Page 58 of Pulled By the Tail
He huffed, amused. He lifted her hair and worked the lotion onto her shoulders. His touches were soft but clinical, no lingering brushes or appreciative squeezes. Which was fine. She did not feel sexy, and seduction wasn’t high on her list of priorities.
With a tap, he indicated for her to stand. Her lower half had been clothed—yay for layers—so the only patch he found was on the top of her feet. How she got it on the top of her feet, she had no idea. Maybe when she kicked off her shoes.
“I’m going to have to clean everything, aren’t I?” If the reaction was to pollen or oil from the evergreens she collected yesterday, then everything she touched needed to be wiped down. All her clothes and bedsheets washed.
“Bright will see to it,” Talen said. “Done. Now let’s get you dressed.”
He dressed her carefully in a loose-fitting tunic and leggings. The fabric pressed against the drying lotion.
“Thank you,” she said, as he slipped shoes onto her feet, “for helping me. You didn’t have to.” He could have fetched Bright.
He huffed again. She wished she could see his ears and have some idea of his mood. Was he annoyed? Irritated? Or tolerating her for the moment? His thoughtfulness was unnerving her.
“The hour is still early,” he said. “You will eat before we go to the clinic. The journey is not long, but you need your strength.”
And just like that, everyday Bossy Talen replaced Thoughtful Talen.
“I really appreciate the way you ask me what I want to do and then immediately tell me what to do. It’s cute,” she said with a grin. Another huff, no doubt offended at being called cute. “I’m not particularly hungry, anyway.”
“You must keep your strength up. Your body will need the energy to heal.”
She sensed from his tone that there was no winning the argument. “Fine, but don’t laugh at me if I spill my porridge on myself. Actually, I think toast is all I want.” She considered the logistics of buttering and adding jam to her toast. “Just dry toast today.”
With no warning, Talen scooped her up like she weighed nothing.
“What? Put me down,” she said.
“Your vision is impaired. I assume you do not want to stumble down the stairs, which is why you knocked on my door.”
“You could hold my hand and guide me.”
“This way is faster.”
“I wouldn’t brag about that. Faster isn’t always the way to win over the ladies,” she said automatically. Gah. Was that flirting? She was covered in a rash and stink-lotion, with her eyes swollen shut, and she had the gall toflirt? Get your priorities straight, girl. “What did you dress me in? My ass isn’t hanging out, is it?”
She winced at her choice of words. Talking about her ass was so much better than flirting.
“Your ass is appropriately covered.” Amusement colored his voice.
They descended the stairs. “What did you do to Georgia!?” Bright gasped.
“I did nothing. She came to me this way,” Talen grumbled.
“I think I’m allergic to the evergreens we used for decorating,” she said, raising her voice to speak over Bright and Talen.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Bright scolded. “Take her to the medic!”
No time for breakfast then. Just as well. Georgia didn’t want to eat or drink anything just in case her body decided that today was the day for exciting new food allergies.
They exited the house without drawing an audience. Talen grumbled the entire way. “Does she believe I cart you around for my entertainment? Of course I’m taking you to the medic.”
He pressed her closer to his chest as he opened the vehicle door. With little fuss, he sat her inside and fastened the seat belt.
“Thank you, again,” she said, blindly reaching for his hand. “I know you have things you’d rather be doing than carting me around.”
He huffed, this time sounding less agitated. “I would not trust Quil to do this.”
“I wouldn’t either. He’d probably get distracted by something sparkly and leave me stranded on the side of the road.”
