Devlin was an awkward man. Not just in the way he acted on dates, either. He was purposely difficult. So for him to be the opposite of that was unnerving. And he was so damn still, too.
I bit my lip as I started to undress him, somehow managing to get him out of his jacket, tie, and shirt without too much trouble even if, by the end of it, I was sweating buckets.
With the tea having steeped, I helped lift his head so that I could pour some into him. He sighed after a few mouthfuls, which made me think the heat had eased his throat, then seemed to relax as the tea went to work.
Taking the opportunity to strip his pants off him, I started unbuckling his belt, but as I did, he reared up, eyes bleary, and puked all over me.
When he fell back onto the bed, I stared down at myself, at the puke, trying not to gag before I clomped over to the bathroom to strip off too.
I had no idea why I wasn’t vomiting. I’d always been terrible with stuff like this, so to be covered in it made me hold my breath as I dragged my ruined suit off and dumped it on the shower floor. Drenching it, I shuddered in revulsion before I dove under the spray and washed up.
When I was done, I wrapped a towel around my waist, and returned to Devlin’s side.
He’d been sick again.
On the bed.
Jesus.
It was going to be a long night.
Nineteen
Micah
Head banging with a migraine, I helped drag Devlin’s ass back into bed. I had a feeling that whatever he’d caught, I was going to be dealing with too.
The prospect of puking my guts out all night wasn’t a fun one, but mostly, it concerned me that I wouldn’t be alert for Devlin. It was quite clear to me that this bug had knocked him on his ass. He was close to catatonic. Only getting up to puke, before passing out into a deep sleep again.
As I finished mopping up the latest round of vomit from the bathroom floor—a feat I swore I’d never repeat in the future—the doorbell sounded.
While I felt sure nothing could disturb Devlin right now, not even a bomb, I rested the mop against the wall, and hurried out into the hall.
After having spent a lot of time here this past week, I was quite comfortable. Probably too comfortable for my own good. Protecting my heart wasn’t going so well when I’d made his house my home since this madness began.
I pulled open the door to reveal a scowling woman whose mass of dark brown curls drew a memory into being—that morning, at the elevator, when I’d seen Devlin, she’d been the only member of staff hovering around him who hadn’t been trying to get his attention.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
That she knew me was quite clear. Even if how she knew me wasn’t.
Had he told her about me?
Oh... the food.
He’d asked her to order it?
“Are you just going to gape at me? What the hell’s going on? Why isn’t Devlin answering his calls?” She made to storm forward, but I dove in front of her and waved my hands in front of me, raising them in a ‘back off’ sign.
“He’s sick. I’m pretty sure I’ve caught it too—” She immediately backed off. “That’s probably for the best.”
“Puking? Fever? Headaches?” was her brisk reply from across the foyer—outside Devlin’s front door, there was an atrium worthy of a concert hall.
“All of the above.”
Her nose crinkled. “Half the staff is down with it.” She reached up and rubbed her forehead. “I think I’m getting it myself.” Squinting at me, she demanded, “What’s your name again? I know you’re the Marketing intern. The pretty boy that has half the women on staff giggling about you around the water cooler.”
“Me?” I sputtered. The words were a compliment of sorts, but I was in New York—the land of models. And I’d been raised in California—the land of beautiful people. I wasn’t that special.
“Yeah, you.” She clicked her fingers. “Micah. I’m Lizzie.” Her hand darted out like she was offering to shake mine, before she winced and pulled it back. “Never mind. I’m Devlin’s EA.”
“I know.” I shot her a wary smile. “I’d have called in to tell you but—”
“You’re trying to be discreet.” She arched a disbelieving brow at that, her shrewd eyes just as distrustful. Enough to make me bristle with annoyance, at any rate. “Well, half your department’s out with this bug, so the fact you’re still standing is a miracle.
“Do you need any help here? Devlin’s bound to be a terrible patient. I don’t think I’ve ever known him to take a day off sick in all the time I’ve worked for him.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Jesus. “Well, it’s nothing I can’t manage. If things get worse, I’ll call for a doctor.”
“Call me. I can arrange everything.”
“What if you’re sick?”
She heaved an impatient sigh, but dug around in her purse. It was a massive tote bag, and she withdrew a notepad and a pen, which she proceeded to scrawl on.
With the tips of her fingers, she shoved the paper at me, and I snatched it back, trying to keep my distance as well.
Spying names and numbers, I said, “Okay, if you don’t answer, I’ll go through the list.”
She nodded. “Good.” Her gaze drifted down the hall behind me, in the exact direction of his bedroom, which told me this wasn’t her first visit to his home. Fitting, I supposed, considering she was his assistant. “Whatever he needs, just let me know.”
“Of course.”
Lizzie hummed under her breath. “See you on the other side, Micah.”
Somehow, I had the feeling she meant more than just the stomach flu that had decimated the team, but I didn’t have a damn clue how to reply.
Her disapproval was clear, but she didn’t force me out of Devlin’s apartment which she could well have done if she thought I didn’t have a right to be here.
Did she know about Devlin’s proclivities? Know that he owned VICE?
The questions tumbled through my mind, too many to process, especially with the banging pain in my head. Still, as I returned to the bathroom after locking the door, and begun mopping up the mess Devlin had made, only one question mattered and it was regarding no topic Lizzie had raised.
It only existed in the first place because she’d come to the door and I hadn’t run screaming out of there, leaving Devlin to Lizzie to take care of...
So, the QOTD was:
What was it that Devlin meant to me that made me forget about puke and cleaning and my own welfare?
That was something, I had to reason, only time would tell.
Twenty
Devlin
Nose crinkling at a weird smell that filled my nostrils, I turned my head to the side to try to evade it.
It reminded me of perfume. But it also wasn’t.
It made me wonder if a girlfriend had spent the night, deciding to pollute my air with eau de toilette, but this scent was recognizable.
It was like my aftershave, only stronger.