Page 37 of Rejected Nanny Mate
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 twicethat 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 thewounds 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 nodifferent. 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.
