Lottie doesn't press me for an explanation; she’s oblivious to the cause of my sickness. I’m grateful that she assumes it’s something to do with the food I’d eaten for lunch, because I don’t know how to force the words out to tell her, although I do feel very sorry for the staff, as I hear her in the background creating a scene. I catch the words ‘food poisoning’ and ‘lawsuit’, while the moms help me out of the door, and into the waiting SUV. The commandos don’t ask any questions, they just sit up front and drive, while my mom sits next to me with her hand on my knee.
I don’t trust myself to speak, so I’m silent until we get to the apartment. Mom takes this as I’m still feeling sick and just talks gently to me.
It’s an effort getting from the car to the top floor, and I drag my feet through the apartment, and throw off my clothes into a pile before heading for the shower. I don’t even think about closing the doors behind me, I can’t think about anything. My brain shuts down, and my only focus is getting under the hot spray of the shower and trying to wash away my troubles.
The water pelts my sensitive skin, everything prickles and I turn the temperature up to try and counter the shivers that insist on jangling my nerves.
“Arianna?” Denham’s soft voice calls out through the crack in the door, but I don’t trust myself to answer.
I can’t tell him. Jonny’s threat echoes through my head‘You never know who might suffer.’
“Are you okay?” he says, standing next to the shower.
His face, his handsome face, breaks me, and I start to cry. It comes from nowhere, and it comes fast. “Oh, Stunner, come here.”
I fall into his arms, feeling hopeless, helpless, and utterly exhausted. And he just holds me even in my wet state, stroking my dripping wet hair, and murmuring comforts to me.
“You’re sick. You need to rest.”
He gently lifts me into his arms, and I curl my body into him. I feel protected. Cocooned in the safety of his body,
“I…I’m not sick,” I stutter as he places me gently on the bed, reaching for a towel to dry off my hair.
He laughs. “Well, you look pretty sick to me. Your skin is the palest I’ve ever seen it and Lottie said you’ve thrown up all of your lunch.” He sits next to me and starts to squeeze strands of hair gently with the hand towel.
I need to tell him everything. I want to tell him, but I can’t risk it. I can’t risk him walking away from me. Not yet.
“You’re tired,” he says, before standing with me cradled in his arms.
“I am tired. But I can use my legs.”
“I want to carry you.” He kisses my nose and walks out of the bedroom to the huge couch. He places me down and covers me with a throw. “Stay here,” he orders before flicking the TV on. I haven’t watched TV in forever. “I have some calls to make, then we are going to snuggle.”
“Snuggle?”
“Yes, snuggle.”
He kisses my cheek and strokes my hair. Then he goes into his bedroom and shuts the door, and before long, I’m asleep.
Chapter 15
Arianna
“Good morning, Stunner.” Denham’s low voice breaks through my sleep and I open my eyes to his handsome face looking down on me.
“Morning.” I smile.
“I made you coffee,” he says, placing a steaming hot mug of caffeine on the nightstand.
“Thank you,” I mumble, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Denham chuckles before whipping the covers clean off me.
“Denham! Give me that back now,” I groan, and try to cover myself with my hands, which makes him laugh harder. But it’s a useless attempt at making him do as I wish because he tosses the sheet aside and hops on the bed, straddling me, and trappingmy hands at my side. And it’s only now that I notice he’s only wearing his boxers.
“Fuck, you’re sexy when you’re sleepy,” he growls into my neck.
“I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.”
