RaleighPointRescueSue (5 page)

“Utter nonsense. You’re a lightweight, and I’m a bear, err—a
bear of a man.” Mac kissed her head. “I like carrying you.” His arms tightened
around her. Lifting her into the bathroom, he set her onto the toilet. “I’ll be
just outside. Don’t move.”

Lisa managed to wash her hands. Mac came back in when she
turned the water on and sighed audibly at the death grip Lisa had on the side
of the sink. Wrapping a soft towel around her, he gently deposited her on a
stool.

“Can I use the shower, please?” she asked.

Mac bent down. “Lisa, this is your home. You don’t have to ask
to use anything, but for now I’m
gonna
run the bath
as I don’t like the idea of you standing for too long.”

Mac ran the water and added some soft bubble bath. Lisa
tried not to gape as he calmly stripped. Oh God, he was getting in with her.
She cringed as Mac straightened up and moved to lift her. He was gorgeous,
moving easily and confidently, completely comfortable in his own skin. Lisa
closed her eyes in shame. And why wouldn’t he be? He was like some Greek God.
Maybe, if she was very lucky, she might drown in the bath. Her jaw dropped as
he pulled her close and gently lowered her onto him as he settled in the tub, her
back to his chest. Okay then, well maybe not
drown
exactly.

Lisa swallowed.

Mac swallowed.

Lisa daren’t move. His dick, ramrod straight, was pressing
into her. It was like she was having some out of body experience. He picked up
the sponge and started drawing lazy circles on her shoulders. Then the sponge
moved lower. The circles didn’t seem that lazy anymore. She stiffened.

“Lisa, honey, just relax. Nothing’s
gonna
happen to you,
nothing.
I just want
to look after you.”

Lisa’s body trembled as she struggled to hold herself away
from him. She was fighting leaning back.

“Lisa, do you remember I told you where you are?” She nodded
carefully. Her neck ached with the effort of holding herself rigid.
Oh God.
He’d just found where it hurt,
and his hands were smoothing the aches away

“You’re safe here. No one’s going to drug you, hurt you, or
force you to do anything.” Her muscles shook a little as she started to relax.
“Things are complicated with your body, and it’s
gonna
be confusing for a while.”

Maybe she could lean back just a little bit. Just so he
could reach that bit…
Ohh
.

Mac was telling her about the home, but she wasn’t really
listening. The sound of his deep voice made it hard to keep her eyes open. He
told her about the kids they looked after, explained how Dr. Michaels had got
her released to them because he knew them and realized she would be safe.

Lisa thought she must be dreaming. But it wasn’t like any
dream she’d had before. She didn’t have nice dreams. Lisa only had nightmares.
But this one?
This one she definitely didn’t want to wake up
from.

Chapter Five

While Mac dried her hair, Lisa sat on the stool in the
bathroom, trying to process all the things he had told her since yesterday. She
sniffed surreptitiously. She could smell honey and wondered if it was one of
the shampoos. She understood where she was. It sounded like a group home she
had stayed in briefly, in between foster placements as a child. Some of them
had been very nice. She’d never known her real parents. They’d died in an
accident, and she didn’t have any other family. That’s what they’d told her
while growing up in the system.

She remembered the first time she’d lost her temper in one
of the group homes. Just started getting breasts and had been proud of her
body. She was so excited she’d been able to use her clothing allowance to buy a
bra. Lisa scowled at the memory of the boy, Bryan, his name was. He’d followed
her all the way down the stairs to the TV room, snapping her bra strap,
laughing and asking to see her boobs. It seemed so silly now. Other kids would
have just laughed and ignored him.
Other kids would have
maybe shouted, or maybe told the house mother, but no, not her.
She’d
snapped and pushed him down the stairs. They moved her to a secure group home then,
and things had gone from bad to worse. She’d never worn a bra again.

Mac’s arms rested gently on her shoulders. He totally
confused her. He said his family ran the group home, and she remembered him
coming for her in the hospital, but she still didn’t understand why.

She took in his powerful body. God, the guy was enormous,
all muscles with short black hair. He was like one of the football players some
of the orderlies commented on when they watched a game.
Weird
blue eyes.
Like he could see right through you.
And he had spent the day with her.
God,
he had bathed her.
He had kissed her and held her like she was his, like
she belonged to him. She remembered when she reacted downstairs to
Alex,
Mac hadn’t hit her or drugged her. He’d just held her
and told her to stop, and her body had listened. No one had ever been able to
get her to calm down by just talking, ever.

“You about done?”
The smiling blue
eyes pulled her from her thoughts.

Lisa nodded, still unable to trust her voice after it being
silent for so long.

“I’ll just be outside.” He pushed some clothes toward her,
smiled, and left her to get dressed.

Lisa smiled again at his thoughtfulness. She hadn’t had any
privacy in what seemed to be a very long time.

She opened the bathroom door, dressed in the jeans and blue
T-shirt she’d pulled from the pile, liking the snug fit of the denim. She
looked shyly at the man who stood by the bed, relaxed with his arms crossed.

“Very nice.”
Mac smiled and came
closer. “Now, you need food. You have hardly eaten anything since you got here.
Everyone’s out except Riley and Cassie, so think you could brave downstairs
again?”

Lisa’s breath hitched.
Downstairs?
Could she?

“We’ve also asked Dr. Michaels to look in on you today.”

“Why?” Lisa’s feet came to a stop, alarm spiking.

“Dr. Michaels has the experience to understand what you’ve
gone through. He can give any advice Riley needs to help you. Don’t worry, I’ve
got you.” He pulled Lisa into a big warm hug. She stiffened and waited for the
slivers of panic to creep in. She didn’t do touching much. No, she did. It was
just that no one had touched her without trying to restrain her, forever. Mac
tucked her under his chin. Her body relaxed, and she sighed.
Safe,
safe and warm, warm right down to her toes.
Her stomach rumbled.

“Come on, let’s feed you. I’m starving.”

Lisa blushed and thought about her plump body again. At
least, he hadn’t commented on that, but she would only eat small bits. She was
big enough.

Lisa walked into the kitchen, holding Mac’s hand and smiled
at Cassie and Riley. Cassie grinned and put a burger and fries in front of her.

“Thank you,” she murmured shyly, and realizing she was hungry,
started tucking in. As usual, by the time she’d gotten less than halfway
through, she put the bun down and pushed her plate away. Her stomach wasn’t
full, but her head was full of the orderlies’ faces when they’d watch her eat.
She was never allowed to eat on her own. Sometimes, she just wasn’t hungry. Too
many pills stuffed down her throat. They’d stood over her. Cracking jokes about
her going on a diet. Her throat closed, and she couldn’t eat any more, even
though when she’d first seen the food, she could have eaten two of them.

She glanced up at Mac, and his hand squeezed her thigh. She
stilled. Another guy had come into the room. She hadn’t noticed him before, and
she drew into Mac’s side, alarmed.

“This is Dr. Michaels. This is the guy responsible for
getting you out of the hospital.”

Mac smiled, but made no move to make Lisa go near the
doctor.

The fairly average looking, sandy-haired guy with glasses,
had a smile that crinkled as he spoke. “Hi, Lisa, good to see you’re a bit
better. Do you mind if we talk some?”

Lisa nodded carefully and kept close to Mac.

“Lisa, I want to apologize. The system hasn’t treated you
very well I’m afraid.”

Lisa gaped, amazed. She blurted out, “It wasn’t your fault,”
before she could stop herself. Heat crept up her face.

“Well, no, not personally maybe, but really, in this day and
age, these things shouldn’t be happening.” He sighed. “I just stopped in to say
hi, but I can see you’re doing well. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to stop
in regularly over the next few days.
Just to talk.”

She was sure they could all hear her heart hammering, trying
to escape her chest.

“I’m on my way to see another patient, and I can’t stay
today, but I just wanted to say hello.”

Short breaths became longer.
He didn’t seem that bad.

“I’ll be going now. Mac, want to walk out with me?”

Mac gazed down at Lisa. “Will you be okay with Riley for a
few minutes?”

Lisa nodded. She quite liked Riley, and she needed Mac to
stop guarding her so closely.
Didn’t
she? So she could get away when she needed to.

* * * *

Mac walked to the door where Zack stood, obviously guarding
the kitchen door in case Lisa and Dr. Michaels needed privacy. Mac gave him a
grateful smile.

“What do you think, Doc?”

“I think it’s remarkable she seems to have come out of this
relatively unscathed. According to Riley, her mind is quite clear. At the very
least, I would have expected serious side-effects, if not permanent damage.
Shifter metabolism is quite remarkable.”

Mac nodded, pleased.

“You’ve still got a long haul with her. Panic attacks
certainly. I wouldn’t be surprised at moderate or severe agoraphobia. I’m
amazed she isn’t suffering serious withdrawal symptoms. I asked for the drugs
to be reduced,” he smiled questioningly, “not completely stopped.”

Mac shrugged. “Riley would know if it were a problem.”

Dr. Michaels let out a heartfelt sigh. “I wish he would
consider a career in medicine. I understand you’re her mate?”

Mac nodded.

“Well, I suppose what I’d normally say to spouses won’t
apply to you.”

“Which is?”

Dr. Michaels sighed. “She needs someone for the long haul.
If you’re not totally committed, I can arrange for a transfer.” He shook his
head at Mac’s askance look. “Like I said
,
if you weren’t
a shifter
.
The other thing is her
general health. I’m can’t be entirely sure without getting a full work up on
her, which given her reticence, isn’t a good idea at present, but you’ve
noticed she’s quite plump?”

Mac growled, feeling his bear rush to defend his mate. Dr.
Michaels took a step back.

“Whoa, listen. That isn’t a criticism. It’s something I’ve learned
from a colleague I worked with last year, a wolf shifter, and my wife also.
She’s seriously undernourished, she’s probably had junk forced on her from that
excuse of a hospital, and that, coupled with at least one of the drugs she was
on, is a natural appetite suppressant. Thing is, malnutrition doesn’t show
itself in shifters the same way as humans. Her body has shut down. If she gets
the correct diet, a large percentage of meat, she will slim down pretty
quickly. I noticed she hardly ate any of her lunch.”

Mac nodded, and Zack put in, “She pretty much pushed her
breakfast around yesterday also.”

Mac frowned. “Hell, she hasn’t eaten anything since she got
here.”

“Well, it needs monitoring. As it is, she will get very
tired, very quickly. Let me know if her eating doesn’t pick up, and I’ll find
out some more info.” Dr. Michaels put his hand out. “Anything you need, call
me.”

Mac shook hands, pleased with the doctor, and hurried
inside, wondering how soon he could conceivably get Lisa to eat more.

Going back into the kitchen, he suddenly stopped. She was
smiling.

Leaning on the kitchen counter, Mac gazed at his mate. Her
short stubby brown hair was cute.
Hell
,
she probably hated it. Cassie had mentioned something about a salon visit later
in the week, so that was good.

Lisa laughed at something Riley said and looked up at Mac.
Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled with gold flecks. He wanted to make them
shine like that all the time. How on earth could he possibly have thought they
were just brown? His eyes slid over the bruises yellowing on her neck and the
darker ones on her face. They’d be the last ones ever to mar her smooth skin.
He’d make damn sure of it.

“I was just telling Lisa about Mom and Dad finally going on
that cruise he’s promised her for the last twenty years.” Riley nodded at Mac,
showing everything seemed to be okay. “I’ll leave you to it, got some homework
to do.”

“Riley and Zack run a security company. Riley does the
computer programming for all the systems they install. Care for a tour?” Mac
put his hand out.

Lisa eyed his hand cautiously. He knew she could feel the
tingling between them when they touched.

“I’m sure you have some questions?” Mac smiled gently,
helping her bundle up with a borrowed jacket as they stepped outside.

Lisa raised her face to the sun and closed her eyes. Mac’s
breath halted at her child-like expression. He liked that look on her. He wanted
it more, like she was suddenly enjoying something for the first time.

He snagged a small warm hand in his and was ridiculously
pleased when she held on tight.

“I have so many
questions,
I’m not
sure where to start.” Lisa paused. “Why do you care?”

Mac’s eyebrows lifted, and he shuffled his feet.
Oh hell.
“Would you like to see the
start of the woods over there? It isn’t far, and there’s a clearing where we
can rest and talk some more.” He shifted uncomfortably, knowing he was
stalling.

Lisa nodded, and Mac kept his strides short and his paces
slow. In no time, they had reached the clearing, and he stopped.

“I remember what you did, you know,” she said softly.

Mac glanced at her sharply.

“I know you thought I was out of it, but I know what you
did. You took away the anger and the pain. I just don’t understand why you
would bother.”

“Why I would bother?” Mac asked bewildered.

“Yes, well you’re you.” She waved an arm at him. “And I’m
considerably less.” She added softly, “Or more, depending on which way you look
at it.”

Mac’s jaw clamped down on his immediate reaction. He knew he
was just about to give an automatic,
you’re
beautiful,
or
you’re gorgeous,
without really thinking about it. It would be a lot easier if he could explain
she was his mate. He was seriously out of his depth—feeling shallow.
I’m only used to empty-headed compliments.
The sort you gave without thinking. She was worth more than that.

Turning to her and pulling her in, he raised a slow hand to
her face, keeping it gentle. Her eyes dilated slightly as he brushed a thumb
over her cheek. “Honey, you know when we touch, you feel a connection? Like we
were meant to be together?”

Lisa’s lips parted in astonishment. Mac smiled. She clearly
thought the attraction was one-sided. Her mouth tilted. “I thought that only
happened in movies?” She frowned as if she was trying to find the words for
something else.

Hell, he could show her better than this.

Mac’s mouth descended on hers, possessive, urgent, and
demanding. He bent her into him, and his bear roared.

Everything slowed. He could almost feel her lips before he
touched and tasted them.

He wound his arms around her and tilted her body to fit.
Lust slammed into him, hot and hard. Her hands rose up and clutched his arms.

Lisa’s knees wobbled.

Mac swept her closer.

God, how could he ever have thought that a thin body was
appealing? He loved her softness. He could bend her curves around him, like she
was meant to be there. He could feel her breasts pushing up against him, and
knew if his bear had been let out, it would be doing cartwheels.

Suddenly everything stopped.

Mac’s bear rose within, and they both inhaled together.
Danger.
Wolves.

Mac just had time to curse himself for being too distracted
to notice their smell, when three huge wolves stepped into the clearing.

Without thinking of the consequences, his need to protect paramount,
Mac gave one hard gaze to Lisa as he lifted her behind him, and heard a ripping
noise as he started shifting.