Page 13 of Mated to the Mountain Bear

Ben edges his chair closer, and I startle, worried I’ve been caught admiring him, then he surprises me by patting his thigh. For a second, I think he wants me to sit on it.

“Foot up.”

Oh.

Trying not to be disappointed, I hesitate before placing one foot on his offered knee. My leg looks like a toothpick resting on his thick thigh, and I get those girly flutters all over again.

“I can do this. You don’t need to…”

As his big, tanned hand wraps around my tiny ankle again, my belly flips, just like it did when he lifted me so easily earlier. I’ve never had the hands of a man like Ben on me before. I bet he could toss me around…

“You’ve done enough…” I shake my head to clear the completely inappropriate thoughts I’m having about this man from my mind.

“Shhh.”

He doesn’t need quiet to work, but he obviously prefers it, so I press my lips together and try to keep my mouth shut.

Ben turns my leg this way and that, but as I fiddle with my sleeve, his hand grabs my wrist and turns my arm over, sliding the material higher. When he sees even more cuts and scrapes, running his fingertips lightly over the damage on the inside of my forearm, his entire body goes rigid.

“Fuck’s sake.” The words are more of a growl. His jaw clenches so hard, I can see the muscle jump. “Stay still, okay?”

The tension radiating off him is palpable as he pulls my chair closer, giving me a curious glance when I jump. My throat tightens. After everything tonight, I can’t handle his mood, too.

“They’re not that bad.” I try to pull my arm back. “I can do it myself.”

His grip tightens just enough to keep me in place. Not painful, just immovable, like it’s caught in a vice.

“Stop.” Another one-word order that I obey without question.

I go rigid until his thumb brushes over the pale blue veins on the inside of my wrist, and a jolt of pleasure travels straight to my core.

When I stop fighting his hold and he whispers,good girl, I have to close my eyes against the urge to lean forward and lick him.

What the hell is going on with me?

Unaware of what his touch is doing to my sensitive body, he rips open a packet with a disinfectant wipe in it and gently swipes it over the longest scratch, courtesy of the oak tree.

“You shouldn’t have to deal with this. And I don’t just mean these cuts.”

Oh.

For some reason, it’s his kindness that tips me over the edge.

“I said I can handle it.” My voice wobbles slightly, tears filling my eyes, and he looks up at me with another heavy frown. I know I must appear ungrateful, maybe even slightly unhinged, but I can’t stop. “I’m normally… I’m not…” A sigh. “I can handle basic first-aid.”

He looks me straight in the eye, and my belly flips. “I’m sure you can. Doesn’t mean you have to.”

Oh fuck.Feeling flustered, and like every emotion I possess is erupting inside me, I squirm in my seat. I’ve never been more turned on in my life as he ignores my almost meltdown and continues to tend to my arm. That is until he mutters, “So just sit still, and let me get on with it.”

Narrowing my eyes at the top of his head, I wait for Ben to feel me staring at him and look up.

“Look, you’ve made it pretty clear you don’t want me here, and I get it; this is a big inconvenience. But you could have said no. You’re a big boy.”

My tone has more bite to it than intended, and I’m not really sure why I’m snapping at him, just that I’m at my breaking point, and all the tension I’ve been carrying around for weeks is ready to pour out of me.

“I’m not exactly thrilled about being stuck here, either. I’d prefer to be back in my apartment, fast asleep, with nobody bothering me, either.”

His hands still completely, and the intensity in his dark eyes makes my breath catch. When he says nothing, my nervous mouth rushes to fill the uncomfortable silence.