When the bathroom door opened and she felt a wet cloth brush her forehead, Diamond whimpered in relief. Her jacket was pulled off one side and she quickly grabbed the wet rag as he maneuvered her jacket completely off.
“You’re burning up,” Knox said, hanging her jacket on a hook on the wall.
Diamond began shaking harder.
“You’re sure this is a virus and not food poisoning?” Knox asked, squatting down beside her.
Diamond nodded her head. “My secretary has been out two days with it.” Brushing her hair back again, Diamond didn’t want to imagine what she looked like with her fallen hair hanging over a toilet.
“You have anything for nausea in your cabinets?”
“No.”
“I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
“Knox, I’ll be fine. Just go home.”
He ignored her, leaving the bathroom, then Diamond heard her front door open and close. Relieved that he had finally left, Diamond managed to rewet the washcloth in the sink and wash her face, however she found out that brushing her teeth was a huge mistake when she was once again over the toilet when Knox returned.
Diamond looked up at him in frustration. “I told you, I’ll be all right.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Knox handed her the familiar pink medicine with a spoon. Diamond didn’t resist taking a dose of the medicine as well as the cool liquid to swallow after it.
Her stomach finally empty, she tried to rise to her feet as Knox helped her up. Grasping the sink basin for support, she again washed her face and brushed her teeth, this time with better results.
Diamond turned from the sink to see Knox leaning against the doorframe. “Better?”
Diamond nodded her head, walking forward. Knox moved from the doorway, watching as she moved into her living room and then sunk down onto her couch where she laid her spinning head back.
Knox sat down in a chair, surveying the room. Diamond ignored the man who refused to leave.
“You got something against color?”
Diamond lifted her head weakly. “I like a calm environment.”
“Any more calm and you’d be dead.”
“Very funny. Maybe I should get mismatched furniture and put a bar in the corner, would that suit you better?” She refused to feel like a bitch about putting down the furniture at The Last Rider clubhouse when he was being so rude about her own decor.
“At least it would look like someone actually lived here.”
“You can go anytime.” Diamond lay back again weakly. “I’m over the worst of it.” She watched as Knox stood to his feet.
“You sure?” he asked, hesitating. Diamond could tell he was anxious to leave.
“Yes.” Diamond rebuffed the idea of being weak enough to need any help. “I’m sure.”
At that, he left her sitting on the couch.
She began to feel sorry for herself as soon as he’d left and then promptly became angry at herself for wishing he had stayed. Diamond couldn’t understand herself where he was concerned any more. He attracted her, and refusing to admit it was making the situation worse; that much was certain. It made her say ugly things that she didn’t mean and act like those who had treated her the same when she had been a child. Diamond had learned long ago that ignoring something made it blow up in your face. It was smarter to realize you had a problem and put up defenses to stop it. She just wasn’t sure how to get in front of this particular problem.
Ever since she had realized her father was a two-timing bastard, she had not let anyone close enough to rock the tame world she had built around herself. She didn’t like an environment in turmoil and tension, which is what she’d lived in constantly with Sex Piston as a sister and with her father as the President of the Destructors. She wanted a quiet environment that she could enjoy, yet was reluctant to admit that it was also boring.
She got up from the couch and made herself a cup of hot tea at the same time that her childish instincts were kicking in, making her want to call her mom, but she didn’t. Instead, she drank her tea and then went back to lay on the couch.
She must have dozed off, only waking groggily when she felt herself being lifted from the couch against a hard chest. Oddly, her panic instinct didn’t click in, she just lay there as she was carried into her bedroom.
Sickly, she mumbled that she had to go to the restroom. She was carried into the bathroom to lose the tea she had drunk after another round of nausea. When she was finished, Knox washed her face off, removing the glistening sweat that showed her fever had risen.
“Do you need to use the restroom?” Diamond heard Knox’s voice rousing her to her senses.
“Yes,” her dry voice croaked.