Taking On The Billionaire (Redhawk Reunion #1) - Robin Covington Page 0,33

brief moment, giving himself one more chance to back out before pressing the button.

He could hear the perky tone of the bell chime behind the closed door but that was it. Not the sound of footsteps, no voice yelling at him to hang on. Nothing. He waited a few moments longer, shifting to try to peek through the large bay window in the front of the house but noting that the privacy blinds were shut tight. He reached out to the doorbell again, pressing on it an extra few seconds. It was irritating enough to wake the dead.

It worked because within a couple of seconds he heard the distinctive sound of Tess Lynch cursing whoever was at her door to one of the seven layers of hell. Relief loosened the knot that had settled in the bottom of his belly, only to be replaced by confusion about why Tess had decided to drop off the earth and out of his life. And out of his bed...well, his couch.

“Who is it?” Tess asked through the door and even with the solid wood barrier between them, Adam could tell that her voice was rough and scratchy.

“It’s Adam. Are you all right?”

There was a brief pause and then the sound of the locks releasing followed by the door sliding open. He was greeted by a disheveled Tess, eyes red rimmed and cheeks flushed, glaring at him across the threshold. Her hair was a tangled mass of red curls and her pajamas looked like she’d been wearing them a few days. Of course, the absolute wrong thing fell out of his mouth.

“Tess, you look terrible.”

The door slammed in his face with a ferocity that rattled the glass in the side lights.

“Tess, wait.” He twisted the knob, grateful when it gave way and the door swung open. She hadn’t locked him out. He stepped inside and spotted her retreating back as she shuffled down a hallway, rushing forward when she swayed and reached for the wall in a move to steady herself. He slid his hands around her waist, murmuring against her temple, “I’ve got you.”

Tess was burning up, her skin hot and clammy to the touch. She leaned on him, accepting his support as he guided her around the corner into an open plan kitchen and family room. Adam picked up Tess and carried her over to the sofa, ignoring her indignant protest and attempts to wriggle out of his arms before he lowered her onto the bright yellow cushions.

“Stay there. I’ll go get you some water.” He strode over to the refrigerator, noting the sleek lines and warm colors of her home as he searched the cabinets until he located a glass and filled it with cold water. He moved back toward the sofa, relieved to see that Tess hadn’t wandered off. He eased down next to her and placed the glass in her hands. “Take a drink. You need to stay hydrated with a fever.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted, taking a few large swallows before handing the glass back to him. She was pale, and her voice was scratchy when she gave him as much hell as she could muster. “What are you doing here, Adam?”

“You haven’t been seen or heard from in a couple of days. I was worried. You could have been taken by a serial killer.” He shrugged, feeling heat settle in his own cheeks at her piercing stare. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“How did you find out where I live?” she asked, taking another sip of water when he nudged the glass back toward her mouth.

“I employ a lot of people who are good with computers.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s pretty shady shit for you, Adam Redhawk. Illegal even.”

“Well, the only other option was to call the police and ask for a wellness check and I figured that would get me murdered by you at the first opportunity.”

“You’re right.” Tess set down the water glass on the coffee table and wiped her face with a shaking hand. “But, I’m fine. I just need to rest and I can’t do that with you here.”

Tess stood and swayed again, her body tensing when he gathered her against his body. She wasn’t going to make this easy.

“Look, let me help you take your meds and fix you something to eat.” She opened her mouth to argue with him but he cut her off with a shake of his head. She wasn’t going to win this argument because