Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run novel Chapter 406

He held her hand, brushing his cheek against her palm. “I just wish you could forgive me, really.”

Clara frowned, helping him sit up. “Z, you’re burning up. We need to get you to the hospital.”

With all the nonsense he was spouting, she worried the fever might really mess him up.

He slumped against her. “No hospital, Clara. Thirty-three times.”

“What?”

Thirty-three times what?

Her anxiety spiked as she touched his forehead again, worried the fever was affecting his mind.

Then he gripped her hand, pressing it against his cheek. “That’s how many times you’ve wanted to kill me.”

Clara’s heart skipped a beat, then she laughed softly. “You’re delirious. Get some sleep. If you’re still feverish when you wake up, we’re going to the hospital.”

By then, whether he liked it or not, she’d see him through it.

Z went quiet for a few minutes, as if just realizing this wasn’t a dream.

Every time he felt terrible, he’d dream of her walking through the door.

He’d had the dream so many times, he sometimes couldn’t tell reality from fantasy.

He closed his eyes, his throat working before he muttered, “I was just dreaming.”

Clara grabbed a pillow and gently pushed him back down. “Rest.”

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her down beside him.

“Rest with me.”

The couch was wide enough, and as Clara lay next to him, she could still feel the heat radiating from his body.

She couldn’t sleep, her mind replaying the doctor’s warning.

Her hand drifted down, brushing against the bracelet he wore and the ring she’d given him.