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He could take care of one chore. “There are wet wipes in the glove box. Will you get them for me?”
She flinched when he spoke but quickly pulled herself together. “Sure.” Her fingers fumbled the handle, but she got it open. Rather than hand him the package, she opened it and pulled out one wipe. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth. “Can I help?”
“I need to get rid of the dried blood.” It was something he could easily do himself, but she needed the reassurance she was safe with him. And, frankly, he needed her touch.
His wolf clawed at him, ready to hunt down and slaughter everyone who was a threat. He’d never been deadlier or more on edge. Her mere presence soothed him in ways he couldn’t explain.
Leaning closer, she stroked the wet cloth over his arm from his bicep to his wrist. His dick sprang to attention as if begging for the same attention. “There’s not even a mark.”
The awe in her voice made him uncomfortable. He liked that she treated him as if he was normal. No, that wasn’t the right word. She didn’t treat him like he was a monster, fleeing in terror. Nor was she grasping and calculated when it came to sex, as if he was nothing more than a conquest to be bragged about to friends. They laughed and talked and argued. Yes, she was afraid of him at times. It would be silly not to be. He was no tame human male. In bed, she gave as much as she took, treating him as if she genuinely cared about him and his pleasure.
She poked her finger against his skin, pulling him from his musings. “There were three long gashes here. I saw them.”
“I’m a fast healer.”
She began to rub the area until no sign of blood remained. “It’s more than fast. It was almost instantaneous.”
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. That wasn’t the only thing that was instantaneous. He was in danger of popping the zipper on his jeans. “There’s blood on my chest, too.” Shit, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. When she paused, he hurried on. “Forget it. I’ll take care of it later.” Talk about a glutton for punishment. There was no point getting more worked up than he already was. Not while navigating the city streets—a pain in the ass at the best of times.
“No, I’ve got this.” Tossing aside the used wet wipe, she tugged another from the package. Keeping his eyes on the road, his stomach muscles clenched when she pushed up the hem of his shirt. The cool, wet brush of the cloth did nothing to dispel the heat radiating from him. He jerked and groaned.
She pulled back. “Does it hurt?”
“Not in the way you think.”
Her gaze dropped to his lap. She bit her bottom lip and glanced up, her eyes filled with burgeoning humor. “That’s got to be uncomfortable.”
“You have no idea.”
“I’ll be fast,” she promised. They stopped at a red light. Her hand slipped under his shirt. “I can’t see what I’m doing, but I’m getting most of it.”
No one had ever taken care of him after he’d been injured. No one had ever cared. Warmth that had nothing to do with the sexual heat pounding in his groin spread outward from his heart. A car horn blared behind them. The light was green. He accelerated through the intersection.
“Done.” Satisfied, she sat back.
He held out his hand. “I can take that and do my other arm.” If she kept touching him, he was going to come. Didn’t matter that he was driving and that they were in danger. His primal instincts were riding close to the surface after the fight, and Zoe was lethal.
“Right.” She handed it over and rested her head against the seat. “Where are we going? And, ah, what about the body? We can’t keep driving around with it in the back.”
He scrubbed the wipe over his arm, getting rid of the last visible signs of his temporary injuries. “There’s a pack in Manhattan. Normally, I’d dump it on them, but he might be a pack member. I’m not sure they can be trusted. The mage might have contacts there. Hell, for all I know, it may be the alpha. Same goes for the other packs.”
“There’s no one we can trust?”
“No.” There was no point in sugarcoating the situation. “We’re on our own.”
“You’re sure we can’t call the gray wolf, Kade whatever-his-name-is?”
“Alvarez. He might be involved or working his own angle.” While he’d like to believe that them all being lone wolves gave them some connection, some bond, he wasn’t stupid. He’d had closer bonds with his parents and pack. They’d had no trouble turning their backs on him.
“Then it’s just you and me. What’s our next move?”
“You’re amazing, you know that?” She should be railing at him about the unfairness of it all. The life she’d built had been ripped apart. Twice, some unknown wolf had attacked and tried to kill her.
“What I am is scared to death. I don’t understand why this is happening. All my life, I’ve never fit anywhere, never been able to make friends or forge lasting bonds with people. Now I have to wonder if that’s due to magic. I’m a loner, like you. Is that another link between us, besides the obvious physical ones? Is the connection I feel to you nothing more than some—” She broke off and threw her hands up. “I don’t know, some spell?”
“No.” Her concern mirrored his but hearing her say it aloud hit a discordant note. “No,” he repeated with more certainty. “Maybe they manipulated our meeting. Hell, it’s likely magic is responsible for your coloring, for our paths crossing.” He reached across the console and took her hand in his. “But whatever I feel for you has nothing to do with some mage’s trick. It has to do with you—who you are.”
Rather than reassure her, she grew even more pensive. “What if that’s the point? If some mage has manipulated us both and is using me to bring about your downfall? Stop the truck.” Voice shaking, she unsnapped her seat belt. Her face was ashen.
