frame banging lightly against the opposite wall. Hunter shook his head.
Tessa came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of pink flannel pajamas covered in red lips and pink hearts and a pair of fuzzy pink, red and white striped socks. She again folded her arms and gave him an icy look, although her bedroom attire ruined her angry effect. Not only that, but if she thought wearing pj's hid that sexy body of hers, she was mistaken.
Even now her nipples stood out against the soft fabric, and he was ready to tackle her, drag her to bed, and ravish her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Michael's bed banged violently against the wall, making her hesitate and glance in that direction. Hunter smiled.
She snorted. "Great. I hope that doesn't go on all night. Why don't you just move the dresser in front of the window like we did in Michael's room? Then you can stay with Rourke and you won't have to baby-sit me."
"Come on, Tessa. Get in bed. Heater's off. The room's cold. Join me under the covers and get warm."
"I'm warm enough." She jerked her covers aside and climbed into bed.
"Do you always wear such sexy nightclothes?"
She gave him a derisive hmpf back. He chuckled. "I thought all women wore T-shirts to bed."
"Have you been with a lot?"
As many years as he had lived, yes. But in the scheme of things, no. And certainly not recently. The worst was during the Victorian era. Although some of the ladies were daring enough to strip down to bare skin, some insisted they remain fully dressed in their long nightgowns while he satisfied them. Pj's were certainly no obstacle. "There's been no one for a long time, Tessa."
And never anyone as special as her.
"I wear pajamas in the winter because I don't like to waste electricity heating the place at night."
"Hmm-hmm."
"What? You think I'm just wearing these because you're here? I usually sleep alone and that's why I wear warm pj's."
"Snuggle with me, Tessa. Then we'll both be warm."
She didn't say anything. He waited for her to come to him like she had done before, but she didn't.
"I don't wear T-shirts in the summer either," she finally remarked.
Nude, that's the way he liked his women, but he didn't figure Tessa ever went to bed like that. "So if you don't wear pajamas in the summertime, do you slide naked into a bed of satin sheets?"
She offered a derisive chuckle. "Right."
"I'll have to visit you in the summer then."
She remained silent.
"Come on, Tessa. I'm getting cold."
"Put Michael's sweatshirt on then."
Fine. He took the initiative. He knew he shouldn't. She was right in trying to keep the distance between them. But he also recognized she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms, but she remained rigid. He tried to caress her hair, but a twinge of pain streaked through his shoulder, and he groaned.
The tension seemed to drain from her spine, and she melted in his embrace. "You shouldn't have carried that load of firewood up to the house. What were you trying to prove? How macho you are to the other guys? They weren't injured as badly as you. You could use some common sense."