Incidental Fate Book 1

33

"I'm fine," I cringed as I slowly pulled my eyes back open. "Hell of a way to end this weekend, can you help me up?"

He wrapped one hand in mine as his other gripped under my back. Slowly, he pulled me up to sitting, then up to standing before draping the towel over me.

"I need to be sitting up for a while, can you help me to the couch?"

"Of course." He kept his hand on my back as we made our way to the couch where he lowered me down.

"Thanks. Do you think you could also grab me some PJs? Middle drawer on the left." I gave him a quick pleading smile as he headed back for the bedroom. "And a glass of water."

He walked back out, having got dressed himself and holding a long sleep shirt in one hand and my panties in the other, "this work?"

"Yeah." I untucked the towel and raised my arms as he pulled the shirt down over me. Then I went to grab the panties but he pulled his hand back.

He knelt to the floor and slid them over my feet and up my legs, setting my body on fire once again. Cool down Sadie, focus on your head, not his.

He jumped back off and scurried to the kitchen, returning with a water bottle. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital? You might have a concussion."

Gavin walking me in to my own department at the hospital was not going to happen.

"I think I'm okay, just need to stay awake for a while." I grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. "I'll call you in the morning, I know you have classes tomorrow and you must be exhausted."

"I'll stay with you tonight."

"Gavin, I'm just going to sit here and binge watch all night. You have school and I have work in the morning." I felt a lump in my throat at the word school. He was just one of us in Vegas, no one commented or cared about his age. I had practically forgotten about it. Now here I was making sure my lover was prepared for school. Ugh.

"You think I'm going to fucking leave you tonight? I don't care if you're a nurse. I'm staying the night to make sure you're okay."

What was up with him and this whole okay thing. It really killed the independent woman in me but at the same time aroused my romantic side.

No one had taken care of me in over 18 years and back then my parents had to. I always had to be the strong one, caring for myself and Grant.

I didn't understand why Gavin wanted to protect me so bad. Maybe that was just him. Maybe I'd been blinded by his stature, tattoos, and dark eyes- just assuming he didn't give a shit. No, I'd seen him act out, his language was atrocious and the sex, oh the sex.

"Sadie?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts facing a worried Gavin.

"You seem out of it. Let's just run you up to the ER or urgent care or something."

"I'm fine, I was just, just trying to decide what to watch."

"Turn your head," he instructed as his hands flew to the back of my head, raking through my hair against my scalp.

"Ow!"

"You have a huge bump." He stood up, pacing in front of me. "You should go in."

"Bumps from falling are normal Gavin. Trust me, I'm a nurse," I winked up to him, trying to calm him down.

"You're so fucking irritating sometimes!"

"If you're going to stay tonight you need to stop with the f-bombs and the attitude."

He didn't respond and he took off into the kitchen, slamming drawers around. I ignored the ruckus and scrolled through the new releases on the TV.

He walked back in, holding a bag of ice in his hands and sat down next to me, lifting the ice to the back of my head, sending a chill down my back.

"What do you want to watch?" I asked.

"I don't care."

"Trivia?"

"No chick flicks?" He chuckled.

"They'll put me to sleep, at least with this it'll force my brain to work."

"Go for it then."

I never watched these types of shows because I could never answer any of the questions. At least tonight I could blame my lack of knowledge on the fall.

The announcer started talking on the show, introducing the contestants then starting.

Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!: In this constellation

Oh jeez, I knew nothing about stars and constellations. I mean who has time for..

"Orion," Gavin called out to the TV.

"What is Orion?"
"Correct."

"How did you know that?"

"I know a thing or two about constellations. I used to watch the stars back home."

"You?" I laughed. "Was this before or after you had tattoos?"

"Before." His eyes stayed on the TV as I waited for him to elaborate or laugh with me, but he didn't.

I had never paid attention to his tattoos, I knew they were there, but I never looked hard enough to see what they actually represented.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, pulling his arm and the ice away from my head.

"Yes!" I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten today. "Starved actually."

He hopped back up, taking the melting ice pack with him as he strode into the kitchen. I heard drawers and cabinets opening and closing before he turned back around the corner. "Spaghetti? Or breakfast for dinner?"

"That's all I have?"

"That's all I can cook," he chuckled.

"Spaghetti sounds good!"

He turned back in and I heard the burner click on and pans clattering. I had a sexy Italian in my kitchen cooking spaghetti, now that was one hell of a way to end this weekend.