“Oh my God,” I sigh. “That’s heaven.”
“Wait,” I say suddenly. “You all took care of me?”
“Absolutely,” Mark says, sitting on the foot of the bed.
Heat creeps up my neck. “Uh… who changed my clothes?”
Mark smirks. “We’ll never tell.”
Holy shit.
Pierce: 2.
Sullivan: 1
Though technically…
Mark took that round.
Chapter Eight
DEREK
She lookslike she’s bracing for impact.
Audra stands in the middle of my bedroom, clutching the edges of my oversized Cambridge t-shirt like it might suddenly betray her, eyes wide and unfocused in that way that tells me she’s still not fully back yet. The drug hasn’t left her system entirely — I can see it in the slight delay of her movements, the way she seems to be checking in with her body before trusting it.
It twists something uncomfortable in my chest.
“Are you freaking out?” Alex asks, helpful as ever. “Because you look like you’re freaking out.”
“Well,” she says carefully, chewing on her bottom lip, “I’m almost naked under this shirt and I don’t know if one or all of you got a peek at the girls.”
Mark doesn’t miss a beat. “I told you, we’ll never tell.”
“Don’t even start,” I warn him, laughing despite myself.
She still looks like a deer caught in headlights. Guard up. Vulnerable in a way she’d hate if she realized how visible it is.
Change the subject. Immediately.
“You think you could eat something?” I ask, keeping my voice steady.
Her stomach answers for her — a soft but unmistakable growl. Alex snorts. Audra blushes, color blooming across her cheeks. It’s so unlike her usual composed confidence that it almost hurts to see.
“I’m hungry,” she admits, “but I’m afraid to eat. I really hate throwing up.”
“I can relate,” Alex says solemnly, like this is a shared trauma.
I move into the bathroom and grab my bathrobe. It’s absurdly long on her, heavy fabric meant to swallow space, and that’s exactly why I chose it. When I hand it to her, she looks up at me like I just gave her armor.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
Something settles in my chest. Something protective. Something I don’t examine too closely.
“We’ll start with toast,” I tell her. “See how that goes.”
I glance at the guys. “Kitchen’s down the hall. You can’t miss it — especially with Mark around.”
