Page 25 of Marked For A Bite
Logan immediately shut off the water and rose with her still in his arms, grabbing a large towel from the nearby rack. He carried her to his bedroom and laid her gently on top of the covers, her naked body no longer alarmingly flushed.
"Let me dry you off before you catch a cold," Logan said, his voice gentler than he'd ever heard it. He worked the towel over her skin with careful efficiency, cataloging every inch to ensure the fever had truly passed.
Her breathing had steadied completely, and when their eyes met, hers held that familiar spark mixed with curiosity rather than the glassy confusion of fever.
Logan stripped off his soaked clothes and boots without ceremony, dropping the wet pieces in a heap on his bathroom floor. He then returned to his bedroom and helped Zoe get under the covers before sliding into bed beside her. He pulled her against his chest, skin to skin, letting his body heat warm her properly.
"Rest now," he commanded, his lips brushing against her hair. "Your body needs time to recover from what you just put it through."
"I'm sorry," Zoe murmured against his chest. "I didn't mean to?—"
"This wasn't your fault." Logan's arms tightened protectively around her. "I pushed you too hard and too fast."
She relaxed against him with a soft sigh, her breathing gradually slowing as sleep claimed her. Logan remained vigilantly awake, monitoring every breath and every subtle shift in her body temperature, his protective instincts fully engaged.
Never again,he vowed silently.I'll never let you get harmed again.
Logan felt the exact moment Zoe's consciousness fully returned. Her breathing shifted from the deep rhythm of sleep to something more alert, her body tensing slightly against his before relaxing again. He'd been awake for hours, his protective instincts refusing to let him rest until he was certain the crisis had passed.
"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice rough from hours of silent vigilance.
Zoe lifted her head from his chest, those extraordinary hazel eyes meeting his eyes with clear comprehension now.
"Much better," she said, then seemed to register their current position—their naked bodies pressed together under his covers, her leg draped over his thigh, and her hand splayed across the scarred terrain of his chest.
A flush crept up her neck, painting her cheeks a delicate rose. "This is... we're..."
"Naked," Logan supplied with characteristic bluntness, though something warm unfurled in his chest at her shy reaction. "Body heat was the most efficient way to regulate your temperature after the cold shower broke your fever."
"Right." She swallowed but made no move to extract herself from his arms. "Thank you. For taking care of me when I..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I could have died from that fever, couldn't I?"
Logan's arms tightened fractionally around her. "Not on my watch." The words emerged with more intensity than he'd intended, but the memory of her burning up in his arms still clawed at his composure. "I should have anticipated the energy drain. Should have built up your tolerance gradually."
"Stop." Her hand pressed more firmly against his chest. "You were helping me connect with my wolf, and I did. It was incredible, Logan." Her eyes sparkled as she met his gaze. "And now that I know how it feels, and how to communicate with her properly, it'll get easier, right?"
Logan nodded. "Your body will adapt. The connection will strengthen, and the energy expenditure will decrease as you practice."
"See?" Zoe's eyes flashed gold with something that made his wolf stir restlessly. "Stop blaming yourself."
Before Logan could respond, she shifted against him, her body moving with deliberate purpose rather than accidental contact. "I want to thank you properly," she said, hervoice dropping to something softer and more intimate. "For everything you've done for me. Everything you continue to do."
"Zoe—"
She silenced him by pressing her lips to his, the kiss hungry and possessive in a way that bypassed every rational thought in his mind. Logan's control, already strained from hours of holding her naked body against his while denying himself anything beyond necessary comfort, snapped like an overtaxed wire.
His hand fisted in her curls as he deepened the kiss, his wolf howling with triumph at finally being allowed to claim what belonged to him. Every instinct urged him to take, to mark, and to make her irrevocably his.
"We should stop," he managed against her lips, though his body betrayed him by pulling her closer. "You're still recovering."
"I don't want to stop." Her teeth caught his lower lip in a gentle bite that sent fire straight to his groin. "Every time we start something, we get interrupted or you pull away. I don't want to stop this time."
The raw need in her voice combined with the feel of her naked curves pressed against him shattered the last of Logan's resistance. His wolf would not be denied any longer.
Logan rolled his body and pinned Zoe to the bed, his weight pressing her into the mattress as his mouth began its slow, deliberate exploration of her skin. He started at her neck, his lips brushing against the sensitive curve before his tongue flicked out to taste her. The faint salt of her skin mixed with something uniquely her—something sweet and intoxicating that made his wolf stir with approval. He lingered there, nipping lightly at the tender flesh, earning a soft gasp from her that sent a rush of heat through him.
He trailed his lips downward, trying to map every inch of her body. Her collarbone was next, then the swell of her breasts, his tongue circling each peak until she arched into him with a breathless moan.
Logan's hands roamed her curves, his fingers tracing the dips and valleys of her abdomen, her hips, her thighs, as his mouth continued its descent. He kissed his way down her legs, pausing to nip at the sensitive skin behind her knees before moving lower still, until his breath ghosted over her toes.
