She’d rolled her eyes at Jeremiah behind their backs. Yes, his physique made it clear that he kept himself in great shape generally. But he was actually aretiredathlete with fractured ribs who’d spent the last eleven days as a couch potato.
They’d recently unhooked his IV and allowed him to put on his own clothing. His fever had gone and with it the flush.
“Hold on,” he said. “There’s a drop of pudding on your lip.” He reached a blunt thumb toward her mouth.
Her thoughts blanked for a second before her brain sent a message to intercept his hand. Remy found herself cupping his fingers inches from her mouth, his profile very close to hers.
He met her eyes. She was so near she could hear his inhales and exhales. Smell the Tide laundry detergent he’d used on his clothes back at the cottage. See at close range the way his lips tipped up on one side—a subtle challenge.
Desire kicked at her, taking out her knees with tingles. She would have gone down had she not already been sitting.
What is this?
This was physical awareness, rolling over her the way nighttime rolls over the continent. It had been so long since she’d felt this response that she’d forgotten how forceful it could be. Skin-rushing, blood-pumping power. Terrifying.
She pushed away his hand. “I can remove chocolate from my own lip, thank you very much.” But when she attempted to do so, she found none. He’d invented the drop of chocolate in order to touch her! He was toying with her for his own entertainment. Just as she opened her mouth to accuse him, a handsome blond man around their age entered the room.
She shut her jaw with aclick.
“I’m Jude.” The newcomer stopped a few feet in front of them. “And you’re the older brother who’s been a pain in my butt for the last thirty-two years. However, it sounds like I’m the only one of the two of us who remembers that.”
“You must be an imposter,” Jeremiah told him. “I have a hard time believing I was ever a pain in the butt.”
“I don’t have a hard time believing that,” Remy said with feeling, “at all. Clearly, youareJeremiah’s brother.”
“Yep. I’m the boring, dependable, rule-following one.” Jude motioned to Jeremiah. “You’re the daring, ambitious, pain-in-the-butt one.”
Jeremiah made a sound of amused acknowledgment. Remy noted this family member hadn’t caused Jeremiah to wince in the way that indicated a headache.
Remy and Jude exchanged introductions and a handshake.
Jude’s face was slightly more thoughtful and poetic than Jeremiah’s. The brothers’ eyes were the same shade of green that had obviously been their father’s legacy. They were the same height and both exquisitely masculine. Jude had on semi-casual gray pants and a startlingly white business shirt. None of his clothing revealed a single wrinkle or smudge.
“I hear you’re getting out of here today,” Jude said to Jeremiah.
“Yeah. Any minute.”
“Mom told me that you’ve temporarily banned her, so I thought I’d drive you to Appleton—”
“Appleton?”
“Your house.”
“My house has a name?”
“It does. I’ll drive you there and stay until tomorrow to help get your life back up and running.”
“Okay.” Like with his parents yesterday, Jeremiah seemed indifferent, failing to offer the appropriate amount of gratitude.
“They’re discharging you just in time.” Jude flicked a humorous glance down to Jeremiah’s chin. “You’d never want to be caught dead with a short beard.”
“At least I’m no longer wearing a hospital gown.”
“That’s not as big of an improvement as you might think.”
A knock sounded, then the doctor stepped in to say Jeremiah was free to go and to provide instructions. Jeremiah would continue on a course of oral antibiotics and could soon begin ramping up his aerobic level. He should make his “coughs count” to clear the remaining congestion in his lungs and watch for signs that he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. The doctor finished by telling Jeremiah he’d been an all-around excellent patient—Remy had found the opposite to be true when he’d beenherpatient—and thanking him for coming by, as if Jeremiah’s hospital stay had been a social call.
“Remy,” Jude said when the doctor left, “will you be coming with us to Appleton?”
