Chapter 64

"Pauvre petite." Remy heard the hitch of pain and humor warring in his own tone. "Thank you, Mari. You were very brave." He reached around to hold the compress himself, so that she could take care of her own needs. He'd rather have taken care of her himself, but this was the best he could do at the moment.
"S-sorry," she stammered. "I'll g-get you bandaged up. Just give me a second."
She took a glass from the counter and rinsed out the sink while the water continued to run. Then she used it to rinse out her mouth and cleaned up around the sink with a washcloth.
"Okay."
From the corner of his eye he watched her nod and forcibly straighten her spine. This was one tough little cookie he'd picked up on the beach.
"Let's get you taped up."
She wet another cloth and wiped off his back, which had to be pretty much covered in blood. It took her a while - she was clearly meticulous. When she was finally satisfied, she carefully lifted away the compress and wiped the area around the wound.
"The bleeding has already slowed down."
"It does that," he agreed. "Just stick a bandage over it so it doesn't make a mess when I go lie down."
"Okay." She tore a handful of gauze pads from their wrappers and pressed them to his shoulder, then stuck them down with several strips of tape. "There. I can't believe I just did that. Now hold still while I get rid of the last of the blood so you don't get it all over the sheets."
He felt her hands tremble and realized she was shivering. When she leaned over him, he could feel the clammy fabric of her damp dress brush against his back. "Take the dress off."
Her hand stilled, mid-wipe. "What?"
"You're still wearing wet clothes from the beach and you're getting chilled. Go find some sweats in my bag, and get warm."
"After." She scrubbed his lower back. "You need to take off the jeans, too. Throw them in the tub. Cold water and soap will get out most of the blood. I hope."
He shut up so she could finish. When she sighed and threw the wash cloth into the tub, he braced his good arm on the toilet tank and shoved himself to his feet.
"Wait!" She shifted so her shoulder was against his chest, her arm around his waist. "Easy does it, big guy."
"I can stand." He was steady, more or less. He leaned on his arm, refusing to let her bear his weight. "But if you want to peel the jeans down, be my guest."
A pretty flush tinted her skin, which had gone ivory-pale during her impromptu surgery. But she obediently bent her silky mink-brown head and put her blood-stained hands to the buttons of his pants.
Jesú, even with the blood he'd lost, just looking at her fingers on his fly made him harden. Her hands were still trembling, so it took her a minute to manage the buttons.
He was glad he didn't have a zipper, as his growing erection would have been at risk as she carefully released him.
"I - umm - guess you are feeling all right," she choked out as his erection sprang free. Smart thing, it pointed right at her.
"Mari, a dead man would get hard with your pretty little hands that close to his cock. I feel like shit, but I'm certainly not dead. Look me up tomorrow night and I'll show you what I can do with it."
Her giggle sounded faintly hysterical, but she kept going, pushing his wet denims down around his ankles. He stepped out of them and watched as she picked them up and tossed them into the tub along with the soiled towels.
"Good. Now your turn."
"B-but..."
"I've already seen you naked, Mari. And your dress is covered with as much blood as my jeans. Put it in the bathtub and turn on the water. They can all soak while we get some rest."
She heaved a sigh, but it lost some of its impact when she had to stop in the middle due to a shiver. "Fine." She pulled the wet garment over her head and threw it into the tub. "Don't move." She put the stopper in and started the faucet, then moved back to his side. "Let's get you into bed."
"Best idea I've heard all night, cherie." He wrapped his good arm around her shoulder, and was impressed by the solid strength he found. She was so tiny that the top of her head didn't reach the bullet hole in his trapezius muscle.
When they reached the bedroom, she eased her free arm to pull down the sheets. Obediently, Remy sat down on the side of the queen-sized bed, but he caught her hand when she tried to pull away.
"Clothes. Much as I enjoy watching you walk around naked, you need to get dressed. If you don't get warm soon, you're going to end up ill. Unless selkies are immune to pneumonia, I want you to put something on."