Mills & Boon Christmas Delights Collection. Rebecca Winters
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Название: Mills & Boon Christmas Delights Collection
Автор: Rebecca Winters
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon e-Book Collections
isbn: 9781474077118
isbn:
‘You’re overreacting,’ I croaked out, and caught Michael in the glance. ‘Both of you.’ And then I threw up again. I sat back, vaguely aware that Michael was rubbing my back and holding my hair which, thanks to the wind and rain and everything else had now abandoned its foundations and given up on its updo status. I knew just how it felt.
Janey cast her eyes over me, down at the bowl, then back at me again. She didn’t say anything but her look spoke volumes. Removing the bowl, she left the room and a few moments later the downstairs loo flushed.
‘Mikey?’ she called.
Calling Pilot, Michael leant over and scooped his arm under my legs.
‘Hold on,’ he instructed, and I did. All of a sudden I was exhausted, completely and utterly. Without thinking, I rested my head against his chest and felt his arms tighten around me. Janey laid my coat over me and all four of us, five if you counted the teddy Pilot now insisted on taking everywhere, left the house. Janey unlocked the car door with the remote and popped the boot as she got in.
Michael looked at the dog. ‘Up.’ Pilot obeyed, sitting down on one hip.
Michael tipped me towards his body, so that I was resting heavily on his chest for a moment as he quickly grabbed the boot lid and pushed it closed before wrapping his arm back around me. As he turned, I vaguely caught sight of the dog’s face, replete with teddy dangling from his mouth by one arm, peering contentedly out of the back window.
Janey had already opened the back door for her brother and Michael now slid us both in the back seat. Adjusting our position, he reached over to fix the seat belt in place as my vague fumblings were having little effect. Plugging it into the holder, he gave Janey the OK and she pulled off, out into the traffic.
Outside the window the sky was dark with cloud. It had barely lightened the entire day. Thankfully, Christmas lights threw their cheer from people’s front windows, and strings of them stretched across the roads, their lights bright against the gloomy backdrop of sky. In fact, they seemed incredibly bright today. I closed my eyes against them momentarily.
‘You OK?’ Michael’s soft accent drifted towards me.
I nodded, my hand immediately moving to the back of my neck as I did so, at the soreness the movement caused.
‘I think we need to get you into bed.’
I bumped my head against his shoulder, in part because I seemed to have little control of it as we rounded a corner.
‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’
His laugh was soft but I felt it rumble through his chest as he pulled me towards him. The kiss he dropped on the top of my head was even softer. In fact, it was so soft, and so…well, out of character for our relationship that I could only think that whatever delightful bug I was fighting was now causing me to hallucinate. But I’d had worse dreams than an undeniably gorgeous man holding me close, smoothing my hair back and resting a large, cool hand on my forehead so, right now, I was happy just to drift about in this one. And categorically ignore the bit of it where I’d thrown up in front of him. Twice.
The rest of the evening was all a bit blurry, which was just as well as I was pretty sure it had involved yet more hurling. As weak daylight pushed its way through the darkness, I lay in the bed and looked up at the ceiling, knowing I had to get back to my own flat. Although I was inordinately glad of the siblings’ kindness yesterday, it wasn’t fair for me to descend on Janey and her family. They had enough to cope with with two young children and a baby on the way, without me cluttering up the place.
I rolled my head – an action that took far more effort than it should have done – and looked at the clock, screwing my face up when I read the time. OK. So, maybe I’d just grab a couple of hours more sleep and then head off home.
When I woke, it was slightly later than I’d planned. As in, half a day later than I’d planned and Janey was sitting on the edge of the bed. On the other side, Lily was leaning on it, peering at me.
‘Hi.’
‘Hi,’ I replied, in a raspy voice.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘Better.’ Which was true. I still felt pretty damn dreadful but I did feel better than I had done yesterday. It was all relative.
‘You’re still looking pretty ropey,’ Janey stated, before sticking a thermometer against my forehead. A second later it beeped. Janey looked at it and made a hmm noise before popping it on the bedside. ‘Your temperature is still high and you’ll be dehydrated after yesterday so we need to start getting some liquids into you.’ Janey’s nursing training kicked back in and I couldn’t deny it was comforting to be here, but I knew I couldn’t stay.
I took her hand. ‘Janey. Thank you so much for taking care of me, but I really need to go home now.’
‘Out of the question. I’m not having you at home on your own in that flat when it’s far easier for me to keep an eye on you here.’
‘You don’t need to keep an eye on me. I really am feeling much better than I did. And I promise I’ll drink, like you said.’
Janey tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ‘You can promise whatever you like sweetie. You have a temperature of one hundred and two and you’re not going anywhere.’
That at least explained why I currently felt like one of those cook-in-the-bag chickens.
‘Don’t you like our house Katie?’ Lily had been studying me and now her big green eyes were full of question.
‘Oh no Lily! It’s not that at all.’
‘What is it then?’ she asked, her hand going to where mine lay on the outside of the duvet and her little fingers curling around mine.
‘Well, your mum and dad are busy already and I don’t want to take up any more of their time.’
Lily started playing with my fingers.
‘When I was poorly Mummy looked after me.’
I smiled as did Janey.
‘If you’re not here, will your Mummy look after you?’ She lifted her innocent eyes to mine. I saw Janey’s face tense. I shook my head, trying to ignore the swooshy feeling the movement caused.
‘Why not? Is she far away?’
‘Yes, she is sweetheart.’
‘Which is exactly why Katie is staying here until she gets better. Come on Lily. Leave Katie in peace now. Did you finish your puzzle downstairs yet?’
Lily nodded. ‘Uncle Michael and Pilot helped me.’
‘Pilot’s a smart dog.’
‘I love him.’ Lily beamed, making me smile too.
‘He is rather wonderful,’ Janey agreed, СКАЧАТЬ