She kept her eyes closed trying to think of the last time she had actual food. Gradually, she became aware that she wasn’t on her bed, although a quick peek through her lashes confirmed she was in her bedroom.
No, instead of her comfortable bed, she was sprawled out on something hard and very hot to the touch. A hand was tangled in her hair, cupping her neck lightly, and long, hairy legs tangled between hers at the bottom of the bed. Her hand tickled where it lay under the bottom edge of a pair of shorts. Men’s running shorts.
She lifted her head in confusion and saw something she hadn’t seen in her bed in a very long time. A man. Her head was resting on Theo’s thickly muscled, hairy thigh. Even more confusing, there was a tiny black tattoo on his upper thigh. She blinked. A microphone?
She moved back to her pillow and studied the man besideher. Theo’s face was even more handsome and almost boyish at rest. His usually smooth-shaven cheeks were bristly, and his dark hair had escaped its style to curl softly over his forehead.
He breathed deeply and easily while she watched. His lips were parted slightly and...her breath caught as she registered this new detail: his chest was bare. She closed her eyes and breathed in his warm, masculine scent. She wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer. Who knew when it would happen again?
“Amber,” he rumbled, or at least that’s what it felt like so close to his chest. A hand came up and rested against her forehead, familiar and intimate. His body relaxed at what he felt. “No fever,” he murmured.
She lifted her head to find him watching her. “Hey,” she finally said, feeling uncharacteristically shy.
“Your fever broke.” His hand still rested on her face. She didn’t move away from the touch.
“Yeah. You stayed.” She frowned. “You shouldn’t have. You’re going to get sick.”
He closed his eyes and lowered his head back down to the pillow. “I never get sick.”
She closed her eyes again and drifted for a while until her body reminded her of a pressing need. “I have to use the bathroom,” she finally said, reluctantly dragging herself away from all that heat.
She gasped when she saw herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was an actual rat’s nest, and her face was swollen and puffy. She sent up a brief thanks that Theo had come after the worst of the puking had happened, but it was still bad. Very bad. Only a shower would fix this. She brushed her teeth twice while the water heated and then took the longest, hottest shower until she felt like a human again, all the while thinking that Theo Clairmont had slept inher bed.
And she had been sick. What a waste.
“Here’s a towel,” Theo said, and she jumped guiltily in the shower. He couldn’t see anything with her opaque shower curtain, but it was still disconcerting to stand so close while she was naked. “How do you feel?”
She considered it for a moment. “Like I could eat a horse, but if I don’t sit down soon, I might fall over.” It was the truth. The adrenaline of waking up on Theo had worn off, and she was starting to shake. She turned off the water.
The shower curtain rustled, and Theo’s arm appeared with a towel, which she took gratefully.
“What day is it?” She wrapped it around her and drew back the shower curtain to find him leaning against her vanity. His chest was indeed bare, and his hair looked like he’d run his fingers through it all night long. He looked rumpled and adorable as he held out his hand to help her step out of the tub.
“Tuesday. I can’t believe I fell asleep. I never do that.” Theo said, frowning.
She used a washcloth to wipe the steam from the mirror and rummaged around in the vanity for a comb. “You’ve said that before. Why don’t you sleep?”
He watched her comb her hair in silence for a while. It should have been uncomfortable sharing these intimate moments with someone she wasn’t in a relationship with, but it wasn’t. “It’s always been hard for me to shut my mind off,” he finally said. “Mind if I use your shower?”
“It’s all yours. There’s a fresh toothbrush in the drawer.” She dried off and put on a fresh set of pajamas, pulled her wet hair into a bun, and put on her glasses. Her eyes ached too much for contacts.
By the time Theo stepped out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam, she was back in bed. The shower had taken it out of her. Not so much that she couldn’t appreciate Theo’s naked chest. He put a pair of trousers back on, but hischest was still bare and distracting, even in her weak state.Down, girl.
He frowned when he saw her in bed again and came to sit at her hip. “How do you feel?” he asked, testing her forehead again. It was a casual, natural gesture that clued her in to how close they had been over the last twenty-four hours.
“Oh, no,” she groaned, remembering. “Allie and the kids, and my family. I hope they’re not sick too.”
“I talked to your mom and Allie. They’re doing about as well as you are.”
Amber’s eyes popped open. “You talked to my mom?”
Theo shrugged, his eyes dark and unreadable. “She called your phone several times, and I answered. She said the whole family had the bug. I told her I’d stay with you.”
Amber smiled crookedly. “You have no idea how much you’re going to regret that. My mom will tell my aunts, and they’ll be knocking on your door soon to meet you.”
“That demographic in particular likes me,” Theo said dryly. “Glasses, huh?” Theo added, nodding toward them.
A flicker of self-consciousness crossed her mind, but she was too tired for pretense. “Even Marilyn Monroe had to take her heels off sometimes,” she said quietly.
