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But, as fate would have it, I came down with a fever that night.
My body felt like it was filled with lead, my head swimming in a thick fog.
The door creaked open.
Parker had just showered, and the crisp scent of mint from his body wash was so strong it almost made me gag. I wrinkled my nose and tried to push him away.
“Leave me alone.”
His body tensed. “Then who should take care of you?” His voice was deep, laced with a carefully restrained emotion. He was trying, desperately, to be gentle. “Come on, be good. Take the medicine, and you’ll feel better.”
His cool fingertips brushed against my lips, and I saw his hand, resting on his thigh, clench into a tight fist.
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His gaze lingered on my mouth, his breathing growing heavier.
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I was completely oblivious. Being held by him felt uncomfortable, and I twisted away, trying to lie back do-
- wn. “Okay, you can go now.”
As I drifted in and out of consciousness, 1 thought I heard the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. It seemed Parker was taking another shower.
When I woke up again, I was wrapped tightly in Parker’s arms.
The distinct feeling of something hard and hot pressed against my leg was impossible to ignore. His warm breath ghosted across my ear as he stirred, his hand coming up to feel my forehead.
“Still a little warm. The fever hasn’t completely broken yet.”
I was wide awake now.
It’s not the fever making me hot, you idiot! It’s you!
I tried to elbow him away, but he expertly caught me by the waist. His calloused thumb brushed lightly agai- nst my skin, sending a jolt of electricity through me. A small gasp escaped my lips.
“Nora.”
Parker’s voice was a low, husky whisper, carrying a magnetic pull that was hard to resist.
“Should we… try?”
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On any other day, I would have jumped at the chance. But after the last few days, a wall had gone up betwe-
en us. To me, this felt like a slap followed by a piece of candy. A pathetic offering.
Still weak from the fever, my body ached. I turned my face away, my voice cold.
“I can’t. I’m too tired.”
The man behind me went utterly still. I could feel the tremor in his breath as the life seemed to drain out of him. With a visible effort, Parker pulled back, creating a small distance between us.
He said nothing.
When I finally turned to look at him, his eyes were dark pools of sorrow, a bitter smile twisting his lips.
“It’s my fault. I don’t blame you.”
I let out a cold snort. At least he had some self–awareness.
“But please,” he continued, his voice barely a whisper, “don’t push yourself so hard next time. It’s not good for your body to get a fever like that.”
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Parker lowered his gaze, hiding whatever raw emotion was swirling within him. Before I could process his
words, he stood up and went to the closet to get clothes for me.
He usually wore silk pajamas, but for once, he was wearing only a towel wrapped low on his hips. The sculp- ted lines of his muscles and the tantalizing V of his torso were on full display. My eyes traced the firm curve
of his waist and the tight clench of his glutes, and my heart gave a little flutter.
But that was all. Any handsome man standing in front of me would have had the same effect.
Parker handed me the clothes. Without a second thought, I started changing right in front of him. As expec- ted, he immediately turned away, his eyes fixed firmly on the wall.
What I didn’t know was that the moment I left the room, Parker walked straight back into my bathroom.
