Ethan (Blackbeary Creek 1) by Ruby Shae Page B

from the bed, fighting the arms trying to hold her in place, and started for the door. She nearly fell down from the migraine threatening to split open her skull, but she kept moving.
    “Tegan! Tegan, stop!”
    A voice called her name, the sound echoing around the room, but she didn’t dare stop. She needed to find help. A pair of steel bands wrapped around her arms, lifted her off the floor, and stopped her escape, but she swung her legs wildly and kept fighting until a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
    “Tee, stop!” he said. “It’s me…Ethan.”
    “Ethan?” she questioned, even though she didn’t need to. Now that he held her in his arms, she didn’t have to see his face to know it was him. His smooth, sexy voice fought through the migraine, and she immediately relaxed.
    “Yes, baby, it’s me. I’m going to set you down now, okay?”
    “Okay.”
    He set her down and turned her to face him. The faint purple mark on his cheek surprised her, he rarely let the other guy get in such a good shot, but it did nothing to mar his good looks.
    “How do you feel?”
    “My head hurts,” she said, honestly. “What happened? Why are you here?”
    “Let’s get you back in bed, and then we can talk,” he said.
    “Okay.”
    Tegan took one step toward the bed, and then squealed when Ethan scooped her up in his arms. She instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck, but still shrieked in protest.
    “Ethan! Put me down! What are you doing?”
    “Shhh…I’m taking care of you,” he said, handling her weight as if she weighed next to nothing at all.
    “I realize that,” she said, “but why? And why are you naked?”
    Oh, damn , the feel of his skin under her hands made her want to lay her head down on his shoulder and never let him go. Though he was nearly all muscle, she somehow knew she would fit against him perfectly.
    What the hell…
    She felt like shit, and she probably looked like it, too, but for some reason, Ethan was taking care of her and carrying her around. She might as well take advantage of the situation, because she might not ever get another chance to touch him.
    She placed her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, suddenly content. It was as if his arms were exactly where she was always supposed to be.
    “Because it’s my job, and I’m not naked. Not yet.”
    She frowned as he set her on the edge of the bed, and her face flamed when he grunted softly. So much for thinking he could lift her big body easily.
    Of course it was his job to take care of her, he was her brother’s second-in-command, but what did he mean about not being naked yet? She shook her head, obviously delirious, and waited for him to adjust the pillows. Once they were piled to his satisfaction, he carefully laid her back against the softness. 
    “Sorry,” she whispered, smoothing out the blanket on her lap. “I should have warned you. I weigh a lot more than I look.”
    “You’re kidding, right?” he asked, his voice stern. “You think I had trouble lifting you? Tegan, look at me.”
    Though she wanted to hide under the blankets, she met his angry glare.
    “I don’t know how much you weigh, and I don’t care,” he said. “You’re perfect, just the way you are, and you felt perfect in my arms. I have a cracked rib, maybe two, and that’s the only reason you heard any distress from me.”
    She looked at his torso, and noticed the bruised area for the first time. She also noticed he was right about not being naked. He’d removed his t-shirt, but his legs were still encased in well-worn jeans.
    “Oh my god! I can’t believe that guy was able to get you with two good shots.”
    “That maniac didn’t get me at all,” Ethan said. “I got these back home.”
    “Really? What happened?”
    “It’s not important,” Ethan said. “Not now. I’ll be right back.”
    He rushed into the other room, and she salivated over the way the muscles in his back, legs and ass moved. Strong, solid and