Page 73 of Ethan
Peeling the shirt off hurt like hell. The blood had dried, sticking the fabric to the gash on my shoulder, and I hissed as it came free.
Ethan winced, but said nothing, just stepped closer and started cleaning the wound.
His touch was firm but careful. Clinical. Still, I caught the flicker of emotion behind his eyes when I flinched. The silence stretched as he worked.
I watched the curve of his brow, the set of his jaw. The little crease that always showed up when he was concentrating. I wanted to reach out, to touch his wrist or rest my hand on his knee, but I didn’t.
Not yet.
Ethan pressed a fresh bandage to my shoulder, then wrapped it tightly. “Hold still.”
When he was done with the shoulder, he crouched beside me to check the slash across my ribs. His fingers brushed my side, gentle even through the gloves.
“I think one’s cracked,” he said quietly.
“I’ve had worse.”
Ethan gave me a look, something between exasperation and fondness. “You keep saying that like it’s a badge of honor.”
“It’s survival,” I said simply. “Back in Thornebane?—”
I faltered because I was no longer in Thornebane. I thought of myself as a Pecan Pines wolf these days.
Ethan kept working. He cleaned the wound, then grabbed a rib wrap and stood behind me to help secure it. His arms circled me, just briefly, as he pulled the band tight.
For a second, his chest was warm against my back, and I closed my eyes, letting myself lean into it.
“You should know by now that it’s not like that here,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to keep proving you’re okay when you’re not.”
I opened my eyes, staring at the floor. “Old habits.”
“You’ve got new people now,” he pointed out.
I didn’t say anything for a moment. Just let the weight of that settle between us. Warm and steady.
“You scared me,” I admitted. “When I realized you’d gone after Maurice and Micah alone.”
His expression softened. “You scared me too.”
“I can’t lose you,” I said before I could stop myself. “Not before I even get to have you as my mate.”
Ethan blinked, lips parting.
“I mean it,” I said. “I need to know you’re not gonna throw yourself into danger without backup again.”
“I wasn’t thinking,” he said. “I just knew they needed help. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing.”
“I know,” I said softly, cupping his face. “You always do the right thing, even if it drives me crazy.”
His throat worked, like he was holding back something, and for a moment I thought he might protest.
Then he leaned in, slow and careful, and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of my mouth. Not a full kiss. Just enough to make my chest tighten and my lungs forget how to work.
“Get some rest,” he whispered.
I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Stay with me?”
He nodded. “I will.”
