Ride Wild(19)

This time, the thermometer read 101.5.

"I think I can stand," she said.

"Let me help at least." He offered his hands, and together, they pulled her to her feet.

"If you'll hold up the towel, I'll slip out of these wet things."

He gave a nod, looking away as he held up the towel to give her some  semblance of privacy. Wet clothing slapped against the tub, once, twice.  And he tried like hell not to think about the fact that she was  utterly, totally naked two feet away from him. An arm's reach away.  Because he was finding it damn hard not to want to take her into his  arms.

She wrapped the towel around herself.

And then she listed to the side.

Slider caught her in his arms after all, and then he lifted her into a  carry against his chest. "I'm putting you in my bed tonight so I can  keep an eye on you."

"Okay," she said.

After that, he put her in one of his shirts and a pair of his boxers and  tried like hell not to like the look of her in his clothes as much as  he did. And then his bed became the center of activity for the rest of  the night. Ben brought Cora drinks and Popsicles on a tray, and she  invited them to stay and play a game of cards to keep her company. And  Slider had the weirdest, most unexpected thought.                       
       
           



       

Family.

They felt like a family.

He liked Cora. He did. Obviously, he couldn't deny that anymore.

But he should not be thinking of her as family.

She was his employee, an employee who now lived in his house. That was  boundary-pushing enough. And he was still a man with significant faith,  trust, and abandonment issues when it came to relationships with anyone  but his kids. And, Jesus, his kids loved Cora far too much for Slider to  risk doing anything that might mess up their relationship with her.

So he and Cora could be friends, sure.

But family, that was something he was better off defining by those who shared his blood.

Maybe that was no guarantee, either. Because his parents sure as shit  hadn't done right by him. But Slider knew how he felt about his boys-and  always would. So blood ties were the best chance he had to create  something true, real, and lasting.

Just once.





Chapter 10




By the time the boys were in bed, Cora was slipping in and out of  consciousness. She seemed so tired that she couldn't keep her eyes open  and when she spoke, it came out in a slur. But her temperature was down  to 100.9 as of the last time they'd taken it, so at least they had this  thing moving in the right direction.

Which meant he could get ready to hit the hay, too, especially since  he'd finally found someone to cover the rest of his shift. Usually,  Slider slept naked, but tonight he pulled on an undershirt and a pair of  sweatpants.

"Leave a light on, please?" she mumbled against her pillow.

"Yeah. Okay," he said. "Need anything else?"

She didn't answer, which left Slider standing at the edge of his bed and  debating. Sleeping with her seemed all kinds of problematic, given how  much she got to him. And she did, he had to admit that much. But he  didn't think she should be alone. Maybe he should just sleep on the  floor . . .

"You getting in?" she asked, trying to peer over her shoulder but not quite strong enough to do it.

He sighed. It was fine. They'd slept in the same bed together before. They could do it again. He crawled into the empty side.

Cora made a little whining sound that immediately had him propping  himself up on an elbow. "No, not behind me. Can't take you behind me."  She dragged herself to turn over, finally coming to lie on her side  facing him.

"What?" he said, his gut churning at her words. He hadn't given her  request to leave the lights on a second thought. But hell if it didn't  look different with her saying she couldn't tolerate him at her back.  And, oh, Jesus, the way she'd freaked out that night in the family room .  . .

"That's better," she whispered.

"I'm worried about you, Cora," he said, not meaning just the fever she'd  come down with tonight. That was only his most immediate concern. "I  think we have to take you to urgent care if you're not better in the  morning."

"Just need to sleep . . ."

And then she was out. But Slider was wide awake, again, worrying about  Cora Campbell. And wondering exactly what she'd been through before  she'd arrived in Maryland. Whatever it was, Slider's gut told him it  wasn't good.

A suspicion that escalated the protectiveness he already felt toward her by a factor of about a thousand. At least.

At some point, he finally dropped off to sleep, and eventually he found  himself in the middle of the most fucking amazing dream. Cora, sliding  into his bed in the middle of the night. Climbing on top of him,  covering him with her feminine curves. Grinding against him and making  him moan.

Coming with his name on her lips.

"Slider," she moaned.

His eyes blinked open, and he found his dream coming true. Except then  his brain came back online enough for him to realize that he was a  goddamn pervert and Cora was pressing up against him not in an effort to  seduce him, but to try to get warm. She shivered against him. Her fever  had spiked again.

"Wake up, Cora," he said, reaching for the medicine he'd left on the  nightstand. "I need you to take some more of this to bring the fever  down."

"Cold," she whispered, bleary, green eyes blazing.

"I know." He dropped two pills onto her tongue. "Drink."

"Sorry I woke you. Didn't realize . . ." She pushed herself away.

Slider hauled her right back against him. "Whatever you need, sweetheart, okay? Just want you to feel better."

She was back to sleep in an instant. And, oddly, so was he.

And that was the way they woke up. Right away, Slider knew something was  off. The house felt oddly empty, but the light coming through his  blinds made it feel late. He turned to the nightstand and found a note  propped up against the lamp in his ten-year-old's hand.                       
       
           



       

You guys were out cold so I got us ready for school. No worries.

-Sam



Damn. Aw, damn. At some point, Sam, and maybe Ben too, had come in here .  . . and found Slider and Cora totally entwined. As they still were.

Cora lay with her head on Slider's shoulder, her arm across his chest,  her thigh across his. And his arm was around her shoulders, holding her  to him, his face pressed to her forehead. Sure, the blankets had covered  most of that, but no doubt his kids had seen enough to raise an eyebrow  of curiosity.

But at least Cora's fever didn't seem as bad this morning. No more than a  hundred, if Slider had to guess. But he wasn't waking her up to find  out, and holding her like this wasn't something he was going to be able  to do again. So he let himself enjoy the feel of her while he could,  relaxed against the pillow again, and drifted off with her in his arms.



Cora didn't want to wake up. She was warm and comfortable, and that  seemed miraculous after being freezing and achy all night long. But  finally, her eyelids blinked open against her will, and then she really  didn't want to move.

Because she was lying on Slider, touching him from face to toes, in his bed. And he was holding her, too.

In that moment, Cora wished more than anything that they were like this  because they were together, rather than just because he'd taken pity on  her for being sick. She'd always had some fondness for Slider, even in  his most withdrawn version, but the past couple weeks, she'd felt like  she was finally getting to know him. She'd seen more of his sweetness  toward his sons. She'd witnessed his vulnerable side when Ben got hurt  and when he'd admitted he needed her help. And she'd certainly found him  to be thoughtful in preparing such a wonderful welcome for her coming  to live at his house.

He'd given her a few glimpses of his sense of humor-and proved he could  sling some highly effective sarcasm. She still couldn't decide whether  to chuckle or groan at his calling her out for using humor as a defense  mechanism. It had been as annoyingly observant as it had been accurate.  And she kinda wanted to get T-shirts made that read Talkative Slider and  Humor as a Diversionary Tactic Cora. Or maybe dolls. Perhaps she'd add  to the line, Tall, Dark, and Scary Dare; Can Do Anything To and On a  Bike Maverick; and Cute but Seriously Annoying Phoenix. She could make a  million. Annnd this train of thought proved she still probably had a  fever . . .

Cora sighed. If all that wasn't enough, that wasn't even taking into  consideration the way Slider had taken care of her last night. Or the  way he was holding her now.

And that was when she realized she liked Slider Evans. Liked liked him.  And she had no idea what the hell she was going to do about that.