Thin Love (Thin Love, #1)(93)
“Why’s your mother here?”
Luka followed her gaze and then stood up. “Oh. She and Tutu kane are taking me car shopping.” He patted his jacket pocket and grinned at her. “Unlike my twin, I was never into cars or buying old beaters to fix up. I’ve saved up for three years and am finally gonna get something sweet.” Luka nodded to his mother before he smiled at Keira. “Listen, you’re good for him and I hope he stays clean, but seriously, Keira, get your ass to the dorm and take some meds. Love or not, don’t get sick for him.”
Keira watched Luka move down the aisle and join his mother on the stairs before the woman waved him in front of her. She leveled one final smile that was wicked and threatening at Keira and the girl’s stomach coiled tight. Keira doubted it was the cold that had her stomach rumbling. There was a scheme in Professor Alana’s eyes that warned her the flu was the least of her worries.
His Wildcat was sick. He’d known that before he finished with camp and found her shivering in the stands, barely able to keep her head upright.
“Stubborn brat, why the hell did you stick around?”
Keira had only managed to blink at him, a weak, forced smile pulling her lips before she sneezed twice and Kona led her out of the stadium and back to her dorm. He’d skipped classes the next day to stay with her and then hauled her into the infirmary at noon, despite her pathetic fussing that she “didn’t need a damn doctor.”
Three days hopped up on amoxicillin and she had a little more color in her cheeks, but a low fever still lingered and the coughing was getting worse.
Kona nudged her awake, placing a glass of water on the bedside table as he opened the syrupy medicine bottle.
Bright blue eyes blinking, Keira smiled, something she hadn’t done all week and Kona let some of the tension in his shoulders ease. “Time for medicine?”
“Yeah, baby, sit up.” He spooned the syrupy stuff past her chapped lips and she took it gladly.
“How is it you haven’t gotten sick?” she asked, brushing Kona’s hand aside when he touched the back of his hand to her forehead. He frowned, forehead pulling tight and Keira rolled her eyes. “It takes a couple of days for the fever to leave.”
“It’s been three, Wildcat.” Kona slid closer, moving his fingers to her neck, feeling along her glands. “At least these aren’t swollen anymore. How’s your throat?”
She slapped his hands off her neck. “Still scratchy but better than yesterday.” When he started to push back from her, Keira grabbed his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t get sick.” Keira shook her head. Kona knew she thought he was full of shit, but he wasn’t lying. His mom had always told him he’d taken the warrior genes in the womb since Luka was always down with one childhood sickness or another and Kona had never so much as got the sniffles. “Seriously. I’ve never even had a fever.” He leaned closer, kissing her neck. “Except when I kiss you.”
Keira’s voice was deep, sounded thick and when she laughed at him, that crackling sound settled into a coughing fit. He pulled her against his chest, rubbed his hand down her back and for the hundredth time cursed Keira’s cousin and the funk she’d brought into their dorm room. Leann’s bed was made, hadn’t been slept in all week. She’d chickened out of staying at the dorm once Keira got sick, scared she’d have a relapse, leaving Kona to play sole caregiver. He didn’t mind, but some things Kona couldn’t do; Keira had absolutely refused his help when she had to piss and hadn’t had the energy to even grab a shower in the past few days. Kona loved the girl, but three days in bed, sweating out a fever had made her a little ripe.
When Keira’s cough settled, Kona let her go. “You think maybe you wanna try to grab a shower?”
Her smile was lopsided, very cute. “You trying to get me naked, bebe?”
“Always, Wildcat, but mostly I was thinking that a shower would break up some of that crap in your lungs, make you feel better.”
She only hesitated for a moment, then her shoulders dropped and she let Kona walk her into the bathroom. The room was small and too damn girly with soft beige walls and a fluffy rug and makeup and hair things scattered over the cabinet above the toilet. It barely fit a toilet, pedestal sink and full tub and shower - still pretty fancy for a dorm room. It was nice at times to have connections. Kona standing in there with her was a bit of a squeeze, but he helped her out of her pajamas, slipped off her thong and even managed to keep his hands to himself when she sat on the closed toilet lid completely naked as he turned on the shower.
It was the most she’d moved all week and her motions were slow, sloppy. Kona worried that she couldn’t manage to bathe herself and washing her hair was completely out of the question. “I don’t need a chaperone, you know.” She climbed into the shower, smiling as the hot water spilled down her back. “I could use company, though.”
“Keira, don’t be stupid. You’re sick.”
One small glare and Kona knew he’d messed up. She hated being babied. She hated him thinking she was weak. “Hale, get naked.”
Kona stripped off and climbed in behind her. A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he hadn’t touched her, not the way he wanted, for days, but he ignored it. He ignored how good she felt leaning on him, how her fit body slid against his as he lathered her back and she arched into his touch.