Page 76 of Taste of Forever
“Um, better.” I settled back against the headboard, willing my racing heart to calm down.
After a moment of thought, I slid further down the bed, feeling a little faint. My body was stiff and aching from lack of movement, and I was probably still dangerously low on blood.
“Good. You hungry? There’s more soup, although I’m told that’s not what you eat when you first wake up, so I got some breakfast things too.”
Homemade soup, my favorite flowers next to my bed, and now breakfast? His care was…overwhelming. Not in a bad way, but I wasn’t sure how to receive it.
“I’m okay right now,” I said. “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”
Laith rolled up to a seat, the hair on the back of his head adorably cowlicked and messy. “I wanted to be close by if you needed anything but I also didn’t want to freak you out by sleeping in the bed next to you. Hence the floor.” His arm swept out as if showing me something grand.
“This is your bed?” I had already suspected as much, but it was another thing to have it confirmed by him.
“Uh-huh. Comfy, isn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. But you didn’t have to put me here. I mean…” I rubbed my face like trying to clear cobwebs from my mind. “A couch or something would have been fine. I didn’t need to take over your bed.”
“Nonsense. You’re injured and should be comfortable.” He flopped back down, hands behind his head. “I don’t mind the floor, anyway. Vampires can sleep almost anywhere. We’re heavily controlled by our circadian rhythms. Back in the day, our ancestors used to bury themselves alive to sleep and escape sunlight.”
“Or they’d sneak into empty coffins?”
Laith laughed and the sound warmed me almost as much as the chicken soup had. “Not really. I’m sure it’s happened once or twice, but those old pine boxes weren’t exactly light-proof. To be honest, I’m not sure how we came to be associated with sleeping in coffins. Maybe they used to jump into open graves and pull dirt over themselves.”
“That saves the hard work of digging the hole themselves.”
“Exactly. I bet you’re on the right track, Science Barbie.”
Even now, talking to him was easy. I wanted to curl up in the nest of his bed and just listen to his voice. Then I remembered how filthy I was, and how that filth was now all over his sheets.
Guilt pierced my chest. “Do you think I could take a shower? And maybe borrow a change of clothes? I’ll wash everything, including your bedding. I’ve probably made your whole room stink like that alley. I’m really sorr?—“
“I have one rule.” Laith cut me off with a raised finger. “No apologizing. None of what happened is your fault, Heather. Of course you can shower. The girls have already lent you a few changes of clothes. And don’t worry about washing my stuff.” He rolled and sprang to his feet, approaching the bedside with a cheeky grin. “Any other questions?”
I glanced at the bouquet of lilies. “What’s with the flowers?”
He looked at the vase and then back at me. “They’re your favorite, right? I just thought you might like them.” His tone was casual, but I detected a note of hurt in his voice. “I didn’t go by your apartment again, if that’s what you’re worried about. Weactually have an excellent plant nursery here with an attached florist. They didn’t have a huge lily selection, but I bought what they had.”
It hadn’t even occurred to me to wonder if Laith went back to the apartment. He was always so earnest, so genuine and open that it was easy to take him at his word. So unlike Justin, who I always had to wonder if he was telling me the full truth about anything. Who alsoneverbrought me flowers just to make me happy.
“I love them. They’re beautiful.” The relief was palpable on Laith’s face. “I didn’t think you went back to the apartment. They’re just unexpected. Thank you.”
“Of course,” he said easily before holding out his hands. “Here, I’ll show you where the shower is.”
With some effort, I swung my legs down to the side of the bed and placed my hands in his. I allowed him to pull me to my feet and quickly realized I could barely support my own weight. He didn’t yank me up hard and yet the momentum sent me crashing against his chest.
“Whoa, I’ve got you.” Laith held me upright, supporting my upper arms.
“I guess a shower’s a little ambitious.” Already I felt out of breath, my heart straining to distribute blood to all the necessary places. “Should’ve tried getting out of bed first.”
“Give it a minute,” Laith said. “Take it slow. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t shower today.”
Eventually, I could stand on my own but walking was a little more dicey. With every attempt, I only took a few steps before the world seemed to tilt from under me and I had to grab Laith for support. We’d barely crossed the bedroom before I was out of breath and trembling with effort.
“What the hell?” I wheezed. My forehead leaned against Laith’s chest because just standing took that much out of me.
“You were badly hurt. You’re still healing.” His arm was slung around my waist in an easy, casual hold that felt supportive and maybe even affectionate. Like he was built for me to lean on and be held by, and he was one-hundred percent on board with that.
“Do you want to go back to bed?” he asked after a few moments of my labored breathing. “We can try again after a nap.”
