“Yeah, well, let’s get you back on your feet so you can enjoy at least some of your down time. You don’t wanna miss Noah and Kristina’s shindig on Friday night. His dad makes great burgers and Mo’s bringing his ribs.”
“Oh, Mo makes great ribs,” she said.
“Yes, he does.” Just thinking about them made Sean’s belly growl. Man could not survive on popsicle alone.
She chuckled. “You better go take care of that. And I think I’ll rest a while if that’s okay.”
“More than okay, D,” he said. “What do you need before I go?”
Curling back on her side, she held up the washcloth. “Can you make this cold again?”
“Consider it done,” he said. When he came back, she was taking her temp. “How’s it looking?”
“One-oh-one-point-three now.” She draped the cloth on her forehead, temple, and ear.
“Heading in the right direction at least,” he said, really fuckin’ glad she was doing a little better.
“Yeah, thanks for all this.” Giving him a little smile, Dani tapped the edge of the cookie sheet.
“My cookie sheet of provisions is your cookie sheet of provisions,” he said, wanting to give her a whole lot more.
Wanting to give her everything.
Chapter Eighteen
Dani slept on and off for two whole days. Between the fever, the nausea, and the headaches, she rarely got out of Sean’s bed. But he was right there whenever she needed him. Not just with food or medicine, but with companionship. Making her smile and laugh. Anticipating her needs. Telling her stories. He even brought his laptop up so they could continue their Marvel marathon laying side by side in his bed during those windows when she was well enough to stay awake for a while.
With every passing hour, something became more and more clear to her—Dani was falling for him. As if he hadn’t already gotten to her by covering her with a blanket and loving grilled cheese and tomato soup, he’d brought her every possible flu remedy on a cookie sheet and even brought her a spoon to go with the ice. And he’d held her hair while she threw up. Couldn’t forget that.
She’d worried that good-guy Sean Riddick would be a problem, and she’d been right.
And then there was the way he’d been looking at her.
For days now, the cast of his eyes was both deeply concerned and fiercely protective. But there was something else there, too. Something that looked like longing. All of which Dani recognized because she was feeling the same way. With all of it. Concerned about the way his upbringing had twisted him up inside. Feeling protective of him—whether those attacks came from someone else or himself. And, oh, man, the longing. It resonated down deep.
Parts of her wanted Sean Riddick so damn bad, but then there were other parts that hesitated, cautioned, and even wanted to run away. It should’ve been easy. Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. What was the problem?
Except Dani had built six years’ worth of walls against exactly that kind of longing—walls meant to keep her from having to face the loss of a vital love ever again.
And now that her body wasn’t so consumed by whatever virus had just run her butt over, her mind was starting to spin on the fact that tomorrow was the anniversary of Anthony’s death. No way could she spend it with another man.
Which was why she pulled herself out of bed and dragged said butt into the shower. Being clean felt glorious after being so sick even though the simple act of showering took almost every ounce of her energy. So worth it.
Now came the problem of clean clothes. With a towel wrapped around her, she stepped out into Sean’s bedroom and debated, and then opened a few drawers until she found what she needed—a pair of black boxers and a too-long T-shirt she knotted at her hip. She didn’t feel too bad about rummaging through his things when he’d invited her just yesterday to help herself to whatever she needed.
“My clothes are your clothes.” The memory made her smile. As so much about Sean Riddick did these days.
She was almost surprised he hadn’t come upstairs when she heard his voice from downstairs. As she’d been just about to go down, she went out to the bannister to listen for a moment in case he had company, in which case she’d hide out here until they were gone. She was already worried enough that Sean was gonna get sick from how much time they’d spent together; she didn’t want to infect somebody else.
It only took her a few minutes to realize he was on the phone. He seemed to be pacing between the dining room and the kitchen as he spoke, as his voice kept sounding louder and then softer and then louder again.
And then she heard him say something that made her stop in her tracks.