“Okay, Miss Kavanagh. You’re free to go.”
“It’s doctor,” I said before Aspen could, not that she looked as if she was going to correct the nurse. Both women blinked at me. “She’s a doctor, not a miss. She’s...” Crap, now I felt like a pretentious ass for making a big deal about her fucking title. But Aspen deserved the respect of such an address. She’d worked her ass off through school to earn it. “A literature professor,” I finished lamely.
The nurse flushed. “Oh, I...excuse me, Dr. Kavanagh.” She turned to Aspen apologetically, but Aspen waved it away before sending me a strange look.
I shrugged, not caring if I’d sounded prissy. Right now, I wanted everyone she encountered to worship her and treat her as if she was the only thing that mattered.
It took a few minutes after that for us to leave the hospital. When I drew her car keys from my pocket, she zeroed in on them.
“I can drive, you know.”
“Oh, really?” Flipping her off, I asked, “How many fingers?”
Instead of getting offended and telling me to behave, she squinted and leaned toward me, stepping off balance and nearly falling into me. I caught her around the waist, keeping her upright.
“Wrong answer. I’m driving. Besides, we came here together. How do you expect me to get home?”
Instead of pulling away to walk on her own as she would have if she were completely coherent, she leaned a little more heavily against me. “I could drive you back to campus to get your car.”
There she went again, thinking I had my own set of wheels. I sighed. “You can’t even see three feet in front of you. I’m driving.” When she frowned at me, I merely sent her a saccharine smile. “Deal with it, sweetheart.”
She sighed, giving in, and rested her head on my shoulder as I led her the rest of the way to her car. It felt nice, but I still had to glance around to make sure no one saw us. I doubted anyone would fire her just because she was hurt, and drugged, and had no idea what she was doing. But I knew I shouldn’t risk it, except she felt too nice in my arms for me to let go.
***
“There you go.” I handed Aspen a glass of water.
“Thank you.” She accepted it and popped a pill into her mouth before swallowing the contents.
I sat on the edge of her bed beside her, my hip dangerously close to hers, even though she was covered by a few layers of blankets. I could still feel her warmth soaking through them.
While she set her cup on her nightstand, I fluffed her pillow before she could lie down. “Need anything else?”
She twisted her torso to watch me with a half-smile. “Noel Gamble, nursemaid,” she teased.
I grinned back. “What? Didn’t you know I doubled as one in my other secret life?”
“Just how many other secret lives do you have?” She lay down, but not on the pillow I’d just readied. She curled into me, wrapping her warm arms around my waist before placing her cheek on my thigh. Then she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.
“Damn it, Aspen,” I groaned, unable to stop my own arms as they folded around her in return. Lifting her lightly, I scooted down so I could lie next to her and provide my shoulder as her pillow.
Pressing my lips to her hair, I sighed. “Why do you always turn so sweet and cuddly when you’re half out of your mind?” When I couldn’t in good conscience do anything about it?
“I’m always cuddly,” she answered, her voice thick and slow. “You only notice it when I’m half out of my mind.”
I chuckled and pulled her blankets up to her chin. Eyes still closed, she sighed again and a smile spread across her face.
No way could I leave her like this. Besides, she was hurt. Someone had to watch over her. But I kept my shoes on, letting my feet hang off the edge of the mattress, thinking that somehow made this not so taboo.
Burying my nose back into her hair, I closed my eyes.
“Want to hear a secret?” I whispered, hoping she was fully out so I could confess everything to her subconscious instead of her.
“Hmm. Wha’s that?”
I grinned fondly at the way she slurred. It reminded me too much of Saturday when we’d kissed and she’d been drunk. And it helped me to spill out my confession more freely. “I had a crazy-ass crush on you the first day of school.”
She lifted her face and looked up at me, her lashes flickering open to reveal glazed, drug-fogged eyes. “No way.”
I nodded. “Way. I was looking down, doodling in a notebook or something. Then I heard your voice, introducing yourself, and I had to look up. You sounded so...I don’t know. Compelling. Even wearing one of those gawd-awful suit things you wear to class, I wanted you.”