Page 12 of A Bear's Mercy

The grimace of pain on her face was kind of a turn off, though.

Quickly, he slid his hands beneath her ribcage and her hips.

“Try to relax,” he said. “This is probably going to hurt.”

“Go ahead,” she gasped.

In one motion, he lifted her and stepped away from the table, hearing her grunt of pain through her teeth. Her legs fell as he stepped back and he lowered her, slowly, until she had both feet on the ground and he was just supporting her torso.

“Told you I was heavy,” she said. He could see the sweat beading down the back of her neck, and he fought to keep her steady without just lifting her again.

He snorted.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Trust me.”

Even with her feet on the ground, she was bent over, her back still flat, and she grabbed Daniel’s upper arm with one hand.

He swallowed. Warmth blossomed through him at her touch.

It’s nothing, he reminded himself. She’s just trying to stand.

Her other hand caught at his and he grabbed onto her tightly, moving to stand in front of her. Charlie’s eyes had gone unfocused, and he could see that she was fighting down sobs of pain, biting her lip as she did.

Gradually, she straightened up, pushing herself against his arms. She was strong, stronger than he’d thought at first. Sweat ran down her face, over her chest and between her breasts and her face went pale, but finally, she was standing.

Her hands were still in his, and she took a long, shuddering breath. Daniel glanced at her body quickly, fighting against the heat he felt rising inside him.

This is the wrong time, he thought. The wrongest possible time.

Charlie’s eyes opened, and finally they focused on him.

“Thanks,” she said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

“Of course,” he murmured.

He fought the urge to brush the sweat off of her face, or to move her hair out of her eyes, or to kiss her on the forehead.

“Could I have that quilt back?” she asked.

“Right. Yeah, of course,” Daniel said, looking at her hands still holding his, tightly. “You okay?”

Charlie took a deep breath and then released him, swaying a little and then standing on her own.

“I’m okay,” she said.

He draped the quilt around her shoulders. She had goosebumps, and Daniel remembered that it was starting to get cold — not only was he dressed while she wasn’t, but shifters tended to run hot.

“Hold on for a second,” he said, and left the room.

He went to their bedroom. Half was perfectly tidy — Kade’s military precision coming out — and the other half was his, socks and pants strewn across the floor.

Daniel stepped over two flannel shirts, a towel, and one shoe to get to the closet on his side, then yanked the door open.

After about a minute of rummaging, he found what he was after, the faded blue soft in his hands.

Really?He thought, rubbing the material with his fingers for a moment.

Then he thought of Charlie, her eyes with the gold fleck, and the deep stir she caused in him.

Really, he thought, then stood and shut the closet door.

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