For a second, I just stood there. Letting the quiet buzz against my skin. Letting the smell of alcohol and cologne fill my lungs. Letting the image of Kael—Kael, the cold bastard I couldn't stop thinking about—sink into the bed like he didn't have the strength to breathe.
I moved toward him, unbuttoning his shirt gently. My fingers trembled—not because I was nervous, but because I could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
His forehead burned under my touch.
Fever. A bad one.
"Goddamn it," I whispered. "You fucking idiot."
I grabbed a cool towel from the bathroom, pressed it to his neck, his forehead. Cursed under my breath as I peeled back the layers of his designer armor and found the vulnerable man beneath.
Kael moaned, head turning.
"Aria…"
I froze.
He said it like he was afraid I'd disappear. Like my name was the only thing anchoring him.
"Drink some water," I said, sitting by the bed, trying to push a bottle to his lips.
He refused.
