Cooper didn’t let himself get distracted as he cleaned Jada, running his hands and the washcloth down her long legs and back up, paying a little more attention to her breasts than maybe was strictly required. He scrubbed himself without nearly as much care, though Jada murmured something about him turning around. And then she ran the washcloth down his back, caressing away the blood that still lingered on his skin. Cooper reached his arms back so he could still touch her, sliding his palms over her hips. He couldn’t get enough of her. If the water hadn’t started to cool, he probably would have insisted on washing her hair again, then washing his, then scrubbing every inch of her skin one more time.

But eventually he had to turn off the water, grumbling with enough regret that Jada laughed, leaning against him as Cooper reached for the towels. She wrapped her hair up in a hand towel, doing some sort of mysterious twist that made it stay up on its own. Cooper wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the tub, helping her out so she didn’t slip. Jada peeked out to make sure Francine still slept, then slipped into the room to retrieve pajamas from her bag.

Cooper followed, yawning, and paused to pick up a lukewarm steak to gnaw on as he watched Jada slip into baggy sweatpants and T-shirt, layering it with a sweatshirt as she shivered. He went to the thermostat and cranked up the heat, absently rubbing at his hair with another hand towel as he went to the window to peer into the darkness. He shouldn’t have silhouetted himself against the window like that, but at least anyone watching would know he was alert and moving around. The wolves might have tried to break into the room if they thought he was too injured—or dead—to move.

Bags rustled as Jada started to clear the food and bandages and everything else off the bed, but Cooper flipped back the covers on the side not next to the door and shooed her toward it. “I’ll take care of this. You lie down and get some rest.”

“But—” she started, interrupted by a huge yawn. “I can help—”

Cooper grinned as he sauntered over and caught her face in his hands, kissing her until she held onto his forearms and made a soft sound against his lips. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, murmuring against her mouth, “I want to see you all snuggled up in bed, waiting for me. Even if I can’t do anything more about it tonight.”

And he winked, so she’d know what he meant. Color bloomed in her cheeks and she smiled back, a little hesitantly. Cooper didn’t want to let her go, instead wrapping his arms around her to try and warm her up. “Are you cold?”

Her voice was muffled against his chest, so Cooper walked her over to her side of the bed. “Say that again, babe.”

“My feet,” she said. Jada yawned and slid under the sheets, stretching out and moving the pillows around. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine...”

He returned with a fresh pair of his socks before she finished talking, and Jada laughed softly as he fished her feet out from under the covers and put the socks on her. She watched him, bemused. “What would you do if I asked for hot cocoa or a piece of that pie or something?”

“I’d get it for you.” He winked and waggled his eyebrows at her, missing her smile. “That pie sounds like a great idea, though.”

Her cheeks went even pinker and she slid low in the bed, pulling the sheets up to conceal her mouth. “You’re terrible, Cooper. And you should be resting, not... getting other ideas.”

Francine abruptly snorted in her sleep and rolled over, heaving a sigh and mumbling, and Cooper froze. He waited to make sure the kid was still asleep, then tweaked the end of Jada’s nose before taking care of the discarded plates and food and bundling all the bandages and stuff away to dispose of later. He didn’t want to leave too much behind, in case the wolves could use it to track them later, but Jada was definitely right—he needed to rest. Whatever energy he’d mustered to have fun in the shower with his wife had long since drained away.

He tossed aside his towel as he searched his bag, facing away from the bed, unmindful that Jada might be looking at him. He wanted her to look at him, to get used to seeing him in the room with her, getting ready for bed. It felt domestic and settled and just right. Cooper found some sweatpants and T-shirt and his own pair of socks, checking the thermostat one more time before he flipped off the lights and crawled into bed next to her.

Jada squeaked as he caught her around the waist and dragged her into the curve of his body, wanting to make sure she didn’t get chilled, and he tucked the covers in around her before kissing the back of her neck. “Good night, Jada.”

“Good night,” she said, all soft and sleepy, and his heart melted even more as she played with his fingers where his arm curled around her.

It was just a blink before her breathing deepened and slowed, and he knew she slept.

Despite his fatigue, sleep eluded Cooper. He stared into the darkness and the wall opposite the bed, trying to get a plan in order for the next few days. They still had at least a week of driving. If luck was with them, Simon and the guys could meet them halfway and help get Jada and Francine safely back to the cabin. If they weren’t lucky, the wolves would catch them in the truck in the next day or so, and Cooper would have to fight them off all over again. It would be a slow damn race across the country at that rate.

He tried to remember the route he’d taken on his way east, wondering if there were any places that might be better suited for confronting the wolves than dragging them all the way back to the cabin. Cooper still couldn’t figure out why the pack bothered coming after them, even a week out from the mountain. Whatever had been between the wolves and the leopards, or the wolves and the bears, wasn’t enough to drive the pack completely across the country. If they were after Jada, Cooper didn’t know what else to do to dissuade the wolves. He didn’t want to kill them all, but he would if he had to.

She shivered a little and burrowed deeper under the covers, so Cooper folded his half of the comforter over her to give her an extra layer.

Cooper exhaled and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. As soon as the breakfast coolers were delivered, Cooper would get everyone packed into the truck and on the road. He’d drive as far as physically possible, then switch with Jada so she could drive. If they kept moving and didn’t stop for anything but gas, they could probably meet up with Simon and Tate and everyone in three to four days. He didn’t want to ask Jada to drive, but he got the feeling she wouldn’t like letting him drive, not after what Ethan said. They’d have to compromise.

Maybe he should have called back to the family, to his father, to ask what the fuck was going on with the wolves. Surely the bears and leopards would know more about why the wolf pack pursued them. And if they didn’t, then maybe Cooper and Jada could get a little credit for solving that particular problem for both of their families. No doubt with the wolves out of the way, the bears and leopards could divide up the remaining territory and do away with the treaty so no one else ended up married against their will.

Not that it had turned out poorly for him and Jada. She’d had her doubts, and so had he, but Cooper figured they’d both worked through a lot. He still wanted to give her her own room at the cabin, but it seemed far more likely that she’d be inclined to live in his room. At least until he could build a cabin for them somewhere on the property. He’d never appreciated how much the others wanted privacy with their mates until he and Jada were trying to keep things down to avoid waking up Francine. He smiled to himself and bit back a smile. Soundproofing would be a must, since he didn’t ever want to stifle her sweet music ever again. She’d reacted in delightful ways with a little dirty talk and some gentle orders, and Cooper could practically feel her reservations and hesitations melting away. Jada hadn’t even blinked before crawling into bed and curling up with him. He’d expected that to take months.

Maybe he owed the wolves a thank-you card for moving things along.

Cooper made sure Jada still slept before he rolled to his back, staring up at the ceiling as sleep continued to elude him. The bear remained relatively silent in the back of his head, though all of him was ready for a fight. His back ached with the remnants of the bullets, but it wasn’t enough to really bother him. Even if Ethan thought he could dig more of the crap out, Cooper didn’t see a reason to unless the doc thought it would cause long-term damage. Although... He glanced over at Jada and started to grin. If he could convince her to be his nurse again, it might be worth it. Maybe he could find her a sexy nurse’s uniform to wear as she took care of him.

He chuckled and rolled back over to spoon her as his eyelids finally drooped. It sounded like the best idea he’d had all year. He could start working on a limp, maybe play it up, and convince her to give him a massage or a bath or help him with all kinds of things. Cooper let his mind wander before he finally drifted off to sleep.