The high-pitched whine of the dryer silenced, and Claire crouched in front of me. “Okay. You’re done.”
As Jared passed Claire on the stairs, he offered an appreciative smile. He was shirtless, his only article of clothing a light blue pair of pajama pants. In the shower was the first time I’d seen his bare physique, and even through my exhaustion I was impressed. Every muscle in his body sleek and toned, he kneeled in front of me holding a small white box.
“Give me your hand.”
The skin around the jagged cut was opaque and wrinkled from the long shower. Jared spread antibiotic along the fissure spanning the width of my palm, from the outside of my wrist to the bottom of my index finger. It didn’t hurt, but because of residual trembling I had a hard time holding still.
I raised my hand to inspect it and Jared rolled his eyes. “Is it okay?”
“Nicely done,” I nodded in approval.
I leaned against the pillow while Jared walked to the other side of the bed. When he crawled in beside me, it occurred to me that my heart should have been pounding out of my chest, but I only felt exhaustion.
Jared pulled me to him and folded his arms around me. I sighed as I relaxed against his chest; he was warmer than the shower. I was still cold enough that his skin was slightly painful against mine, but I leaned in closer, welcoming the burn.
“Promise me you won’t do anything like that again,” Jared whispered, kissing my forehead.
I buried my face into the concave of his neck and shivered. In reaction, Jared wrapped his arms tighter around me.
Chapter Nine
Healing
“Nina?”
I raised my eyebrows, but my eyes wouldn’t open.
Jared brushed the hair away from my face and kissed the exposed patch of skin on my cheek.
I blinked to focus, and Jared’s blurry form came into view.
“It’s six thirty, sweetheart. You have an eight o’clock class.”
I sat up, immediately grabbing Jared’s arm. “Whoa.”
“Dizzy?” he asked.
“As if you didn’t know.”
He smiled, leaving my side to grab a stack of folded clothes and place them on the end of the bed. “Claire brought some more of your things.”
With my eyes half-closed, I stood up and stretched, and then inched up the hem of my shirt to change.
“Er…Nina?” Jared said, grabbing my hands. “I’ve always thought you were the most beautiful in the morning. Seeing you standing here in my t-shirt is nearly driving me mad. Would you please stop trying to send me over the edge?”
I grimaced at his infuriating insistence on putting off the inevitable. I’d always been the one to procrastinate when dealing with the intimacy issue. Now that I’d felt strong enough about someone to want to press the boundaries, he insisted on dragging his feet.
Sensing my aggravation, he kissed my nose and jogged down the stairs, allowing me the privacy to change.
“I’ll drive you to school, if that’s okay,” Jared said after breakfast.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
The roads were slick with ice, and the trees and grass were frozen in time under the inch-thick frost. Jared effortlessly navigated the Escalade to Brown’s campus, keeping my hand in his until we pulled into the parking lot.
“I’ll meet you here, then?”
“Er…yeah?” I said, caught off guard.
“I thought it would be best if you stayed with me for a few days,” he shrugged, “until your hand heals. You’ll need a fresh dressing every night.”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to let myself get too excited. I didn’t want to tip him off.
“Or not…I can call you later,” he backpedaled.
I slid my arms around his middle. “I would love for you to pick me up.”
Jared’s eyes relaxed. “I will be right here, one-thirty.”
Initially, the excitement of staying with Jared propelled me through the first half-hour of class, but as the hour wore on I had a hard time concentrating. Doubt seeped into my every thought, and I found myself watching the clock, anxiously counting down the minutes.
He had left me on a day much like this one, including the perfect morning of smiles and kisses goodbye. Victory suddenly seemed too easy, and I felt sick with worry that he had appeased me long enough to disappear again.
Beth and Kim met me outside, eager to hear the story behind my bandaged hand. The prospect of enduring lunch and another class added to the stress of constructing a detailed lie of the night before had me nearly in tears. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would go to meet him at the designated time and he wouldn’t be there.
Beth noticed my mood immediately. “What’s wrong, Nina?”
“Nothing. Why?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light. It was hard to seem casual when my chest felt full of concrete.
“Nina?”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Jared!” I said, grabbing onto his coat and hugging him. I was too relieved to care how ridiculous I looked.
He wrapped his arms around me without hesitation. “What is it?” he whispered into my ear.