Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [113]
“I can finish it.”
“Not today, you can’t. Mike said you needed to rest. Give your body chance to heal.”
He sighed against her and pushed a leg between hers, pulling her closer to him. “Fine. There will be time later.” His voice dropped, heavy and thick, as sleep pulled him back under.
***
The smell of a loaded baked potato and a grilled steak enticed him awake. He rolled to his side, arm instinctively searching for Beth. Cold sheets beneath his palm coaxed him to actually open his eyes.
“Hi,” Beth said as she set a dinner tray down on the side of the dresser. “How are you feeling?”
“What are you doing out of bed?” He pushed himself up against the headboard, suppressing a wince and running a critical eye over her. Bandages peeked out of the collar of her shirt and there was a paleness to her cheeks that he didn’t like. But the drawn, haunted look she’d worn since arriving at his parents’ house was receding.
“I’m not the one who’s slept away the last thirty-six hours,” she said, leaning over to prop him up with a pillow. “Are you hungry?”
“Always.” He gripped her wrist and pulled her off balance until she sprawled across his lap.
“One-track mind.” She shook her head but brushed her lips against his, eyes dancing with laughter. “Your mom sent up dinner, you should eat. Then you can take the pills Mike left you.”
“I’ll take the food.” He released her arm so she could rise. “But you can keep the pills.”
“I don’t think so.” She placed the tray on his lap and sat next to him on the edge of the bed. “You’ve got one more dose of painkillers and muscle relaxants to take. It’s that or an additional couple of days of bed rest.”
“I’ll take door number two,” he said, threading his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck and pulling her closer. “Definitely door number two,” he breathed against her cheek, wondering if he’d ever get tired of the scent of her.
She wrapped her fingers around his elbow and pressed her cheek against the skin of his forearm. The way her eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen her do. “Bed rest is a solitary activity,” she murmured, opening her eyes and pinning him in place. “But if you’re sure…” she said, pulling away with a grin.
“We’ll negotiate over dinner.” He picked up his fork and dug into his potato. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright. A little sore, nothing a few stitches and a bottle of ibuprofen didn’t fix.”
“As I recall, what you refer to as a few stitches was actually more like three dozen.” He fingered the collar of her shirt, gently tracing his fingers over the heavy bandaging that remained.
She caught his fingers and pulled them away. “I’m alright. Mike said the stitches were really just there to speed along the healing process and to keep the scarring to a minimum.” She glanced away and pulled her hair over her shoulder until it hid most of the bandaging.
“In time there probably won’t be a mark, at all. We heal fast, remember?”
“Yeah.” She stole a sip of his iced tea. “Chase is okay, by the way.”
“A few bumps and bruises, as I recall. Did he and Dad find Alek?”
“No,” she said on a hard sigh. “I know they looked for him when they went back to take care of Markko’s body, but they didn’t find anything.”
“Don’t worry about him, Beth. He’s probably long gone by now and he’s got no reason to come back. Everything else okay?”
“Mostly.” She shrugged. “Lucy’s barely speaking to me. Or Chase, for that matter. She’s angry we went alone.”
“That makes two of us, then.” He let a smile touch his lips at her expression. “Don’t worry about Lucy, she’s quick to temper but she can’t hold a grudge to save her life.”
“And you?”
“Well, I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to negotiate…”
An hour later, freshly showered and stuffed from dinner, Braden lay stretched out on the bed with Beth curled against his side. “I still can’t believe you got me take those damn pills.”
He felt the curve of her lips against his shoulder. “I’m here,