Chapter 8 #2
“How many fingers am I holding up?” she murmured.
“Huh?”
She giggled. “That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Go on. Ask me that.”
He shifted closer, his thighs protesting. “How many fingers am I holding up?” he questioned softly.
She peeked at him from under her lashes. “You’re not holding up your hand.”
He obeyed the implied request. “How’s that?”
“That’s better. That’s two. You and me. We make two.”
If he hadn’t found her lying on the floor then he might think she was drunk with the things she was saying. Her head lolled, sparking fear inside. “Hey, Ash? I need to call your mother.”
“Mam? No. Don’t do that.”
“I need to call someone. I’m worried about you.”
“Aww. Are you saying that you care about me?”
He swallowed. He didn’t want to admit that aloud. Saying it out loud added weight to feelings he didn’t want, that he couldn’t afford to want, because it meant it would be true. “I, uh, I’m concerned that you’ve hurt yourself.”
She winced, then tried to sit up, forcing him to scoop an arm around her shoulders to hold her steady. “There you go.”
Her forehead now leaned a little too close to his chest. Too close for comfort. Too close for him to ignore.
“You smell nice,” she mumbled.
Clearly she wasn’t thinking clearly if she thought that. “I smell like sweat. I’ve been out running.”
She placed a hand on his chest, and he froze.
He really didn’t want to continue with this.
Well, part of him did. Part of him loved the fact that filter-less Aisling was saying all the things his heart craved to hear.
But he was also conscious that it felt like he was taking advantage of her woozy state, peering in on her vulnerability as she said and did things he knew she wouldn’t do if this accident hadn’t happened.
He bet she’d be embarrassed if she remembered any of this tomorrow.
He glanced around, wondering what to do. Spied her phone and a bottle, and grasped them. “Hey, is this your water bottle?”
She nodded, winced. “Ow.”
“How about you have a sip, and I’ll call your mam.”
“Okay.”
He uncapped it, then held it out to her, and she took a small sip. “Have some more.” If she’d fainted from dehydration then she needed replenishing, pronto.
After she drank some more, he passed over her phone and she unlocked it and swiped through to find contacts. Then peered at him. “I don’t think Mam should be disturbed.”
“I think she’d feel more disturbed if you didn’t tell her what had happened,” he said kindly.
“Oh.” She stared at her phone but did nothing.
So he tapped it. “Want me to speak to her?”
“Yes,” she mumbled, eyes closed again.
He spoke to Maeve, who gasped and said she’d come straight away.
“I won’t leave her,” he assured.
“God bless you.”
The call ended just as Aisling groaned.
“Ash, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m just really tired.” She blinked again, and this time her gaze seemed more focused, steady. “I think I worked out too much and my legs went all wobbly.”
“That can happen when we don’t exercise for a while then resume it again.”
“I don’t like feeling fat. I never used to be this way. So I was trying to get fitter.”
So that explained it. “I don’t think you look fat.”
“Oh, you know the right things to say.” She smiled up at him. “I knew I liked you.”
The warmth in his chest meant his heart was obviously not getting the messages from his brain about not getting carried away. Lord, this isn’t part of my plan, so it can’t be from You. Please help me stay focused.
“What do you do for exercise?” she asked.
“I go running.”
“That must be why you’re so…fit.”
“It probably has something to do with it,” he agreed.
Her nose wrinkled. “Have you ever felt like you’re trapped in a vicious cycle you couldn’t escape?”
That had been his toxic relationship with Greta. “Yeah.”
“That was me, while studying for my exams. I just ate and ate all these bad foods. And now I’m dealing with the consequences.” She sighed. “You think it’s fun at the time but it’s a heck of a lot harder to deal with it after the fact.”
“So true.” With wrong food choices as well as those involving a wrong girlfriend.
She peered at him, her eyelids still heavy. “You’re really easy to talk to, aren’t you?”
His lips curved. “Apparently.”
She chuckled, winced. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She snuggled in a little closer.
Maybe a man made of ice would have the ability to pull away at this moment. But as he was red-blooded, and very conscious of the attraction she held for him, he couldn’t pull away.
Which was why when her mother appeared, it must’ve looked like they were canoodling, and accounted for her upraised brows. “Ash? What’s going on here?”
He cleared his throat, and drew back. But just as he’d suspected Aisling slumped, forcing him to hold her again. He glanced at her mother. “I came in and found her on the floor.”
She nodded as he explained, and was soon able to see that anything remotely romantic appearing was purely fuelled from Aisling’s side, as her daughter mumbled how much she liked Andy.
Maeve exchanged looks with Andy. “Poor thing. I think she’ll be quite embarrassed tomorrow.”
“I won’t tell her.”
“You are a good man, aren’t you?” She sighed. “Thank you for caring for her.”
“No problem.”
He helped Aisling stand, and sure enough, her legs looked like they were still wobbling. It took some time before she felt strong enough to return. Together he and Maeve escorted her back to the hotel, to the private part where the family lived, and what he figured must be her room.
“Do you think she needs a doctor?” Maeve asked worriedly.
“I think she’ll be okay, but it won’t hurt to check on her every half hour or so. I suspect it was just a little too much exercise too soon.”
“Thank you for your help.” Maeve eyed him. “I do hope this hasn’t made things awkward between you two.”
“I’m fine. And she will be too. Especially if she doesn’t know about some of the things she’s said today.”
“You’re a kind man.”
His lips curved. “I try.”
“I’ll let you know how she goes.”
He nodded. “I’ll be praying.”
He wandered back to the hotel part and found his room, took off his damp shirt. Wrinkled his nose. How could she say he smelled good? That just smelled like stink to him. He had a shower then collapsed on the bed.
And stretched out, hands underneath his head, and prayed for the redhead whose tongue had been loosened by a fall.