Chapter 20
Indie
“ W e are not sharin’ a bed, Wild. Get your stuff off of mine.”
Grabbing the handle of Wild’s suitcase, I push it to the floor as soon as we walk into the hotel room.
“We shared just fine last night.” He smiles at me, and I want to grab his face and shake that smug look off.
I’m letting him get too close—letting these feelings become too real, and the lines are starting to blur.
I need to get us back to… us .
“There’s two beds in here. One for me, one for you. We are not sleepin’ in the same one again.”
“Like me next to you too much, honey-bunch?” he questions cockily.
I scoff and glare across the bed at him. The last thing he needs to know is how much I actually did enjoy being next to him all night.
I didn’t sleep much—I never do on the night before I visit her. Could be guilt, could be excitement. It’s a weird kind of nervous feeling that’s hard to put into words. But the few hours I did sleep were some of the best I’ve had in a long-ass time.
“Fine.” He throws his hands up. “But don’t come crawlin’ over to me when you get cold tonight…” he trails off and pauses. His eyes run over my body before locking with mine. “Actually,” he gives me that Cheshire cat grin, “go ahead. I won’t bite… hard.”
Wild bites back a grin as he bends to grab his suitcase and tosses it on his own bed that sits parallel to mine.
“Unless you want me to,” he adds, unzipping his suitcase and pulling out a pair of gray sweatpants.
Like the saint I am, I do my damnedest to ignore him, mumbling a curse under my breath as I pull my favorite oversized Cash t-shirt from my bag. Wild lets out a soft chuckle but doesn’t press the matter further.
After we get our things situated and I’m back in some comfy clothes, I crash on my bed. If I’m going to be stuck in this hotel waiting out this crappy weather, I’d prefer to be comfortable.
While we were gone, housekeeping came and cleaned up for us and made the bed again. The cool, white sheets are like ice against my skin as I slip underneath the fluffy comforter.
I’m suddenly feeling drained—probably a combination of all the mental stress of visiting my mom, dealing with Wild, and the lack of sleep I got last night.
My eyes grow heavy and slowly start to drift down.
“Hey.” I feel a light tap on my shoulder and tip my head up, peeking one eye open. “Before you fall asleep, I’m gonna run down to the vending machines and see if I can grab us some stuff. I’ll be back in a few.”
I nod and close my eyes again. The world quickly goes dark as I hear the click of the hotel room door closing.
Wild
The sound of something crashing against the hotel window has me jolting out of bed. It’s pitch dark in the room, and not even the little red numbers on the alarm clock on the table between the beds are lit up anymore.
“Ind?” I say just above a whisper, looking over to where her bed is at.
There’s no response.
When I came back into the room with some snacks earlier, she was out cold, tucked into the pile of blankets on her bed.
Did it take every ounce of willpower I had not to wake her up and get another taste of her sweet skin?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
But I knew she had a long day. And we still have the trip tomorrow, I could let her rest up for a night.
After a few fumbles, I find my phone on the bedside table and turn on my flashlight. When I point it in her direction, I see she’s facing the opposite way.
I hop up and walk to the window where I heard the noise come from. Putting the flashlight down to my side, I open the heavy curtain and peer outside. It’s like a damn tornado out there. The wind is strong as it whips large debris through the air in the parking lot.
“Fuckin’ storms,” I mutter under my breath, realizing it was probably a tree branch or something that hit the window.
I know tornadoes are rare this time of year, but being in tornado alley right along the panhandle means there’s always a shit-ton of wind.
Closing the curtain, I climb back into my bed and turn off the flashlight. This power outage could last all night. Thankfully, I didn’t have to set an alarm since we weren’t planning to leave early, but I still need to preserve my phone battery the best I can.
The chill in the room causes me to shiver. I huddle down into the blankets further. I usually sleep hot, but it’s freezing balls in here without any heat.
“Ind, are you up?” I whisper-yell in her direction.
No response.
Hell. I know that stubborn woman’s gotta be freezing.
I internally debate for only a few seconds before deciding to crawl into bed with her. I know she’ll probably complain and push me out, but I also know she’s cold and won’t put up much of a fight when she feels my warmth against her.
Pulling the covers back, I snake my way under and come up next to her. She makes a soft murmur but shockingly puts up no fight. Her body is surprisingly warm, and her shirt feels damp against her skin.
What the fuck?
“Hey, you alright?” I nudge her, and her eyes peek open.
“I feel like shit,” she murmurs through barely parted lips.
Leaning in, I press my lips to her clammy forehead.
Fuck, she’s burning up.
“Babe, you got a fever. I’m gonna grab you some medicine from my bag.”
She doesn’t say anything, only nods as her eyes fall shut again, shallow breaths passing through her parted lips.
After a few stubbed toes and multiple curses, I make my way back to the bed with a bottle of water and some medication.
Luckily, I learned long ago to always travel with headache medicine. Some nights at work, we can be out on calls for hours and hours without a break. The exhaustion, mixed with the fumes, and not to mention the stress, lead me to have chronic headaches when I’m on shift.
“Sit up, babe. You need to take this.” I gently pull her into a sitting position.
Without protest, she takes the pills and lays back down.
As I stand from the edge of the bed to place the water bottle down and walk back around to my side, she reaches out her hand and grabs my arm.
“Stay with me,” she softly pleads.
All the air leaves my lungs as a fresh coat of goosebumps coast down my arms.
Her words have just sealed my fate. I thought I was nuts about her before, but hearing her say she wants me—knowing that my presence will help her—has cemented those thoughts for good.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere, babe.” I run my hand over her cheek. “Just gonna get the blanket from my bed for us.”
“No, it’s so hot in here,” she whines. “Please just lay with me.”
She grips my arm tighter and uses what little strength she has to try pulling me to her.
Well… Hopefully her blanket is enough for us.
I climb over her and get under the covers. Scooting closer, she cradles into my arms, and I’m enveloped by the smell of coconut in her hair.
My hand grows a mind of its own and begins running lightly over the side of her forehead. Shortly after, I feel her breathing slow, growing deep and shallow.
Throughout the rest of the night, I barely sleep at all. Waking frequently to kiss her head and make sure she doesn’t feel too warm. Thankfully, the fever doesn’t seem to grow, and she sleeps peacefully in my arms for the rest of the night.
The bright light seeping in through the slit in the window curtain wakes me sometime later.
Glancing over, I see the glowing red numbers on the alarm clock flashing. I’ll definitely have to let her help me with driving if she’s feeling better today and wants to head back home.
Indie stirs in my arms and pushes back, looking up at me with a slightly pinched brow as she gathers her surroundings.
“Mornin’, beautiful. How are you feelin’?” I ask, running a hand over her wild red hair.
Her eyebrows scrunch together more, and she slowly sits up.
“Better,” she mutters with a groggy, sleep-filled voice.
“Good. I was worried about you,” I admit. “When I got back from gettin’ some snacks and drinks last night, you were out like a light. I almost woke you up so you could eat somethin’ but figured you must have needed the sleep.”
“Yeah,” she nods. “I never get sick. When I do, it’s usually pretty quick like that, though.” She runs her fingers through her hair and tosses it up in a quick, messy knot on top of her head.
“I’m gonna take a quick shower. Sorry you had to take care of me all night.” She turns her attention to the bathroom door, hiding her pink-tinged cheeks.
I know she hates being cared for since it makes her seem vulnerable, but I need this woman to know I’m here any time she needs me.
“You’re no trouble to me, Wildflower.” My hand rubs lightly over her back. “Any time you’re feelin’ even slightly under the weather, you give me a holler.” I smile when she peeks over her shoulder at me. “Trust me, I know takin’ care of yourself when you feel like shit sucks.”
Indie nods and scoots to the side of the bed, throwing her legs over the side.
“The last time I had the flu,” I continue. “I laid in bed for two days feelin’ like death warmed over. I didn’t have anyone to check on me or help to make sure that I was gettin’ the liquids my body needed.”
Turning, she meets my gaze with a look of concern. “When was that?”
“Last winter.” I think back to the ice-covered roads that February day.
Her expression softens as she turns fully, bending one knee beneath her. “Wild, I had no idea. I would have helped you, you know? Enemies or not.” She laughs at the last part, but I don’t find it funny.
“You’ve never been my enemy, Wildflower. Not even close.” My voice stays serious, and I hope she knows I mean every word.
A soft smile forms on her sleepy face, and she tries biting it back unsuccessfully—the move proving even more just how damn beautiful she is.
“I didn’t tell anyone I was sick,” I admit. “Didn’t want y’all riskin’ anything by drivin’ on those icy roads. It was my own fault I was knockin’ on Death’s door,” I laugh.
“Wild, I was literally right down the street…” she deadpans.
I shrug. “I know. Still didn’t want you to have to get out in that cold weather. Or possibly get sick yourself.”
She shakes her head and buries her head in her hands. When she looks back up at me, the smile on her lips steals the breath right out of me.
“Well, for future reference, I’m right down the hallway now. And even if I move out, you can still call me. Don’t be stubborn.”
Her words make me snort a laugh.
Like she has any damn room to comment on someone being stubborn.
“Same to you, babe. If you ever need me, you just call.”
She gives me a half smile before standing to grab her clothes from the navy blue suitcase beside the bed. Without another word, she walks to the bathroom and gently closes the door behind her.
My dick starts thinking before my brain does, and I debate about joining her in the shower. But then I remember that she just got over being sick and internally chastise myself.
Clicking on the TV in front of the bed for a distraction, I flip through the channels, looking for the local news.
The weatherman in a nice suit with black slicked-back hair informs us of all the damages done by the storm last night. I listen closely to the reporters at the desk, trying my best to stay focused on the news and not let my mind wander to the naked woman in the shower on the other side of the wall. I only hear bits and pieces of the things they’re saying, but I hear enough.
“Shit.”
Standing from the bed, I walk over and knock on the bathroom door.
“Yeah?” Indie hollers through the door.
I crack it open and pop my head into the steam-filled room.
“Hey, are you fillin’ up for the trip today?” I ask, looking at the cream-colored shower curtain.
There’s a brief pause before she responds.
“Umm… I’m not sure. Let me eat, and then we can talk about it,” she says through the splashing of water.
My nose gets a big whiff of that coconut shampoo, and I’m once again tempted to join her.
“Okay. Well, I just wanted to let you know that the news says there’s a real bad car pileup on the interstate. If we plan to leave today, we’ll have to wait awhile from the sounds of it.”
“Oh…” she trails off, and the water in the shower stops.
Her head peeks out from the curtain a second later. “Do you mind if we just stay another day, then?”
The water dripping down her face runs slowly over her neck and disappears behind the curtain she has held to her chest. I desperately want to see where it went.
I shake my head. “Nope, that’s fine by me.”
I pull the door shut, leaving the room before I do something fucking stupid or she changes her mind.
Grabbing the bedside phone to call the front desk, I pray we can extend our stay another night.
Ind might not be super thrilled about the idea, but I know I am.