Page 19 of Rejected Nanny Mate (Crystal Creek Wolves #3)

Just like the magic had flowed through her and into me, this time, it flowed from her hand, over the gash, and while it didn't close, it shrank and scabbed over.

Gwen's hand fell away, and the light faded. She was breathing a little heavily, her pupils blown wide, her skin flushed.

“Wow,” I breathed. “That was amazing. You're amazing.”

She looked down, bashful, and my gaze caught on the curve of her neck, her shoulders, the slope of her chest. Her shirt was low-cut, and my body was reacting to the proximity, the healing, the fact that I'd almost died.

“Thank you,” she said. “I didn't know if it would work or not.”

“Can you try the other ones?”

She nodded, her hands resting on my knees as she shifted forward and looked up at me. This time, she didn't close her eyes, and the sight of her watching me as her hands glowed was incredibly intimate.

The warmth seeped through my skin, into my bones, and in my weakened state, it was one hell of a fight not to pull her into my arms and kiss her, to show her just how much her trust in me mattered. How thankful I was to have her there with me.

When it was done, Gwen swayed, bracing her hand against the couch. She'd paled somewhat, but there was a look of intense satisfaction on her face. “Wow. That took a lot out of me.”

This time, it was I who went and grabbed her a few things to eat, along with a glass of orange juice. I had her sit on the couch and made sure she ate and drank, and a little color had returned to her face.

“Thank you, Gwen.”

“Of course. You should probably have a doctor take a look, though.”

“Maybe,” I hedged. Gwen seemed so unsure of her magic unless it was to help me, and what better way to have her practice without the fear of failure?

She'd already proven twice that she could do it.

It might be slow going, but it was better than healing naturally.

Wolves healed faster than humans, but that time frame could be severely altered when the wounds were magic-inflicted.

“In the meantime,” she said, taking a final bite of food, and then leaning back, her hand pressed to her stomach. “We should get some sleep. You should sleep.”

“That's a good idea.” I wasn't ready to leave her, but I was also ready to sleep for about twenty-four hours straight.

“Well...goodnight then.”

“Goodnight, Gwen,” I told her, watching her walk away with my heart in my throat.

It wasn't until I heard her door shut behind her that I headed towards my own room, wishing uselessly that we were sharing a bed for the night.

Gwen's touch and her magic had awakened something in me, and I wasn't sure how the hell I was supposed to put it to sleep.

***

The healing took a lot longer than either of us anticipated, and it brought out emotions and desires that had previously been under strict control inside of me.

Whatever type of magic the surge had been made of, it was incredibly detrimental to the healing process.

Gwen would pour so much magic into me that my skin would be buzzing with it, and it looked like the wounds were almost healed, but hours later, I would feel something burning and look down to see that it had opened up again.

It was slow going, but there was progress. As the surge's magic faded, driven out by Gwen's power, her healing sessions lasted longer and longer, and we got closer each time to the wounds being fully healed. It was amazing, and I was so damned proud of her.

But the advancements she was making weren't without their consequences. Gwen would often be worn out by the end of the healings. On my end, though...

As Gwen poured her magic into me, it was like her essence was becoming part of me, and I couldn't shake my need to be near her. Every time, it was a struggle not to touch her, and the longer the healings went on, the less I was able to control my basest reactions.

I was sure she felt it, too. Each time she knelt on the ground in front of me, asking me to take my shirt off, her amber eyes would nearly glow as she looked up at me from under her thick lashes.

I was hypnotized by the sight of her tongue darting out to lick her lips and the way her fingers seemed to caress my skin before she would lay her palms over the wounds.

All my blood would rush to my cock, and I'd have to clench my teeth and even bite the inside of my cheek to stop from getting hard.

From her position, it would have been all too obvious, and while I was sure the tension passing between us was reciprocated by Gwen, I knew making any sort of move would be wrong.

I'd sworn to myself and her that we would keep things casual and professional, but every minute of the day, Gwen was causing my control to wear thinner.

There were more than a few times that I was sure she was about to lean forward and press her lips to mine, and more than a few nights when I dreamed of her coming into my room and slipping into bed next to me.

By the time the first wound was healed, and then the second, we were both barely holding on.

We always waited to start the healings until Rose was in bed, and that night was no different.

Gwen pushed herself almost too far, but the third and final wound finally closed.

The long sessions always left me in a dull sort of pain, and it left her ravenous, so Gwen went to raid the kitchen while I ran a hot bath and dumped some healing salts into the water to hopefully ease the ache inside of me.

I'd closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the edge of the tub when I started to notice the change.

Instead of fading, the ache started to grow, radiating from the closed third wound.

While the skin didn't open, it felt like I was being stabbed from the inside, and while I tried to ride it out, it was impossible.

In minutes, I was gasping for air, barely able to bring enough air into my lungs to yell for Gwen.

“Gwen!”

She was through the door in an instant, her eyes wide and fearful. “Oh my God, Joe. Are you okay?”

“Something's wrong.” The stabbing sensation was getting worse. “Fuck.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“My side. The wound. Something's happening.”

She was across the room and kneeling next to the tub, her fingers resting lightly on my chest. “Do you mind if I...”

“Go for it. Whatever you think is best.”

I could have kissed her in that moment. Gwen didn't ask a bunch of questions. She didn't panic. She didn't run. Instead, she was immediately calm, and the touch of her hand was like cool water to the fire in my chest.

“Okay. Okay, here we go.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and the light was slow to form. Her brows drew together in concentration, and the glow spread, washing over my chest, sinking through my skin.

I'd thought the pain was bad before, but as the light touched the closed wound, it flared, and the agony was unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

“Shit,” Gwen hissed. “There's some residual magic there. Not a lot, but...”

“Whatever you're going to do, do it fast.” My teeth were gritted together, and I could barely get the words out.

“I'm trying. It's fighting me.”

“Fight back.”

She nodded, the crease between her brows deepening. The glow flared brighter, and my muscles tensed as the magic did battle inside of me.

“It's not working.” The frustration was evident in her voice.

She pulled her hand back, and there was a look of intense consideration on her face, like she was fighting with some decision.

Finally, she closed her eyes and exhaled, having decided whatever it was she was battling with.

“Pull your legs up. I'm coming in there with you.”

Even through the pain, the shock took me off guard. “What—”

Gwen had been so focused on helping me, she hadn't even reacted to my nudity, but we were both all too aware of it as she stripped off her leggings and then her shirt, leaving her in just a set of lavender-colored bra and panties.

My mouth went dry, but the pain inside me flared as I moved my legs, and she climbed into the water in front of me.

I didn't know what to focus on—the jiggling of her tits, the way her long, bare legs slid against mine, or the agony I was experiencing.

It was one of the most confusing experiences of my life.

With the better angle, Gwen leaned forward and put her hands on me again under the water. I saw the faint glow of her power, and this time, it was different. Before, her power had been like a soft, gentle rain, but now, it was a wild storm, crashing through me.

It was an effort not to arch my back and gasp as the magic flooded me, and my wolf stirred inside of me, growling in appreciation. Gwen was looking at the place where the wound had been, but the water was obscuring everything.

“You can see it, can't you?” I asked, trying not to get distracted by her proximity. “Whatever is causing the pain?”

“I can.”

“Is it getting any better?”

“Yes. It's still resisting, though. This magic is strong.”

“You're stronger.”

Her lips quirked. “I'm trying.”

“Can you make it come out?”

“Maybe.” She bit her lip. “If I can just pinpoint where it's rooted.”

“You can do it.”

“So confident in me.”

“I'm always confident in you.”

Her smile turned sad, and a wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. She was focusing so hard, I was amazed the water wasn't boiling.

Suddenly, the glow around her hands flared bright, and the stabbing feeling inside me suddenly exploded, and the water began to turn a strange, dark color.

“Gwen!”

“Almost. Got. It.” Her teeth were clenched, and her arms trembled, but the glow continued to grow. “A little. More.”

There was a strange, wet pop, and the stabbing sensation vanished, and the water became clear.

Gwen gasped and fell back against the other end of the tub, panting.

“Are you alright?” I reached out to touch her, and she shivered, her nipples peaking through her wet bra.

“Y-yeah. Yeah. I'm okay. Did it work?”

“It did.” There was no denying the awe in my voice.

“Good.” She closed her eyes and sagged. “God. That was so much harder than the first two.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” Her eyes flickered open, and our gazes locked. The moment held, and it would have taken almost nothing for me to lean forward and press my lips to hers.

But Gwen broke eye contact and stood, the water sluicing off her body. It was like a scene straight from one of my fantasies, but her cheeks were flushed, and she was moving quickly.

“You're welcome. Um...goodnight.”

“Gwen,” I called after her, but she'd already grabbed a towel and disappeared through the bathroom door.

“Shit,” I sighed, sinking back into the water. It had gone cold, and the realization that Gwen was probably freaked out or scared made my stomach sink.

It wasn't the right time, I told myself.

We'd just been through a major healing. We were both tired and drained.

She wasn't ready, and it would only complicate things.

But then she returned, that thin silky robe from before wrapped around her, the wetness of her bra and panties dampening it.

Without a word, she gathered another towel and came to the edge of the bathtub, keeping her eyes obviously averted from my form beneath the water.

“Stand up,” she said quietly, nervously, handing me the towel. “I need to actually see the wounds before I'm satisfied you're okay.”

Wordlessly, I stood and wrapped the towel around my waist. Gwen grabbed a second one and kept her eyes fixed somewhere near my chin as she dried me off.

She was thorough, and her fingers brushed lightly over the scars where the wounds had once been.

I cursed internally and looked up at the ceiling, but my self-control was all but gone.

I could feel myself getting hard under the towel, and silently prayed that the material was heavy enough that she wouldn't notice.

“They're definitely closed,” she said, her voice low and breathless. “We did it.”

“You did it.”

“Because of you,” she replied, looking up at me. There was an intensity in her gaze that I'd never seen before, and a wave of longing crashed over me.

I wanted her. More than anything, I wanted her.

Gwen stepped back, her eyes still holding mine.

I was half-afraid that she would leave, and half-terrified that she wouldn't. I was equal parts horrified and turned on when her gaze finally darted down to where the towel had tented, and she gasped softly.

Her breathing became faster, and there was color in her cheeks as she asked.

“Is there...more that you need from me?”

It was seven simple words, but the meaning was unmistakable. Whatever I said next would change everything between us.

“Yes. There is.”