Page 27 of Unexpected Company
“Oh.” Garrett halts his steps and turns to face me. “Sure. That’s…” he rubs the back of his neck. “Sure, okay.” My shoulders slump in disappointment when I admit to myself I wish he’d asked me to stay.
We trudge down the narrow pathway that leads through the woods. The map at the cottage showed we follow this route past the river bend, over the cobbled bridge, and down the hill to the village.
I drag my feet another half mile. My head pounding with every beat of my heart. Sweat coats my skin under my cardi, yet I’m sure there’s an inferno burning in my blood. We still have atleast two miles to go, and I’ve reached a point where I don’t think I’ll make it.
I look around the woodland surrounding me. The sun is breaking through the tree line, but there are still dark, ominous patches where the brush is thicker. I don’t love the idea of being alone out here without him.
“Gare Bear.” Garrett pauses and swivels towards me again. “Can we take a moment, please?” I lean against the trunk of a tall tree, my breath stuttering in and out of my tight lungs.
“Of course.” He comes closer. “You sure you’re okay? Your cheeks are flushed.”
I grumble. I hate being ill. When I’m ill, I’m super needy and very clingy and it always reminds me just how alone I am. The worst time to be alone is when you really need someone to hold you.
“I’m fine. I just walked a mile in the cold. Of course I’m flushed,” I bite out, knowing I sound like a brat.
Garrett pulls me into him, wrapping me in his arms and his spicy-sweet wood and apple scent.
“If I was your Daddy,” he says, his lips pressed to the top of my head. “You’d be punished for that.”
I laugh, but my laugh morphs into a broken cough. Garrett holds me tighter and I melt into his hold. The pressure of his grip on me going a long way to soothing my aching parts.
“You’re trembling, sweet thing.” He touches the back of my neck. “You’re feverish. Fuck. We shouldn’t have left the cottage.”
I don’t have the energy to argue with him or to remind him we were going on this hellish walk because he wanted me to leave. Instead, I wrap my arms around his middle and look up at him through bleary eyes.
“Give me a moment and I’ll be fine to carry on into the village."
Garrett shakes his head.
“No. We need to get you back to the cottage and into bed. Everything else can wait.”
I nod against his chest, slipping a hand into his. He turns on his heel and heads in the direction we came from. My feet move listlessly over the muddy ground, my limbs heavy and sore. It’s slow going and with each step the little energy I have seeps out of me until I can’t possibly go on.
“Just leave me here for the wolves,” I groan, releasing Garrett’s hand and plonking myself down on the wet, muddy path. My lungs ache as I suck in cold air.
Garrett grins. “You’re a tad dramatic when you’re ill.” He reaches out his hand, palm up.
I shake my head. “Can’t. I fear this is my end.” The clouds pick that moment to break – thick drizzle pelting down on us. “Go, save yourself.”
He full on belly laughs. “Stand up Short Stack, I’ll carry you the rest of the way.”
That gets my attention. I muster a slither of energy and press up to my feet. My hands are covered in dirt, and I wipe them on my coat.
Garrett lifts me into a bridal hold.
“Like a sack of potatoes,” I remark with a sigh, my head flopping against his broad chest.
“The things you say,” he says with a chuckle.
“You should hear the things I think. Dirty, naughty things.” I try to sound seductive, but I only end up coughing and groaning as my body aches.
There’s a rumbling in his chest. “Keep those thoughts to yourself for now, sweet thing. I don’t need a boner while I’m navigating the walk home.”
Garrett strips me out of my wet clothing, then pats me dry with a fluffy white towel. I sit on the bed naked, my teeth clanking together as a violent shiver ripples through me. He digs in my unpacked bag, pulling out a pair of my fleece leggings. Next, he picks up an oversized hoodie.
I shake my head. That won’t do.
“Yours,” I mutter, tipping my head towards the flannel shirt I flung on the floor earlier. He smiles, scoops it up and guides my arms in before buttoning it all the way up. He helps me into my leggings, his hand coming so close to my dick, I feel the heat of it against the flaccid flesh. If my body wasn’t in the throes of…whatever this awful feeling is, I know I’d be sporting a semi right now. But how can I feel aroused when it hurts just to breathe?
