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“Bah. That’s not true, and you know it.”
I peeked down at her and saw her cheeks and neck flush. Hell, even the tip of her nose reddened quite a bit. I smiled as we started across the street, my eyes still hanging onto her every shred of beauty. Man, this girl was something else. A real firecracker, when put into situations like this.
She was dealing with it better than she probably knew.
I heard a car door unlock before she opened the door for me. And as I splayed out along the microfiber seats of the SUV she dumped me into, my breathing grew ragged. Holy fuck, that was a serious trek. I had beads of sweat dripping down my damn back. I closed my eyes, only for a second. I tried to draw in deep breaths, but they only made me cough. I didn’t taste blood, though. And that was a good thing.
At least it isn’t broken.
“You’ve broken a rib, probably. That’s why you’re struggling to breathe.”
I chuckled. “Reading my mind now, are you? And for your information, it’s bruised. I’d be tasting blood if it was broken.”
“And your lip needs stitches.”
“Nothing a Band-Aid can’t fix.”
“And you need ice packs. Serious ice packs for those bruises.”
I snickered. “Should I be paying you for your advice now, Doc?”
She cranked up the car. “No, I’m just stating the obvious in the hopes that you’ll pull out of this idiotic stupor you’ve found yourself in.”
I coughed again. “Well, it sounds much better in your voice.”
“My concern is that you’ve punctured your lung or something like that.”
“And again, no. I’m not coughing up blood. The blood I’m tasting is from my lip. I’ll be fine. Get us out of this damn parking garage, though. We need to head back to my place. All this chit chat is making my head hurt.”
“Because you’re concussed.”
“Dani, damn it. Just do as I’m telling you to do.”
She sighed. “Which direction am I turning when--”
I groaned as I sat up. “Just pick one!”
She jumped. “Fine. Don't have to be so pissy about it.”
I shook my head as I forced myself upright. The pounding was relentless. The higher my head got above my feet, the more it hurt. And I felt that damn knot behind my head forming into a nice little dragon egg of a lump. But I needed to see where the hell we were going so I could guide her in. I mean, even I had the sense to admit when I wasn’t in any condition to drive myself.
And this was one of those times.
She took a left out of the parking garage and made her way off campus. The road shifted from brick campus buildings into trees lined with babbling brooks. My favorite road. I loved this road. It was my favorite place to ride whenever I was by myself. A little slice of heaven dropped right into the middle of Ann Arbor. I leaned against the passenger’s seat, keeping my eyes out the windshield as I rested my head. If I could just take a small nap…
Dani patted my upper arm. “No, keep your eyes open. Focus on me.”
I looked at her face and registered how terrified she looked. I even felt it in the way she patted me to open my eyes again. Soft, fluttering strokes from her shaking hands. I watched as her eyes darted around, even though we were only going twenty-five miles an hour. So scared. So paranoid. Part of me felt guilty for putting her in this position.
Then again, she didn’t have to come after me. All she had to do was stay upstairs in the safety of her own damn dorm room.
Faster, Dani. Come on now.
I needed her to step on it, but with the way she was white-knuckling her steering wheel, I figured I’d cut her some slack. She was very nervous, and I felt bad. Apparently, this head contusion had knocked some guilt into my gut.
You have to get home. And quickly.
“Can you pick up the pace a bit?”
