He flashes a satisfied smile. “Yes, and if you can find it within yourself to show some of those celebrity women some attention, that wouldn’t hurt.”
Fuck me. I’m not having this conversation. I’ve got to get out of here. “Sure thing, boss.”
“Great.” He dips his head back to his desk, letting me know I’m dismissed.
Without saying goodbye, I head straight to my truck, with one destination in mind. I tell myself that I’m going to check on her because she’s sick, not because I’m worried about her and her daughter. It has nothing to do with simply wanting to look at her. And it has fuck-all to do with the fact that I almost knocked out my boss and lost my job, but breathing her air makes me calm.
Nope. Not at all.
Layla
I crack my eyes open. It’s dark. Grabbing a pillow, I pull it to my chest and ball up tight. My throat’s on fire, and my head is pounding. The comforter that covers me does little to quell the chill of my fevered body. I crave some fever medication but lack the energy to get up and get it.
My eyelids fall closed when I catch the faint sound of murmured voices. Staring at my closed bedroom door, I convince myself I must be hallucinating.
I haven’t been out of bed all day except once to use the bathroom. I don’t even know if Elle made it to school today. Mother of the Year award should be on its way. I rub my eyes then freeze as a deep male voice filters through the wall. Surely, after everything that happened last night, she wouldn’t have the nerve to invite a friend over. She’s grounded for the rest of her life.
The Advil container on my bedside is empty, along with my water glass. I lay there for a minute, gathering up the strength to roll out of bed and walk the three yards down the hall to the kitchen. After what seems like an hour, I’m up. I wrap my terry cloth robe around my hunched-over, aching body. My feet are cold, but I’m too weak to hunt for socks.
As I move toward the kitchen, the voices and laughter become more distinguishable. I’m more than ready to kick out the high school intruder, but when I see who’s in the kitchen, I stop and stare.
“Hey, Mom. How’re you feeling?” Elle’s concerned voice does nothing to shatter my frozen frame. “Blake and I were just making dinner. You hungry?” She spins back to the stove and stirs whatever’s on the flame.
Blake’s eyes settle on me. I can’t imagine what he sees. I’ve been tossing in bed all night and apparently all day, with horrible fever sweats. I’m sure my hair is a ratted mess, my face probably pale, and my eyes bloodshot. I must look disgusting.
I reach up to smooth my hair. “I didn’t—” Ouch. My palm presses against my throat.
“Ah hell, Mouse.” He moves toward me. “Back to bed. I’ll bring you some shi—er… stuff for your throat.” He turns me around by my shoulders with his big hands and directs me back to my room.
“Blake, I’m…” I shake my head. Damn, it hurts to talk.
“Yeah, I know. You’re fine, you can take care of yourself, blah-bullshitty-blah-blah. Save it.” He pulls back my comforter, and I crawl in bed. “Robe.” He holds out his hand. “You’ve got a fever. You’ll overheat in that shit.”
I untie the belt and roll to get it off, lifting my hips and sliding it toward him. He doesn’t take it. I look up and realize why.
His eyes are locked hard on my hips. In my haste to remove my robe, I’d forgotten that I’m wearing nothing more than a white tank top and white cotton panties.
I shove the robe at him again, but his eyes stay firm on me.
“Hey.” At the sound of my scratchy voice, he looks up at my eyes. I point at his face and shake my finger back and forth.
A sly smile pulls at his lips, and something about it makes me smile too. He’s never been the type to hide his gawking, or even be embarrassed about it. On some level, I know I should be offended, but no one’s ever looked at me the way Blake does, and I like it. More than I should.
“Sorry, Mouse.” His gaze makes one slow pass of my body. “Can’t help what happens when you put it out there like that.”
I drop my head to the pillow, suddenly drained. He snags the robe and covers me to my neck with the thin sheet, tucking it in so I’m swaddled.
He runs his palm over my forehead, clearing the ratted hair from my face, then feels my temperature. “Fever. Be right back.” He leans down and drops a quick kiss to the top of my head.
My eyes drift closed as I soak in the comfort that radiates from his tender show of affection. Since seventeen, I’ve been the caretaker. It’s been so long since someone’s taken care of me. As badly as I want to prove that I’m strong and can stand on my own, I’m not strong enough to fight off his attention.
Maybe I’m not as crazy as I thought. A tiny grin pulls at my lips. I mean, who in their right mind would turn down Blake Daniels as a nurse?
Blake