How to Fail at Flirting(46)
Jake touched the back of his hand to my face again, and his mouth formed a straight line.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, my words interrupted by sniffles. “I can get my own room. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He shook his head and waved dismissively. “I’m going to get a bath going for you, then find a drugstore for some medicine.” He disappeared into the bathroom while speaking, and the water began running.
“I’ll be fine, really,” I called through the open door, rubbing my arms for warmth. My voice came out wobbly and strained. “Don’t go to the trouble. It’s just a cold or something.” I glimpsed his forearm over the edge of the tub, checking the water temperature. No one had drawn a bath for me since I was a child, and I felt simultaneously helpless and grateful.
“It shouldn’t take me long. Hopefully the steam will help,” he said, grazing one of those large hands over my shoulder.
As he stepped into the hallway, I cursed my body’s inability to be a team player. First, I’d thrown up while attempting a one-night stand, and then, with a whole sexy weekend available to us, I decide to host a germ party.
The bodywash provided by the hotel smelled like oranges, and I poured a little in the water until the heady scent filled the room. Sliding beneath the bubbles and resting my head against the edge of the tub, I breathed in the steam rising off the water. I rarely got sick, but when I did, it hit hard and fast, like today.
Closing my eyes, I inhaled the steam and let my mind wander. The previous two weeks had been quiet at work except for the barrage of rumors passed on with every colleague interaction in person or on social media. Have you heard they’re going to cut people before fall semester? A friend of a friend told me everything outside engineering and business is on the chopping block. Rumor has it that the consultants have been analyzing data for a while now and decisions are already made. I knew it was wrong to ask Jake about what I’d heard, but none of the rumors ever made me feel better about the situation. I found myself constantly stewing in anxiety, taking each piece of gossip for the realistic possibility it was.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been soaking, but two small taps at the bathroom door made me turn my head. When I pulled myself up, water sloshed against the side of the tub. “You can come in.” My voice was husky in a way that might have been sexy, were it not for all the phlegm.
He stepped into the room, holding up a plastic bag. “I guessed you didn’t pack a lot of lounging clothes, so I picked these up for you, too.” He set the bag on the counter by the sink. “When you’re ready, I got all kinds of medicine.”
“Thank you.” I smiled, slipping back into the water, momentarily submerging all but my head. Where did I find this guy?
When I walked out, he flicked his eyes up from the bed where he was reading something on his phone and smiled. “Beautiful.”
I’d pulled on the clothes he bought—a T-shirt that was a few sizes too large and a pair of sweatpants sporting the Cincinnati football team’s logo. I’d piled my hair on top of my head, and my makeup was scrubbed away. “You’re—” I paused to blow my nose with a tissue I grabbed from the nightstand. “You’re clearly lying.”
“Never.” He flicked his gaze down to my baggy clothes. “Sorry. That’s the best I could do at the drugstore.”
“They’re comfy. Thank you.” I glanced at the desk and brought my hand to my mouth in surprise. Neatly arranged atop it was half a pharmacy.
“I didn’t know what brands you preferred, so I picked up a few different cold and flu treatments, plus some cough syrup . . .” he trailed off. Rising, he slid his hands up and down my arms and then rubbed small circles on my shoulders. The pressure and warmth of him was its own kind of medicine, and his chest was solid against my back.
“This is too much, especially since I am ruining your weekend.” I popped out two gel caps from a package of cold and sinus relief medicine. “And because you might end up on a watch list for meth chemists after buying all of this.”
“You’re not ruining my weekend.” He faced me. “I planned to spend time with you, which I’m doing.”
“Yes, but we planned to be naked and sweaty all weekend.”
He pressed the back of his hand gently to my cheek. “True, but the naked and sweaty was secondary.” His eyes were soft as he brushed my face, tucking a curl that had escaped my messy ponytail behind my ear. Jake slid the side of his thumb along my lower lip at a glacial pace.
“I don’t want to get you sick.”
“Nothing risked, nothing gained.” The kiss was chaste before he pulled back. He held me, and my heart thundered, my body in tune with his and hyperaware of the weight of his hands and the stretch of his fingers.
“I have one more thing.” He stepped back and picked up his laptop from the bed. I sank onto the duvet as he fiddled with his keyboard. I tucked my legs to my chest and shivered, after a chill raced through me.
Jake held up the screen, the browser open to a familiar movie streaming site. I cocked my head to the side and chuckled. The cover images for the original Star Wars trilogy filled the window.
I winced against the ache in my shoulders and the lightness in my head, but my heart swelled at the thoughtful gesture. I snuggled into the pillows as he started the first movie before kicking off his shoes and stretching out beside me on the bed.