“Three days ago. I tried to nibble on things here and there, but it doesn’t stay down.”
“Georgie,” he exclaims, pulling me into a gentle hug. “You should have told me.”
“What did you cancel now?” I ask. “Was it a work thing?”
“I had a video conference scheduled for tonight. Now, actually.”
“You shouldn’t cancel,” I blurt out.
“Are you kidding? I have far more precious things to take care of than that meeting.” He touches my face, softly, his warm hand brushing over my cheek. I lean into him.
“Is there anything you think you can eat? Maybe a slice of toast with butter? And some lavender tea?”
“I can try,” I say. My stomach is aching for food, but nothing agrees with me.
“I’ll hop in the shower quickly, then make that for you. Are you strong enough to stand? You should come and sleep in my room. I’ll put a movie on for us, and we can lie together. I’d rather have you where I can keep an eye on you.”
“Kris, you really don’t need to do all of this for me. I’ll probably be all better tomorrow. And if I’m sick through the night, I’m just going to be keeping you awake.”
He throws me a stern look. “I’m going to take care of you whether you allow it or not, little one. The only question is, do I carry you to my bed or do you want to walk?”
I giggle. “Carry me,” I joke. And then, before I can tell him I was teasing, he pulls the blankets aside, scoops me into his arms, and carries me to his room, cradled against his chest. Despite my protests, I really want this.
I doze off while Kris showers and fusses about in the kitchen afterward, tucked into his blankets.
He wakes me up gently, and I find him lying in bed next to me with a tray of food on the bed. “Sorry to wake you, I know you’re probably tired, but I really want you to try and eat,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and holding me against his chest as he lifts the tray onto my lap. “Even just a few bites.”
I snuggle into his side and pick up a piece of toast. I sniff it, testing my body’s reaction. I take a nervous bite and chew slowly. I can feel Kris’s eyes on me. “Don’t watch me so intently. It’s making me nervous,” I giggle weakly.
“Sorry,” he chuckles. “I’ll choose a movie.” He picks up the remote from his bedside table and presses a button. A large flat screen TV slides down from the ceiling where it was concealed.
“Neat trick,” I muse, taking another bite of toast, which seems to be going down okay. For now. I hope this doesn’t cause me to throw up all night again.
He chooses a romantic comedy. It’s more like ambient noise, though. The movie plays in the background, the volume turned low, while Kris holds me and quietly talks about his day. His voice is all I need. The gentle, deep vibration of his words rumbles through me like a drug, soothing me. I am safe with him. And I’m already starting to feel better. I guess I did need him after all. I needed him to take care of me.
The problem is that needing him is the dangerous thing I’m trying to avoid. What if I get used to this? What if I start relying on him?
My heart is melting into him, becoming so entangled with his gentle nature, this side of him that no one else sees, that I am certain I’m going to be devastated when this thing with his father is over, everything is safe again, and he sends me back to my normal life.
I don’t care about the lavish mansion, the fancy foods, or the endless new things he buys me. I don’t care about any of the material things that he gives me…But I care deeply, madly, insatiably, about him.
His gentleness as he takes care of me while I’m sick is no surprise. I know enough about him to understand how tender and thoughtful he can be. But it does scare me. It scares me because it’s making me long for him even more.
I fall asleep in his arms, and wrapped safely in his embrace, I sleep better than I have for the past few nights.
Chapter 19 - Kristopher
Last night I was up late, watching Georgie sleep. I can’t believe how pale she looked; usually, her porcelain skin glows with luster, but she just looks ashen and exhausted. I’m worried about her. I wish she’d told me earlier.
If she’s still feeling horrible when I get home later, I’m going to take her to the doctor. But today is already getting out of hand at work. This whole week has been a nightmare. I blame that for me not noticing what Georgie was struggling with. I feel terrible that I didn’t notice sooner.
Leonard walks into my office on the top floor of the warehouse. He looks defeated. He drops a pile of paperwork onto my desk. “You’re not going to like this,” he huffs. Instantly, my hackles are up.
“Just spit it out,” I snap at him.
He clenches his jaw, sighing in agitation. “Our alliances are all crumbling. The inner city agreements are disintegrating because of a series of attacks. I got the full report a moment ago.”
Last week, two strong inner-city allies messaged to inform me that we were no longer tied together, that they would not tolerate my power-hungry ego. They refused to say more, but the alliances were severed.
