Best Man for the Wedding Planner

“I need a cab,” she corrected him, but he was already gone.

Even the thought of dragging herself to bed seemed a monumental task. She sat on a nearby chair, but when Dan approached, rubbing his hands together, she stood. Too quickly. Everything around her blurred and swam.

“Adele!” She heard him call out, but it sounded as if his voice wasn’t connected to his body. Instead her knees wobbled and she started a slow slide...

When she came to, they were in the elevator and she was cradled in Dan’s arms. “What happened? Where are we going?”

“You fainted, and we’re going upstairs. I’m not letting you go home like this.”

She struggled against his arms, but they tightened around her. “I can’t stay here. Put me in a ca—ha-hachoo!” She sniffed.

“Stop fighting. You’re in no shape to go home. I don’t know how you made it through your day. You’re burning up.”

The elevator dinged and she wondered how strong he had to be to hold her in his arms for so long.

“I can walk.”

But he ignored her as he stepped out into the corridor of the quiet floor and started down the hall.

“Dan...” She tried to twist a little. “I don’t want to give this to you.”

“I’ve had my flu shot.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t get sick. What if it’s a different strain?”

“Well, you were probably contagious yesterday, so it’s too late anyway. It’s going around. You’re probably not the first person I’ve been exposed to.” He frowned down at her. “I take it you didn’t have your shot.”

She shook her head. “I kept meaning to...” It was stupid, really. Someone like her, who hated being sick, should have been first in line for this year’s vaccine.

He did put her down when they got to his door. He reached into his tux pocket for his key card and swiped it. “Come in.”

She stepped into his hotel room. She’d been in the rooms here before, several times, and they never failed to impress. Dan’s room was done in cream and gold, with a window overlooking the valley and mountains beyond. He went to the window and pulled the drapes, and then to his dresser, where he took out a pair of boxers and a T-shirt.

“Here. Can you manage to change without fainting again?”

It was said with concern, not venom, and his eyes were clearly worried. She touched her cheek; it flamed beneath her fingers. “I think so.”

“Don’t lock the door. You scared me when you fainted.”

The fact that she even had the power to fright

en him made her insides twist with unease. She shouldn’t be here. Not in his hotel room. She sniffled again, so without answering, she went into the bathroom, blew her nose, and slowly changed out of her sweater and trousers and into the boxers and oversize tee.

They smelled like him. Worse, his scent was just the same as it had been eight years ago. A woman didn’t forget, and Dan’s unique scent was intrinsically tied to her memories.

When she came back out, he’d opened a bottle of water and put some in a glass for her. “Do you have any medicine left?”

She nodded. “In my bag. But they’re not helping.”

“The acetaminophen might at least help with the fever and aches.”

God, yes. The aches.

He retrieved her bag, and she got out the bottle of pills and then dutifully drank all the water as she took two. She couldn’t stop shivering now, particularly since the T-shirt and boxers were not exactly warm.

“Here. Get into bed.” He turned down the covers and she slid inside, sighing as he covered her with the soft sheet and duvet.

“Oh, God,” she said, closing her eyes. “It feels so good to be off my feet. This bed is... Oh, it’s bliss.” She burrowed deeper into the covers, the mattress so comfortable, she wondered if she would ever want to get up.