Hadley

“What’s that?” His voice was low and rough, like gravel on concrete. It rolled over her nerves, simultaneously soothing and arousing.

Hadley’s excursion into the bizarre shifter world had her completely off balance. Her best friend was in love with a Mastiff, there were bears fighting cougars, and cougars biting bears. And the sexiest male she’d ever met sprawled before her, awaiting her medical care.

“This one a powerful antibiotic. The other is a high dose of ibuprofen.” Hadley said handing him the pills. “I don’t have the equipment to set up an IV, so this is the best I can do.”

Hunter popped the pill dry and winced as he swallowed.

“Let me get you a drink,” Hadley said. “You need to keep your fluids up.”

“That’s what she said.”

Hadley chose to ignore his sophomoric comment and rummaged around the kitchen until she found a supply of bottled water. She grabbed three and returned to the bathroom.

“Drink,” she ordered. “This might hurt,” she cautioned as she knelt down. “I need to cut around the deepest part so I can ensure the area is clean. You don’t want the infection getting into the shoulder joint.”

Hunter grunted and took a long swallow of water. His brown eyes watched her cautiously as she prepared her instruments.

“Talk to me,” he said, settling down in the too-small tub.

“Cats have very sharp canine teeth,” Hadley began, mentally calming herself for the procedure she was about to perform. She snapped her gloves on and picked up her small scalpel out of the iodine solution. “Their mouths are full of bacteria. Because the teeth are small and pointy, it essentially injects bacteria deep into the puncture wound. The skin heals, but the bacteria is still in there, causing all kinds of mischief.”

She worked as she talked, periodically using a squirt bottle with saline to clean the area. “One of the most serious is called . I can only presume that shifters have the same markers as their animal counterparts.”

“You didn’t study shifters in school, doc?”

Hadley smiled up at him. It seemed the antibiotic was doing its job. “I’m not a doctor,” she corrected. “I’m a nurse practitioner.”

Hunter grinned at her. “So, this pasteurizing multiplex is serious?”

“Pasteurella multocida. And yes, it can kill you,” Hadley said. “We generally see more house cat bites which wouldn’t go so deep into the shoulder like this. But there have been a few cases of people getting in the way of a big cat’s teeth. One developed pyogenic arthritis of the shoulder after a lion bite.”

“Yeah, that would get in the way of my bear,” he said. He looked over to where Hadley sat intently cleaning the wound. “And the other?”

“The other guy was attacked by an adult Bengal. The patient developed purulent meningitis within hours of being bitten. Since it’s been a few days and you haven’t succumbed to meningitis, I think you’re fine. But if you develop a fever, I’ll have to get you to an ER.” Hadley looked at him, trying to impress the seriousness of his case. “In both situations, the organism was inoculated directly into the joint by the deeply penetrating canine teeth of the cats.”

“Always knew I hated cats,” Hunter grumbled.

Hunter healed before her eyes. As she talked, cleaned, and inspected the wound, his color returned. His control returned. And his mouth grew bold.

“Of course, if you wanted to take a nibble on me, there’s the other shoulder,” he teased.

Hadley bit back a smile. “You’re feeling better,” she remarked.

“Shifters are fast healers,” Hunter said, eyes closed and seemingly relaxed. He didn’t even flinch when she dug into the wound.

“The antibiotics help, too.” Hadley pursed her lips as she worked, never taking her eyes off the badly infected tissue surrounding the bite marks. “What made you become a shifter?”

He was quiet so long, Hadley wondered if Hunter had passed out. She looked up, surprised to see his dark eyes watching her.

“I was a small kid.” One corner of his mouth kicked up in a rueful grin. “That probably shocks you, huh? I didn’t pick up height until well after puberty. But I’d been picked on my whole life. It sucked.”

“You joined the Army at eighteen?”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah, wasn’t a lot of opportunity in my neighborhood. I was in and out of trouble. Just another punk kid, you know? No dad, no one to look up to. No ambition.”

“Seems to me the Army would require some ambition,” Hadley remarked.

“It was more like a means to an end. I have a younger sister, and I wanted better for her than I had. The Army offered me at least a four-year paycheck where I could help my mom out.”

Hadley was touched by his generosity. She couldn’t imagine a private in the Army made a lot of money.

“I’ve never met anyone in the Shifter Special Forces,” she said. His wound was clean but, for some reason, she couldn’t stop touching him. Using the gentle motions of her hands to calm them both down.

“The money was better,” Hunter said. “And the money, if I died in the line of duty, was enough to pay for my sister’s college education. I couldn’t turn it down.”

“Why a bear?” she asked, even though she suspected the answer.

“They’re strong. Powerful. A true apex predator. Nothing messes with a grizzly.”

Hadley smiled and touched the claw marks on his chest. “You need to tell that to your friend.”

Hunter chuffed. “Fuckin’ Cree. He has no sense of humor.”

“How does he look? Do I need to treat him, too?”

Hunter looked down. “I might have scratched him up a bit.” He lifted his hands. “Six-inch claws can do some damage.”

“I bet.” Now that the immediate danger had passed, Hunter was proving to be a model patient. He let her finish probing, disinfecting, and debriding his shoulder.

As she worked, however, Hadley couldn’t help but notice he was a healthy male in his prime. Broad, muscular shoulders connected to biceps the size of cantaloupes. A smattering of curling chest hair trailed intriguingly down to his treasure trail. And the treasure trail lead to…holy crap!

That was one path she didn’t think she’d get lost taking.

She cleared her throat, feeling suddenly tight in her own skin. Was it getting warm in the small bathroom or was it just her?

“Are you hot?” she asked, taking off one glove and touching his forehead.

“Burning up,” Hunter said, but his eyes were clear from fever.

When Hadley rose to get her thermometer to make sure, Hunter grabbed her wrist. “I’m teasing, Hadley,” he said. “I feel much better. Thank you.”

Hadley looked at where his hand encircled her wrist. Vulnerability struck first, but then she noticed his grip wasn’t punishing. Hunter didn’t want her to leave.

Heat rose tangibly between them, but Hadley shook it off. Hunter was her patient. Period.

“Let me bandage up your wound so, it stays clean.” She checked her watch. “When was the last time you ate? Those pills can be rough on the stomach without food. Is there food in the house? Can I go get you something?”

Hunter shook his head. “It’s not safe.” He rubbed his belly, and Hadley studiously looked away from his large hand so near his large um. She blinked.

“Food,” she said, becoming unraveled by the man before her.

“I should have a cell around here somewhere,” Hunter said. “Probably in the bedroom.”

“Right,” Hadley said, looking at her hands. The tools of her trade. The wall. Anywhere but at six feet, two inches of exquisitely formed male that stood before her. “Since you’re feeling stronger, you go look for your phone and get dressed. I’ll clean up my things.”

And if Hunter’s leg brushing against her made her think of exploring miles of warm skin, Hadley chose to ignore it.

He was a bear shifter. A patient. Off-limits.

Hunter

After sending a message for Quinn to get them some burgers, Hunter sat on the bed to pull on a pair of pants. He winced with the movement but ignored it. He trusted Hadley’s treatment, and his shifter healing would do the rest.

Bal lunged inside of him, demanding to go back into the living room. Mine, the bear shouted, pushing to get through Hunter’s control.

“Not now,” Hunter ordered standing to button his jeans. He was pleased when the bear responded. He slipped his shirt over his head as he joined Hadley in the living room. She stood by the picture window, watching the sun go down.

“Beautiful,” he commented, leaving it vague as to if he was describing the sunset or Hadley. Her short blonde hair stuck up in little spikes from where she’d recently run her fingers through it. Hunter decided he liked her looking a little mussed. Frazzled.

Like she had just been ravaged by a man with a bear-like hunger.

Hadley grinned over her shoulder. “That view would be easy to get used to. When I was in college, I wanted to live near the coast. I must have been blind to never have noticed how beautiful the mountains were.”

“Less people, too.” Hunter stood behind her. He didn’t touch her. She hadn’t given him that permission yet. But he inhaled, learning her scent. Letting it seep into his pores so he could find her whenever they needed each other.

And instantly got a hardon.

Hunter adjusted his pants and retreated half a step. If Hadley shifted her weight, he didn’t want his dick to be the first thing she touched.

Okay, that was a lie. He totally wanted her to touch him. The bear part of him certainly did. But the man, still a little awkward around women, was afraid of scaring her off.

Hadley wasn’t like the barracks bunnies Hunter was used to. The tag chasers that surrounded anyone with a Special Forces badge. With them, all he needed to be was a Private, a Captain, a Major. A bear. None of those women would have dropped their routine and drive five or more hours to help a friend in the wilds of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

And yet, that’s exactly what Hadley had done after receiving a text from Lacey.

“Why don’t you have any furniture?”

“Thousand-pound brown bears aren’t exactly easy on interior design.”

Hadley turned, and he noticed her eyes were the color of a winter day. Irises so pale a shade of blue they seemed grey. Hunter found himself wanting to watch as those eyes grew heavy-lidded with pleasure. Wanted to see her pupils dilate with desire.

“Maybe your bear should be more careful,” she teased.

Hunter lifted his hand and tucked a curl behind Hadley’s ear. “Maybe I need you to teach me to be gentle.”

Hadley’s cheeks flushed a becoming shade of pink, and Hunter wished he could read her mind. “Not all women like men who are gentle.”

Her words, barely above a whisper, shot straight to Hunter’s crotch. Holy mother of Fuck, did she say that?

He traced her collarbone and enjoyed the flare of desire that surged between them. “You like it a little rough, Nurse Hadley?”

Their gazes met, held. Their breaths kissed in the waning light as both tried to make sense of the instinctual connection between them.

“I shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t doesn’t mean no,” Hunter said. He stepped closer, no longer concerned if she noticed his erection. He traced the sensitive line of her neck with his lips. “Do you like that?” His breathed his words into her ear, grinning when she shivered in response.

“You’re injured,” she reminded them. “I should pack your wound. Make sure it heals properly.”

“Your nursing skills are better than you thought,” Hunter said, his lips not leaving the delectable spot behind her ear. “I don’t even feel any pain.”

Like a magnet, they were drawn to each other. Like a man starving, Hunter longed for the taste of Hadley’s kiss. Even Bal huffed in agreement. Mine, he said.

Working on it, Hunter scolded. Be patient.

The sound of a car door slamming startled them away from the bubble of awareness that surrounded them.

“That’s Quinn with the food,” Hunter said. He turned his face away from Hadley and sniffed. “Burgers and onion rings from the Lusty Leopard.”

“I didn’t think shifters and humans were allowed to be together. Isn’t there a law against it?”

Hunter shrugged. “We have lobbyists in DC. We’re working on changing some of those laws.”

Hadley licked her lips nervously, and Hunter’s hands turned into fists with his restraint. When she was done with her lips, he had several other body parts he wanted Hadley to lick. Where was the sign-up sheet?

Hadley’s brow was furrowed in thought. “Go ahead and ask. I’d rather just answer your questions than have you go online.”

She opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “Is it true shifters are sterile?” she asked in a rush as though it were all one word.

Hunter grinned. Now he knew where Nurse Hadley’s mind was. “Not sterile. That wasn’t part of our contract. It’s highly unlikely our DNA can get our mate’s pregnant, though.”

“Mates?”

Hunter shrugged. “Girlfriend seems like a weak word.”

Hadley’s chin lifted, and her eyes met his. “Not wife?”

“Those damn laws again,” he said, his voice feeling thick in his throat. “We aren’t allowed to marry.”

She swallowed. “I see.”

“Knock, knock,” Lacey said as she and Quinn entered the cabin. “How about we eat up at the big house?” she invited. She looked around Hunter’s cabin. “Your place seems to lack certain amenities.”

“Like chairs,” Quinn supplied.

Hunter’s belly growled at the thought of food. Even if it was Cree’s bar and grill that made them. “Sure,” he said, reaching for his boots.

But as they left the cabin, Hadley hung back. “I’m not all that hungry,” she said. Hunter heard the lie in her voice but let it pass. “I’m tired from all the driving. I’m just going to take a hot shower and relax.”

She hugged Lacey and waved to Quinn and Hunter.

Hunter watched her go, testing his heart and his bear to see their response. Neither liked it.