Page 39 of You First
THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY, Gray needed a ride to the vet’s. Both dogs were due for their annual check-up. This meant Meredith would get another chance to drive his awesome Acura. Her own car had started making this weird screeching sound every time she made a right turn, so she was glad he wouldn’t be riding in it.
Meredith was worrying about the screeching sound when she let herself into the house.
“Gray?” she called, suspecting he was working in the study. To her surprise, Juno and Vulcan ran into the kitchen to greet her from the living room.
“Gray?” she called again, standing at the foot of the stairs.
“In here.” His voice was a croak, and the croak came from the living room.
Meredith walked in to find him curled on the couch in a white T-shirt and jeans, his eyes shut tight, and a compress on his forehead.
She crossed the room and perched by his side, hesitating for a moment before pressing her hands to his cheeks and forehead in search of fever or injury. “What happened? Did you fall?”
“No,” Gray muttered, his face screwed up in pain. “Headache. Bad one.”
“What can I do?”
“Whisper.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
With his eyes still closed, he reached up and patted her blindly on the arm. “It’s okay, Meredith.”
Her hands were still at his cheeks, and his hand lay across her wrist, and neither of them moved.
“I’ll call the vet and reschedule the dogs’ appointments.”
“No, you take them,” Gray said, never opening his eyes. “They need their shots.”
Meredith shook her head. “I can’t leave you like this.”
The side of his mouth crooked in a weak smile. “I’ve been like this for an hour. You’ll be gone forty-five minutes, tops.”
“Have you taken anything for it?”
“Yes.”
“Is it helping?”
“Not yet.”
“Should I call the doctor?”
At this, he opened one eye and glared at her. “No.”
Helplessness made her ill-at-ease. “I really don’t think I should leave you.”
He seemed to ignore her, but his hand on her arm smoothed up and down her skin. Meredith’s fretting held its breath, the touch quieting her and opening a moment for her to feel how close they were.
And it felt wonderful.
He’s just hurting. He just needs to be comforted, she reminded herself. The importance of human touch had already come up in discussion in her psych class. Pain usually brought fear, and touch was reassuring.
Still, as far as she was concerned, he could touch her as long as he wanted.
CHAPTER TWELVE
IT WAS Agood thing his head was killing him, Gray reasoned. Otherwise, he might never have known the petal softness of Meredith’s skin. He’d wanted to touch her for days, but he had no reason to. Pain gave him permission.
