Maggie blinked at the bright light in her room and wondered why her entire body ached and felt like she’d gone five rounds in a boxing ring. Her nose wrinkled as the stench of her body registered. The clock beside the bed said it was nearly ten in the morning, which meant she’d slept far later than she had in a long while. The bottle of water sitting beside it puzzled her. Had she gotten up last night and just didn’t remember?
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled some clean clothes from the dresser. For some reason, she felt really weak, but she thought maybe she just needed to eat. There was a bottle of Motrin and a thermometer on top of the dresser, which made her frown. She knew those weren’t there when she went to bed last night. Had she brought them in from the bathroom in the middle of the night? If she’d taken something, surely she would have remembered. She picked up the bottle and then set it back down. The last thing she recalled was Zach watching a movie with her.
Oh hell. She’d fallen asleep on him. How embarrassing! Her cheeks flushed as she thought about him carrying her to bed. Maybe he’d placed those things here in case she needed them during the night. But why would he have thought she’d need Motrin and a thermometer? The water bottle was nearly empty so she must have drunk it at some point.
Maggie carried her things across the hall, shut and locked the door, before starting the shower. Steam billowed from the stall as she undressed, and she gave a sigh of relief as she stepped under the hot spray. She was achy all over and hoped the shower would help. If she was going to start cleaning Zach’s house today, she was going to need her energy. Maybe she’d take one of the pills in her room if she was still sore when she got out.
She squeezed a generous amount of shampoo onto her palm and worked it through her hair. How had her scalp gotten so oily just overnight? If she didn’t know better, she’d swear it had been days since she’d taken a shower, and not just the night before. When her hair was squeaky clean again, she lathered her skin—twice. By the time her shower was finished, and she was dried off and dressed, she felt so much better, if not still a little weak. Instead of drying her hair, she used the brush on the counter and braided it, then tied it off with one of the ponytail holders that had been in her sack of new things.
Maggie picked up her discarded clothes and opened the door, nearly plowing into Zach, who was standing in the hall with a very worried look on his face.
“Is everything o-okay?” she asked.
“You’re up. How do you feel?”
She frowned. “A little a-achy and weak, but b-better than when I first w-woke up. Did s-something happen to m-me last night?”
“Maggie, how long do you think you’ve been at my house?” Zach asked.
“One n-night.”
He slowly shook his head. “You came down with a fever your first night here. You’ve been here five days.”
Her eyes widened, and she thought her legs were going to give out. Zach lunged forward and wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. He helped her across the hall and eased her down onto the side of the bed. Maggie dropped her things onto the bed beside her, then blushed when she realized her panties were on top. Thankfully, whoever had selected her clothes had included a package of panties, but she was without a bra. Of course, as small as her breasts were, she didn’t absolutely have to wear one.
“How are you feeling?” Zach asked.
“Five d-days?” she asked. “I was a-asleep for five d-days?”
“Yes. Whatever virus you had seems to have run its course though. I woke you periodically to sip some water and take some Motrin. I don’t think you ever completely woke up though. A few times I helped you stumble across the hall to use the bathroom.”
Her cheeks burned brighter. “You h-helped me go to the b-bathroom?”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Maggie. I didn’t see anything important. I promise, if I’m ever down with a fever, you’re welcome to help me get to the bathroom too.”
“Th-thank you for t-taking care of me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I should s-start cleaning.”
Zach shook his head. “I’m going to make you some breakfast, and then you’re going to spend the day resting. You can watch movies or get back into bed, but I don’t want to see you cleaning anything today or tomorrow. You need more rest if you’re going to get back to one hundred percent.”
She wanted to argue but held her tongue. As much as she wanted to start her new job, she knew deep down that Zach was right. If she’d been out for five days with a fever, it was probably better for her to rest for another day or two. Maybe he had some books she could read.
Zach lifted her into his arms and carried her into the living room, setting her down on the couch. He handed her the remote and then disappeared into the kitchen. It wasn’t long before she smelled eggs. Her mouth watered and she realized her stomach was growling loudly. But if she’d been out for five days with a fever like Zach said, then it had been nearly a week since she’d last eaten anything.
Zach came in a short while later carrying a plate filled with eggs and toast. She forlornly realized there wasn’t bacon or sausage on the plate. After he handed her the plate, he went back to the kitchen only to return with a cup of hot tea. He set the cup on the table before taking a seat next to her.
“I thought eggs and toast would hit your stomach better than something greasy. And I thought the tea would hit your stomach better than juice. Maybe we’ll have sandwiches for lunch. I don’t think I have much in the fridge, but I can order something from the deli and have it delivered or run to pick it up.”
“You don’t have to go to any trouble. I’m sure whatever you have here is fine.”
He smiled. “I eat most of my meals out somewhere, so it’s no problem. The pack has delivered food here every day since you’ve been sick.”
Maggie ate slowly and managed to finish every bite on her plate, along with the cup of tea. Zach took her plate and cup to the kitchen before easing down onto the sofa next to her again.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” she said. “If you have to go to work...”
Zach shook his head. “I work from home, and I got plenty done while you were sleeping. I’m actually ahead of schedule right now. It was hard to sleep the first two nights while I waited to see if your fever was going to keep going down.”
Maggie curled into the corner of the sofa while she watched a movie on the TV. She’d picked a romantic comedy, not realizing Zach was going to stay in the room with her. It probably wasn’t the type of movie he usually watched, but he hadn’t uttered a word of complaint. When she stood to use the bathroom, he bolted to his feet and looked panicked for a moment.
“I’m just g-going to the b-bathroom,” she said with some amusement.
Zach sat back down, and she hurried down the hall. After she had finished using the bathroom, she washed her hands and splashed some cool water on her face. Even though she’d slept for days, she was starting to feel a little tired. Maggie went back to the living room and curled into the corner of the sofa again, propping her elbow on the arm. It wasn’t long before her eyes were drifting closed and she adjusted her position until her head was pillowed on the padded arm of the sofa.
She felt Zach pull her feet across his lap and his fingers dug into the soles of her feet, giving her the only foot massage she’d ever had. It felt blissful as she drifted off to sleep. Maggie didn’t know how long she had slept, but when she woke again, Zach was watching the sports channel with her feet still in his lap.
Maggie sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I’m s-sorry I fell asleep.”
Zach smiled at her. “No worries. I told you that you needed more rest. It’s about lunchtime, if you’re hungry.”
She nodded.
“I have a menu for the deli in the kitchen. Give me a minute and I’ll get it.”
She watched him walk out of the room and waited for his return. When he came back, there was a bright green sheet of paper clutched in his hand. Zach handed it to her, and she perused the items listed. He’d said she should stay away from greasy things, which meant any sandwich with bacon was probably not a good idea. And spicy mustard probably wasn’t a wise decision either.
“I think I’ll h-have a turkey on wh-wheat with light mayo,” she said.
“Do you want lettuce and tomato on it?”
“Y-yes, please.”
Zach picked up the phone resting on the coffee table and placed their order with the deli. Then he made another call to ask one of the wolves to pick it up and deliver it to his home. She didn’t know why he didn’t go get it unless he was worried about leaving her alone in his home. Despite the fact she was feeling better, he still seemed concerned. It was touching, and she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had cared about what happened to her.
She watched as Zach settled himself on the sofa again, and she wondered if he intended to watch over her all day and night. Despite his claim of having nothing better to do, she knew he had a life outside of his home. He’d been at the bar the night they’d met, so he obviously went out with friends or on dates. And yet, he’d been stuck in his house since he’d brought her home.
“You sh-should go out,” she said.
“I’m fine right where I am. Unless you want me to go?” He frowned. “I guess you’re used to being on your own all the time. It must be odd having someone here with you.”
She smiled a little. “Wh-what’s odd is b-being inside and s-sleeping on a b-bed.”
“I don’t want you to think I’m being presumptuous, and I’m not trying to say there’s anything wrong with you, but I have a book in my office that’s supposed to help with stuttering. A friend of mine had a son who had a bad stutter, and after he had worked on the exercises in the book, he stuttered hardly at all.”
Her cheeks burned.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he said softly.
“I st-stutter when I’m n-nervous.”
“And I make you nervous.” His lips thinned. “I promise, I’m not going to hurt you.”
She wasn’t about to tell him that it didn’t have anything to do with him harming her, and everything to do with how gorgeous he was. He’d been nothing but kind to her, and she couldn’t figure out why he was still single. For all she knew though, he had a girlfriend, but he didn’t seem like the sort who would proposition a woman in an alley if he was seeing someone.
“What can I do to put you at ease?” he asked.
Turn out the lights so she couldn’t see how perfect he was?
“I’ll b-be fine once I’m u-used to you.” She hoped.
The doorbell rang and interrupted their awkward conversation. Zach got up to answer the door and returned a few minutes later carrying a paper bag from the deli. It smelled good, and she followed him into the kitchen. He put the sandwiches on plates and set them on the table, along with a container that looked like it held chicken noodle soup. Zach placed a spoon next to her plate and the soup container before pulling glasses from the cabinet. Wanting to feel useful, Maggie took the iced tea from the fridge. Once everything was ready, they sat down and dug into their food. Maggie’s stomach rumbled, but she tried to eat slowly. Somehow, she managed to finish her sandwich and the soup.
She helped Zach put the plates in the dishwasher and wiped off the table, despite his protests. Draping the wet cloth over the side of the sink, she paused in the doorway of the kitchen. Zach looked deep in thought, and she wondered if his mind was on work. He hadn’t told her what he did, but obviously, he worked from home, if not all the time, then part of the time.
“You should g-go work in your o-office.” She smiled. “I’ll be f-fine on my own.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Maggie nodded.
Zach kissed her on the cheek, then froze, his eyes going wide. She shooed him out of the room, but his small gesture had warmed her from the inside out. It had been so long since someone had kissed her, even if it was just a peck on the cheek. She touched the spot and smiled as she went back to the living room.
After another two hours of mindless TV, she went exploring and found Zach’s office. There were wall to wall bookshelves full of paperback and hardback books. Her lips parted as she stared at what could only be described as paradise. She’d always dreamed of having a house with a library one day. It was doubtful he carried any romances, which were her favorites, but any book was better than another hour of TV. There were only so many daytime shows and movies that she could handle at one time, especially after not having access to a television in a long time.
Zach looked up and smiled. “Maggie, did you need something? Have I been working too long?”
“Could I b-borrow a book?”
He gestured toward the shelves. “Help yourself. Most are horror and thrillers, but there are some mysteries thrown in. I’m afraid I don’t have any girly books though, unless Abril snuck a few onto the shelves when I wasn’t looking.”
“Your g-girlfriend?”
“My sister-in-law. She’s a writer, but her books are mostly in e-book.”
Maggie had heard of e-books and had seen people reading on those tablets, but she’d never had access to one before. What would it be like to have thousands of books in your hands all at once? It was a luxury she probably wouldn’t experience anytime soon. For now, she would content herself with exploring Zach’s selection of books. It didn’t take her long to choose a mystery and return to the living room, where she curled up on the sofa and read until Zach informed her it was time for dinner.