Chapter 6

Six

G o on a wild Alaskan adventure, they said. It will be fun and give you a new perspective as a wildlife vet, they said. They, being her brothers. Her father and mother not so much.

Remy outright snorted. She sure put the wild in wildlife veterinarian. So far her Alaskan adventure had landed her smack in the middle of a one-sided shootout. Well, not technically. But close enough her father may not ever let her leave home again. Then there were the constantly chapped lips, a nasty bruise that took up half her face, and her first fight. Then there was the sex with her temporary Alaskan hottie. That almost made up for the scariest afternoon of her life.

She angled her head to the side, keeping the rest of her body still. Dark lashes kissed slightly flushed cheeks. Another couple of hours and if his fever didn't drop along with his ragged breathing, then she'd worry. That shower nearly killed him whether he wanted to admit it or not. And it almost did her in too.

Sometimes men really could be single-minded.

Just looking at his gorgeous face made her breathe hitch. He hid something from her and he wore it like a shield. Every time they became close it triggered something in him that shut down even the slightest of emotion. Fighting him on it proved to be a losing battle. The way he held her, touched her, proved there were layers to him she didn't know anything about. But why wouldn't he open up and share?

She watched him now. His body looked relaxed, but the normally soft set of his eyes crinkled up with pain.

Remy cupped Ethan's cheek and leaned in to press her hand to his forehead. He'd fallen asleep the second his head hit the pillow almost two hours earlier.

"Woman, if you don't get some sleep, I'll find a way to use that pent-up energy and make good on what we didn't finish in the shower." He touched a hand to hers. "Sleep, Remy. I'm fine."

Fine my ass . "Liar," she tossed back remembering just how good he felt pressed up against her, all dripping wet and hard.

"Don't make me haul you beside me and make sure you get some sleep. Stop fussing over me and rest. Or, you can curl up here by me." Ethan shifted to make room for her on the couch beside him.

Tempting.

"Ethan Savage, you move another inch and I'll show you a new use for my scarves." She fingered the new one, purple this time, which hung low around her neck to mingle with the pink of her tank top. It matched the sky beyond the living room window as the sun started its early ascent.

"Can hardly wait."

He sounded in pain.

As if sensing her gaze, he pressed up on his elbows. "Stop worrying so much. I'll be fine by morning." He moved his leg a little to prove his point. "It's not hurting as much as before."

She blinked. "You keep saying that like you're trying to convince me." She harrumphed. "And if you haven't noticed, morning is only a few hours away." She pointed out the window. "And we still don't have a plan to get outta here."

"A little more rest and we can walk to my brother's cabin. There's a radio there that we can use. I can already feel my strength coming back."

The fever might not be overly dangerous, but walking wasn't an option right now in her opinion. But he was a stubborn man and if he said he was going to do something then that is what he did. He did have a healthy coloring in his cheeks. That gave her hope.

"Who is Connor?"

Surprise flitted across his expression and tightened the muscles of his neck with how the vein in his neck bulged the second she asked her question.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"From you. You said it in your sleep."

She straightened her shoulders when she saw the way his eyes glazed over and he grew pensive.

"Never mind. Forget I asked." If he wanted to be a clam, so could she.

"It's not—" He let out a gruff growl of frustration and scrubbed his hands down his face. "He was my brother."

"Your twin," she offered.

He nodded.

Remy shifted in her seat so that she could look him dead in the eyes. "Is he the reason you pull away from me every time you seem to want to get close?" She didn't know the whole story but knew it was a tragic death that took his twin from him. From some of the stories she'd heard, they were inseparable from birth. Losing someone that close would leave anyone wounded.

"Drop it, Remy." His tone was flat. Hurt.

"No. You're not getting away this time." She paused and leaned forward, winding her fingers through his. He squeezed back. "Talk to me, Ethan. I won't know unless you tell me. Maybe I can help."

Ethan didn't bother answering. His closed expression said a lot, though. Evidently, she'd read him wrong earlier. He didn't want anything past a fun fling after all.

She released their hands and pulled back.

"You're right. We've only known each other for three months. Sleeping together at least two of those months. Doesn't mean a thing, right?" That didn't seem to budge him either. She felt defeated.

"It's because I want to claim you in the strongest, deepest way possible and never let you leave this mountain or me. I want to come in you and see you round with my baby and do it all over again and again." His expression tightened and his voice grew thick with emotion. "I can't have that kind of connection to another human being, Remy. Not again. Something that deep-rooted would kill me if I ever lost you."

Was that what Ethan really believed? Words like those meant one thing. Love. He loved her and all but said it. Her heart broke for him. The pain of loss that kept him from ever finding happiness wouldn't just disappear which meant he would let her walk away in the end.

"You say those things like they are bad. Like wanting me is akin to having a disease. And what is so bad about wanting to be happy and loved?" Exasperation shot her tone an octave higher but he said it in a way she couldn't help but feel frustrated over.

Braced against the armrest with his leg spread across her lap she had no choice but to wait. But the itch to pace had her biting her lip.

A tremor quaked in her chest. Maybe this was for the best. She only had a short time on her clock anyway. After they got some help up here, all she had to do was test the water, help the wildlife rangers fix the problem, and she could scoot on out of town. The Savage crew could handle their own problems, and she'd make it damn clear to Ethan he wouldn't have to worry about her cramping his style or making him feel things he didn't want to feel.

She pushed her glasses up and rubbed her eyes. Tension cranked the heat up in the room and finally cracked her patience.

She moved to slide his leg to the side and stand when he spoke.

"Remy, what I want with you is beyond simple desire and lust. I don't know how to fucking handle that shit. Having you close to me is like having heaven within reach and hell chasing and nipping at my heels."

She pinned Ethan with a hard look. "I guess I'm not worth the risk, right Ethan?"

She looked down at her hands, her fingers finding the edges of the scarf she used as a makeshift bandage. She'd wrung it out and tossed it over the back of the couch as she helped Ethan get comfortable after their shower. A stain, large and purple against the blue scarf caught her eye. She turned the cloth over in her hands and dried petals tumbled out to land on Ethan's legs and her lap.

She held up a hand for him to wait.

Hope rose. "When I first bandaged your leg with this back in the woods, I saw odd burn marks I know where not made by you getting shot. But when I got you back here and, in the shower, they had faded from angry red to a dull pink. I didn't know why at first. But this…" she held up the dried petals. "This could be the answer." There were still a couple of tests to do before she would know for certain but if she was right, they'd stumbled onto what would counter-act the poison Brax had dumped in the lake.

She could see his mind working. "When he shot me, I fell into the water. Some of whatever he dumped could have gotten on me, but I had my clothes on."

"You had a hole in your pants and the poison had yet to disperse in the water so you got a strong dose of it on your calf and possibly in your wound."

Remy turned his leg slightly and peeled back an edge of the bandage so she could see the outer part. Just as she thought.

"See these petals?" She held up the tiny wilted leaves that looked like nothing more than weeds that had dropped from her field bandage. "I found them wrapped up in this and it appears they came in contact with the burns. They must have stuck to my scarf when I fell to the ground in the field."

Darkness clouded his eyes, so she pushed forward quickly. Careful to not aggravate the area any further, she gently removed a side of the bandage and found the edges of the bullet wound not as angry and puckered. "You'll still need stitches, but how is the pain level?"

"Throbbing, but manageable if I don't move too much. You did a good job with bandaging me up."

"Good. Now, I have to take samples of the water and with what I have in my field kit I can run some tests here that will at least tell us if what Brax dumped is lethal to humans, or aimed more toward the wildlife of the area."

"That's possible?"

She nodded. "If you know what you're doing, yes. Just like nature can heal, it can also take lives. And can be altered to target specific DNA. Animal and human DNA can be specifically targeted. But, that's probably way too sophisticated for the likes of a man like Brax. I think what has been dumped in the water is plant-based and why it's been so hard to trace. I've been looking for the wrong signs. I should have known."

"You look adorable when you turn all geeky doctor on me."

She smiled and pushed on. "And with this," she held up a long cotton Q-tip, "I'll confirm what I already believe to be true."

"Remy, you're not doing what I think you're saying you wanna do. Forget it, woman."

Remy pushed to her feet and anchored her hands on her hips. "It's not like you're going to do it for me. Besides, I'm a big girl. And it could mean lives, Ethan. Even if they are only animals to you, they are precious and their lives matter too, you know and?—"

"That's not what I meant," he cut in. "I'm talking about yours, Remy. Your life is the most important to me." His anger was growing and his words turned into growls. "So forget it. I might have a wounded leg, but I'm not down for the count. You try to walk out that door and I'll fucking take you over my shoulder and make sure you listen to fucking reason." He grabbed a fist full of cushion and hauled himself to his feet. He swayed but held a hand up for her to leave him be.

Stubborn to the core. She fought to contain her frustration and the need to scream. She couldn't remember the last time she'd stomped her foot, but the infuriating man made her feet itch to do some pounding.

"You even touch that door handle, woman, and I'll have you wrapped around me so damn tight you won't know where you end and I begin from now to the end of time."

"Really?" He could try.

He chuckled darkly. "Take it as a promise." The stubble on his chin gave him a true mountain man look, but the wildness in his eyes is what had her heart nearly stopping.

"I will not let you put yourself in danger."

Her mouth fell open. "And that's the only reason, right? To keep me safe. Gotta keep your Boy Scout badges well-polished and shiny."

He slammed a fist down on the dining room table where she stood organizing the gear she needed for the tests. He moved fast for an injured man. She'd do good to remember that. "Damn it, Remy, look at me."

Anger made her movements jerky, but she turned to him. Big fat freaking mistake. Her heart lurched in her chest and did a freaking nosedive to the pit of her stomach without stopping so she could catch her breath.

He stalked forward, able to put a little more pressure on his leg than he had when they first walked in the door.

He palmed her face and angled her head to where all she saw was his searing gaze.

"If you go out that door and get hurt, I'll fucking kill someone or something. Then probably fucking die in the process."

Eyes wide, her mouth worked but nothing came out. What did he want her to say?

"What do you want from me, Ethan?"

"Marry me, damn it. I want you to fucking marry me and give me babies. Lots of babies."

His chest was heaving and she could see his pulse racing with the bulging vein in his neck.

"My savage mountain." He wrapped a strong arm around her and hauled into his arms and she rested her cheek against his chest. The sound of his racing heart calmed hers.

She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. She could see the man meant every word he uttered. His eyes glowed with the truth of them and a silent plea for her to obey.

"Do you mean it?" She wanted to hear the words.

"Every last one," he growled before claiming her mouth with a claiming kiss so deep her soul felt the pain inside him and welcomed the burden. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and nipped at the tender flesh. Between them his cock grew hard.

She broke away and stepped from his arms, hard as it was. He met her gaze with a fire in his eyes. He took a step toward her and then another.

"Stay here." It tore her apart to move that small fraction away from him. She clipped her pistol to her belt, gathered her gear and the case of vials in one hand, and tossed a water bottle his way to land on the couch with the others she tried to force down him to no avail. "You need lots of liquids. I won't take long. But this is something I have to do. Please understand."

"Fuck that," he rumbled and the sound of his dark laughter had her pausing.

"It'll take a bullet to my head and not my leg to keep me here laid up on the couch like some pussy while my woman puts herself in danger for me or anyone else. Don't ever ask that of me again."

She kind of liked his all alpha mode, but that little tidbit stayed with her.

"I'd do anything for you, but it's not like I'm going out there unarmed," she corrected, turning to him. He crossed the short distance between them, leaning heavily on the couch and each piece of furniture between them for support. Nothing was holding him back, apparently.

She dropped her supplies and pressed both palms to his cheeks. "You do know you have a fever and you've been shot, right? Do you know why you can't breathe and you're probably seeing two of me?"

"'Cause you're tearing my insides to pieces!" A deep growl rumbled through her as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest.

"Please don't go. Damon will be up this way in a day or two to check on the place. He always does. We can hold up until then."

Damon was Ethan's second eldest brother and the quiet one of the Savage brothers. She had met him a handful of times at Sunday dinner with their large family. He either stuck to the bar and bakery he owned or spent his time in the woods for the most part. You never experienced a true Alaskan family gathering until you had ten plus burly men in one room with a table full of food.

"You are fighting off the poison that seeped into your bloodstream. How much I don't know. Waiting isn't an option. What we don't know could mean your life. I'm only guessing it affect animals only. What if I'm wrong, Ethan? I'm not willing to risk it out of fear of the unknown."

He crossed his arms and took a stance that screamed he was budging.

"Look, I need to know what kind of danger we are in. If I don't find out how to help you, we could have a major crisis on our hands."

Realization of their situation hit and his eyes became razor-focused. "Fine." Anger threatened to take hold, but she watched him tap it down. She spent enough time around her brothers to know it simmered just beneath the surface and would find an outlet sooner or later.

"Damon has a radio. Getting to his place will be a bitch and slow, but faster than waiting for him. We'll call in support while you do your testing back at his place."

"Since you refuse to leave, think you can you make it?"

"If it kills me."

"Not funny, Ethan."

"Not really laughing, Doc." He grabbed her arm and spun her around as she reached for the door handle.

Momentum carried her straight into his waiting arms. Damn if her hands didn't land on the firm space his chest took up. Looking up at him wide-eyed, she held his gaze as he lowered his face closer to hers. "We're not done here. This thing between you and me, we clear this up, figure out what the hell Brax is up to and then this," he waved a finger between the small space separating their noses, "will be addressed. I want a formal answer to my question and I plan on asking you again to make sure I get it." His tone held no room for negotiations nor did the hard kiss he stole that left her breathless. Honestly, seeing him face his fear head-on and taking what he wanted turned her on. And she was kind of curious to find out how he planned on asking her to marry him again.

Remy leveled her gaze with his. "Touché, mountain man. Touché."