Page 15 of Bear

He followed Flick and his partner taking Winnie and Remi out. After they were back from the hospital, they’d be Code Pancakes. If he wasn’t so upset about what had happened to Winnie, he’d be having a chuckle over War’s response. If his friend had bothered to learn all the girls’ codes, then he’d have a much easier life.

Winnie sat on the edgeof the tub as Bear gathered supplies. He’d wrapped her arm in plastic wrap, not that she planned on getting her arm in the water. The rest of her might be covered in soot and smell like fire but the hospital had cleaned and disinfected her arm before applying the burn cream.

She was lucky—a little smoke inhalation, a small burn and a headache from hell. She had a small goose egg on the back of her head but no signs of concussion. Things could have been so much worse if she hadn’t woken and gotten them through the hatch. When Bear had made the suggestion to connect the gym to their underground tunnels, she’d considered it a little overkill, but her dad had ordered the expense.

Things had been calm for so long with the business and the MC, she’d become complacent. Thank goodness, Bear and her dad hadn’t.

“Sunbeam, can you raise your arms?” Bear asked as he grasped the bottom of her t-shirt, tugging it gently up. She raised her arms, stretching her neck. The back of her head hurt along with her neck. She’d love to have a shower and let the spray pound her neck but she wasn’t allowed to get the bandage wet.

Bear got down on one knee, unbuttoning her jeans and tugging them off. He didn’t wait for her to raise her hips. He lifted her with one hand, pulling them off with the other. His eyes ran over her. Knowing her Bear, he was cataloguing every injury, thinking through what he needed to do. He was her Benton when they were in bed making love but she could see the MC man Bear when he was in protective overdrive. His eyes met hers, his face coming closer. He brushed a kiss against her forehead.

“Let’s get you in the tub.” He helped her up, divested her of her bra and underwear, and was lifting her into the tub before she could help him. The warm water soothed her as she relaxed against the tub. The tub seemed pretty intimate and he was her Benton when they were just themselves. Benton’s hand slid behind her, tucking a rolled towel at her neck.

“You relax, sunshine. I’ll get you clean then we’ll get you in bed with some meds.”

She didn’t remember the last time someone had taken care of her. She drifted, allowing Benton to wash her. She hoped there wasn’t a second wave. She wasn’t sure how much help she’d be. She didn’t think the hospital would ever finish with their exams. By the time they’d gotten back and met for pancakes, she’d been holding it together by a thread.

Benton lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a towel. He held her steady while he pulled off his wet t-shirt and tossed it on the floor. She felt too crappy to appreciate her man’s muscles on his chest or the tattoo over his heart with the MC insignia.

Sweeping her up into his arms, he carried her to the bed, laying her gently on the side. He slipped on her panties, sleep shorts and shirt, then handed her a couple of vanilla wafers.

“Eat those while I change, then you can take a pain pill before bed.”

She chewed and took a couple sips of water as he changed clothes and then checked the door. He placed his gun on the bedside table, then handed her a pill. She swallowed it, watching his arms flex as he pulled back the covers. He clicked off the light as he settled in.

“Come here,” he whispered.

Winnie let Benton cuddle her into his side, her head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. She was safe and Benton would make sure she stayed that way. Normally, she’d want her gun beside her bed, too, but honestly, pills fucked her up. Her other sisters didn’t seem to have the problem she did. Give her a pain pill and it was lights out.

“I was so fucking scared.”

Winnie waited. With her head on his chest, she could feel Benton’s heart pounding. He wasn’t the only one who was scared. Coming to and seeing Remington knocked out beside her and flames all around them had petrified her. She’d known it was up to her to get them down into the tunnel. It had seemed like forever trying to get Remi awake enough to crawl over to the hatch.

“I’ve been such an ass pushing you away. I thought I was keeping you safe.”

“Safe? What do you mean?” She really wanted to hear why he’d been pushing her away but she was so tired. She’d pushed through the adrenaline crash and continued to function because that’s what she’d been trained to do. Her dad did extensive training before they were ever allowed to be lead on a job—bail bonds or security.

She’d wait as long as her man needed for him to open up. Even though her mom and Regina stepped in to help with Benton when he came to the MC, Rascal had been his dad. Rascal wasn’t one to talk about his feelings or talk much at all. Sharing with her was something new for Benton. He’d get used to it because she didn’t let things fester. She met them head on.

Between everything that had happened, the hot bath, the pain pill and being in his arms, she was having a hard time staying awake.

“Safe from the things that come with being around...”

His deep voice in the dark of the room was the last thing Winnie heard as she drifted off.

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