Page 15 of Annika's Aurora

The best way he knew how to warm a person up quickly was with body heat. She was going to hate this, but it was the only way. He took her to her room and laid her on the little couch there so he wouldn’t get her bed wet. Logan took a deep breath. “Sorry about this,” he said as he commenced stripping her.

He began to push up her shirt and found a long scar on her side. It looked similar to a graze from a bullet. Brow furrowed, he pulled her shirt off completely, shock driving him back on his heels.

Fuck.Were those … gunshot wounds?

Two of them. The abrasion on her side and both an entry and exit wound on her right shoulder.

And they were recent.

Annika had been shot! Shock rolled through him, making it difficult to breathe. He drew in deep, gasping breaths. How could he not have known? Why hadn’t Johanna ever told him? This had to have happened a month ago, maybe two. And she’d never said a word. Why?

Because you acted like you wanted nothing to do with her. She was protecting her daughter from more hurt. He couldn’t blame her. He’d never asked about Annika, and she’d never volunteered any information about her.

“Christ, Annika. You’ve been through far too much pain,” he whispered, reaching out to stroke her cheek with a trembling hand. Her skin was ice cold.

Snapping out of his shock, he finished stripping her then placed her under the covers on her bed. Quickly tearing his own clothes off down to his boxers, he climbed in next to her, covering them both with the blankets. He gathered her into his arms, turning her into him. Tucking her head in under his chin, he breathed in her citrus scent, closing his eyes.

They lay with torsos touching, one of his legs thrown over her. He tried to get as much of his skin touching hers as he could; she was so cold it madehimshiver. He rubbed her back, her arms, anything he could reach. Willing her to warm quickly.

She felt good in his arms. He tried not to look, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. It was impossible not to look and appreciate her beauty. Her breasts which were pressed to his chest, were perfect with firm with pink-tipped nipples. Her body was slender with captivating curves that were both devastating and delectable. She was stunning.

His eye was drawn to the wound on her shoulder. He’d been lucky during his time with the SEALs, never having been shot. He couldn’t imagine the amount of pain she’d been in. Scenarios of what might have happened rolled around in his head, from plausible to fantastic. He shuddered, his body unwilling to accept what his eyes were telling him. She was a teacher, for Christ’s sake, not a dangerous profession. So how, then, did she get shot?

He remembered a news story he’d recently seen about a teacher who saved a classroom full of kids from an armed gunman. Natalie had called the woman a hero. The brief glimpse he’d caught of a blonde woman from that story had snagged his attention, reminding him of Annika. But they had moved on to the next story before he could get a second look. Could that have been her?

He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block out his racing thoughts and instead focusing on Annika. Willing himself to ignore the way she felt in his arms and his reaction, he kissed the top of her head. “Come on, Sunfire. Wake up.”

He kissed her temple. “Please wake up. I need you to wake up so that I can apologize to you.” He continued to talk to her, hoping the sound of his voice would penetrate her mind and wake her.

“Annika? Can you hear me? Follow my voice back and wake up. Open your eyes. Give me one of your magnificent smiles. You have no idea what one of your smiles does to me. I miss your smile. Open your eyes, Annika. Please.” He placed his forehead to hers, staring at the wisps of her lashes against her cheek.

“I’m so sorry I left, Annika. Please wake up so I can tell you how incredibly sorry I am. I should never have left you alone. It was a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life. And if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.”

He tried a different tactic. “You’re mad at me, right? Wake up and yell at me. Hit me. Anything. Get mad and wake up!”

He ran out of things to say as he held her tight. Her skin slowly warmed. He must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes again, the room was dark. Annika was still in his arms and much warmer. He felt a flutter of movement against him. He kissed her forehead. “Annika? Can you wake up now?”

She stirred more, trying to open her eyes. They opened slowly, striving to focus on him. “Jamie?” she whispered.

His heart broke for her upon hearing the hopefulness in her voice. What he wouldn’t do to give her brother back to her. “No, Sunfire.” Only the pathetic replacement for Jamie.

“Logan?” She tilted her head back farther to look at him and winced.

“Don’t move too fast. You have a head injury,” he informed her.

“Wha … what happened?”

“You fell off the bluff.”

Her brows furrowing in concentration, she gingerly touched her temple. “There was a dog. Tangled in the bushes. I freed him.” That explained why she’d crawled under the bushes. She could never stand to see an animal suffer. “Then … then … I can’t remember.”

“I’m guessing the ground gave way under you. Erosion has been bad around here lately.”

“You saved me.” He nodded, feeling an uncustomary blush creep up his face. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She lay quietly for a few minutes, and he watched as reality sank in. “Logan?”

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