Wounds to Bear (Heart of The Bear #1)(9)

After a long wait, where she knew he was arguing with himself, he finally took her hand. She pulled him to his feet, unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans before she turned him around. Revealing what she guessed was a spectacular ass would be much easier on her already aroused self than seeing that beautiful erection again, in her face, close enough to—

Stop it.

She slid the jeans down, absolutely right about the spectacular ass, held his right arm as he carefully stepped clear of them, and helped him slide under the covers. Once he was settled, and his lower half covered, she picked up the glass of water she’d brought with her, along with the syringe she had prepared in her exam room.

“I want you to drink all of this. The antibiotic is going to dehydrate you some, so I like to do a little preventive medicine.”

“I like the way you think, Doc.”

His unexpected compliment had her blushing. Again. Damn, she needed to have some kind of defense against this man. He’d already worked his way in, too far, too fast. Once he finished, she set the glass aside and lifted the syringe.

“This is going to hit you pretty fast, so I’ll say goodnight now.”

“Can I have a kiss?”

He looked so unbelievably sexy, his amber eyes hooded, dark stubble shadowing his cheeks, that Jenna couldn’t resist.

“One kiss.” She sat next to him and leaned down. “Just one, Roman.”

“All I need, Doc.”

She brushed her lips over his—and let out a gasp when his right arm caught her around the waist and he pulled her against his chest.

His mouth opened under hers, his tongue tracing the line of her lips before he pushed his way inside, tangling with her tongue in a slow, aching kiss that sent wave after wave of heat straight to her core. He slid his hand across her back, his fingers curling around her waist. She’d always been surprised by how small it was, especially since the women in her family tended to be square.

She moaned when his hand kept going, over the curve of her hip, and around to cup her ass. The kiss changed, deeper, wilder. It took every ounce of restraint she had left not to straddle him right here, take him inside her and ride him until they both lost control.

Just the image of that left her breathless, and she pulled away, needing distance, needing to not be touching him.

“Jenna—”

“Time for your shot.” She swabbed his arm, slipped the needle in, and pushed the plunger down, letting the antibiotic do its work. “Good night, Roman.”

“You promised.” His voice has already started to slur. “You promised to sleep with me.”

“I did, and I will. I just want to get Leo and Chrissy settled first. I’ll be back, like I said. Now close your eyes.”

He did, and she watched his body finally relax under the influence of the sedative she’d slipped into his water. Guilt poked at her, but she knew he wouldn’t relax on his own. This way, he’d at least get a few hours before he started overexerting himself again.

Once she knew he was asleep, she crept out of the bedroom and shut the door. Next up, two tired children to tuck in.

She walked into the kitchen—and halted, biting back a smile. Poor Chrissy looked like she was going to fall asleep with the spoon in her hand.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Jenna kept her voice gentle, so she didn’t startle the girl. Chrissy turned her head, a smile crossing her face.

“Jenna! The stew smells so yummy, but I’m too tired to eat it.”

“How about a nice slice of bread and butter? You can eat it while I clean you up, then you can fall right into bed.”

“Okay.”

“Can I have that, too, Jenna?”

She smiled at Leo. “You bet.”

Holding out a hand to each of them, she led the two exhausted kids into her spare bedroom, silently thanking Grey for leaving the twin beds here. She sat them both down on one bed.

“I’ll be right back. There are some t-shirts in the dresser if you want to change into something clean.”

Leo nodded, his dark eyes sober. Jenna brushed his cheek, then did the same to Chrissy before she left. God, they had seen too much, been through too much. She hoped their families would help lead them back to the carefree kids she knew they had been before this nightmare day.

She quickly buttered two pieces of bread and hurried back, not wanting to leave them alone too long—and halted in the doorway. Both of them were curled up on one bed, Chrissy snuggled in Leo’s arms, and they were sound asleep.

Jenna set the bread on the nightstand, grabbed a blanket off the other bed, and gently spread it over them. After making sure they didn’t wake, she took off her shoes and trousers, then slipped under the sheet of the second bed, turning to face them. She had promised Roman she would return, but he’d be dead to the world for hours, and she didn’t want to leave these two alone, in case one of them woke up in the night.


The last few hours finally caught up with her, and she drifted off.





***





“Chrissy! Chrissy, where are you?”

The panicked female voice jerked Jenna out of restless sleep. She sat, realizing who it must be, and quickly pulled on her trousers before she moved out of the bedroom.

“Hello. You must be Chrissy’s mom.”

The woman was an adult version of Chrissy—blonde, petite, pretty. She was also dirty, exhausted, and obviously scared. “Is she here? Is my Chrissy here?”