Page 49 of Make Me Trust Again
“Wh-what… K-Kyle?” She pushes into a sitting position, the blanket falling into her lap as she looks around, completely disoriented. “Wh-what time is it?”
“Late. And he’s outside with Shadow.”
Rose looks around, noticing the darkness. “Shit. I need?—”
Before I can react, she stands up, the sudden movement making her sway on her feet. Moving closer, I place my hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Easy there. You have a fever.”
Her breathing is ragged, her head lolling to the side. “N-No, I have?—”
“You have to lie down and try to rest. Did you take some medicine?”
She shakes her head softly, a frown appearing between her brows.
I bite back a curse. I want to scold her, tell her she should be taking better care of herself, but I hold my tongue, knowing it wouldn’t change anything.
“C’mon.” I wrap my arm around her waist. Rose tries to protest, but her body is too weak for it, so she rests her cheek against my chest. “Where do you keep your medicine?”
“Bathroom,” she mouths softly.
I nod as I help her to the small bathroom. Closing the toilet lid, I help her sit down, while I rummage through the cabinets until I spot some Tylenol and hand it to her before filling the glass with water. She swallows down the medicine without protest and presses the cool glass against her cheek, letting out a relieved sigh. “This feels so good. It’s so hot.”
It wasn’t hot.
She is hot.
Because she is burning up.
Those hazy blue eyes flutter as she tries to focus on me. “It’s okay, you can go.” She pushes to her feet. “Just tell K?—”
Her whole body sways once again, and she crashes into me. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her flush against me.
“Fucking hell,Rose,” I mutter softly, grinding my teeth in annoyance. Stubborn woman. “I’m not going anywhere. You can barely walk.”
Her forehead presses against my chest, and I can feel the burn of her skin through the material of my shirt. Her fingers grip my tee as her face nuzzles into my chest. Warm breath tickles my skin, and I can feel her lips brushing against me. My body freezes, thinking that she’s kissing me, but then I hear them. Words spoken so softly, they’re barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. My palm runs down her back, soothing over her tense muscles as my gaze fixes in front of me. To the empty shower.
A knot forms in my throat, but I push it down.
She needs help.
“C’mon,” I croak out, my throat feeling tight.
Pushing her at arm’s length, I grab the hem of her shirt and lift it over her head. Rose blinks, clearly surprised. “Cha?—”
I don’t let her finish. Fixing my gaze straight, I quickly slide my fingers under the hem of her shorts and push them down, trying my darndest to ignore the tiniest pair of pale pink lace panties covering her from my view.
Focus, Williams.
Holding onto her, I turn around and turn on the shower before shifting my attention to Rose.
“Let’s get you into the shower.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “I need to get my hair out of the way.”
She tries to reach for something on the counter. A clip of some sort. I grab it, eyeing it verily. Rose extends her hand to take it from me, but I brush her hand away and gather her hair in something that seems like a little bun before clipping it in place.
“There,” I murmur, my voice coming out raspy as I let my hand fall, the backs of my knuckles skimming over the collar of her neck.
