Dr. Sheehan was just pulling up.
“How bad?”
“Not sure. He just collapsed and hasn’t said a word since I called you.”
“You had him out working?” the doctor asked in astonishment.
Bryce lifted Ahm from the seat as Dr. Sheehan raced to get the front door. “Don’t lecture me, Doc. It was his idea, not mine. Tell me you can argue logic to your mate when he becomes stubborn.”
Jason grunted behind him.
“No, I can’t.” The doctor followed Bryce upstairs and into his bedroom. Laying Ahm down carefully, Bryce worked his mate’s pants off.
Sweet baby Jesus. Ahm had gone commando. Bryce draped his mate’s groin with a small blanket and then took a step back for the doctor to take a look, but he couldn’t get the image of Ahm’s shaft out of his mind. Never before had he seen hair so white and soft looking surrounding someone’s cock. “How’s it look?”
“I’m going to have to re-stitch him. He busted every last one.” The doctor sounded downright pissed. Bryce watched as he reached into his bag and grabbed a syringe.
“What’s that for?”
“To keep him knocked out while I work. He’s going to be in a lot of pain once he comes to.” Dr. Sheehan gave Ahm the shot and then began to work. “If he gets out of bed one more time before I give him the all-clear, I’ll bring straps over and tie him down.”
“I’ll relay the message,” Bryce said just as his pa walked into the bedroom.
“Damn, boy, I didn’t say work his stitches out of him.”
Bryce scowled at his pa. “I didn’t. He wouldn’t listen when I told him to sit down somewhere.”
His pa took a look over Dr. Sheehan’s shoulder. “Yeah, I can’t see anyone telling the guy what to do. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more stubborn man.”
That was the truth.
“Can you men take it outside in the hallway?” Dr. Sheehan asked. “I need to concentrate here.”
Bryce didn’t want to go anywhere, but his pa clapped him on the shoulder and led him from the room. “He’s in good hands.”
Jason was standing outside the bedroom door, his back against the wall.
“Come on, son. Let’s go get us a cup of coffee.”
Jason glanced into the room and then back at Pa.
“Your mate is safe,” Pa said as the three of them walked downstairs. The kitchen was still in full swing, everyone eating supper. Bryce wasn’t hungry any longer. All he wanted to do was go back upstairs and make sure Ahm was all right.
“Have a seat,” Pa said to Jason. “Grab a plate and help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Jason said and did as Pa said.
Bryce grabbed a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, glancing up at the ceiling every few seconds.
“He’s fine, son. I’m pretty sure the doc would have said something if it was worse.”
He knew his pa was speaking the truth, but until Bryce saw that Ahm was fine, he was going to worry. He stood there berating himself for not making Ahm go sit down. Telling the man to go home would have been out of the question. Ahm did what he wanted. It was in the very way he walked, talked, and acted. Bryce liked that he had such a strong-willed mate, but he could tell it was going to set them to arguing time and again. He had a feeling he was going to throttle Ahm before the week was out—maybe even the night if the man proved too stubborn.
“I’m not going to throttle him. I’m not going to throttle him,” was Bryce’s murmured mantra as he walked into the living room and settled back into a chair to wait.
* * * *
Ahm grunted as he smacked Bryce’s hand away. “I can get it.”
“Hit me one more time and I’ll tuck the sheets so far into the bed that you’ll be trapped here.”
Thinning his lips, Ahm rested back as Bryce changed the bandage on his leg. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of the bear nursemaid. He wasn’t a damn invalid!
Ahm was also getting hard as steel with Bryce messing between his legs. He was a man, after all, and he wasn’t immune to his mate. His cock began to thicken when Bryce rubbed the antibiotic cream over the stitches. His mate knew damn well what he was doing, because there was a sparkle in his light-grey eyes.
He tried to think of anything other than his mate’s thick, scarred hands running over his inner thigh, but it was impossible. Ahm had had his fair share of lovers, but none had been his mate. And none affected him the way Bryce did. Just a simple touch and he was ready to roll the bear over and fuck him.
“It looks like it’s healing nicely,” Bryce commented as he grabbed a towel and wiped the cream off of his hand. “I’ll call Dr. Sheehan tomorrow and see if we can’t get you cleared of bed rest.”