“It’s going to be okay, I promise,”
“Okay,” she whispered brokenly.
Jacob tightened his hold on her and stroked the back of her head.
“I’m going to take care of you,”
“You are?” she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Yes. I’m going to take care of everything,” he promised her.
“Okay,”
He pulled away from her and wiped her tears. “Come on, let’s get you in the shower and into some clean clothes,” he said as he helped her up.
She nodded but then remembered she couldn’t shower on her own. Her wrist was still bandaged and needed to be kept dry. Jacob seemed to realize the same thing because he smiled at her, his fangs peeking out.
“I’ll help you,” he said.
She felt heat creep up into her cheeks. Jacob chuckled and took her hand, leading her towards the bathroom. She followed after him, her wolf happy and content. Jacob was taking care of them, and that was all that mattered.
Jacob helped Autumn out of her pajamas, his touch gentle. She kept her eyes averted the entire time. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, and the smell of her arousal was thick in the air. He gritted his teeth and pushed his hunger back.
He helped her into the shower and then stripped down to his underwear and climbed in after her. She jumped a little at how cold he was, and he chuckled.
“I can warm up if you want me to,” he murmured in her ear.
Autumn’s breath caught, and she shook her head. “No, I don’t want you to,” she whispered.
He nodded, dropping a kiss on her shoulder. He reached for the body wash and squirted some into his hands. He rubbed them together and then began to wash her body. She whimpered a little, and her breath hitched.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
“Fine,” she breathed as she closed her eyes.
He smiled to himself and washed her body, making sure she was clean. He washed her hair next, taking extra care to be gentle.
Autumn’s eyes were closed, and her breathing was deep and even. He wondered if she had fallen asleep. He rinsed the soap from her hair and then turned off the water.
He wrapped a towel around himself and then helped Autumn out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around her and then another around her hair. She blinked at him sleepily.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you dressed,” he said softly. She nodded, and he helped her into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, and he went to get some clothes.
He had asked one of the girls to leave some for Autumn, and there was a small pile of clothes on the chair. He grabbed them and helped Autumn into them.
Once she was dressed, he sat down next to her and took her wrist in his hands. He undid the bandage and examined her skin underneath.
It was still an angry red, but it didn’t look as bad as it had.
“You need to keep it dry,” he told her.
She nodded.
“I know,”
“Good,” he dropped a kiss on her wrist and then bandaged it back up.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Of course,” he replied as he stood. “I’ll leave you to rest. Shout if you need anything,” he told her.
She nodded, and he left her alone.
Autumn sat on the bed and stared at the door. Jacob had been so caring and attentive. She hadn’t expected it after the way he had treated her before. She had expected him to throw her in a room and forget about her. She hadn’t expected him to care for her like he had.
He had been gentle and loving, and she had felt safe in his arms.
She bit her lip and then lay back down on the bed. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift back to Jacob. She wondered what he was doing and where he was.
She felt the bed dip and opened her eyes. Jacob was next to her, pulling her into his arms.
“I thought I’d stay with you,” he said as she looked up at him.
“But I thought you had things to do?” she asked. Jacob shook his head.
“No. The only thing I have to do is look after you,” he told her as he shifted so that she was lying on his chest.
“But—” she started to protest, but he cut her off with a kiss.
“No buts. Just rest, Autumn,” he told her, cutting off any protests she was going to make.
She sighed and snuggled down into his arms.
“Okay,”
Autumn woke slowly, feeling warm and safe. She blinked open her eyes and found herself still curled up against Jacob.
He was awake; she could tell. She could hear his heart beating in his chest, but his breathing was slow and deep. Almost as if he was asleep, but she knew he wasn’t.
“Hey,” she murmured sleepily.
Jacob’s arms tightened around her.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he replied.
“What time is it?” she asked as she lifted her head to look up at him. His blue eyes met hers, and he smiled down at her.
“It’s almost sunset,” he told her.
“Oh,” she mumbled. She dropped her head back down onto his chest and closed her eyes again. She wasn’t ready to get up and face the day. She wanted to stay curled up in Jacob’s arms.
Jacob chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
“You’re cute when you’re grumpy,” he teased.
She glared up at him. “I am not grumpy,” she denied.
Jacob grinned at her. “You so are, and you’re cute,” he repeated, dropping a kiss onto her head.