Page 183 of Conveniently Wed
His chin bobbed again and his mouth parted, but his eyes remained closed. She spooned the liquid in. His lips were red and chapped. Maybe some aloe cream would help?
As he swallowed, her eyes were drawn to his throat as his Adam’s apple bobbed. The stubble that spread across his jaw and neck only accentuated his manliness. She poured another spoonful into his mouth.
While she continued spooning the tea, she allowed her eyes to roam his face, unhindered by witnesses or the mesmerizing stare of his eyes. His features were strong and proportioned just right.
Too soon, the tea was gone and Gideon’s even breathing signaled restful sleep at last.
Everything hurt.
He inhaled a deep breath and quickly regretted it as pain burned across his chest. His muscles contracted, forcing a cough through his clenched teeth. The effect of the cough was like a bullet through his ribs, and he couldn’t help but clutch his gut. There was no stopping his moan.
A cool hand touched his forehead, soft and gentle. Somehow, it chased away the worst of the pain.
“Sshh, Gideon.”
The voice rippled through him, like waves of warmth. Was it an angel? He lay still, basking in the feel of the hand that brushed across his forehead, stroking his hair again and again.
Was this heaven? After all he’d blamed God for over the years, had the Almighty still allowed him to pass through the pearly gates?
“Are you ready to wake up now?” The soft beauty of the angel’s voice was at odds with her words. He didn’t ever want to wake up. Why couldn’t he stay in heaven?
The hand stopped stroking his face and hair, leaving him alone to endure the throbbing in his temples. Had the pain been there before? Everything hurt, so it was hard to be sure. He needed to get up, to get away from this torment.
He worked to open his eyes, but the effort only created slits for him to see through. He forced his eyes to bring the scene before him into fuzzy focus. The angel smiled at him. Her delicate face framed by honey-colored wisps. Her pale green eyes twinkled when she spoke again.
“I’m glad you’re awake.”
And with the angel smiling at him like that, he was too.
She moved out of his vision, and he turned his head to watch her. But the pain shooting through his temples stopped him.
He blinked. He had to stay awake. Without moving his head, he scanned the room—or at least the ceiling and upper walls. Maybe this wasn’t heaven after all. It bore a striking resemblance to his cabin. But why was he lying on the floor in the main room? And why did his whole body hurt like he’d been clubbed near to death?
A figure moved into his vision—the angel had returned. When she turned to smile at him again, his fuzzy mind grabbed hold of her image.
Leah. What was she doing here, with him lying on the floor? He needed to sit up.
He tightened his muscles to bring himself up, but the moment his head came off the floor, his abdomen burned with enough fire to sap the strength from his limbs. He lay back with a thud, not able to contain the groan in his throat.
“Sshh…” Leah—the angel—stroked his forehead and murmured. “Lie still for now.”
He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain, breathing carefully to keep his chest still.
“I’m going to spoon more of this tea into your mouth. It will help.”
Gideon forced his eyes open again.
Leah was watching him, spoon poised by his chin. He opened his mouth obediently, but kept his focus on her face. Maybe he could lose himself in something other than the screaming of his body.
She was a welcome distraction, with her wide eyes framed by long, dark lashes. Her button nose, her full lips, and her chin with the hint of a dimple. She never met his eyes, but kept her gaze between the spoon in her hands and his mouth. At onepoint, she dripped a little bit of the liquid on his chin, and he almost enjoyed the pout on her lips as she dabbed him dry.
When she was finally satisfied he’d had enough tea, she still wouldn’t meet his gaze, but fiddled with something in her lap. He wanted to make her talk again, to look at him.
“What happened?”
Her head shot up, her green eyes wider than normal. “You don’t remember?”
He licked his lips, straining to recall anything before he’d woken up on the floor with this angel sitting next to him. “I only remember being cold.”
