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"Hmm." I frown because that doesn't fit what I've seen. I sit beside her, my hip pressing against her thigh, and brace myself with one arm on the opposite side of her body. "You don't have a fever."
"Stop fussing, I'm perfectly fine."
"Fine?" I shake my head, though I can't help smiling a little. "Is that why you're flat on your back in bed?"
"How much does a suite like this go for?" she asks, glancing around at the posh bedroom.
I'm fair certain she asks that only to avoid explaining why she passed out. And I feel a touch anxious when I think about telling her. But I do owe her honesty from now on, so I avert my gaze and answer her question. "Six a night."
"Six hundred?"
I give a curt shake of my head, helpless to stop myself from cinching my face up into a pained expression. Peripherally, I can see her reaction.
Erica's eyebrows shoot up. "Six thousand? Dollars?"
"Ah…yes."
"You said you had enough money to be comfortable, but you neglected to mention you're filthy rich."
I rub the back of my neck, though I force myself to look at her. "Does it matter?"
"No. I'm surprised, that's all." She yawns. "Money doesn't impress me."
"You told me that before."
"Did I?"
"Aye, but never mind." I study her, unable to figure out the answer to why she came here, so I decide to ask. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here? I thought you wanted me gone."
"I came here to—um, talk."
"Let's talk, then."
I arch one brow. "What did you want to discuss?"
"Uh…" She groans, pressing a hand to the cloth on her forehead. "Can't think."
"Rest here for a bit." I get up and tug the blanket over her, letting my hand linger on her arm while I caress her skin with my fingers, drawing slow circles there.
Her lids flutter closed.
I move to leave.
"Wait," she says, pushing up on her elbows. The cloth slides off her forehead onto the bed.
Sitting back down, I angle toward her.
Her face bumps into my chest as the weight of my body depresses the mattress. Tilting her head back, she meets my gaze. "Stay with me. Please."
My lips curve up in a shaky smile, and I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Of course I will."
I climb over her body to lie down beside her. Though I long to hold her, I don't try to put my arm around her or snuggle her body against me. Summoning all the willpower I have, I simply lie here a few inches away from the woman I adore.
Erica tosses the cloth onto the bedside table and settles into the plush mattress beneath the silk sheets.
And she falls asleep.
I close my eyes, intending to relax and wait for her to wake up, but before long I drift off too. Sometime later, I feel the bed jostling just enough to half rouse me. Is Erica awake? Mired in the fog of sleep, I can't hold on to the thought. Then I hear her voice whispering to me.
