She sat up and yawned, glancing down at him. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
He winced and shook his head. The words he wanted to say were buried beneath a burning throat.
“That bad, eh?” Swinging her legs off the bed, she stood. “How far is the nearest town? I’ll run and grab you some Tylenol.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but she waved her hand.
“You’re out. I checked last night. You have one pill left in the bottle. And trust me—you’re going to need a heck of a lot more than that. You’ve got at least another day of this.” She cleared her throat. “And maybe I’ll pick up some of that throat numbing spray. This should be the worst day though.”
He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. How did she know that?
She pulled on her jeans and snapped them shut. “I was out sick for almost a week, but the totally incapacitated part is just a day or two.”
Disbelief washed over him just before the realization hit. She’d already had this. He needn’t have felt guilty about the possibility of passing this to her—she’d gotten him sick.
“I’m going to wear your sweater,” she told him, grabbing one off the ground. When she straightened up she must have seen his expression, because she laughed. Laughed at him.
“Yes, Clint, I got you sick.” She looked around before grabbing her shoes off the ground. “It’s not like I did it on purpose…in fact you probably got it that night you cornered me outside of the restaurant.” She glanced up at him. “Remember when you got right up in my face?”
His forehead furrowed with his scowl. Yes, he remembered. He remembered backing her up against her car, the soft floral scent of her perfume, and wanting to kiss her until she couldn’t remember Kenneth’s name. God, he’d been irritated with her. Irritated and damn turned on.
“Yeah, I was totally sick then. Totally.” She gave him a sweet smile. “I almost feel sorry for you right now, but it’s karma, Clint. Karma.”
What was karma? His eyes widened and his mouth gaped. Was she going to just up and leave him?
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you. You need me,” she murmured. “You’re kind of like an infant when you get sick. Whimpering a lot, kind of helpless…”
Helpless? And how the hell did she keep reading his thoughts?
“Okay.” She slapped her palms against her thighs and nodded. “So this town. Do I just keep driving west on the road and I’ll hit it?”
He nodded a bit dumbly.
“Can I get you anything before I leave? More water? Some yogurt?”
He nodded to the water. The yogurt thing wouldn’t happen—his fridge was bare. He hadn’t gone to the store in a week since he’d known he’d be away for awhile.
She gave quick jerk of her head and hurried down the stairs. When she returned a few minutes later she carried another glass of water and the package of crackers.
“Wow, you really need groceries. I’ll grab some stuff while I’m in town.” She set the items on the table next to his bed and sat beside him. “Will you be okay?”
Again he gave a dumb nod. Was he really just about to let her take his keys and drive off into town?
She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be back shortly.”
He watched her stand up again and head back downstairs. “And I placed that last Tylenol in with the bag of crackers. You’ll want to take it. Just sleep all morning if you can. And I took the cash from your wallet to pay for the groceries.”
A moment later the front door closed, followed soon after by the roar of his SUV coming to life.
He glanced at the tray and frowned at the last pill. Well, hell. Hopefully it did the job.
Allison steered the SUV down the quiet road and stifled another yawn. First off, she needed some coffee.
She scowled and pushed her hair away from her face. And what were the chances she’d find an espresso stand in town—let alone a decent one. Of course, at this rate half decent would do.
A small gas station was the first hint at the small town Clint had told her about.
She drove past, hoping there would be more stores to follow. Not even a minute later she got her wish.
There was a nice-sized grocery store and scattered around it a strip mall with a few shops. The interesting thing was that they were all sans neon signs and built with wood. It was rather cute and blended right into the natural setting.
She pulled up to the grocery store—by no means a mega chain, but rather some mom and pop place—and parked the SUV.
Grabbing her purse, she climbed out and slammed the door, walking quickly into the small market.
Her mouth curved as she grabbed a cart and moved down the first aisle. The place was rather quaint. Again, not much neon. Small, but filled with all the necessary stuff.
She loaded up the cart with Tylenol, some meat and cheese, then hit the fruit and yogurt. Knowing Clint might be surviving on a simple diet the next couple of days, she grabbed a loaf of bread, more saltines and some Jell-O.
The deli in the back of the store caught her eye before she could make it to the register. She’d just look.
Her gaze drifted over the options they had. She spotted the wrapped sandwich and her eyes widened. The thing was huge and stacked full of meat, cheese and condiments.
After camping food, her mouth watered. She scooped it up and tossed it into the cart. Heck, at least she had a ready-to-go lunch now.
She moved toward the register again, but this time got waylaid in the freezer section. Ice cream would probably feel great on Clint’s throat.
“This is ridiculous,” she scoffed quietly. She shouldn’t spoil the man.
With a sigh she jerked open the freezer and grabbed a carton of vanilla.
Now it was time to pay.
She got into the checkout line just as the door to the store swung open and an older woman strode in. Her narrowed eyes swept across the aisles before she strode across the front of the store.
Allison eyed the woman curiously as the checker rang her up. Obviously the woman was searching for someone.
“Did you find everything you needed, ma’am?”
She glanced back to the checker and smiled. “I did, thanks.”
The young boy, probably sixteen if barely, nodded and grinned. “Do you live in town? Or just passing through?”
Hmm. How did she answer that one? Passing through on the tail end of being kidnapped?
“I’m just…passing through. Sure. That works.” She smiled and handed him the cash.
The kid’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t quite know what to make of her statement. He took the money and counted out change.
“Casey, did my son come in here?”
Allison turned to see the woman she’d been watching a minute ago approach the counter.
The checker shrugged. “No, ma’am, haven’t seen him.”
“Hmm. That’s odd.” She ran a hand through her dark hair and sighed. “All right, thank you, hon.”
The woman headed back outside, the heels on her cowboy boots clicking on the floor.
“Here you go, ma’am.” He handed her the change and set the receipt in the brown paper bag. “Enjoy your time in town while you’re here.”
“Thanks, Casey, will do.” She winked and enjoyed watching the flush creep up the young man’s neck.
Grabbing a bag in each hand she opened the door and strode outside into the warm Montana summer air.
She reached Clint’s vehicle and had just inserted the key into the lock when she heard heeled footsteps approaching.
“Excuse me.”
Allison turned to see the woman from the store rushing her. “Hi.” Allison gave her skeptical glance. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes.” The woman stopped in front of her and placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. “You could tell me what you’re doing driving my son’s car.”
Chapter Fifteen
Allison reared
back and just barely avoided flinching. Well, shit. She sucked in a quick breath and offered a weak smile. Who would have thought she’d run into Clint’s mother? She’d never actually met the woman, since Clint had come out to Seattle by himself during the summers to stay with his grandma.
“Mrs. Novak?”
The woman tilted her head. “You know my name?”
“Of course.” She wanted to slap herself for what she was about to say. But the last thing she wanted to do was admit to Clint’s mother that he’d kidnapped her. Who would want the responsibility of the hysteria sure to follow? “I’m your son’s girlfriend.”
The woman blinked and her mouth fell open. She closed it, blinked again then started to say something. Her lips smacked together once more and her gaze turned uncertain.
“Really? You’re dating Clint?”
Allison kept her overly bright smile pasted on and gave a quick nod. “Uh huh.”
“Oh my goodness.” The woman clapped her hands together and squealed. “Well of course you are—and you know, I thought I recognized that sweater of his.”
“Yup, it’s his.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Allison by the way.”
“Allison, so great to meet you.” Instead of shaking her hand, the woman stepped forward and threw her arms around her. “And please, call me Lorraine.”
“Okay. Lorraine.” She gave a weak laugh and returned the hug, patting the taller woman on her back.
“What are you up to?” Lorraine stepped back and eyed the groceries. “Out shopping?”
Relaxing a little, she rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Your son has nothing in the fridge.”
“Oh, goodness, I know. I swear that man would gnaw off his own arm before going grocery shopping sometimes.”
Allison laughed. “Actually, I could almost believe that. He’s home sick right now, so I just popped out for a minute to get him some meds and food.”
“He’s sick?” Lorraine leaned back, her brows drawing together in a way Allison had seen all too many times on Clint.
“Yeah, nothing big. He just needs to rest.”
Allison’s stomach clenched as a thought hit her. Oh God. Was his mom going to insist on coming over to take care of him now?
“Oh dear, that’s terrible.” Lorraine shook her head, her frown deepening. “You must be bored out of your mind, hon. That’s it.” She gave a fierce nod. “I’m taking you to lunch.”
“Oh, I—”
“And I won’t take no for answer.”
Now it was Allison’s turn for to go slack-jawed. When she finally found words, she gave a weak shrug. “But I have ice cream in the bag.”
“Oh that’s fine. You can stop at his house and drop it off, then we’ll be on our way.” Lorraine walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. “I’ll just leave my car here and we can come back for it later.”
Allison, for the second time in minutes, felt her jaw go slack. Was this really happening? Was she about to go to lunch with Clint’s mother?
She tugged open the door, tossed the groceries in the back, and slid into the driver’s seat. Hopefully her expression didn’t look as Twilight Zone as she felt.
“How long have you and Clint been together?”
Yikes. And the questions came rolling.
“Umm, well,” she chewed her lip and glanced over her shoulder, backing out of the parking space. “We’ve know each other since we were kids, I live in Seattle and got to know him when he came out in the summers. But we only recently started…dating. I’m a friend of Kenneth’s too.”
“Oh. So you and Clint were friends first?” Lorraine sighed. “I love it when that happens. Jack, Clint’s dad, and I were friends first. The love part developed over years.”
“Really?” Allison glanced over at Clint’s mom, who now gazed wistfully out the window.
“Yeah. Well, it really shifted over when Jack got drunk one night after we went to the rodeo.” She gave a loud laugh. “He started to strip in the middle of the pasture we were walking in, and told me he was in the mood to do some riding of his own. Namely, me.”
Holy mother of God. Allison’s eyes widened and her stomach bounced with laughter. If Clint were here right now he’d probably jump out of the vehicle—moving or not.
“Are you and my son intimate?” Lorraine leaned over and patted her arm. “I’m sorry, don’t answer that. It’s probably better you don’t answer. Sometimes I just open my mouth before thinking.”
Allison blinked and stepped on the gas. This was just too weird. She wasn’t even offended by the question, because truthfully she herself tended to be on the blunt side more often than not.
Still. It was Clint’s mother.
“Shit.”
Allison jerked the wheel at the sudden curse from the other woman.
“I’ve gone and offended you now, haven’t I?” Lorraine sighed. “Sorry. Clint would be pretty upset right now if he could hear me. Especially now that I’m cussing. But I just can’t help it when I get all distressed.”
Ah, so Clint’s mom swore too. Allison laughed and gave the older woman an understanding smile.
“No, you haven’t offended me. And I’ve been known to drop a swear word every now and then myself.” She cleared her throat, not ready to admit it tended to be on the more frequent side.
How funny that Clint nagged his mom about the cursing as well.
She pulled the SUV into Clint’s driveway and turned off the engine.
“I’ll just run in the groceries.” Allison glanced over at Lorraine. “Do you want to come in?”
The other woman shook her head and dug into her purse for a powder compact.
“I’d better not, hon,” Lorraine prattled nervously as she powdered her face. “If my son finds out I basically abducted you at the store and forced you to lunch, he’ll shit a brick.”
Allison nodded and slid out of the car, her lips twitching at the abduction comment. Like mother, like son.
She grabbed the groceries from the car and went into the house. It was mostly quiet, save for the faint sound of a television.
She made quick time putting away the food, before hurrying up the spiral staircase to the loft to check on Clint.
Immediately her attention sought out the bed and the figure sprawled out across it.
Clint looked away from the small flat screen on the wall to her. His eyes widened with relief and he made a valiant effort to sit up in bed.
“You’re back,” he whispered hoarsely.
“I’m back. How’ve you been?” She strode over to the bed and touched his forehead. “Hmm. Still warm.”
He caught her wrist and pressed his cheek into her palm with a groan. “I hurt. Everywhere.”
Tingles ran through her arm and down her body, increasing when he pressed a kiss to her flesh.
“Well, that’s not good.” She stroked the stubble on his cheek and made clucking sound of pity. “How about I get you some more Tylenol and maybe some buttered toast?”
He nodded and moved his cheek against her hand.
“All right. Give me a minute and I’ll be right back.” She stood up again and rushed back down the stairs.
She glanced at the front door and debated going out to tell Lorraine she’d be a few minutes. Probably no need. If Clint’s mom got worried she’d just come inside looking.
Allison heated up some more tea, made some toast with butter, and accompanied it all with Tylenol. There. That oughta hold him over for a bit.
She walked back up the staircase and pursed her lips. Her legs had been getting one helluva workout these past few days. From hiking to the constant stair climbing, not to mention the calf-tightening orgasms.
Clint had turned his focus back to the television, but the minute he realized she’d entered he quickly turned those big poor me eyes her way again.
She resisted the urge to giggle at how quickly the big, bold man had turned into a self-pitying, clingy, overgrown boy in need of attention.
She rolled her eyes and set the tray down on the bed. Some men just couldn’t handle a bad cold.
He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her onto the bed. His head lowered to her breasts and he groaned.
“Missed you,” he muttered.
Okay, maybe he was needy, but her stomach still did butterflies when he clutched her like this. And she had to admit she sort of liked this nurturing thing.
“Did you buy any—” he pulled away and swallowed hard, touching his throat with a wince, “—chicken noodle soup?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I did, but you’ll have to wait for dinner for that luxury. I’m going to lunch.”
She stood and went to the mirror on the wall. Wincing at her mediocre appearance, she fluffed her hair. “God, I should’ve showered this morning.”
“Lunch?” he croaked.
She drew in a deep breath and erased the immediate smile that crossed her face.
Turning around she gave a casual shrug, knowing she may have hid the smile, but her eyes still twinkled.
“Yes, lunch. With your mother. She invited me.”
The mug full of tea Clint had just lifted clattered back to the tray. His eyes went wide and for a moment all traces of self-pity and sickness seemed to vanish from his face.
“My—”
“Mother. I met her at the store in town.” Allison grabbed her purse from the floor. “In fact, I should really get going, Lorraine’s waiting in the car.”
“What?” A look of horror flickered across his face and he tried to climb out of bed.
“No, don’t get up. You’re sick. This is a girl’s lunch,” she scoffed and waved him back into bed.
“But—”
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” At the top of the staircase she turned and gave him a quick wink. “Take those pills and maybe try and catch a nap. You’ll feel better later. See ya.”
She moved quickly down the stairs and out the front door. Not that she actually thought Clint would try to follow—no matter how much he may want to, the guy was still sick.
Lorraine still waited in the car and her gaze lit up when she saw Allison emerge from the house.
Allison opened the door and slid back behind the wheel. “Sorry that took so long. I decided to make him some tea and toast.”
Seducing Allie: Seattle Steam, Book 3 Page 16