Sex, Not Love(71)

God, this man could hurt my heart and heal it at the same time. I remembered he’d said his mother did craft projects when she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t get out of bed. He really was a sweet, protective, and thoughtful guy. And therein lay the problem. It would be a hell of a lot easier to say goodbye to someone who ran for the hills when I was sick—someone who only stuck around for the good. But Hunter was just naturally a for better or for worse type of man, which made it that much more difficult to see him as sex only.

I offered him a sad smile, hoping he’d chalk it up to my not feeling well. “Thank you for all of this. You didn’t have to.”

His eyes roamed my face. “You’re always taking care of someone else. I’m glad I’m here to take care of you.”

The thought was sweet, but all I could think was, I’m glad I didn’t get sick in four days.

***

The non-drowsy Dayquil made me sleepy. Or maybe it was the action adventure with Bruce Willis and buildings blowing up that had lulled me to sleep. But because I’d slept on and off all day, I was confused when I woke up on the couch. My feet were still propped up on Hunter’s lap like they had been when I dozed off, only he wasn’t watching television anymore. My eyes fluttered open to him watching me sleep again.

“What time is it?”

“Must be about ten, I guess. Izzy called to check in. I saw her name pop up on your phone, so I answered it before it woke you. She wanted to come home to take care of you.”

“Oh. That’s sweet. She’s really coming around lately.”

Hunter nodded. “Told her I had it covered, but I’d make sure you checked in.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’ll text her.”

He nodded. “You hungry?”

“If I say no are you going to force me to eat something anyway?”

His lip twitched. “Probably.”

He reached over and felt my head. “Still cool. But it’s been four hours since you took the Dayquil. Want a Nyquil dose this time to keep the fever down and help you sleep?”

“God, all I’ve done is sleep.”

Hunter walked to the kitchen, grabbed some medicine, and poured me a tall glass of ginger ale. I managed to accomplish sitting up while he did that.

He sat down on the edge of the coffee table across from me and made sure I took my pills, then took the glass from my hands to set it down.

“You’re pretty good at this nurse stuff, you know.”

“I prefer playing doctor to nurse, but I’m flexible.”

“At least I’m a better patient than Izzy. I’m not calling your name every five minutes to come get my dirty tissues and tell you something hurts.”

“No. I think sleeping through the entire thing seems to be more your style.”

“Well, now that I’ve slept the entire day, I’ll probably be up half the night.” I nodded to the jewelry craft kit he’d brought. “So expect some crappy bracelets when you wake up. Mine won’t be as nice as the one you wear.”

He looked down at his wrist. “I was ten or eleven when my mom got sick. She had muscular problems that affected her legs, so she was bedridden a lot. My aunt used to bring those kits over all the time. Kept her busy.” He twisted the bracelet on his wrist. “Macramé and leather were her favorites. I used to have a lot of them, but over the years they broke or I lost them. This is the only one I have left. I’ll wear your crappy one when this one finally goes.”

Wow. It was a losing battle to not fall a little harder every day. “You know, Hunter, underneath the jackass suit you wear, you’re a really great guy.”

He looked at me a moment before standing. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

Hunter tucked me under the covers and then undressed and slipped in behind me. Unlike the other nights we’d shared a bed, he left his boxers on. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me flush against his body. His hold was so tight, it made me feel like he was afraid to let go. Or maybe that’s what I wanted to believe.

Tomorrow Izzy would be home, so tonight was likely the last full night we would spend together. It wasn’t exactly how I’d seen our final act, but maybe it was easier this way.

About a half hour after we settled into bed, I heard Hunter’s breaths change, and his hold on me loosened a bit. I allowed myself to succumb to the medicinal haze that made my eyelids feel too heavy to keep open.

Early the next morning, Hunter stirred, but I didn’t open my eyes, assuming he was going to the bathroom or something. After a few minutes of him tiptoeing around the room, I felt his lips touch my forehead, and I realized he must’ve been sneaking out.

He gently pushed a lock of hair from my face and whispered, “Crazy about you, sweet pea. I’m sorry.” Then he was gone.





Chapter 31


Natalia




I’d just started to feel better when the dreaded day came. Not great—but good enough to shower and spend time in the upright position. Hunter had come by a few times after our night together—he’d even brought takeout and a horror movie for me and Izzy one evening, knowing how much she loved scary movies.

For the last twenty-four hours, I’d been trying to avoid thinking about saying goodbye, wondering what those words would sound like.