Page 99 of Tempt
Half an hour later, after she’d dutifully taken the meds I’d brought back, I walked her down to the lobby. I even held her hand.
“Someone might see us,” she whispered in the elevator.
“I don’t care,” I said. I gave the valet her ticket and waited with her while her car was brought around. Then I cradled her face in my hands. “Drive carefully. If you get drowsy, you pull over, okay? And let me know when you get home.”
“I will.” She tried to smile. “Have a safe flight.”
I frowned again—this was not sitting right with me. “I wish I could take you back myself.”
“You can’t.”
I exhaled through my nose and studied her face, more pale than usual, her brown eyes tired. My heart was in a vise. “Fuck it. I’m driving you.”
“What?”
“Give me ten minutes. I’ll tell the valet to hold your car here.”
“Zach, this is crazy! You cannot drive me home!”
I was already heading for the elevator. “Ten minutes!” I yelled back at her. “Don’t move.”
“Okay. But don’t look at my car!”
* * *
Millie was right—her car was a mess. It looked like she’d emptied the contents of her closet into the back seat. And when I opened the trunk to stow our bags, it looked like she’d hit a rummage sale with a wad of cash. “Jesus,” I said. “Is that an air fryer?”
“I told you.” She sneezed again and dug a tissue from her purse.
I made some room and stuck our bags in there, pulling a sweatshirt from mine that she could use as a pillow. Then I opened the passenger door for her. “Get in.”
She was too sick to argue.
I tipped the valet and got behind the wheel, asking her for her address.
“I’ll just give you directions,” she said, stifling a yawn. “You gotta get on I-90.”
“You’re going to sleep,” I told her, handing her my phone. “Just type your address in here first.”
She sighed but did as I asked, then folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to sleep. I don’t get enough time with you as it is.”
But we weren’t even out of Illinois before she was out like a light, her seat tipped back, her head resting on my balled-up sweatshirt. I smiled and kept the radio volume low, making sure not to change lanes too abruptly or speed up aggressively. I wasn’t in a rush.
The roads were decent, but it still took just over five hours to get to Millie’s house. She woke up as I was pulling into her garage.
“We’re home already?” She rubbed her face and blinked in disbelief.
“Yes. You slept the entire way home. Good job.”
“I’m sorry.” She reached over and rubbed my leg. “Thanks for driving me.”
“You’re welcome. No apology necessary. I did not feel right about putting you behind the wheel.”
We hurried from the garage into the house through the back door, which led into her kitchen. Her cats came over to greet her, and she bent down to pet them. “Hello, my loves. Did you miss me?”
“Does someone feed them for you while you’re gone?” I asked.
“Yes. My sister Winnie. She brings Dex’s daughters with her.”
