Into The Fire (16 page)

I didn’t know whom I should call. Shelly
would do anything for me but she was cleaning up my mess at work.
More than likely, she was taking my place for some of my dates over
the next few days. My mother came into my mind but we never spoke.
I had a few friends but it was a Friday night and I didn’t want to
bother them.

Then I thought of Ash.

He probably wouldn’t mind. After all, I took
him shopping last week and picked out clothes for him. But he would
probably do it anyway even if I didn’t do anything for him. He was
a sweet guy under all that pigheadedness. I found my phone in my
purse and called him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ash

Irene was really cute.

She had bright blonde hair, nice cheekbones,
and full lips made for sucking. The second she laid eyes on me, she
was smitten. I could tell she was relieved I was her date and
Sawyer wasn’t.

“So, you ink for a living?” She sat close to
me and gave me her full attention.

Sawyer and his girl were in their own little
world on the other side of the table.

“Yep.” I showed off my forearms. “It’s my
passion.”

She stroked the skin with her fingertips.
“Very nice…” A flirtatious look was in her eyes. She leaned closer
to me, close enough for a kiss.

Uh…
“So, what do you do?” I couldn’t
think of anything else to say.

“I’m a model. I already told you that.”

Oh yeah, she did
. “But what kind?”

“Swimsuit.”

“Very cool,” I said. “You must have a tan all
year round.”

“Something like that.” She rubbed her leg
against mine under the table.

I knew I was a good-looking guy but women
didn’t necessarily want to jump my bones the second we met. I
usually had to buy them a drink or talk to them for a few minutes.
This girl already had her eye on the prize. It was flattering but a
little nerve-racking.

“So…” I was normally charming and witty but
now I was just uncomfortable. “You like brunch?”

“Brunch?” she asked in amusement. “Like
breakfast and lunch?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” she asked. “Do you want to get some
tomorrow morning?”

Shit, that was a stupid thing to say.
“I was just curious…”

Sawyer shot me a glare and mouthed, “What the
hell are you doing?”

I shrugged in response.

“I love your hands.” She felt them in her
fingertips. “They’re so big…”

“Yeah…” I gently pulled them away because I
felt awkward. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Guilt flushed
through me even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Alessandra
kept coming into my head but I couldn’t get her to go away. It was
the weirdest thing in the world.

Irene wasn’t discouraged in the least. “You
live nearby? It’s too loud in here and I want to go somewhere
quiet…” She leaned toward me with her lips slightly parted.

All I had to do was leave with her and I’d
get laid. She’d probably be a bombshell in bed, judging by her
confidence. And I had every right to do whatever I wanted…I wasn’t
breaking any rules.

My phone started to ring.

“I have to get that.” I quickly snatched it,
grateful I had some excuse to get some space. I didn’t even look at
the screen before I took the call. “Yo.”

Alessandra coughed loudly into the phone, and
when she spoke, she sounded raspy and weak. “I’m so sorry to bother
you—” She couldn’t even finish the sentence before she started
coughing like she was on her deathbed. “Are you busy?”

“Damn, you sound like shit.”

“I know…I feel terrible.” She coughed again
then sneezed. “They sent me home from work but I can’t rest because
I can’t sleep. I’m so uncomfortable…”

My heart ached for her. “Let me bring you
something. How about some Nyquil?”

“You would do that?” Affection was in her
voice, underneath all the coughing. “I’m sure you’re busy…”

I glanced over my shoulder at Irene. She
batted her eyelashes at me then blew me a kiss. I turned back the
other way. “No, I’m not busy.”

“Really? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Knock it off. I wouldn’t offer unless I was
free. Anything else?”

“Maybe some cough drops, Aspirin, ice
cream…”

I smiled. “Ice cream?”

“It’ll make my throat feel better.”

“I know something else that’ll make your
throat feel better.”

“Oh god.” She started laughing but was
interrupted by a round of coughing.

“Save your energy. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you, Ash. You’re a life saver.”

“You owe me.”

She chuckled. “When you’re sick, I’ll take
care of you.”

That warmed my heart in a way I couldn’t
explain. It sent ripples through my spine and made me smile. “I
know you will.”

***

I entered Alessandra’s apartment and saw her
lying on the couch. Used tissues were scattered everywhere and the
TV was on in the background. It was stuffy. “Did someone die in
here?”

“Me,” she said with a weak voice.

I set everything on the kitchen table before
I knelt beside her. Her face was pale like she hadn’t seen the sun
in years. Sweat glistened on her forehead like she was hot.

“Yes, I look like shit. Don’t make me feel
worse by saying it.”

“That’s not what I was thinking.”

“Liar.”

I felt her forehead. “You’re really
warm.”

“I am sick…”

“Well, I got you something to make you feel
better.” I retrieved everything from the table. “I have Nyquil and
Aspirin.”

“Thank god. I would have gone out myself
but—”

“You shouldn’t go anywhere. And I got you
some ice cream.”

“Ooh…what kind?”

“I wasn’t sure what you liked so I got
Neapolitan.”

“Excellent choice.”

I helped her sit up before I poured her the
Nyquil. She drank it instantly like she’d been waiting for that all
day. Then I retrieved the ice cream and handed it to her.

She shoveled it into her mouth. “Man, that
feels so good on my throat.”

I sat beside her on the couch and watched her
eat.

“Thanks for bringing everything.”

“No problem.”

“Were you out or anything?”

I didn’t want to tell her the truth. It would
just make her feel bad. “Nope. At home.”

“On a Friday night?”

I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m pretty
lame.”

She kept eating. “That doesn’t sound like
you.” She was about to take another bite when a round of coughing
possessed her. It came from deep in her throat and sounded
crackly.

Something wasn’t right.

When she finished, she returned to
eating.

I snatched her ice cream and spoon away.

“Hey, that’s the only good thing I got going
on in my life right now.”

I pressed my ear to her chest. “Breathe for
me.”

“What?”

“Just take a deep breath and shut up.”

She did as I asked and inhaled.

I immediately heard the distant crackle from
deep inside her. It was unmistakable even without a stethoscope. I
pulled away and sighed. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“What?” she blurted. “I’m just sick.”

“With pneumonia.”

“I do not have pneumonia. And if I did, how
would you know?”

“I’m a trained medic. It’s pretty common in
the military. You never know when you’ll need to make a tourniquet
or intubate someone.”

“But even so…”

“Just trust me on this.” I pulled her to her
feet. “Let’s go. If you don’t treat it, it could be fatal.”

That made her eyes widen. “Let me
change…”

“What you’re wearing is fine.” I shoved the
pint into the freezer then scooped her into my arms.

“I can walk.”

“We’ll get there faster if I carry you. Just
close your eyes and try to fall asleep.”

She snuggled into my chest and released a
sigh.

***

I checked her into the emergency room and got
her to see a physician. After they performed an x-ray and did a few
tests, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. When the doctor left the
room and we were alone, I gave her a gloating look. “Told you
so.”

She rolled her eyes. “Lucky guess.”

“Nope. It was an educated guess.” I remained
at her bedside and kept a close eye on her. They were keeping her
overnight for observation and I planned to stay with her.

“You can go home, Ash. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You aren’t going to get any sleep.”

“I don’t sleep much anyway.”

“No…you’ve done enough. Go home.”

“Would you stop talking?” I asked. “It’s
annoying.”

She shot me a glare.

I grabbed her hand and interlocked our
fingers. “I want to stay—and not because I feel bad for you.”

Her thumb moved across my knuckles. “You’re
sweet.”

“Only to you.” That line came out of nowhere,
but I meant it. “Now close your eyes and get some sleep. Next time
you open them, you’ll feel better.”

“Okay…” She closed her eyes and her hand was
still joined in mine.

I watched her sleep for a few hours, unsure
what else to do. It was the first time I noticed the tiny freckle
near her temple. I paid attention to the prominent curve of her
lips. She had long and thick eyelashes. Maybe that’s why her eyes
were so pretty all the time.

I kept staring.

***

At some point in the night, Sawyer called
me.

I left the bedside then stepped into the
hall, leaving the door cracked so I wouldn’t get locked outside.
Then I took the call. “What?”

“What do you mean
what
?” he snapped.
“You just took off. What the hell?”

“I told Irene I had an emergency.”

“What emergency?”

“My friend is really sick. I took her to the
hospital.”

“Oh…” That calmed his anger. “Sorry. Are they
okay?”

“She’ll be fine. They’ll release her in the
morning.”

“Well, that’s good to know…” His voice
trailed off.

“So, did you score?”

“No,” he said with a growl. “She feels bad
Irene got stood up.”

“I didn’t stand her up. I showed up, didn’t
I?”

“But she thinks you ditched her.”

“If all she cares about is how I ditched her
when I had an emergency, then I’m glad I ditched her. She’s a
selfish little cunt.”

“Who cares if she’s a cunt? She was going to
let you fuck her cunt.”

“I didn’t want it anyway.” I blurted that out
without thinking.

“Dude, she was smoking hot.”

“Yeah?” I asked sarcastically. “I’ve seen
better.”

“Dude, what’s up with—”

“I have to go.” I hung up without saying
goodbye then I returned to the room. After I quietly shut the door
behind me, I returned to the chair at Alessandra’s bedside. When I
looked at her, I realized her eyes were open.

“You did have plans…and I ruined them.”

Fuck, she heard me.
I didn’t realize I
was talking so loud.

“You didn’t ruin anything.”

“You had a date tonight?” It was hard to tell
if she was hurt because her voice was already so hoarse. But her
eyes didn’t possess as much light as they normally did.

“No,” I said immediately. “My friend had a
friend come out with us, and that friend had a friend… I was
babysitting her more than anything. She was really annoying and I
jumped at the opportunity to leave.”

She watched my face for sincerity.

“Would I lie to you?”

She shook her head.

I grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles.
“I’d rather be with you.”

Her eyes softened as she looked at me.
“You’re so sweet…”

“Don’t tell anybody.” I covered my lips with
my finger like we were exchanging a secret.

She smiled. “Your secret is safe with
me.”

***

I took her home the next day.

She was still under the weather but she was
on the road to recovery, and that was all that mattered. We picked
up the prescription of antibiotics and a few other things before we
entered her apartment.

“I’m so glad to be home.” She immediately
headed for the bathroom. “I hate hospitals.”

“I don’t mind them.”

She washed her hands then came back to me.
“I’m going to take a shower. Man, I feel disgusting.”

I hadn’t showered either.

“Well, thank you so much for helping me.
There were a million other things you could’ve been doing but you
chose to take care of me.”

“I’d do it again.” Even though her hair was
greasy and she still looked sickly, she was beautiful.

“Well, thank you. You’re a good friend,
Ash.”

Was I a friend?
I felt like something
more. But I didn’t feel like a boyfriend either. No way. “You’d do
the same for me.”

She nodded. “I would. I guess I’ll see you
around when I feel better.”

She wanted me to leave?
“Can I stick
around?”

“You want to? I’m still sick.”

“I don’t care.”

“Oh…” Surprise was in her eyes. “Well, you’re
welcome to stay as long as you want.”

“We can watch a movie or something. But I’d
really like to take a shower too.”

“Well, get in line, buddy.”

“Hey, let’s save water and shower
together.”

She smiled. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard
all day.”

We undressed then got under the water. Her
shower was a little small, but then again, everything was too small
for me. I grabbed the soap then lathered it into her skin. The
soapsuds dripped down her back and to her ass. “Nice view.”

“It’s much better than the front.”

“I don’t know about that.” I wrapped my arms
around her and massaged her tits.

“Well, those are okay.”

I pressed a kiss to her shoulder as I rubbed
the soap into her breasts. “Smells like lavender.”

She tilted her head back and looked up at me.
“I’m glad I finally smell clean.”

I leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip
of her nose, something I’ve never done to anyone before.