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“Mmm,” I said. “Sore, but...so good.”
“Went pretty rough on you. You sure you’re all right?” His hand—his human hand—stroked my hair.
“I’m fine,” I said, but then a chill sent a tremor through my body. “A little cold,” I added.
He pulled me tighter against him in answer to the complaint, his slightly higher body temperature fending off a bit of the chilly night and damp forest floor. As my senses returned to me, I realized my clothes had been torn to shreds.
I reached behind me to touch Cole’s hip. “Uh...Cole, how do we get back home?”
“I parked the car next to the forest,” he said. “And I’ll carry you back to the entrance—”
“No,” I said. “I mean, I’m totally fucking naked.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “I have a bag stashed about a mile away from the tree line. It has a first aid kit, water bottles, some chocolate, and a fresh set of super comfy pajamas.”
“You brought all of that?” I said, turning my head to look back at him.
“Of course,” he said. “Marley, you know I don’t fuck around with safety. Not ever. And regardless of whether or not this was a biological drive of mine, I knew it would be incredibly intense and challenging for both of us. Aftercare is a crucial part of all of this. Especially when I just hunted you down like an animal.”
I worried my lower lip between my teeth. “Yeah.”
“So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, are you okay?” he asked again.
I gave him the courtesy of at least thinking it over more this time, replaying the experience from start to finish, checking in on myself at each stage with the clear view of hindsight.
“The knot hurt like hell,” I muttered.
He sobered and brushed my hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said gently. “We don’t have to ever do it again if you don’t want to.”
“I think I would like to try it again, but could we have more time next time? Maybe some more foreplay to help get me ready for it?”
“That’s more than a reasonable request,” he said. “Do you feel distressed over how much it hurt? Do you feel like you need to get support from anyone else or get some space from me? Do you feel frightened of me or anything?”
I was surprised by the honesty of his questions. Never in a thousand years would Wyatt have ever asked me if I needed distance or outside help if he hurt me, accidentally or otherwise. “No. I wasn’t afraid—not in the way I’d be of someone like Curt or Wyatt. I mean, I was intimidated and experiencing the adrenaline rush of being hunted down, but I never once feared that you would hurt me beyond repair. Except, I’m worried you may have, uh...”
“Made you bleed?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “From a medical standpoint, that could be dangerous if we overdo it.”
“I did tear you a little bit. I smelled the tinge of your blood right after I came. It probably happened when I pulled the knot out, and that might be why we’re still stuck together. Inflammation and all that.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry for bleeding on you,” I said.
“Firstly, don’t ever apologize for something silly like that. Secondly, I didn’t smell a lot of blood. I just happen to be very primed toward your scent in particular. And, uh, I got a whole lot of exposure to the smell of your blood a little while ago.” Sadness tinged his words.
“Cole, I…ugh, I wish I could look at you while I talk to you,” I grumbled.
He laughed softly, his breath gusting faintly against my cheek. “Should we try to separate?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Please.”
It took a little negotiating, but he managed to slide himself out of me without hurting me. Once I was free, I turned around to face him. He bent his arm to act as a pillow for me, staying on his side as I snuggled back into his body heat. I looked up at him, and he brushed his hand through my hair again, his eyes full of love and back to the color I was used to.
“You can’t blame yourself for Wyatt hurting me,” I said. “I know you feel responsible for it, but you’re not. And it breaks my heart that you think it’s your fault.”
“Biological drive, sweetheart. I’m hard-wired to want to protect you,” he said. “And the truth of it all is that I failed to do that when I let you go to your old place without me. You could have…if you hadn’t fought...”
“But I did fight,” I said. “And I’ll continue to fight. Just like I fought you.”
