Truly Madly Deeply Boxed Set(32)
“You probably caught some form of what Alix had. Open up,” she said, upon exiting the bathroom.
He complied and she cut off any answer by sticking a thermometer in his mouth. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
She left as briskly as she’d come, giving him only a brief moment to view her from behind. Her jeans fit like a coating of paint and those legs seemed to grow in length each time he looked. If he felt feverish before, he’d hate to view the thermometer now. He closed his eyes and settled in to wait.
“Open,” she said a few minutes later.
“You sure you weren’t a drill sergeant in another life?”
“Cute.” She paused to read the thermometer and frowned. “You’ve got a fever, Griff.” She handed him a glass of orange juice from the nightstand. “You stay put.”
“And who takes care of Alix?”
“As if you didn’t already know. It’s Saturday night, so neither one of us has any pressing work engagements tomorrow. Give yourself twenty-four hours for the fever to break. By then, you’ll be on your feet and Mrs. Baxter will be back first thing Monday morning.”
“She’s out till the following weekend.”
Chelsie shook her head. “She called to check in. I told her what had happened and she’ll be back.”
“Good.”
“But for the next twenty-four hours, you’re stuck with me.”
It was what he’d wanted all along, but her physical presence wasn’t all he needed, and her no-nonsense attitude irritated the hell out of him. Never mind that he’d caused her to withdraw. He desired the woman who melted in his arms, not this wind-up nurse doll.
She grabbed the empty glass from his hands and her gaze raked him over from top to bottom.
“You’re still in last night’s clothes. Change and I’ll make you something light for dinner.” She turned towards the door. “I can last a measly twenty-four hours,” she murmured.
He knew she hadn’t intended for him to hear.
“Chelsie?”
She glanced over her shoulder. He smiled as he devoured her with his eyes. “You’re about to find out how long twenty-four hours can be.”
* * *
Chelsie knew Griff’s prediction of a long twenty-four hours had been said with the express intent of making her squirm. Despite his illness, the predatory look in his eyes accomplished his goal. However, he hadn’t counted on his fever rising and his comfort level declining, making him ill equipped to do more than groan, complain, and drive her crazy. Amazingly, Alix slept on. After dinner, Griff, too, had fallen asleep.
By the time Chelsie had unpacked most of her office, cleaned up the kitchen, and finished the laundry she’d found piled in a heap on the floor, the clock read nearly midnight. After looking in on Alix, she decided to check Griff once more before collapsing on the couch in the den. They hadn’t discussed sleeping arrangements, and Chelsie didn’t feel right invading Mrs. Baxter’s privacy by borrowing her bed.
With only the hall light to guide her, she tiptoed into Griff’s bedroom. She stood at the foot of his bed and glanced down at his sleeping form. His bare chest rose and fell in steady intervals. She smiled, appreciating the changes wrought by sleep. With the tension gone, a carefree expression softened the lines in his face and relaxed his features. Even the razor stubble added a roguish charm.
A far cry from the withdrawn man she dealt with on a daily basis, this man represented pure danger. She wanted him as much as she needed to resist his magnetic pull. Resisting would be easy only as long as he slept on.
Turning her attention to herself, she realized she needed rest. Though she felt like a thief, she rummaged through his bureau drawers. She doubted Griff would appreciate being awakened while she asked if she could borrow a T-shirt.
She ducked into his bathroom and changed into the first shirt she’d found. After shutting the light, she padded through his bedroom. She heard his even breathing and knew he still slept. She couldn’t resist one more look before she turned in for the night. Careful not to wake him, she sat on the edge of his mattress. In silence, she watched him sleep.
She understood his mercurial moods, understood his confusion and reluctance to turn their already precarious relationship into something deeper. His mother had deserted him in life, his brother in death. He acted like a man who wanted nothing to do with women and emotional commitment. One day his views would change. With the right woman, Griff would want to settle down and provide Alix with a full-time mother and little brothers or sisters.
When the time came, could Chelsie gracefully step aside? Could she maintain their partnership and watch him with another woman? Watch someone else take over the role she currently filled in Alix’s life?