Page 32 of Viral Affair

My ovaries high-fived each other again. He was so sweet when he was worried.

“No, I need to get home. I’ll be fine and I think I overstayed my welcome,” I said. “Can you please pass me my dress?”

“You’re not going anywhere. I just texted my doctor. He would be here now, but he’s in France at the moment, plus we need to lower your fever,” Rupert said, handing me a fluffy white robe. “Put this on and wait for me here while I fill the tub.”

“You’re freaking out of your mind. I’m not staying here, and why did you text your doctor? It’s just a bug. It will go away soon!” I tried to shout but my throat felt like it was being pierced by a thousand small shards of glass. There was no way Rupert would be giving me a bath though. First, I wasn’t a child, and second, he’d done enough already.

My head pulsated with a dull pain as he stared at me with the blue eyes that haunted me in my dreams. My heart raced. Why did he have to be so nice to me all of a sudden? We had sex once, and yes it was the best I’d had in my whole life, but still, we didn’t owe each other anything.

Rupert exhaled sharply, then muttered something incoherent and left the room. I was grateful for everything he’d done for me, but this was too much. At the same time, I was sick as a dog. I had never felt so bad before in my life.

When he returned, he slipped under the covers before I could say or do anything. I was ready to scream when his thick muscular arms embraced my body tight. Rupert held me close while my heart thumped loudly. We stayed like that for several long moments. I felt so safe and warm in his arms as I pressed my head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

I didn’t want to think about this too much—he was only doing it because I felt so unwell. I’d been shivering, but everything got better when Rupert cuddled me close to his body.

“You know that no other woman has ever slept in this bed,” he said, breaking the silence.

I glanced at him, raising my eyebrows, then laughed a little.

“Yeah right,” I muttered.

But his face remained serious, then he stared at me in wonder.

“It’s the truth. I’ve never allowed any other woman ever to spend a night in my house, my bedroom. That’s the main reason why my ex and I broke up. I was never ready to be intimate with her in my own house,” he admitted.

I somehow wiggled away from his arms because I needed to look him in the eye to figure out if he was telling me the truth.

“Are you serious?” I repeated.

He nodded.

“I appreciate the gesture, but you didn’t have to bring me here. You could have easily made me sleep in one of the spare rooms.”

How else could I respond? He sounded genuine, and after the incident with the picture, I thought he couldn’t lie about this.

“I didn’t want you to be alone during the night. You were so ill that I didn’t have a heart to move you.” He chuckled and then hoisted me off the bed. “Come on, I’m going to run you a lukewarm bath. How are you feeling now?”

He lifted me into his arms, catching me off guard once again, then carried me to an outside bathroom.

“There’s nothing wrong with your en suite.” I wanted to kiss him badly, but I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. I was still probably contagious and I felt guilty he kept me so close.

“It’s not big enough,” he muttered as he put me down outside a white door.

I decided it was better for me not to fight with him, and since I still felt pretty bad, I wanted to get this bath over with fast so I could lie down.

Five minutes later, I stood in his pristine, stylish bathroom in front of a huge tub filled with water. There were no bubbles, and when I touched the water, I thought it was too bloody cold.

"No, there’s no way I am getting in. The water is freezing.” I folded my arms over my chest, refusing to even dip my toes in it. This simple task of immersing myself in cold water simply paralysed me. It didn’t matter that this fever was a bitch.

“Veronica, I’m a patient man, but if you don’t get into this tub in five seconds, I’m going to strip you myself and throw you in. You’re acting worse than Maja, and she’s nine,” he stated.

I bit my lower lip. Just no...

Five, ten seconds passed, then Rupert took his white t-shirt off, revealing a tattoo and a muscular chest that took my breath away.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked. The temperature of my body shot up instantly as scorching heat rushed through my core.

“I’m going to get in first to show you that this is perfectly fine.” He smirked then pulled his trousers down, followed by his boxers while I gasped, for soon he was standing in front of me naked.

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