me down,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. I had zero strength and felt like I must be hallucinating if Lex was carrying me up the stairs and not purposely throwing me down them.
He used his foot to push open the bathroom door, set me on the toilet lid, and started the shower, then began peeling off his shirt.
I was too weak to do anything but stare at his six-pack and wonder how it was physically possible for a computer science major to look so hot without his clothes on.
Once he was down to his black boxer briefs, he tugged at my T-shirt. I moaned out a weak no, but he ignored it like he did everything else that came out of my mouth. My teeth chattered as he lifted me into the air and slid my shorts down. I was naked except for my underwear and black Under Armour sports bra.
“Try not to scream,” he said under his breath, stepping with me into the shower. The cold water was horrific; I immediately clawed at him and struggled to get free, but he held me firmly in his muscled arms. I was locked in place.
And I felt like hell.
I started sobbing uncontrollably. It had been forever since I’d been that sick, and I just wanted my mom and chicken noodle soup. What I got? A nearly naked Lex and a cold shower.
He sat me down, then ran his hands up and down my arms. “Just bringing the fever down, Gabs, and then I promise you’ll have some soup.”
“With stars?” I asked, blinking up at him. “Chicken and stars?”
“Yeah.” His voice was etched with a heaviness I couldn’t quite place, and he cleared his throat. “Nothing but the best for you.”
“I’m hallucinating,” I admitted.
He smirked. “Oh yeah? How’s the hallucination so far?”
“Cold.” I shivered as my hands grazed over his firm chest. “And hard.”
Our eyes met, and for a very brief second I felt it, a lingering pull as if the invisible thread that had connected us was suddenly on fire, tugging our bodies toward one another. But just as quickly as I felt it, he closed his eyes and backed away. “Let’s get you dried off so we can feed you. Skinny does not look good on you.”
I frowned. “So now I’m too skinny?”
He flashed me a grin. “What can I say? I’m hard to please.”
“I’m sure,” I grumbled as he helped me out of the shower.
The next two days were absolute hell, between my fever and Lex.
I felt so smothered that at one point I locked him out of my house.
He called the freaking police.
His reason? He was worried. I highly doubted it.
I shook the memory from my head as a realization struck. “You ass!” Mouth full, I nearly choked on a blueberry. “You hacked the registrar’s office, didn’t you?”
“Hack is such a dirty word.” Lex grinned smugly. “I simply evaded a few passwords in order to gain information that would mutually benefit us both.”
I took a sip of the strong-brewed coffee and nearly sighed in relief.
“Is it good?”
“The treats change nothing. You still hacked into my records. I knew you did something wrong. You always bring food when you want to apologize—which is rare, by the way, since, according to you, you never mess up, you simply misstep.”
“I love it when a girl knows me inside and out.” Lex put his hands behind his head, smile still in place. “And the treats are because I know you forgot to eat breakfast . . . again.”
I looked away, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of being right and seeing it in my eyes as I continued to eat my shame scone. I always forgot to eat when I was nervous about school.
“So . . .” He reached down and tapped the book with one finger. “I know you’ll never say it, but you need me. Let’s get this sweet hell over with so I can train your sorry ass.”
My mouth was still watering from the scone, and my body betrayed my good sense as I trudged over to the couch and gave a pointed look at Lex’s feet.
“Fine.” He sighed, slowly pulling his feet from the edge of the couch. “Happy now?”
“Am I ever happy when I’m with you?”
“If you are, it’s because I put pot in your scone. Surprise,” Lex said without looking up from the textbook.
My stomach dropped. “You didn’t.”
“I didn’t.” He glanced up, a wicked grin marring his perfect features. “But admit it—that would