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Chapter 24
The ibuprofen Zoe had given him reduced the pounding in his head to not-so-hard tapping. Bearable. And Spence knew from experience that he’d feel better in the morning. His head would still be tender, but he’d feel mostly human again.
Now, all he wanted was to eat another slice of pizza and fall into bed. Sleep until morning. Away from Zoe’s caring, worried eyes. He didn’t want to see how much she cared about him. It would make it even harder to walk away once she was safe.
After finishing his slice of pizza, he sat back in his chair and watched Zoe nibble on her first slice. She’d barely made a dent in it. Finally, he leaned toward her, being careful not to jostle his head. “You didn’t want pizza for dinner?” he asked.
“I’m always up for pizza,” she said, edging the plate away from her. “But I’m too worried to eat.” She swallowed and stared at him, as if she expected him to do some Exorcist thing and go nuts on the other side of the table. “How does your head feel? Really. Not the made-up story you want me to believe.”
He widened his eyes. “You think I’d make stuff up? Tell you things that weren’t true?”
“In a heartbeat,” she said immediately. “If you thought I was worried, you’d tell me everything was wonderful. That angels were singing. Flowers were blooming everywhere. And puppies and kittens were frolicking at your feet.”
In spite of himself, he smiled. “You don’t think all those things are true?”
“I think your head really hurts. The pills took the edge off, but it’s still pounding. The lights burn into your eyes. Drill into your head. You just want to close your eyes and block it all out.”
In spite of trying to hide his reaction to her spot-on assessment, his eyes widened. “What are you? A witch?”
She shook her head. “I know you, Spence. We’ve spent a week together, twenty-four hours a day.” She glanced away, and pink washed her cheeks. “While we were awake, obviously. I can tell you’re hurting.”
He leaned back against the chair. Wanted to prop his head in his hand but knew that would freak her out even more. “Yeah, my head hurts,” he said, trying to be honest. “But I’ve had worse. A lot worse. And I know that I’ll feel better tomorrow. Even better on Friday. I’ll be popping the ibuprofen for a few days, but that’s mostly so I can concentrate on my job.”
He pushed himself upright and picked up his plate. “I’ll help clear the table, then I’m going to bed.”
She reached across the table, grabbing his wrist before he could pick up his plate. “Will you do me a favor?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said immediately. He’d do anything Zoe wanted.
“You’re not going to like it,” she warned.
“What is it?” he asked, watching her eyes. Hoping for a clue so he could prepare himself.
“Would you sleep in my bed with me tonight?” She spoke too fast, the words tumbling over each other out of her mouth.
“What?” he asked, not sure he heard her correctly as he dropped back into his chair, staring at her.
“If you sleep in your room and I sleep in mine, I’ll be awake all night.” She looked down at her lap and he saw that she’d twisted her hands together. “Listening to make sure you’re still breathing. Waiting to hear you whimper in pain. I’d wear grooves in the hardwood, walking back and forth from my room to yours. But if you were sleeping beside me, I could relax. Fall asleep, knowing if you woke up in pain, I’d know immediately.”
He stared at her for a long moment, unsure he’d heard her correctly. “You want me to sleep with you.”
“Yes. And the emphasis is on sleep. Nothing else. Not like you’d be up for anything else anyway, with that lump on your head.”
She’d be surprised what he’d be up for. Even with his head pounding. But he nodded. “Goes without saying.”
She frowned at him. “You look… you look disappointed. As if you’d want to make love, even though you just got your head bashed in. And you have a huge lump on the back of your head. A line of stitches that would make Frankenstein proud.”
He shrugged. “I’m a man. Wanting sex is hard-wired into our brains.”
“For the record, I’m not asking you to make lo… have sex with me. I’m asking you to sleep next to me so I won’t worry. Obsess. Not sleep. Okay?”
“Yeah, I get it. Sex is off the table.”
“Not just off the table, but out of the building. Even if we were… were having sex, it would be off the table tonight. I’d be afraid you’d burst those stitches open. And it would be damn uncomfortable trying to explain to the docs at the urgent care center how those stitches came out.”
Spence wiped his hand over his mouth to hide his grin. Explaining to the doctor how he’d pulled all his stitches out? Sounded like fun. He could imagine Zoe’s fiery red face.
He didn’t realize she’d be so adorable when she was flustered. It was a side of her he wanted to explore more thoroughly. In depth.
