Page 72 of A Snowy Escape

“I don’t feel very good. I think I need more sleep.”

“That’s not going to help,” I tell her. “You’re perfuming and running a fever. We have to get you cooled down.”

“You should go, I don’t feel good,” she says, her voice scratchy.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I bury my fingers in the crook of her neck. “You don’t feel good because you have a fever that would fry most people’s brains. Do you take suppressants, sweetheart?”

“No, but I have them. The pills can’t be started in the middle of a cycle.” Her whole body tenses, and she curls even farther into a ball. “The ideal way to take them is to begin taking them at the end of a heat. If there’s no other option, they can be taken once the heat starts, but the medication won’t stop the symptoms right away. It’s just going to suck for a while.”

“When was your heat supposed to hit?” I ask, trying to figure out if she’s going to get even hotter than this. She burns my skin in a way that’s almost terrifying, and I’m normally excellent under pressure.

“Like a month. Maybe three weeks.”

Jesus.

That is early.

“Okay. I need you to tell me what to do. Do you want me to grab your pills?”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Abby

I’m on fire.

Burning from the inside out.

Agony rips through me, and I sob. My entire body shakes uncontrollably, an embarrassing whine spilling from my lips. My eyes throb like they always do the first couple of days I have the flu, but even clenching them closed doesn’t help.

“I’m here with you. We’re going to get through this together,” Lawson says, trying to comfort me. His hand teases over the side of my face and brushes my hair back. “Tell me what you need.”

“I don’t know. I ache,” I tell him. “It’s never been this bad before. I’m not sure the pills will help.”

“I’m going to roll you over.” He grabs my shoulder, gently pushing until I’m flat on the mattress. “Let’s see if my pheromones help.” He marks my cheeks, and even the brushing of his beard against my skin makes me ache.

“I might need to go to the hospital,” I admit. “It’s never been this bad.”

Shit.

Didn’t I just say that?

It’s hard to know if this is even real life. The room is dark, and everything outside of Lawson’s face is fuzzy. Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I pull him lower as he studies my face.

I’ve never seen him look anything less than completely in control.

Once he’s close enough, I bury my nose in his throat, sucking down deep hits of his pheromones.

My body twitches as an electric zap runs through my nerve endings.

Citrus and pine.

Oh, that’s good.

So perfect.

Amazing.

I rip my other arm from under the blanket and dig my hand into his side as I try to keep him from getting away. Not that he’s given any indication that he wants to escape.