Page 34 of Breaking the Rules (Roaming Devils MC 1)

“Maybe.” Ryker dished out the pills and handed them to her along with the water. After she took them, he settled beside her and pulled her against his body, rubbing her chilled arms. “But I did it anyway.”

She closed her eyes, letting him comfort her. “Who stabbed you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He kissed her forehead, feeling too good to push away.

The thought scared her. He was a kind and considerate person outside the club. He was a completely different person when he was with her. She tried to convince herself that her father was right, that they were all the same, but Ryker kept proving that theory wrong. She seriously doubted anyone in the club would have treated her as well as Ryker had. She wasn’t even sure why Ryker was treating her so kindly.

Ella pulled away from him and laid her head on his thigh. She curled up in the blanket and closed her eyes. It took a long time, but the moment her fever broke they both knew it. She sweat through her shirt. Her clammy skin felt like she’d been in a sauna for an hour. She pushed away from him, deciding to change.

“Don’t look.” She pulled out a tank top from her dresser. “I don’t have enough energy to walk to the bathroom and I’m not wearing a bra.”

He looked toward the kitchen. “You say that like I haven’t been inside you before.”

“Yeah, well, that was in the past.” She changed her shirt and turned to find him staring back at her. “Are you still using?”

“No.” Ryker ran a hand over his face. “Do you want some breakfast? I’m kind of hungry.”

Despite having been stabbed, he looked good. She watched while he grabbed his phone and dialed someone, placing an order of food from a local fast food restaurant. She doubted that he’d give her any answers about the club, but she wanted to know what had happened. When he was through he set the phone on the coffee table and went back to watching the TV show he had on.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble by being with me?”

He snorted. “I’ll do whatever the hell I want.” He glanced over at her. “Unless you don’t want me here.”

Did she? It was a stupid question. They both knew it too. She would have kicked him out last night if she didn’t want him around. She enjoyed him taking care of her too much.

“I think your friends thought I was dying or something. I probably looked horrible to them.” She smoothed her hair from her face.

“You look beautiful.” He stared at her. “Do you feel better?”

“Yeah. Some.” She glanced over to the bathroom. “I probably need a shower.”

“You’ve got time if you want to clean up before breakfast arrives.”

“I honestly don’t have the energy to walk to the bathroom, much less shower.”

Ryker stood and bent to pick her up.

“What are you doing?” She clutched his arms as he carried her. “You’re going to pop your stitches.”

“Then you can sew me back up.” He set her down in the bathroom and turned the shower on, adjusting the temperature of the water for her. He made sure she had everything she needed before saying, “I’m a few feet away if you need me.”

He left her, closing the door behind him. Ella blinked a few times. If she had asked him to help her, he probably would have. She never would have thought that about him. Before, when they’d been together, he’d been caring and kind, but this was different. This was protective. Possessive. The only thing that would make him leave was her. And for some reason, she couldn’t say those words. She got in the shower and stood beneath the spray, enjoying the heat and the comfort the water provided. She’d never felt so drained from a stupid infection in all her life. She simply had no energy.

Ella sat on the small bench inside her shower. The very act of washing her body was a chore. She smoothed some body wash on her skin and splashed the water onto her to wash it away. Her hair was another story. She leaned against the shower stall, resting her head against the tile. She’d never felt so fatigued.

Ryker knocked on the door. “You okay? The food’s here.”

She swallowed, cringing as it hurt. “No. Can you help me?”

He opened the door and came in. She probably should have felt embarrassed, but she didn’t. At the moment, she simply didn’t care.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just don’t have the energy to wash my hair. My body was a struggle.”

He nodded. “Okay. Is this normal with strep?”

“No.” She closed her eyes. “I think I’ve been working too much and pulling crazy shifts in the hospital that it weakened my immune system. I’m tired and being sick doesn’t help either.”

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