Rush (Breathless #1)(118)

“Rest now, Mia,” he murmured. “I’ll be here if you need anything. I just want you to feel better.”

Forgetting everything else but the fact that she was back in his arms, she pushed herself as tightly against him as she could get, and then she relaxed, allowing his heat to seep into her veins.

He was better than any drug, any remedy for her illness.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and gave in to the sweet temptation he offered.

• • •

The next morning when Mia awoke, the bed was empty and she wondered if the night before had been just a crazy dream brought on by her fever. Maybe she’d imagined it all. But when she turned on her side, nestling her cheek against the pillow Gabe had slept on, she saw a note propped on the mattress in front of his pillow.

Take your medicine. Jace will be by to check on you later today. Rest this weekend and feel better.

Love, Gabe

Beside the note were several ibuprofen pills, and on the nightstand, already poured into the dosage cup was the liquid cold-reliever medication.

She sat up, frowning. She hadn’t imagined he’d leave. He’d been so…persistent.

A shiver overtook her and she reached for the medicine, gulping it down with the water he’d left for her. She leaned back, resting her head on the pillow where Gabe had lain.

She closed her eyes. She could still smell him. Could still feel his warmth surrounding her. God, she missed him.

Was her pride worth them both being miserable? Did he truly love her, and did he want another chance for them?

All the indicators were there, but she was afraid to trust him. Afraid to give him that chance again when he’d hurt her so badly by not fighting for her in the first place.

• • •

Gabe called Jace in the lobby of Jace’s building and waited for his friend to respond. A moment later, Jace responded and Gabe didn’t give him any time to question anything.

“Jace, it’s me, Gabe. I need to talk to you. It’s about Mia.”

A few moments later, Gabe rode the elevator up to Jace’s penthouse apartment. Jace was there to greet him when he got off the elevator, a slight frown marring his face.

“What’s up?” Jace asked.

Gabe walked inside, not bothering to take off his coat. He wasn’t staying long. There was too much he had to accomplish before the weekend was over.

“Mia is sick,” he said bluntly. “I found her on the sidewalk yesterday when she was walking home from work. She was burning up with fever and some ass**le had knocked her over. She didn’t even have the strength to make it back to her apartment.”

“What the f**k? Is she okay?”

Gabe held up his hand. “I stayed with her last night. Got some medicine down her and I left some for her to take when I left this morning. I left her a note telling her you’d be by to check in on her later.”

Jace’s frown deepened. “You didn’t stay with her? Hell, Gabe, you’ve been relentless in your pursuit and you finally get a chance where she isn’t kicking your ass and you left her sick in her apartment?”

Gabe sighed. “I’ve pushed her too hard. I’m part of the reason she’s so rundown and sick. I don’t want to beat her down. That’s not the way I want her to come to me or for us to be together. I need to back off and give her time to get well. I want you to get your ass over there and take care of her this weekend. I need her well by Monday night, because that’s when I’m going to f**king crawl for her.”

Jace lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “What?”

Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve got a ring to buy this weekend and other arrangements to make. All you have to do is have her at Rockefeller Center Monday night by the Christmas tree. Don’t f**k this up, Jace. I don’t care if you have to carry her. You make damn sure she’s there.”

Chapter forty-four

Mia spent the weekend with Jace—or rather he spent it with her. Ash was in and out, bringing takeout and generally fussing over her. The two men brought movies, and they crashed on the couch watching TV until Mia would drift off into a fever-induced sleep.

By Monday morning she was feeling better, but not well enough to tackle work, so she called in to let Louisa and Greg know she wouldn’t be there.

Jace and Ash headed into the office but told her they’d be back, because they had something special planned for the evening.

Through it all, she hadn’t heard a single peep from Gabe. No flowers, no gifts. Just silence. It unnerved her and had her questioning every decision she’d made with regard to him.

She didn’t have the heart to tell Jace she didn’t feel up to whatever he and Ash had planned. They’d both been so great over the weekend, pampering her endlessly and working so hard to cheer her up.

Whatever they had planned, she’d be prepared and she’d take it with a smile. Jace had told her to dress warmly, so she could only imagine whatever it was they were doing was outside.

Thank goodness she wasn’t still running a fever, or the thought of being out in the cold would drive her right over the edge.

She showered in the afternoon and tried her best to do something with her hair and makeup so she didn’t look hungover and dragged through the wringer. But even makeup had its limitations…

At six, Jace and Ash arrived, their eyes sparkling with mischief. She groaned inwardly because they were obviously up to no good, and since it involved her, she was going to be a victim of whatever they’d hatched between them.