Page 32 of Roommates' Alpha

“What’s this?” he croaked.

“Lemon ginger tea. It’ll help.”

“Thank you,” he rasped, then he blew on the mug for a few seconds before taking a sip. He took another drink, his eyes falling shut and his Adam’s apple bobbing as the warm liquid slid down his throat.

I sat in the chair, waiting for him to drink a bit more of his tea before talking.

Finally, he set the mug on an end table, pulled his legs up, and tried to wrap himself in his robe.

I frowned and pulled a throw blanket from behind me, then strode over and wrapped him in it.

Terry didn’t say a word, but the gratitude in his eyes was more than enough.

Something deep inside wanted me to ignore the fact that he was sick, kiss him, and tell him that I would take care of him.

Well, I was going to take care of him anyway, so it was only the urge to kiss him that I had to ignore.

“Do you have cold medicine?” I asked as I finished tucking the blanket around him.

He nodded.

“Did you take some already?”

Another nod.

I rested the back of my hand against his forehead. He felt warm, but not hot. Then did the same on my own forehead. “I don’t think you have a fever,” I stated. “But let me know if I need to grab a thermometer.”

“Ok.”

Fuck it,I decided. I sat next to Terry on the couch and pulled him into my arms.

He stiffened at first, but relaxed against me a couple of seconds later.

“This ok?” I asked.

He nodded against my chest. “Yeah.”

There seemed to be another moment of awkward uncertainty, then the exhaustion of his cold took over, and he melted, curling against me.

“You weren’t sick last night,” I murmured, running my fingers through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp. It was an intimate gesture, but I didn’t care. I always wanted somebody to take care of me when I was sick, and I guessed I wasn’t the only one. “Did it start this morning?”

“Yeah,” he whispered. Then, “What were you doing in the kitchen?”

I chuckled. “I was going to make a beef and vegetable stew for dinner for everyone. Figured if it was ready and warm then Xavier could get some before his show, and everybody would have food. Switched the beef for chicken though. So you’ll have chicken soup in a few hours.”

He sniffled, and I wasn’t sure if it was from being sick, or emotional. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Mama always made chicken soup when I was sick.”

“I hope mine is half as good as hers then, cause I have no intention of competing with your Mama.”

He laughed, and the sound was wonderful.

I moved my hand from his hair to his back, stroking up and down. He was so solid in my arms, and it felt right.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you sick,” I said a moment later.