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He chuckled again, the sound full of love. “You really threw me for a loop when you came straight at me. If I’d known you were going to do that, I would have waited somewhere else.”
“I’m afraid the one who really paid for that decision was that pine tree.”
“Absolutely fucking crazy,” he said. “I still can’t believe I managed to fell a tree with just my body.”
“How did you do that, anyway?” I asked. “Where did you find the strength?”
“I had to get to you,” he said. “Luckily, I managed it before you got hurt.”
I smiled up at him. “You saved me from the world’s most prickly Slip and Slide.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t wind up skewered by more of those pine needles.”
“Critical mass—too many needles to be pokey,” I teased. “It’s basically ball bearings at that point.”
“And then you still tried to get away,” he said. “I had you underneath me, and you scrambled up and got away!”
I gasped, remembering that my heel had clipped his chin. “Oh, shit, Cole, is your chin okay?”
“A little bruised, nothing my beard can’t hide. It’ll heal tonight.”
I covered my mouth with my hands. “God, Cole. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “I knew the risks. Frankly, I came out of this much less battered than I expected. Can’t say the same for you, which I feel pretty bad about, but...”
“I knew the risks,” I said, mirroring him. “Can we go home? I’m tired and hurting. I just want to go back to being your mate and snuggle with you all night.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll carry you back, okay?”
I nodded, sitting up so that he could do just that. He put on his tattered boxers and jeans while I hugged my legs close to me, trying to retain as much body heat as I possibly could.
Cole picked me up bridal-style as he usually did. I was especially grateful for it this time because it helped me stay warm. After trudging through the forest for a while, we reached the river, where Cole’s shirt hung from a tree. He put me on my feet, then slipped the shirt onto me.
I thanked the wardrobe gods that Cole had opted to wear a flannel shirt after his day in the suit. It warmed up quickly and was large enough to practically be a dress on me. I was still chilly, especially my legs and feet, but my teeth weren’t chattering anymore.
The warmth of Cole’s arms under me and his chest next to my cheek nearly lulled me to sleep as he traversed the woods. Just as my eyes threatened to close, we reached the bag Cole had stashed near a dilapidated picnic table.
Cole then started taking care of the little cuts and scrapes I’d gotten during this whole experience. There were several small puncture wounds from his claws, some scrapes from my falls and tumbles, a few blisters on the ball of my foot, and a couple of bruises from when he’d been a little too rough. He cleaned and bandaged what he could, then used arnica cream on the bruises.
“I’ll help you care for the micro-tears when we get home,” he said. “Make sure they’re clean, and maybe put an ice pack on them.”
“I can clean myself, thank you,” I said. “Also, did you just suggest putting an ice pack on my cooter?”
“Did you just call it a cooter?” he quipped back.
“I am at liberty to call my vagina anything I want.”
“Exactly. So why the fuck would you pick cooter?”
“What would you call it?”
“Oh, are we naming your genitals now?” His lips quirked as he tried to hide his smile. “How about...Hannah?”
“No! We’re not naming it!” I rolled my eyes. “There aren’t many charming words to describe a woman’s bits.”
“Sure, there are,” he said. “Pussy is a decent one.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I hate that one.”
