Chapter 7 Thorne
THORNE
I’m trying to keep it together. Trying to hide the torrent of emotions raging inside me. But I swear, I’ve never been so fucking pissed off with myself.
How could I have let this happen?
I was in the military for twenty years, goddammit. I was trained to be on high alert. Vigilant. Hyperaware of my surroundings. Hell, I’ve lived in Crave County all my life. I know these mountains by heart, yet I still let myself get attacked by a damn cougar.
Idiot.
Clay warned me. He told me his brother had seen tracks, but I was so busy thinking about Aria that it barely registered.
She had to put herself in danger because of my own damn stupidity.
Anything could have happened. It could be Aria’s blood smeared outside in the snow right now instead of mine. The thought sinks like lead in my gut.
I’ll never forgive myself for putting her in that position.
“I’m sorry, Aria.”
She’s sitting in a chair opposite me, her hands gentle against my skin as she cleans my wounds with grim determination. There are bandages and bottles of ointment strewn all over the bathroom. She ransacked the cupboard and grabbed every first-aid supply she could find.
“Don’t be sorry,” she says, meeting my gaze. “You saved my life.”
“That’s not how I remember it. You hit it with a log. Made it get off me.”
“Well, you stopped it attacking me.” Aria’s voice trembles, but her hands are steady. “You scared it back into the woods.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’d still be cat food without you, princess.” I grit my teeth, pausing as she dabs stinging ointment onto my chest. “Cougars go for the back of the neck. If you hadn’t warned me—gotten me to turn around in time—I’d be a goner.”
“Don’t say that, Thorne.” She lets out a shuddering exhale. “You’re okay now. We both are.”
“All because of you, princess. Thank you.”
She smiles at me, cheeks pinkening. “You’re welcome.”
Then her gaze slides down to my arm. I’m pressing a clean towel against it, applying pressure to the worst wound.
Aria’s orders, of course. I’d have done it myself anyway, but it’s cute as hell when she bosses me around.
It’s even cuter when I don’t play ball and she gets all riled up.
Her cheeks go red, her nose scrunches up… it’s so fucking adorable every time.
“Moment of truth,” Aria says as she reaches for the towel and lifts it gently. “Oh, thank God.”
The wound has stopped bleeding. It’s still not a pretty sight. The skin gapes, red and ragged, burning like a motherfucker. But it doesn’t seem to faze Aria. She flushes out the wound until the water runs clear, adds more ointment, then smooths a large piece of gauze over it.
“There,” she says, drawing back to inspect her work.
I look down at my chest and arms. The cuts are still sore and angry, but they look way better now that the blood has been washed off. Only a couple needed dressing.
I got off pretty damn light.
“Thanks, Aria.” I push to my feet. “You did a great job.”
She shoots me a teasing smile. “Not bad for a city girl.”
“Not bad at all.”
She seems more relaxed now that I’m all patched up. The fear and panic have softened a little, replaced by another kind of tension as we look at each other.
We’re standing too close.
It feels like the bathroom walls are drawing in as I lock onto Aria’s big brown eyes.
She’s so damn pretty.
She’s still wearing nothing but my sweater, her pale legs exposed, and the sight of her bare skin does something to me.
Makes my blood run hot. My gaze drifts to her mouth, and the need is almost too much to bear.
I’m desperate to kiss her—tangle my hands in her soft black hair and suck on that plump bottom lip.
But Aria is already turning away.
She crouches down to clear up all the first-aid detritus. I start to help, but she insists I get some rest.
My instinct is to argue.
I don’t need rest.
I need her.
But my stubbornness softens at the concern on her face. She keeps glancing at my gauze-covered wound like she thinks my arm’s about to drop off. I don’t want her to worry about me. Hell, I owe her big time right now, so if she wants me to rest, I’ll do it.
For a little while, at least.
“Thirty minutes,” I say, heading for the bedroom. “Then I’m getting up.”
“Fine. Better than nothing.”
I slide into bed while Aria disappears into the kitchen. I hear her clattering around, the muffled sound of her voice talking on the phone to someone. Then she reappears holding two steaming mugs.
“I made hot chocolate,” she says. “Sugar is good for shock, right? I think I read that somewhere.” She sets one down on my nightstand. “I also called Crave County Wildlife Services. I found the number online. It seemed like a good idea to report a starving cougar roaming around.”
I raise an eyebrow. Calling the wildlife services was next on my list. Standard protocol around these parts, where there are plenty of wild animal sightings. I’m impressed she thought of it so fast.
“Good call,” I tell her. “You’re pretty good in a crisis, princess.”
Aria chuckles, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know about that…but thanks.”
I’m starting to think I underestimated this city girl. She’s got the face of an angel, but she’s tougher than she looks. Hell, she just ran out into the freezing cold with no pants on to throw logs at a mountain lion. That’s pretty fucking badass.
“I owe you some breakfast,” I tell her, sitting up in bed. “Gonna go make you some—”
“Thorne.” Aria rests her hands on my naked shoulders, her touch sending a bolt of electricity through my chest. “You said thirty minutes.”
My heart thumps. She’s so close to me, perched just beside my thigh. Her hands are baby soft against my skin as she tries to ease me back into bed, pushing me gently onto the mattress. My cock stirs as our eyes meet, her sweet perfume hanging in the air between us.
“Careful, princess,” I mutter. “Keep pinning me to this bed and I might get the wrong idea.”
My words catch us both off guard, slipping out before I can stop them. Aria pulls her hands away from me like she’s been burned, and I can’t help savoring the way her cheeks redden.
“You really are the most infuriating man in Crave County,” she says, pouting at me.
I fight back a smile, getting out of bed with no resistance this time.
“You’ll change your mind once you try my pancakes.”