Page 49 of Deception and New Direction

AsIneared his bed, his eyes opened and stared into mine, still half asleep.

“You’re the most beautiful angelI’veever seen,”Jackwhispered up at me.

Yep, still half asleep.

I snickered, smiling asItried to get him to wake up. “Howdo you feel?”

“I’d feel you with both hands if you let me.”Hetried to smile, but his face flinched, telling me that was uncomfortable.

“I mean how do you feel with your fever?Anybetter?”Iprodded.

“Worse.WayWorse,” he informed me. “TellEllieIlove her andI’llmiss her whenIdie, even though she’s a pain in my ass like she was this morning when she yelled at me to not take advantage of you.”

Well, that last part was interesting, and whileIwould love to know more about that,Ineeded to get these meds in him, soIopted to pause on that interrogation for now.

“Jack, you’re not going to die, but you will definitely feel better if you take some more medicine.Here.”Ihanded the pills to him along with the water.

As he sat up,Itook in his appearance and realized he was a hot mess.Hehad a gleam to his skin, likely from the sweat as his body was attempting to break the fever.Hishair, which he had mentioned was past due for a trim, looked disheveled.Evenwith all of that, he would still make grown women swoon.

It was unfair that whenIwas sick,Ididn’t justfeelawful—Ilookedlike it, too.Jack, however, may have felt miserable, but he looked just as handsome as ever.Mensucked.

“Are you hungry?Wouldyou like me to make you something to eat?”Iasked him, knowing he would need some food in him to give him some energy.

“Magic soup, please?” he requested.

I had no idea what that was, butIcould definitely make soup.Iwent back into the kitchen and whipped up some chicken noodle soup and hot tea.Evenif he did act like a big baby,Iwas more than happy to pay it forward by taking care of him.

Selfishly,Ialso needed to get some sustenance in him soIcould maybe prod him a little more about his conversation withEllieearlier.

I walked back into the bedroom, delicately balancing my crutch in my right hand with food in my left to seeJackcoming out of the bathroom and headed back to the bed.

“Mmmm, that smells amazing,”Jacksaid. “AtleastIthink it does.Maybeit’s you and not the soup.Hell,Idon’t knowIcan’t really smell anything right now.”

I smiled back at him and handed him what he needed in the bed.

“Will you eat with me?” he asked. “Bringsome for you and sit here on the bed with me.Please?”

I nodded, went to grab myself a bowl and a drink, and came back into the room.Hehad turned the lights on so it was no longer like a dark cave in there while we ate.

“Feeling any better?”Iasked after he had eaten a few bites.

“I no longer feel like death warmed over, but it would be nice if my headache would ease up a bit,” he replied.

“The pain medsIgave you should kick in here soon, hopefully,”Ireplied then decided to subtly try to bring upEllie. “Iheard you were quite the rough patient whenElliecame here to check on you earlier.”

I casually sipped my soup as though this was just a cursory comment.

“You’ve got the wrong idea,” he responded. “Theinterrogation was the other way around.Shehounded me about whether or notIwas taking advantage of you.”

My head jerked back slightly at his words. “Youtaking advantage ofme?I’mthe one living withyou, not the other way around.Whywould she think that?”

He paused in eating his soup, turned and looked at me, and then held my stare for a bit before responding.Almostas though he was trying to be careful about what he said.Perhapsas to not offend me orEllie.

“Despite the conversation being the epitome of the pot calling the kettle black, she informed me that it could get messy if we opted for a workplace romance,” he said. “Mostly,Ithink she was worriedIwouldn’t have your best interest in mind, and despite the fact thatIam her brother, you were the priority, so she effectively was here to threaten me ifIeven so much as broke your nail.”

I chuckled a little becauseI’dlearned thatElliewas very defensive about her friends.Shecared forCat,Val, me, and evenTammyas though we were her biological family.Itwas what made her such a good friend.Ialso secretly enjoyed that she would come over and threatenJackfor something like this.

“I told her thatIcan’t shut this off and that it’s not my fault if you practically threw yourself at me begging me to let you have your way with me,” he said, waving his hands dramatically. “Itold herIwas the victim here and you only wanted me for my body—my incredibly hot body.”

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