Adele, Claire - Guardian of His Soul [Wolves of West Texas 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Read Free

“You’re very welcome. I have the ice packs. Come sit on the sofa, and I’ll help you with them. You’ll have to show me where the worst of the bruises are. Those on your face are obvious. I mean, I can’t see the others under your clothing.”
    She gabbed nervously. Her face heated with embarrassment. His proximity and the thought of his bare skin made her self-conscious after daydreaming about him. He smelled wonderful and masculine. Carrying the ice packs, she headed for the den sofa, figuring it would be easiest to arrange the ice packs there.
    He followed her, and when she turned to face him, he was carefully pulling his shirt off over his head. She imagined his bruises hurt, and he didn’t want the worst abrasions on his face to start to bleed. She thought of telling him to leave his shirt on, but he was right. It would be easier to apply the ice packs with his skin bared to reveal the bruises.
    The lamplight glinted off a gold wolf’s head pendant and chain he wore around his neck, the bruises around his throat a dark contrast. His shirt had hidden the gold chain until now. She should have given him a button-up shirt to make undressing easier for him. How silly she didn’t think of it before. The night’s events and this gorgeous man made her spacey.
    His trim waist supported magnificent abs. His chest was broad and muscular. Spread across his chest, a sprinkling of dark hair tapered to a narrow line between his abs and descended beneath his jeans waistline. The bulge below made her look away as she tried not to notice. Her breaths increased in spite of herself. She glanced up to meet his gaze as he eased the shirt off and tossed it over the arm of the sofa.
    He stood looking at her with a hint of a smile on his face. He must be well aware how his body affected women.
    “Let’s sit on the sofa, and I’ll put the ice packs where you need them.” He complied. She sat down near him and put the ice packs in her lap. Lord, they were cold. Probably a good thing for her, too. She needed cooling down.
    “Lean back against the pillows in the corner there.” He did as she directed. “You’ll need to hold the ice packs against the bruises on your face. Here, let me help you.” As he gripped a small bag of ice, she held his hand lightly to guide him. His skin was warm and pleasant to the touch.
    Surprisingly, the scrapes already looked better. Satisfied that he covered one of the worst abrasions on his face at the corner of his mouth, she gave him another ice pack and directed his other hand to a swollen bruise at his hairline above his temple on the opposite side of his face. Reaching upward, she lost her balance and caught herself with her hand right on top of the wolf‘s head pendant hanging from the gold chain over his heart.
    He dropped the ice bag he’d held against his mouth and covered her hand with his. His heat and the strong beats of his heart slammed into her palm. His erection nudged her belly hard.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she said.
    “No problem.” His voice sounded soft and deep, like velvet, and his slight smile reached his eyes, the lamplight shimmering in them.
    Her gaze dropped to his lips. What would his kisses feel like? Suddenly, the nearness of his face dawned on her as his breath caressed her. Heat rose like an open fire. She looked away and slipped her hand from under his as she sat up and gathered another ice bag from beside her.
    Scanning his torso for bruises, she composed herself, unable to decide which one was the worst. “You’re bruised in so many places. I’ll hand you the ice packs and you can put them where you need them.”
    His smile broadened, and she expected him to laugh out loud at her, but his lips twitched as he worked to control his humor. Obviously he was affected by their proximity as well. This close to him, her body was so aroused she wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. She hadn’t experienced such a reaction since she’d met her