Nodding, she slapped her own bag of blood to her fangs as she watched the woman leave, pulling the door closed behind her.
Beth remained sitting upright until the bag was empty, and then ripped it away and took Scotty’s as he removed his own. She tossed them both into the small garbage bin next to the bedside table, and then scooted forward in the bed so that she could lie down. When she did, Beth automatically turned on her side toward Scotty. It was the side she always slept on and she did it without thinking, but then paused and stared at him.
Beth almost turned the other way rather than lie facing him, but decided it might seem rude for her to turn her back to him, so she remained where she was and watched silently as he popped another bag of blood to his fangs. She examined his face as he fed. Scotty had his eyes closed, but she noticed lines were beginning to form around them, and his jaw was tightening with each passing moment. The blood he was taking in was speeding up the healing, rushing it along and increasing his pain, she realized, and frowned.
By the time Scotty switched the second empty bag for the third bag of blood, his hand was shaking, and Beth couldn’t take it anymore. She hated knowing he was in such agony and there was nothing she could do about it. She was actually relieved when he tugged the third bag from his fangs and turned to peer at her rather than slap the last one on.
After a hesitation, Beth murmured, “Thank you for trying to save me.”
Scowling, he muttered, “It was stupid. I’d have done ye more good had I grabbed up the fire extinguisher and sprayed ye like Magnus did afterward to both of us.”
Beth grinned. “Are you suggesting you made a mistake and aren’t perfect?” she asked with mock disbelief, and then gasped, “No! Say it ain’t so!”
Scotty’s mouth twitched, fighting to smile, or maybe fighting not to, and he turned his head on the pillow to stare at the ceiling, muttering, “Only you would dare taunt me.”
Beth just watched him for a minute and then asked solemnly, “Is it very bad?”
“What?” he asked, glancing at her with confusion.
“The pain,” she said dryly. “What else would I be talking about?”
“Oh.” Scotty scowled at her. “Well, it is now that ye’ve got me thinkin’ o’ it.”
“Hmm.” Beth picked up the last bag of blood and offered it to him.
His mouth tightened, but Scotty took the bag and popped it to his fangs. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, however, when she immediately smiled.
“The tranquilizers don’t work on you,” she pointed out.
He grunted around the bag in his mouth.
“But I have an idea how to knock you out so you sleep through the healing.”
Rather than look interested in this idea, Scotty’s eyes narrowed even further.
That was gratitude for you. It was like he didn’t trust her or something, Beth thought with amusement, but merely asked, “What is the extent of your burns?”
That question had him blinking above the nearly full bag at his mouth.
“Is your chest burned?” she asked, and then simply tugged the blanket down to see. Problem was, she’d tucked him into bed fully clothed. Frowning now, she commented, “That can’t be very comfortable for sleeping. You’ll not relax that way. Sit up.”
Scotty shook his head at once, the blood in the bag sloshing one way, then the other as he did.
“Careful,” Beth cautioned. “You’ll tear the bag and get blood everywhere.”
Scotty just narrowed his eyes again. The closest thing to a scowl he could manage at the moment, she supposed.
“Here, I’ll make you more comfortable,” Beth said and shifted to her knees next to him so she could set to work quickly unbuttoning his shirt and tugging it from his pants. Scotty tried to stop her, grabbing at her wrists, and she knew for certain that he was in a bad way when she proved faster than him.
“I know you like to be in control, Scotty,” she said soothingly as she worked. “But this is for your own good. Think of me like a nurse. I’m just making you more comfortable.”
Beth finished undoing and opening his linen shirt, and let out a breath of relief when she saw that his chest seemed undamaged. That was something, anyway. She didn’t know if it was because when he’d leapt on her, his chest against hers, it had staunched those flames and he hadn’t been burned there, or if it had been only mildly burned and so had already healed, but she was grateful for small mercies as she turned her attention to the button and zipper of his jeans.
“You just relax, and let nurse Beth take care of everything,” she instructed him lightly as she snapped the button open, slid down the zipper and then began to work his jeans down over his hips. “I’ll have you sleeping in no time. It’s the least I can do when you got this way trying to save me.”
“Stop,” Scotty said sharply, and she glanced around to see that the final bag was empty and he had ripped it from his mouth. “Nay. I do no’ want ye to do that.”
Beth sat back on her heels and peered at him with frustration. She could make him pass out and sleep through the worst of the pain with a little life mate sex. At least for a while, and she wanted to do it. She didn’t like to know he was in such pain, and . . . well . . . actually, though Beth was loath to admit it, she wanted to do it for herself too. Her body was tingling at the very thought of enjoying the shared pleasure with him again. It was like a drug, and she a drug addict who’d been without a fix for two whole very long weeks.
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Beth suddenly relaxed and smiled. He’d said no, so she couldn’t continue to touch him. That would feel too much like rape. However, there was more than one way to skin a cat . . . if it worked, she thought with sudden concern.
“What are ye thinking?” Scotty asked suspiciously. “Ye have a scheming look to ye at the moment.”
Beth blinked her thoughts away and peered at him innocently. “I don’t know what you’re on about, Scotty. I was just thinking that if you don’t want to be comfortable, that’s fine. But I do.”
“What does that mean?” he asked warily.
Beth shrugged and straightened on her knees next to him as she said, “I usually sleep in the nude.”
Scotty’s eyes widened, but he made no protest when she reached back to undo the ties of the hospital gown. He also remained silent when she next settled to sit on her haunches and let the gown shimmy down her arms to pool in her lap, leaving her breasts bare.
“I was badly burned everywhere,” Beth told him quietly, peering down at her own chest rather than meet his gaze. She had been naked in front of a lot of men, but for some reason having him look at her in that moment made her shy. Clearing her throat, she continued, “But I healed nicely.”
Beth followed the words up by slowly sliding her hands up to cup her own breasts as if to display them.
“Don’t you think?” she asked, not surprised to hear her accent thickening. It always did when she was excited or angry or anxious.