Page 70 of Passionate Defense

Her eyes flew open. “Oh my God! I said I hated you. It isn’t true. I could never... I love you.” A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, and another.

With his arms wrapped tightly around her, he rocked her back and forth as a torrent of tears burst free. “Shh, sweetheart, don’t cry. You’re sick and don’t feel good. I didn’t take it to heart.”

But she continued, in between sniffles and hitching breaths. “I’m a horrible person. Here you are risking getting sick while taking care of me and I say such an awful thing. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I already have, Lanie.”

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“Of course. I’ll be right here until you’re better.”

“You’re good at this, Ethan.” Her yawn made her words almost indistinguishable. “You’re gonna make a great daddy.”

Chapter 16

ETHAN MADE HER STAYin bed until her fever was gone and tacked on an additional twenty-four hours—to avoid a setback, he claimed—which ended up being five full days of bed rest. He stayed home and took care of her, bathing and dressing her, seeing that she took her medicine, including what Dr. Barnes prescribed when he made his house call the next day—no suppositories, much to her relief.

He also cooked, cleaned, and caught up on the laundry. From her vantage point in bed, as she watched him fold and put away a basket full of her underthings, she found his domesticity incredibly sexy.

It was day five of her sick-room incarceration and she was going stir crazy. When he walked into the room with an armful of clean towels, she pounced, pleading for an early parole.

“I feel fine. I’ll sit on the couch and rest, I swear, but I need to get out of this room. Please, Ethan.”

Standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed, he studied her closely. She knew she looked better having taken a shower, fixed her hair, and applied makeup for the first time in days. She’d also slipped into one of his favorite nightgowns, a damask rose sheath, which molded to her curves. The daring neckline and thin spaghetti straps exposed a lot of skin. Using this to her advantage, she leaned forward, gazing up at him expectantly as she revealed a generous amount of cleavage.

As if she’d planned it, one strap slipped off her shoulder. She had to hide a grin when his eyes followed it.

“You are looking better.”

As his gaze swept over her, his lips curved up slowly and the dimple in his cheek made a rare appearance. She saw a spark of sexual interest she hadn’t seen while he’d been taking care of her these past few days.

“You may be released from sickbay,” he said at length, “but I want to check your temperature one more time to be safe.”

He disappeared into the bathroom, getting what he needed in only a moment. Lanie heard the beep when he turned it on and promptly opened her mouth, eager to do whatever he wanted in order to get a taste of freedom.

“Dr. Barnes told me the best temperature is a core reading. It will determine absolutely if you’re ready to get up.”

---