“You’re just going to have to accept the fact we aren’t going anywhere, Melissa,” Damian said firmly. She couldn’t answer because she started retching again.
After the nausea had passed, Melissa tried to get to her feet. Damian and Luke helped her up by taking hold of her elbows. When she was standing once more, Luke pulled her against his warm, hard, masculine chest so she had something to lean on and wouldn’t topple to the floor. And for once she was glad, because she was really unsteady on her feet and her knees felt like they were about to buckle.
Damian took one of the clean face cloths from the top of the vanity and, after wetting it with warm water, he wiped her face and neck. Picking up the clean glass from the counter, he filled it with cold water and handed it to her so she could rinse her mouth. When she was done, Luke scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom, where he placed her on the bed carefully.
“I think you would be more comfortable out of these clothes and under the covers, Melissa. Do you want some help to take them off?” Luke was looking worried and she wondered if she looked as bad as she felt.
She wanted to answer, but her muscles were already relaxing and her heavy eyelids were closing and she drifted to sleep before she could reply.
* * * *
Damian wanted to make her more comfortable by removing her clothes but reconsidered when he thought about her reaction when she awoke. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, so he removed her shoes only. Luke picked her up while Damian pulled back the covers on the bed and Luke gently lowered Melissa onto the clean sheet. Damian pulled the covers up and Luke helped him tuck the quilt around her body, making sure she was kept warm and comfortable.
“God, look at her! She is fucking gorgeous. You know who she is, don’t you, Luke?” Damian asked his brother using their mental link.
“Yeah, I do. I could kick myself for hurting our mate like that. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry and distracted I would have smelled her scent before we even got to the door. We have to keep her with us, Damian. We can’t let her go. We’ve waited too long as it is to meet our mate, and I had to screw everything up by knocking her over. Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I don’t think she’s the type of woman to hold a grudge, Luke. She knows it was an accident and that you didn’t hurt her on purpose.
“We’ll have to give her time to get to know us first before we can claim her. If we force her to accept us before she’s ready, we could end up pushing her away from us. We’re going to have to take this slowly, Luke. One day at a time.” Damian rubbed a hand over his face. He hated seeing their mate in pain and sick but he was ecstatic that he and his brother had finally found her.
Damian let Doc Jonas in when he arrived a few moments later and he watched intently as the older man examined their mate. The whole time he looked Melissa over, he didn’t say a word and Damian was becoming very concerned, and by the frown on Luke’s face, so was he.
“Melissa is going to be fine. She has a concussion and needs to be watched closely for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. I really think she should be in a hospital.”
Melissa roused and had obviously heard the doctor. “No. No hospital.”
“We can take you home to our place and look after you, Melissa.” Damian waited with bated breath for her reply.
“’Kay,” she sighed and then drifted back to sleep.
Doc Jonas nodded. “You need to keep her fluids up. I want you to wake her every hour for the next eight hours and then every two hours after that for the next eight hours. If you have any concerns at all, or if she starts vomiting again, give me a call straight away. I think the nausea has passed though.”
“We’re going to take her back to our cabin with us so we can keep an eye on her. Do you think it’s okay if we move her, Doc?” Luke asked.
“Yes you can, if you’re very careful. Just make sure she is kept warm and comfortable on the journey.”
* * * *
“Melissa, honey, wake up. You need to have a sip of water.”
Melissa stirred as a masculine voice spoke in her ear while a large, gentle hand lifted her head and shoulders to a half-sitting position. Groaning at the pounding in her head, she took several small sips of cool water from a glass.
She didn’t know who was speaking to her but was relieved when the thirst quenching water slid down her dry throat. When the hands settled her back against the pillows, darkness enveloped her again.
The next time she was roused from sleep, she was being held against a warm, masculine body. Hard thighs were under her buttocks and she was cradled against a hard, wide chest.