“Storm, can you hear me? I’ve got a straw for you. I need you to drink some water.” She parted her lips and sipped some cool liquid before Cody eased her head back to the pillow. Then he cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the touch. “You scared me.”
She peeled her eyes open a fraction. Cody was a blur in front of her, but she didn’t need to see him clearly to feel his concern. She didn’t know where she was or what time it could be, but it didn’t matter. With Cody, she felt safe.
“Stay with me,” she whispered.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and the silence stretched so long she wasn’t sure if he planned to stay or go. Then the bed dipped beside her, and warmth cloaked her. She snuggled into the heated body, letting it lull her back to sleep.
Harper woke slowly,the sunlight hitting her closed eyelids. There was still a dull ache in the back of her head and her limbs felt heavy, but when she opened her eyes, she didn’t feel the need to slam them closed again.
She frowned. What time was it? From the sunlight streaming into the room, it was obviously daytime, but how many hours had passed? And where was she?
Her gaze moved around the small bedroom. She would have assumed she was in Cody’s apartment above the bar, but the bedsheets were a feminine pale peach color. Not only that, but there was a fuzzy clock with bunny ears and a wardrobe with a white robe hanging on the front.
Slowly, she sat up. There was a tinge of lightheadedness, but nothing like what it had been. Swinging her legs to the side, shetested them by applying a little bit of pressure. When her knees didn’t cave, she stood. Good. She could hold her own weight.
She walked over to the mirror and grimaced at what she saw. Her skin was pale and her hair a mess, scruffy, with locks twisting every which way.
Argh, she looked terrible.
Quickly, she ran her fingers through the strands, trying to make them semi-presentable, but after a few seconds it was clear this was as good as it was going to get.
Noises sounded from outside the room. The clattering of pans. Maybe the opening of a fridge.
A pile of clothes sat on the dresser. She lifted the top item to find a pale pink T-shirt and, below that, jeans. All female clothes and all about her size.
With some relief, she removed the bar clothes that she’d woken in and changed. What she really needed was a shower, but first, she’d figure out what was going on.
She opened the door to a small living area with a huge window to the right. There was a big leather couch, a coffee table and a TV attached to the wall. To the left of the living room was a dining table, then what she presumed to be the front door.
An apartment.
She moved toward the front door, noticing the small kitchen beside the dining room, and stopped at the sight of Cody. He had his back to her as he worked at the stove. The smell of bacon and eggs tinged the air. But that wasn’t what stole her attention.
Cody wasn’t wearing a shirt. And every time he moved, the muscles in his back pulled and rippled.
God, who knew a man could have such a sexy back? Even with his shirt on, she’d known he was big and broad, but without it? It still shocked her.
He turned, one side of his mouth immediately lifting when his gaze fell on her. “You’re awake.”
“I am. Is it morning?”
“No. It’s almost six p.m., Storm.”
Her eyes about fell out of her head. “Almost six? I slept that long? Why aren’t you at the bar?”
“I closed tonight.”
She frowned. “You closed?”
“There was no way I was going to leave you while you were so sick.”
“You didn’t have to look after me.”
He took a small step toward her. “I did. You needed someone to make sure your fever went down and you stayed hydrated.”
Memories of the last few hours came back to her. Of Cody waking her to put a straw to her lips. Carrying her to the bathroom.
The air stalled in her lungs, and her next words came out more as a whisper. “No one’s ever looked after me like that while I’ve been sick.”
