“You’ll fall on your face.” He didn’t wait for more protests, what was the use? He’d helped to get them into this situation, and she couldn’t help what she was any more than he could. He reached for her. She closed her eyes. He knew why the instant he touched her.
The sensation of silk and satin slid over him. Into him. Need crawled through his body in a slow, desperate burn. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest. He’d walked through a hail of gunfire with a friend over his shoulder, he could carry a featherweight a few feet to a bathroom.
He tried not to feel the way her body melted into his or the silk of her hair brushing over nerve endings, setting them on fire. She really was the perfect weapon. She could feel seductive even when she was so ill. He couldn’t imagine what she would be like when she was perfectly healthy and wanted to seduce a man – but he found himself a little desperate to find out.
He took her into the small, very tidy guest bathroom closest to the parlor. Nonny had insisted on a bathroom for guests. She had a private bathroom upstairs and a much larger one for all her grandsons to share growing up, but she had been very vocal about needing one just for guests. He couldn’t blame her. The downstairs bathroom the boys shared had always been in a state of chaos, although if it got too bad, Nonny would hand them all cheap toothbrushes and tell them to go to work.
The guest bathroom was charming and always smelled sensational. Nonny used a mixture of flowers and herbs to create the scents she used throughout the house. The moment they both inhaled, some of the terrible need faded, giving them a bit of a respite.
“My grand-mere is the real genius in the family,” Wyatt said, attempting normal conversation. He set Pepper on her feet. “Can you really do this by yourself? I am a doctor. I’d do my best to be impersonal.” He had to admit the truth. Stripping her down would be anything but impersonal, but he’d give it his best shot.
“I’ll have to ask her what blend she used. I watched her coming into the wonderful piece of swamp with all the wildflowers and herbs planted together, and she always knew exactly what she wanted. She fascinates me.”
“You’re goin’ to fall on your face if I let go of you, aren’t you?” He dropped his hands to her jeans and unzipped them, not looking at her face. “I’ll turn away.” He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her jeans and stripped her, forcing himself to keep his gaze to himself. Still, his thumb brushed bare skin along her hips and thighs, and he knew he would carry that sensation for a long time in his body.
“This is humiliating,” she said between clenched teeth. “I’m never going to be able to look at you again.”
“That’s too bad, woman, because I intend to be lookin’ a lot in your direction,” he said. The declaration slipped out before he could stop it, and he knew he was in trouble.
“Wyatt.” Her voice was soft.
He didn’t turn around, keeping his back to her like he promised, but the way she said his name, all soft and silky, a husky, sensual whisper of pure seduction, a lure he couldn’t get out of his head. No matter how hard he tried to control himself, his body still responded to her voice. He sent up a silent curse that he’d been born so susceptible to sound.
“I’m not a woman you can ever get mixed up with. I don’t even know what part of me is real anymore. I don’t want to hurt you. The moment I’m back to full strength, I’m taking Ginger and leaving. I have to find a way to get the other two babies out and find a safe home where I can protect them.”
“We’re goin’ to help you get those babies out of there,” Wyatt said. “And we’ll talk about the rest. How hard are they goin’ to come lookin’ for all of you?”
She flushed the toilet and he felt her move, staggering to her feet. He whipped around and steadied her, his hands on her slim waist. The moment his hands touched her silky bare skin, his cock reacted, an urgent, wicked demand involving pain as he grew hard and thick, nearly bursting the material of his jeans. He didn’t care. He didn’t move his hands, just let the heat from all ten fingers sink into her, branding her with him.
She gasped. Even as sick as she was, as weak as she was, she felt it too. He could tell by the shiver that went through her body. He knew women. He knew when one was attracted to him. There was satisfaction in the knowing. He forced air through his lungs.
“Don’ fall,” he cautioned.
Wyatt waited until she felt steadier and then he tugged up her clothes, fastening them as she leaned into him and washed her hands in the sink, all the while studiously avoiding looking at him.