The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 19-2

"Why is my pillow wet?" Isla pondered as she moved her mouth and realized she had been drooling and crying. "Why is my pillow smooth? And not a pillow?"

Her head snapped up as she took in that she had been sound asleep on Alpha Alec's chest. Sometime during the night, he scooted down, and they were lying flat on the bed. With her body laying on top of his, his arms were wrapped around her.

Feeling her skin pressed against his, she realized that she was topless.

Recollection of her burying herself into Alec's chest returned to her, and she flushed.

His arms tensed and pulled her tighter into him. With the movement of the sheets against her skin, she took inventory of the situation. She was bottomless as well.

Isla stiffened, and Alpha Alec moved one arm away from her to her hair to brush his fingers through it.

"How are you feeling?" Isla heard more through his chest than his mouth with her ear suctioned onto his skin. Her face was desperately pressed against him as if she could take shelter in his ribcage and no one would notice her topless, bottomless predicament.

Isla reached up and smeared the pile of drool and tears coating the area of his chest that she was resting on. Maybe cleaning up bodily fluids should be her first priority.

"I feel good. Confused, but good."

"Mmm-hmm"

She looked up at him but kept her body low, "Where did my shorts go?"

Alec let out a chuckle. "First, they were my shorts, not yours. Second, you refused to leave them on." He propped his head up, putting his arm under it, to look down at her. "You would not settle until you got my shorts off of you."

"I don't think it's because they were your shorts." She dropped her head, "I really don't like anything on my waist when I sleep."

"It's OK. I get it. I'm just glad you allowed me to keep my shorts on." Alec let the silence fall on them while Isla flushed and tried to bury her face deep into his chest. He picked it up a moment later, "Are you feeling well enough to eat? Maybe even get up and walk around?"

Isla stretched her legs and moved them around. Her joints were stiff but feeling much better than they had when she woke up in the middle of the night.

"Yeah, I'd like to give it a shot. But, if I promise not to pull them off, can I please borrow those shorts again? Maybe that shirt too?"

"I have your gym bag here if you want to wear something out of there." Alec offered. "You didn't really grab a lot of clothes when we went to your house the other day. We should probably go by and get some more."

"I only have leggings, and I want to wear something more comfortable." That was the excuse she used to justify wearing something that smelled like him.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to ask Dr. Gregory to come by and check in on you while you're up and dressed," Alec smirked.

Isla nodded. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to get up and get dressed." Isla looked around the room, "If you're going to stay in here, it would be nice if you closed your eyes."

Alec laughed at the request. "I've seen, and felt, everything, Isla. I'll close my eyes, but I'm staying. I don't need you falling over by yourself in here."

Isla's discomfort with Alec seeing her naked was more about feeling weak, not vulnerable. She wasn't well and didn't feel healthy. To see her now would be an image she didn't want him to have of her.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, feeling her leaving the space he got used to holding her in. She was out of his reach for the first time in six hours.