Bear the Burn(15)

“It looks fine,” Moira said. “Who took the bullet out?”

Dade nodded to a man in the corner. “My brother, Boone, did.”

“With what?” Moira asked.

“With my finger,” Boone said with an empty smile.

“Truth,” Quinn whispered. “You’re telling the truth.”

The brothers each shot the other a loaded look.

“But how do I know that?” she asked low.

Boone pushed off the wall, his blue eyes troubled as he twitched his head. His shoulder-length blond hair flicked out from in front of his face, and he stuck his oversize hand out for a shake. Up one arm, he was completely covered with a full sleeve of tattoos. “I’m Boone Keller. You probably don’t remember me, but I was there when you came to be, little bear.”

“Little bear,” she repeated softly, shaking his hand.

His words tugged at the frayed end of a memory she’d buried deeply.

“Right. Well, I’m going to leave you to it.” He jerked his chin toward the officers by the window. “I’ll be outside.”

Dade sat on the bed, his profile to her, watching her warily from the corner of his eye. “I have something to say, and I suck with words, so just let me say it and get it done.”

She shuffled toward the bed, but the pain in her legs made her wince and lose her balance. “Shhhoot,” she hissed, leaning heavily, arms locked against the mattress.

A growling sound came from behind her, and when she took stock of her body, Dade’s hands were gripping her waist, steadying her from behind. How the heck had he ended up over here?

She narrowed her eyes at her splayed hands, in instincts screaming not to keep him at her back. “What are you?”

“Well, that’s part of what I want to talk to you about. I’m a shifter.”

“Meaning?”

“I turn into a bear when I want. Or lately when I’m worked up.”

She snorted and sank heavily onto the mattress. Sure, it sounded like he was being honest from the clear bell tone of his voice, but he wasn’t a bear. “Okay, Dade Keller, where’d you get all those scars on your back?”

“I did two tours. Shrapnel.”

The smile fell from her lips as her humor faded away. “Are you still active duty?”

He shook his head and sat beside her. “Let me see your legs.”

“Why, because the open back of my hospital gown wasn’t enough? You’ll have to buy me dinner before I show you my gorgeous gams.” She’d meant it as a joke, but her voice had faded and hitched by the last word. Her heart pounded around Dade, and she had the fluttering of emotions she hadn’t felt in years when she looked into his eyes. Nothing in her wanted to show him how messed up her body was now.

“I didn’t look at the back of your gown.”

“Because you didn’t want to?” The answer mattered.

Dade canted his head and blinked once, slowly. “I wanted to look, but I didn’t think you would be comfortable with it.”

She took a relieved breath and brushed her fingertips across the melted skin on his neck. “And this?”

Dade gripped her wrist and pushed it away. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed and gave her a hard look. “I’ve given you enough for now.”

Him flinching away from her touch ripped at her heart. “Why don’t you like for me to touch you?”

“Because,” he whispered, “I haven’t earned it.”

“Moira said you saved my life.”

“Moira was mistaken. I was the one who ruined your life. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

“Did you pull me from the fire?”

A single nod.

“Why were you there?”

“Because it was my job.”

She could decipher the wavering note in his words enough to know that wasn’t the whole truth. She pulled her shoulders up to her ears and scrunched up her nose. “Honestly?”

“Fuck,” he muttered, looking out the window as he released her wrist. “I’m a firefighter. I was at the station when the call came through.”

“Were you scared, running into those flames?”

“No. I was scared that when I came out with you, you’d already be gone.”

Truth.

Her heart thumped erratically against her breastbone. “Why do you care? You don’t even know me.”

Dade lifted one shoulder in a miserable half-shrug and rubbed his hand down his short blond stubble. It made a scratching sound against his palm. She stared at his facial hair, shining gold in the sunlight that streamed through the window. She wanted badly to touch, just to see if it was as soft as it looked. His eyes were still bright but had lost that muddy, wild color. “I care about what happens to you. I care if you’re safe. I care if you’re happy.”