Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,21
would do. There was something incredibly special about Jim. Something she couldn’t quite define but knew was extraordinary. She clung to him, running her hands over his skin in the way she’d longed to do before but hadn’t allowed herself.
She’d touched him, but only to heal. She’d kept her attentions as professional as she could, regardless of her attraction to him. He’d been unconscious and near death. That had been no time to run her fingers over his chest the way she was doing now. Her restraint had been rewarded with the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced.
All too soon, he drew back. She was glad to note that he was breathing as hard as she was. He had not been unaffected by their kiss.
“I wish it were otherwise, but we don’t have time for this right now,” he told her, his voice low and gruff.
“What do you mean?” Instantly, she was on alert. Even as her lips tingled in the aftermath.
“I was going to let you grab a few minutes of sleep while I arranged things, but Ezra called back while you were in the bathroom. He’s got a plane for me.” He looked reluctant to say the rest, but he went on anyway. “And Uncle Arch texted me back about the hyenas. His intel is mostly rumors and hearsay, but it’s nothing good. His advice was to get out of town as soon as possible.”
Helen saw the wisdom in that. She’d been worried about the hyenas finding them again, too. She nodded.
“I called down to the desk and checked out of my room,” he went on. “I didn’t leave anything in it, so I don’t need to go back there.”
“I can be ready to go in five minutes,” she told him, and surprisingly, she knew it wasn’t a boast.
Whatever else their kiss had accomplished, it had somehow given her a jolt of much-needed energy. Where before she’d barely been able to stand to get to the bathroom, after their kiss, she felt ready to walk. She wouldn’t be turning cartwheels for a while yet, but at least she felt good enough to leave and get to the airport, or wherever this mysterious plane of Ezra’s was waiting.
“Are you sure?” He looked at her as if she were a bug under a microscope. She didn’t like that. She shrugged out of his hold.
“I’m sure. Let me just clean up and get my stuff together.” So saying, she set to work.
Jim watched her for a moment before shrugging and limping into the bathroom. When he came out, he was a bit cleaner. He’d rinsed off the blood she hadn’t already taken care of last night. He’d also washed his hair. It stood in dark, spiky strands going in every direction as he rubbed a towel over his head.
“I brought some clothes for you,” she said, tossing a T-shirt and pair of sweatpants in his direction.
“Thanks,” he replied, an odd note in his tone, as if men’s clothing was the very last thing he’d expected her to pull out of her bag of tricks. She discovered that she liked surprising him.
He’d been wearing boxers—the only item of his own clothing that had survived his encounter with the hyenas. He sat on the side of the bed to aid himself in sliding the pants on without jarring his bandaged leg too much. Helen would have helped, but she was familiar with the male ego from dealing with her brothers. Also, she really did need to sanitize this room, erasing as much of their presence from it as she could. It wouldn’t do to leave a trail for the hyenas—or anyone else—to follow.
She pulled a travel-sized box of black garbage sacks she’d brought with her out of her bag. Opening one of the large garbage sacks, she put all the remnants of Jim’s torn clothing, plus all the bloody garbage she’d accumulated treating him. The plastic tablecloth from the bed went in, as well, plus anything else that might have traces of his blood on it. She squished that down to a surprisingly small bundle, once the air was out of the sack, and tied it off. That went into her large beach bag as she looked around the room to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.
She took the television remote control and switched the set to the remote checkout option. Leaving the key cards on the table next to the TV, she opted to have the receipt sent to her via email.