Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,101

was good.”

“You’re so stuffed up you probably can’t taste anything.” He studied her face and hating that he was seeing her look so awful, she looked down and picked away some non-existent lint from the front of his shirt.

“I borrowed one of your shirts. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine.” He gave no explanation for why he hadn’t brought her any clothes but underwear.

He handed her a bottle of water. “You should drink some water. You’re dehydrated.”

“Thanks.”

She drank half the bottle of water before setting it on the coffee table. Her stomach was cramping from her period and she was shivering from a combination of cold and exhaustion. She closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead as Preacher finished his meal. Her headache had returned, just as she predicted. She didn’t look up when Preacher stood from the couch. He returned a few minutes later.

“Take these.”

He was holding some cold medicine and she shook her head. “I’d better not. They make me sleepy and I don’t want to pass out on the bus. I’ll take some as soon as I get home.”

She tried to smile at him, but it died on her lips when he glared at her. “I told you – you’re staying here tonight.”

“Preacher -”

“Take the pills, Addison,” he said.

She washed down the pills with a swallow of water. Part of her wanted to be thrilled at the idea that Preacher cared enough about her to watch over her while she was sick, but she couldn’t seem to accept it. He had to have another motive, but her head was aching too badly for her to figure out what it was.

He’d disappeared again and she curled into a small ball and pressed her hands against her aching abdomen. She would sleep on the couch at least. It wasn’t as comfortable as Preacher’s bed, but the cold meds would knock her out. She could hear Preacher rustling around behind her, but she was suddenly so damn tired. She yawned and shivering wildly, curled into a tighter ball before drifting into sleep.

* * *

She woke up a couple hours later. She had a blanket on top of her, a crick in her neck, and her bladder was screaming at her. She sat up and stared at Preacher in the soft glow of the TV. He was sitting at the other end of the loveseat, with his head tipped back and his body relaxed. He was snoring softly. The alarm clock by his bed said it was almost midnight. She coughed quietly and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste from the overnight bag before entering the bathroom. When she was finished, she washed her hands and brushed her teeth. She studied her reflection in the mirror before making a low “ugh”. Her face was still bloated, her nose still swollen and red, and her eyes were rimmed with red as well. God, she looked like a nightmare.

She sneezed and blew her nose before washing her hands again and leaving the bathroom. The TV was off, and the apartment was pitch black. She could just make out the large shape of Preacher’s body stretched out in the bed. Holding her hands out in front of her and hoping she didn’t trip, she shuffled toward the couch.

The light by the bed clicked on and Preacher sat up in the bed. “What are you doing?”

“Going back to the couch,” she said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He got out of bed and she said, “Do you have an extra pillow I could borrow?”

He sighed in annoyance and took her arm. “Get in the bed, Addison.”

“I can take the couch,” she said as he tugged her toward his bed. “Really, I don’t mind at all.”

“My bed, now,” he said.

She climbed into his bed without further argument as he shut the light off. Her stomach was cramping, and his bed was much more comfortable than the loveseat. She curled on her side on the edge of the bed and pressed her hand against her stomach as another cramp went through it.

She made a startled “eep” when Preacher pulled her into the center of the bed and up against him. His large body was deliciously warm against her back and ass.

“Move your hand,” he said.

She moved her hand away from her stomach and he reached over her and pressed the heating pad against her belly. He must have plugged it in as soon as she got up from the couch because it was already warm. He