He opened the door on her side to see her staring back at him with a stubborn expression, which was okay with him. It was better than the lifeless one he had seen her walking around campus with over the past couple of days.
“Get out.”
“Quit ordering me around. I’m not going in there.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her. Lifting her into his arms, Shade then slammed the door closed with his shoulder before carrying her struggling form into the room.
The room was small but it held two beds, a small table, and a dresser with a television. He sat her down on one of the chairs by the small, round table in the room. When she would have jumped to her feet, he leaned down, placing a hand on each side of the chair she was sitting in, effectively blocking her in.
“Lily, I am a man with infinite patience, but you are trying me. I advise you to keep your ass on that chair. Do you understand me?” He would not allow her to keep neglecting her health. She was self-destructing, and he wasn’t going to tolerate it.
Shade straightened, going to the other chair and sitting down. Then he opened the bag, pulling out a small cup of soup as well as several packs of crackers and setting them in front of her with a plastic spoon.
“Eat.”
“Will you please quit ordering me around?” Lily asked again, her voice as cold as ice.
“I’ll think about it.” Shade’s lips twitched in amusement at her frosty gaze.
As Lily took the lid off the soup and started turning green again, Shade remembered when he had been on an assignment and went without food. Afterward, his stomach had wanted to reject what it needed most.
“Eat a cracker first.”
Lily’s trembling fingers tore open a pack of the crackers, removing one. She nibbled on it slowly then ate another.
Shade ate the large burger and fries he had bought for himself, watching her as she struggled to eat her soup and crackers. Gradually, her appetite returned, and she began to eat more.
Shade finished eating then set a chocolate shake in front of her. It would give her some much needed calories. During their lunches over the summer, he had asked for whoever made their lunch to make her a milkshake a couple of times a week because he enjoyed watching her enthusiasm when she received the delicious treat.
She started to cry as she drank it. “I hate you.”
“I know.” Shade removed his sunglasses, letting her see his remorse. She wasn’t ready to hear the words yet, but he wanted her to see that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her.
She quit eating, sitting there with tears coursing down her cheeks, turning her face away from him.
Shade stood, picking her up and carrying her to the bed where he laid her down. “Sleep, Lily. You’ll feel better when you wake up. You’re exhausted.”
Lily closed her eyes, curling into a small ball with her hand under her cheek, and Shade sat down on the bed next to hers as she gave a shuddering breath. When her body went limp and her breathing slowed, he stood up and took the blanket off his bed to cover her.#p#分页标题#e#
He leaned forward, brushing his lips across her cheek before lying down next to her, easing her back against his chest with his arm across her waist.
“Sleep, baby. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
* * *
She slept the rest of the day and into the night. Shade was sitting in the chair at the table when she woke, sitting up in bed.
“What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock. You’ve slept six hours.”
“Oh.” Lily brushed her hands through her hair.
“There are clothes for you in the bag. Go take a shower.” He had purchased the items he had thought she would need before he had picked her up.
She picked up the bag he had placed on the bottom of her bed and then went into the bathroom without a word.
As she showered, he made sandwiches then ate his while she took her time in the bathroom. He had gone to the grocery store after he had rented the hotel room to purchase food he could make himself without having to cook, and the mini-fridge was stocked with enough food for several days. He had no intention of leaving Lily alone in the emotional state she was in.
Shade opened his mouth to demand for her to eat, but she forestalled him, holding up her hand. “I’ll eat.”
Pacified, he lay down on one of the beds and watched television, feeling her eyes on him while she ate.
When she was finished, she threw away the trash and the empty milk carton. “Will you take me back to my dorm now?”
“Later. Come here.”
Getting up, she went to the phone on the bedside table instead of listening to him. However, before she could place a call, Shade jerked the phone from her hand then tugged her down onto the bed. Lily froze as he lifted and adjusted her until she was lying on the bed with her head on the pillow.