Page 35 of Bear Naked Truth
Autumn stood still, her arms wrapped tightly around herself again.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, not meeting his eyes.
“I know,” he repeated. “But I’m going to.”
She watched him for a moment, as if she were trying to read something in his face. Then she nodded and peeled her sweater off, slow and deliberate, revealing a simple sports bra and the angry red marks down her side.
Dorian didn’t stare.
Didn’t gawk.
He just stepped forward, dipped the cloth in warm water, and knelt beside her as she sat on the tub.
“This might sting,” he murmured.
“Go easy on me, Ranger Bear,” she tried to joke, but it came out wrong as she winced and her breathing hiccuped.
He pressed the cloth gently against her ribs, watching her jaw tighten as the warmth seeped in. Her skin was soft and marked by more than just these wounds—old scars, faint freckles, the evidence of a life lived quietly, and a body that carried more than its fair share of weight.
“You get used to pain?” he asked after a while, voice low.
She didn’t answer immediately.
“Not really,” she said eventually. “You just learn to expect it.”
He nodded. “That’s a damn sad way to live.”
“I don’t remember the last time it was any other way.”
He wanted to say something. Offer comfort. But she didn’t need soft words—she needed someone tostay.
He rinsed the cloth, squeezed out the water, and reached for the salve.
“This’ll help with the swelling,” he said, opening the tin. “Mind if I…?”
She shook her head.
So he dipped two fingers into the cool balm and gently spread it along the edges of the scratches, careful not to press too hard. Her breathing hitched once. He paused.
“You okay?”
“Just cold,” she said too quickly. Lie.
He didn’t call her on it.
After a few quiet minutes, he sat back on his heels. “The tub’s ready.”
She looked at it, then at him. “Are you leaving?”
He hesitated. “I can. I just want to make sure you don’t pass out is all.”
She pulled her hair over one shoulder and slipped out of her leggings as he looked away, then eased into the bath, hissing softly as the heat touched the scratches.
“Holler if you feel faint or need anything.” He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.
“You can stay. If you want.”
He paused.
