Page 12 of Unexpected Temptation
“You own a wolf-dog?Why, for God’s sake?Why is he so big?Is that normal?What’s his name?”she said, slurring her words.
Jaylen’s smile fell as his eyes swept over her, taking in the fact that hypothermia was quickly taking over her body.Jesus, he needed to get his head out of his ass.
“His name is Wolf.I’ll answer all your other questions when we get back to the house.”
Amelia chuckled.“You named your dog Wolf?”
“Yeah, I did.It fits, and he doesn’t care what I call him as long as I feed him.”He picked her up in his arms and started walking toward his house.
Amelia gasped and weakly tried to push away from his chest with her hand.
“Put me down, Mr.St-Stone.I’m way too heavy to carry.You’re going to hurt your back.”
Jaylen shook his head.Kane had warned him about her self-image.He’d also commented on her caring nature and how she was pure sweetness to the core.Jaylen hadn’t believed him at first.He’d never encountered a woman like that in his life.Now he understood.
This woman was unable to hide any of the emotions on her face.All her reactions were so obvious it was something he hadn’t experienced since childhood.
“Stop wiggling.You are not too heavy.I lift bales heavier than you every day.”
“But...”
“If you don’t knock it off, I may drop you,” he warned.He wouldn’t have, but it got her to stop.
Amelia stilled.When they were feet from the house, she started looking around frantically for the wolf.
“I-I-I can’t believe you have a wolf for a pet?Where is he?”
“He’s part dog.Wolf went back to his bed under the porch.His coat is so thick, it’s uncomfortable for him to be inside, especially with a fire going.”
She tightened her arms around his neck when he climbed the front steps into the house, bent to open the door, and slammed the door closed behind him with his boot.
Jaylen watched her look around curiously as he shut the door.The cabin was a single large room, except for the kitchen, located off to the left, accessible through a doorway.In front of them was a cozy living room with a monster-sized sofa and chair, and several feet away stood an enormous bed.The bathroom was the only other door in the cabin, except for a few closets and one at the far back.The walls near that door were lined with hooks loaded with coats and boots.
Everything was immaculate and in order.Just the way he liked it.A large stone fireplace stood in the living room with a huge TV secured to the mantel and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side, filled with hundreds of books.A large chair and an ottoman sat at an angle close to the fire, and a large deep sofa stood directly across from the fireplace.
Jaylen walked through the house into the bathroom, closed the door, and set her down on her feet.He bent and turned on the shower to let it heat up for her, keeping a steady hand on her the whole time.Her whole body shook with violent tremors, and her lips had turned a pale blue color, which concerned him.
Amelia screeched and clutched at her shirt when he started to unbutton it.“Wh-what do you th-think you’re d ...oing?”
“I’m trying to get you undressed so I can get you in the shower.You’re hypothermic, Sweetheart.We need to get you warmed up.”
Amelia’s grip on the front of her shirt tightened as she shook her head.“I ...I can do this.You can leave.”
Jaylen rolled his eyes, took a step back, pulled off his coat and boots, and put them in the corner to deal with later.He stood and crossed his arms, but was still ready to grab her if she started to fall.
“Okay.You do it.I’ll give you one chance before I take over.I’m not going to let your modesty affect your health,” he said impatiently.
Amelia tried unsuccessfully to release one button from its hole.The shaking grew with the tension of the situation, making it impossible to get a good grip on it.
Jaylen sighed, took a step closer, and brushed her hands to the side.
“Enough.”He quickly unbuttoned her blouse and had that and her bra off within seconds.He ignored her when her arms came up to shield her breasts from him and went to work on her jeans and sneakers.“Here you go.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest to steady her when she stumbled into the large shower.He waited until she was holding on tightly to the bar.
“Are you stable for a second?”
“Y-y-yess.”
