Page 72 of Three Pucking Words
I notice the empty cup by her bedside table and go to the kitchen to pour her a new glass of water. “Here,” I say softly, setting it down within reaching distance.
She mumbles what sounds like “thank you” but I can’t be sure.
My hand cups her forehead, moving her hair out of her face and feeling the warm skin. “I must have given you what Gemma had,” I tell her apologetically.
Her eyes barely crack open. “But you’re not sick.”
“My manager makes me do an IV treatment every two weeks that helps my immune system fend off bugs,” I explain. I’ve always hated them, but they’ve helped me fight off a lot of the shit that gets spread around. “He doesn’t want to risk me not being on the ice.”
I expect some sort of sassy response from her, something teasing about how ridiculous that sounds, but that isn’t what I get. “Why are you here, Bodhi?”
Swallowing, I withdraw my hand and settle on the edge of the mattress beside her. “I was worried about you.”
The tiniest frown curls her lips. “It’s just a cold.”
I shake my head. “Not about that.” Taking a deep breath, I release it slowly and rub the back of my neck. “I thought I’d done something. Crossed a line with you at the hotel. You weren’t speaking to me. You’ve been avoiding me. I thought I hurt you.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and she forces herself to sit up. “You didn’t hurt me. You… We didn’tdoanything.”
She has no idea what a relief it is to hear those words come out of her mouth.You didn’t hurt me.
“I needed to come here and apologize. To make sure that you were okay. That I didn’t…” My Adam’s apple bobs under the disbelieving scrutiny of her glazed, tired eyes. “The thought of hurting you in any way made me sick to my stomach. I’m sorry for not going back to my room at the hotel. I meant to. I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
Honor looks down at her lap. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“It made you uncomfortable,” I point out. She can’t argue with me. I saw the way she looked at me when my alarm went off. If it were my room we were in, she would have bolted. “I owe you an apology for that.”
She clenches her eyes closed. “Bodhi, I don’t need an apology. Nothing happened. I was…caught off guard. That’s all. It’s been a long time since I’ve woken up in bed next to someone.”
I shouldn’t ask but… “How long?”
Some color comes back to her face. “At least a year and a half,” she admits, sounding embarrassed. “Probably more. How sad is that?”
I shrug. “It’s been a long time for me too, honey. Unless you count waking up next to a six-year-old or one of her millions of stuffed animals.”
The image makes her smile, which sends the dark cloud away that’s been hovering over me. “I find that hard to believe. You’re…you.”
It isn’t hard finding someone to spend a night with if I truly wanted to. That’s the thing. Ihaven’twanted to. Not since meeting Honor.
“I guess it’s going to take someone special for me to want to share my bed with” is the answer I come up with, causing her eyes to look up at me through her lashes.
This time, she has nothing to say.
“What do you need?” I ask, forcing my hands to remain in my lap. “I have the rest of the afternoon off.”
“What about Gemma?”
“She’s in school this week, so I don’t get her until Friday,” I explain. “I’m yours until then. For as long as you want me.”
I see the way her throat bobs, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Whatever it is, she doesn’t enlighten me. “I need some sleep,” is what she chooses to go with.
Nodding, I gesture to the door. “I’ll leave you be then. Should I—”
“Stay,” she blurts out, halting my steps. “I want…” She stops herself, pausing to bite into her lower lip. “I want you to stay.”
How can five words do so much to me? “I can hang out in the living room until you wake up,” I offer.
To my surprise, she shakes her head. “Is it… Can you stay in here with me?”
