Page 11 of Down and Dirty (Italian Stallions 1)

“I’ll be good, Aunt Berta,” Jasper promised.

“I know you will. Now you come right on with me to the kitchen and we’ll whip up a breakfast fit for a king.”

Jasper practically bounced out of the room after taking Aunt Berta’s hand.

“And now…” Rhys said, lifting Jess’s feet from the water. After another quick, cursory exam, he dried them off and shifted the tub of water out of the way. “Lay down, Jess.”

She looked as if she wanted to argue, but exhaustion was clearly winning the day. “Only for a few minutes,” she said, shifting on the couch to lie on her side, facing them. She hadn’t bothered to take off her coat, and he wondered if that was based on the fact that she was still cold or simply too tired to make the effort.

Tony took the electric blanket and spread it over her. “Warm enough?”

She nodded drowsily. “So warm. Just going to rest my eyes. Just a little while. I promise,” she murmured, sleep claiming her quickly, her breathing slower, deeper.

Rhys knew a brief respite wasn’t going to be nearly enough, but he’d missed his opportunity to convince her to call in sick. She was already dead to the world.

He gently felt her forehead, relieved to discover she was warmer. She’d been very lucky—and he intended to make sure she realized just how much, before she left their apartment.

“Breakfast?” he whispered to Tony, who was staring at Jess with an expression somewhere between concern and frustration.

Tony nodded and followed him out of the living room.

---