“Up, Elizabeth.”
I stand. “I’m not hungry.”
He ignores me as he raids my fridge to find something for me to eat. I’m honestly not hungry. All I want is to finish what we started. I’ve never been one to be particularly ambitious. The “freakiest” and craziest thing I’ve ever done in regards to sex is that brief time with Marc at the Halloween party. That was really pushing the boundaries for me, and I still don’t know what came over me. Hell, I don’t know what’s come over me half the time he’s around and I end up jumping him.
Gulping, I decide I can be a little crazy again.
My hands shake as I unbutton those three buttons and take his shirt off, letting it fall to the floor. My gaze is focused on his back. I don’t know what he’s fixing, and I don’t care. I toe out of my shoes, take off my socks, and shimmy out of my pants and panties at last. Goosebumps rise along my skin thanks to the chill in the air. What happened to all of the heat? What do I do with my hands?
Fold them over my chest?
Prop them on my hips?
Hold them behind my back?
Oh my god, I’m naked in my kitchen!
“Elizabeth?”
My eyes fly over to Marc, who has turned around. He’s holding a bowl of cereal. It trembles slightly in his hand while his gaze runs up and down my body over and over.
“Are you going to make me stand here while you ogle me, or are you going to take me to my room?”
He holds up the cereal. “But...”
I roll my eyes. I walk over, take the bowl and set it on the counter, grab his hand, and lead him down the hall to my room. My smiling can’t be helped. Who knew I could make Marc speechless? Any tension that might have been left over from everything that’s been going on disappears with every graze of his fingers, every kiss, and every time he looks at me. Those blue eyes alone could save my world with how easily I can see how much he cares for me just by looking into them.
Please, let me get through the hard times coming up with Marc. There’s a lot that seems screwy in my head, but the clearest thing is that I don’t want him to go anywhere.
I GROAN AS my senses come to me as I wake up. Fuck, my entire body aches. I started feeling a little bad last night right before we finally passed out, but nothing like this.
“Marc,” Elizabeth whispers. Her fingers graze over my face, and I open my eyes. She turns her head to cough before facing me with worried eyes. We’re both gripping each other. The blankets are tucked and wrapped around us. Is her heat not working? “I don’t feel good, and I think you have a fever.”
She’s trembling, too. I place the back of my hand on her forehead.
My throat hurts like an SOB when I swallow before I speak. “Think you have one too. Call into work and call your doctor. We probably have the flu.”
“It’s only five in the morning.”
That’s when I notice the light in the room is from the lamp next to the bed and not sunlight. “Why are we up?”
“Because I don’t feel good, and you keep pulling me closer while rolling around, so I keep moving to different sides of the bed.”
“Sorry,” I mumble, nuzzling my face into her neck. I don’t even remember the last time I was sick. This sucks. I feel like shit. “I don’t want to play the blame game, but pretty sure this is your fault.”
“Sorry.”
I pull away to look at her. “No laugh?”
“Don’t feel like it.” She rolls away, gets out of bed, goes to her closet, and returns moments later with another comforter, coughing a few times along the way. Once we’re snuggled together again, she asks, “What happens when you’re sick?”
“Well, I’ll call first to let them know. They’ll get me in to see the medical staff to confirm, and since it’s contagious, they’ll limit my contact, if any, with the guys until I’m better. Since I feel near death right now, I’m certain I’ll be able to spend most of my time here. Let’s get some sleep.”
She falls asleep, tossing and turning, but I’m too fucking cold and shivering too much to settle into sleep. I cough too much, too. I worry it’ll wake Elizabeth, but her own coughing barely wakes her up. Her alarm goes off. Somehow, I find the energy to shake her hip until she wakes up. She turns it off and calls into work. She goes back to sleep until she can call her doctor’s office, which is when I make my own call.
Some time later, Elizabeth grabs my chin and lifts my head. Right. I’m sitting on the edge of the bed and was about to get dressed because it’s getting close to time for me to leave.
“Didn’t you hear me?”