Page 36 of Taste of Forever (Vampires of Sanguine #3)

“Good. You hungry? There’s more soup, although I’m told that’s not what you eat when you first wake up, so I got some breakfast things too.”

Homemade soup, my favorite flowers next to my bed, and now breakfast? His care was…overwhelming. Not in a bad way, but I wasn’t sure how to receive it.

“I’m okay right now,” I said. “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”

Laith rolled up to a seat, the hair on the back of his head adorably cowlicked and messy. “I wanted to be close by if you needed anything but I also didn’t want to freak you out by sleeping in the bed next to you. Hence the floor.” His arm swept out as if showing me something grand.

“This is your bed?” I had already suspected as much, but it was another thing to have it confirmed by him.

“Uh-huh. Comfy, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. But you didn’t have to put me here. I mean…” I rubbed my face like trying to clear cobwebs from my mind. “A couch or something would have been fine. I didn’t need to take over your bed.”

“Nonsense. You’re injured and should be comfortable.

” He flopped back down, hands behind his head.

“I don’t mind the floor, anyway. Vampires can sleep almost anywhere.

We’re heavily controlled by our circadian rhythms. Back in the day, our ancestors used to bury themselves alive to sleep and escape sunlight. ”

“Or they’d sneak into empty coffins?”

Laith laughed and the sound warmed me almost as much as the chicken soup had.

“Not really. I’m sure it’s happened once or twice, but those old pine boxes weren’t exactly light-proof.

To be honest, I’m not sure how we came to be associated with sleeping in coffins.

Maybe they used to jump into open graves and pull dirt over themselves. ”

“That saves the hard work of digging the hole themselves.”

“Exactly. I bet you’re on the right track, Science Barbie.”

Even now, talking to him was easy. I wanted to curl up in the nest of his bed and just listen to his voice. Then I remembered how filthy I was, and how that filth was now all over his sheets.

Guilt pierced my chest. “Do you think I could take a shower? And maybe borrow a change of clothes? I’ll wash everything, including your bedding. I’ve probably made your whole room stink like that alley. I’m really sorr?—“

“I have one rule.” Laith cut me off with a raised finger.

“No apologizing. None of what happened is your fault, Heather. Of course you can shower. The girls have already lent you a few changes of clothes. And don’t worry about washing my stuff.

” He rolled and sprang to his feet, approaching the bedside with a cheeky grin. “Any other questions?”

I glanced at the bouquet of lilies. “What’s with the flowers?”

He looked at the vase and then back at me.

“They’re your favorite, right? I just thought you might like them.

” His tone was casual, but I detected a note of hurt in his voice.

“I didn’t go by your apartment again, if that’s what you’re worried about.

We actually have an excellent plant nursery here with an attached florist. They didn’t have a huge lily selection, but I bought what they had. ”

It hadn’t even occurred to me to wonder if Laith went back to the apartment.

He was always so earnest, so genuine and open that it was easy to take him at his word.

So unlike Justin, who I always had to wonder if he was telling me the full truth about anything.

Who also never brought me flowers just to make me happy.

“I love them. They’re beautiful.” The relief was palpable on Laith’s face. “I didn’t think you went back to the apartment. They’re just unexpected. Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said easily before holding out his hands. “Here, I’ll show you where the shower is.”

With some effort, I swung my legs down to the side of the bed and placed my hands in his. I allowed him to pull me to my feet and quickly realized I could barely support my own weight. He didn’t yank me up hard and yet the momentum sent me crashing against his chest.

“Whoa, I’ve got you.” Laith held me upright, supporting my upper arms.

“I guess a shower’s a little ambitious.” Already I felt out of breath, my heart straining to distribute blood to all the necessary places. “Should’ve tried getting out of bed first.”

“Give it a minute,” Laith said. “Take it slow. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t shower today.”

Eventually, I could stand on my own but walking was a little more dicey. With every attempt, I only took a few steps before the world seemed to tilt from under me and I had to grab Laith for support. We’d barely crossed the bedroom before I was out of breath and trembling with effort.

“What the hell?” I wheezed. My forehead leaned against Laith’s chest because just standing took that much out of me.

“You were badly hurt. You’re still healing.” His arm was slung around my waist in an easy, casual hold that felt supportive and maybe even affectionate. Like he was built for me to lean on and be held by, and he was one-hundred percent on board with that.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” he asked after a few moments of my labored breathing. “We can try again after a nap.”

A nap sounded excellent but I needed to scrub that alley off of my skin. Maybe it was just psychological, but I felt like I couldn’t begin to distance the attack in my mind until every physical trace was gone from my body.

“Is that the bathroom?” I nodded at the door a few feet away.

“Yeah.”

If the nearest bathroom was halfway across the house, I might have rethought it. But an ensuite was doable.

“No, I want to keep going.”

I braced myself for an argument, for Laith insisting that I rest some more, and he wouldn’t have even been wrong.

But his fingers gently drummed on my waist and he said, “Ready to move when you are, Science Barbie.”

I took a few more breaths and made sure my feet were solid under me. “Let’s go, Vampire Ken.”

He barked out a laugh. “That’s great. I love it. When you’re better, we’ll get matching T-shirts.”

With slow, shuffling steps, and one hand on Laith’s arm, I made it to the wall. Using him and the wall for support, I made my way slowly over the threshold.

Laith flicked on the light, revealing a clean and somewhat bare bathroom with a small vanity, toilet, and a standing shower with a simple blue curtain.

“Take a rest and I’ll start the shower,” he said, helping me to the toilet.

“Clean bathroom and you even have the seat down.” I was already dizzy and out of breath by the time I lowered myself down to the closed lid.

He laughed and pushed the shower curtain aside to turn on the taps. “I’ve been single for a while but I’m not that terrible of a bachelor.”

“Why?”

“Well, I’m not a neat freak or anything but a clean bathroom’s essential. What’s the point of taking a shower when the rest of the room is all nasty?”

“No, I mean…” I started to laugh and had to catch my breath again. He was so damn…adorable. “Why have you been single for a while?”

“Oh.” He paused, looking away while he tested the water temperature with his fingers. “I don’t know. Just never met someone I was that interested in, I guess.”

“Sorry.” I rubbed my eyes until colored dots swam in my vision. “I don’t know why I asked that.”

“It’s okay. You can ask me anything you want.

” He tested the water again, then dropped his hand and stepped away.

“Water’s ready. All that stuff is yours.

” He pointed at the soap, shampoo, and conditioner in the shower wall cubbie, and then at the stack of towels and clothes neatly folded on the back of the toilet.

The room was already humid and warm, and I couldn’t wait to feel the hot water pelt my skin. I placed one hand on the vanity counter, preparing to stand up.

“Thank you, Laith.”

“Of course.” He started backing toward the door and hesitated. “Are you sure you’ll be okay to…”

I pushed down on the counter, using all my strength to propel myself up from the toilet lid, and immediately began to wobble.

“Easy.” Laith was there in an instant, holding me to soften the hard landing of my butt back on the toilet lid. “You’re good. I got you.”

“God damn it,” I groaned, dropping my forehead on his shoulder. “This is so annoying. I hate being helpless.”

“I know, Heather.” He rubbed my back in sympathy. “You’re so strong and capable. I know this is hard for you.”

There was no teasing and not an ounce of malice in his voice. It was almost a shock that he was being genuine and not making fun of me for being less coordinated than a toddler. But that was who he was.

I squeezed my eyes shut against the hot prick of frustrated tears. I had gotten so close. I could feel the water. I was sitting on the toilet for shit’s sake! But I had too much pride to ask Laith to carry me into the shower, even though I knew he’d do it without a second thought.

“It’s okay to accept help, you know,” he said gently, as if reading my thoughts. “It doesn’t make you weak.”

“You’re not helping me shower,” I said through clenched teeth. “I just…I can’t. I know you wouldn’t do anything, but I need privacy, okay? I need to be in here alone.”

Laith sighed and leaned back, leveling me with a hard look. “If I was confident you wouldn’t fall and crack your head on the tile, I’d be happy to leave you alone in here. But as you are right now Heather, I’m not confident in that at all.”

He angled his head toward the steaming water. “If you want this shower right now, you’re going to have to let me help you. So what’s it going to be?”