Chapter 48

I hated how being sick made me feel weak, like letting people in might make me lose my grip on what I stood for. Because I resisted, that familiar voice came through again, low and annoyed by my struggle. "I have no interests now. If you don’t want a hospital trip and a shot, then don’t move." With his promise, I let go of my defenses and handed myself over to him completely. He really didn’t cross any lines—just wrapped my bare self into his warm embrace, using his burning heat to drive away the chill in my bones. That unfamiliar gentleness, those familiar traces of him… I honestly couldn't resist. Without even thinking, I inched closer into his arms and knocked out not long after. Next morning, it was my phone’s ringtone that yanked me out of sleep. "Hello?" My throat was dry, and my voice sounded lazy and raspy. Whoever was on the other end didn’t care how dead I sounded—he was buzzing with energy. "Miss Johnson? This is Luke Dawson. I’ve got something big. I haven’t got you the stu