His snort shocked me.
“You should have woken up, and I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. We’re both idiots, all right?” I tried to compromise.
“Speak for yourself.” Those purple eyes narrowed even as he pushed himself back against the wall, watching me the whole time.
I shivered just as another throb came from my head, reminding me of just how bad I felt. My arms were clumsy as I pulled the shirt on slowly, careful not to jostle my shoulder or the other million body parts that were achy. It wasn’twarm, but it was a hell of a lot better than nothing. I would rather have the hoodie, but fine. He needed to hide his eyes.
And why was I so dizzy all of a sudden?
Breathing in deeply through my nose even though it triggered that pain from my ribs, I pushed backward until my back touched the opposite wall and I groaned. I tipped my head to rest against it too. Then I watched as The Defender eyed my every move.
My vision went blurry again, this time without the help of water being poured into my eyeballs, and I swallowed hard, scrubbing at the back of my neck with my clean hand.
I wanted to ask him what his deep rest meant and just how much better he was feeling, but my head….
“What is it?” the grumpy voice asked, reminding me he was observant even if he was mad.
I closed my eyes as a shiver snaked down my frame. Then I told him the truth. “I don’t feel so good.”
CHAPTERTWELVE
“What’s wrong with you?”a familiar, rich voice asked as I cracked my eyes open.
I moaned.Ohshit. Had someone beat me up and then run me over with a Humvee while I’d been sleeping?
I tried to take a breath, instantly realizing just how hard that was. If I’d thought I’d felt like hell before, it was nothing compared to right then. It was like something heavy was sitting on my chest. My mouth was dry, and my head was still pounding as hard as ever. Basically, I felt like fucking shit as my eyes focused on the face peering down at me.
I recognized it, but it still managed to look different.
It was a smooth face with golden tan skin, beautiful and dewy; elegant features were framed by brown hair that hit almost at a jawline that would make a sculptor cry. But it was the roundish-shaped eyes that I focused on next, with their dark purple irises framed by thick, black lashes.
They were glowing.
I shivered.
I tried to swallow, but that was even more painful than before. Myhead. How was it possible to be this nauseous too? I moaned.
“What’s wrong with you?” the beautiful man looking at me demanded. “Are yousick?” he asked in what sounded an awful lot like disgust.
I raised my hand and moaned more before touching my forehead. “You haven’t brushed your teeth in I don’t know how long, back up,” I managed to whisper, annoyed with him for being irritated with me while I already felt like poo. The truth was, I couldn’t really smell his breath, but that was my secret. He wasn’t going to be the only one to talk trash, even if I felt like a steaming pile of it.
The familiar-unfamiliar face dropped closer to mine, giving me a good view of those definitely familiar eyes and that scowl I’d seen way too much of. His dark eyebrows were knitted together. “Why?” he asked almost cautiously.
Why was I sick?
Closing an eye, I tried to think, but all I could do was stare at his smooth skin. It was the stuff Photoshop and beauty product commercials tried their hardest to emulate.
“Because I am,” I whispered. “And lower your voice, my head hurts.” I wanted to throw up, but I kept that to myself. No need to remind him of what I’d done with my fingers.
He growled so loud, I felt it in my bones and temples.
“Please?” I tried.
That only earned me another growl that might have been slightly quieter. Or it might have been my imagination. “Your body temperature is higher than it should be,” he told me in that bossy britches voice.
“Wow, you’re a breathing thermometer.”
He blinked.
