Page 29 of Devil
“Any ideas what might have happened?” Darius asked. From his position behind her, the heat from his body caressed her bare back.
“The rash would indicate an allergy or possibly a virus. But anything more than that…” She shook her head.
“Do we need to be worried about contagion?” It was a fair question. An outbreak of anything—whether naturally occurring or not—was never a good thing. But Dr. Pritchard had already regained consciousness and was sitting up. He even took a sip of water Henry held out to him as the EMTs assessed his vitals.
“I don’t think so,” she answered.
“Lily.”
She almost smiled. “I know it’s not the definitive answer you wanted to hear. But the reality is, he flew into town yesterday from Paris, and he could have caught the flu. Or maybe he has a food allergy he forgot to tell the staff about, one that isn’t life-threatening. If the way he consumed alcohol tonight is any indication of his routine, I’d say his immune system is compromised. I know you’re thinking that Jennifer might have given him something last night when they met. But even if she did, the fact that all the alcohol in his system hasn’t seemed to impact his recovery tells me that it was something mild and not life-threatening.”
“That’s what they all say before something mutates and starts eating people’s faces off,” he muttered.
She pulled her attention from the room and twisted around to look at him. “SeenOutbreaka few too many times?”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “You laugh, but you of all people should know it’s no laughing matter.”
She turned fully around and put her hands on his chest. She wasn’t sure what prompted her to do that, but she liked the feel of his body under her palms. And she wasn’t even going to think about the fact that his hands had landed on her waist.
“You’re right, it’s not,” she said. “But based on what I saw, whatever he has isn’t life-threatening. However, to your point, while it may not be life-threatening, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to know what it is. I’ll find out which hospital they are taking him to and I’ll reach out to my contacts to see what they have to say.”
“Won’t the privacy laws prevent that?”
“I’m not going to ask them to divulge his medical history, but I will suggest they run a few more tests,” she answered.
“Tests they can’t tell you about.”
“Cyn will be very disappointed that you’ve already forgotten all about her. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since you met.”
He stared at her, then his eyes narrowed again. “You’re going to suggest the doctors run certain tests, then have Cyn hack in to get the results?”
“I haveverygood friends.”
He studied her, his light brown eyes catching the shimmer from the gaudy chandeliers hanging in the ballroom. Then he lifted his shoulders and gave a small shake of his head. “I’m not sure I condone that approach. But I also have to admit, it’s kind of nice to have someone else be responsible for making all the decisions. At least in this.”
That surprised a laugh out of her, an honest-to-god laugh. He could have responded one of a dozen ways to her plan, but that definitely hadn’t been one she’d anticipated. He smiled back and tugged her closer. She considered pulling back, but then one of his hands spanned her lower back, holding her steady. As his rough palm settled against her own sensitive skin, that thought died.
She was dimly aware that the paramedics had loaded Dr. Pritchard up and were making their way back to the waiting ambulance. Her attention was focused on Darius, though, as he leaned forward. His lips brushed her earlobe as he said quietly, “I have a present for you.”
“Is that right?”
“I meant to give it to you earlier, but I was a little distracted by this.” He trailed his fingertips up her back, then down again. Her body responded instantly, and for a fleeting moment, she wished she’d worn some sort of stick-on bra. But then her silk dress brushed against her aroused skin, and she pressed her body against his, looking for relief. A much better solution than a stick-on bra.
“If you like this, you should see what I have on underneath,” she responded, her lips inches from his.
One side of his mouth tipped up. “Yeah, what’s that?”
She leaned even farther forward but turned her head, so her lips brushed his ear. “If you think I have anything on under this dress, then you need a lesson in women’s clothing.”
She drew back in time to see his eyes darken. His body reacted, and she felt every inch of him come alive. She held his gaze, and anticipation and desire mixed with something deeper, something more meaningful, swirled between them.
“How far can you walk in those shoes?” he asked.
“Far enough.”
“Good.” He slid his hand from her back and grabbed hers. Turning, he led them toward the front of the hotel, where he stopped to pick up his coat and umbrella. After slipping his coat over her shoulders, he continued out the door, keeping her hand in his.
They stepped out onto the streets of Boston and started walking. After a few strides, Darius adjusted his pace to match hers, keeping hold of her hand the entire time. As they made their way through the city, she considered the fact that she’d never held a man’s hand before. She almost mentioned it to Darius but stopped herself. It would make her sound either pathetic or uncaring, neither of which was true. She’d just never met anyone with whom it seemed the natural thing to do. And it did feel natural. She liked the ridges of his fingers and palm against her skin. She liked the way his warmth wrapped around her. And she liked the way he held her, firm but not insistent, or worse, needy.
