"I wouldn't dream of it," I said, holding up my hands in surrender.
"So, are there any other allergies I need to be aware of?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at me.
"Don't think so. Truthfully, I don't give the cashew one much thought. It's not like it's a common ingredient in anything. It was just rotten luck that the restaurant decided to use cashews for a topping. I usually carry a spare EpiPen, but I haven't had a reaction in years. You know, I could blame you," I teased.
"Me?" she asked, sounding shocked by my accusation.
"Hell yeah. If you weren't seducing me in the middle of the restaurant, I would have paid more attention to what I was putting in my mouth."
"Surely someone of your experience would know what to put in your mouth," she said saucily.
Her not-so-subtle innuendo rekindled my arousal from earlier. I had to adjust the blanket across my lap to hide the evidence. "Honey, normally it's not a problem," I said, only to choke slightly on my vocal chords that still weren't cooperating.
She laughed while I stuttered over a cough. "I think you'll have to save your flirting for another day, hot stuff," she said, gently pushing my shoulders until I was lying back against the hospital bed that was slightly inclined. Still coughing, I nodded my head in defeat. Tonight, I was barely any talk with definitely no action. I would have been highly disappointed at the way the night had gone if I didn't have the mental picture of the appetizer at her house to fall back on.
Ashton stayed with me during the few hours it took to get me into a room. We continued to skirt away from the tougher subjects and instead talked about the things we loved. It didn't surprise me in the slightest that Ashton was bright and intuitive on most subjects. Her insights into pop culture were a nice change from the boring conversations I was used to. It was refreshing to talk about our taste in music, books and movies. As luck would have it though, the medicine they were pumping through me began to take effect and my eyelids grew heavy. I only meant to close them for a second, but it was like they'd been super-glued down. I felt Ashton pulling the covers over me and I would have thanked her, but the meds and a sudden headache pulled me under. I thought I felt her hand graze the planes of my chest, then trickle down my stomach. Maybe it was just the meds, or I could have been dreaming, but either way, I liked it. One thing was clear: Ashton was nothing like I expected. How was I going to get her out of my system when everything about her seemed to pull me in?
Chapter 11: Anticipating the deed
Ashton
Despite the fact that he had fallen asleep, I stayed with Nathan as promised until they moved him to his room. Only once he was out did I allow myself to dwell on how scared I had been, thinking he was going to die. We'd known each less than four days and really knew nothing about each other, yet I was worrying about him like we had been lovers for a lifetime. It was insanity to feel anything other than lust for someone I hardly knew, but everything about him enticed me, tricking me into believing in what-ifs. We weren't supposed to have any feelings or strings attached, but here I was. I knew without a shadow of a doubt I was setting myself up. The wisest thing I could do would be to catch a cab and never look back. No harm, no foul. Foolishly, I did neither.
The drive back to my cottage passed quickly as I attempted to sort through and categorize my feelings. By the time I returned home I realized my mixed-up emotions were an accumulation of stress and anxiety from his allergic reaction. Sure, I liked him, but he was still just an item on my list. I had to stick to our deal, and as long as he could keep his word, we could have our fun and then go our separate ways.
***
The chirping of a new text on my phone woke me the next morning.
I smiled when I read the text message from Tressa.
"Give me all the deets Ho."
"Can't. It would take forever to type all the deets."
"OMG you dirty Ho. Too many deets? I think I need to take a cold shower."
"Don't be a perv." I typed, laughing.
"Takes one to know one. Now dish the juicy deets."
"Can't I have to run an errand. I'll call you later after I get off work."
I was anxious to go, and hurried off to the bathroom to get ready. I wanted to convince myself that my nervous energy was just because I had to hurry and pick him up and get back in time for work, but the truth is I wanted to see him again. The magnetic pull we seemed to have taunted me with its insistence. Thoughts of the kiss we had shared the night before flashed through my head as I showered. How good it felt to have his hands on me with his body flush against mine. The desire flowing through me was overwhelming as I allowed my fantasy to continue. My hands followed the path of the warm water cascading down the curves of my body. I felt myself swaying as I imagined Nathan's tongue on my skin. "Okay, I don't have time for this," I said aloud, snapping myself back to reality. I switched the water to the coldest setting to clear my head and finished my shower. The bathroom felt chilly as I wrapped the towel around me and hurried to my room to dress.
Ten minutes later, I was backing Nathan's SUV out of my driveway, headed for the hospital. While I sat at a traffic light about five miles from the hospital, curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn't help snooping around his vehicle. The middle console held nothing but loose change and a container of orange Tic Tacs, which I found cute. The light changed before I could further my search. Only when I was parked in the visitor lot at the hospital was I able to continue snooping. I was a bit disappointed when the glove compartment yielded nothing but an insurance card, registration and a vehicle owner's manual. I don't know what I was hoping to find. Maybe a picture or something that would give me insight into his life.
I began to feel guilty about looking through his stuff, especially considering I had set the rules for our relationship. Deciding to give it a rest, I climbed from the vehicle and headed toward the entrance of the hospital. Nathan's room was up on the third floor. When I reached his room, I paused outside his door when I heard him talking.
"It was a dead end," I heard him say. I realized the silence that followed his comment meant he was on the phone. Feeling intrusive, I started to back away when his next comment stopped me in his tracks.
"It could take several weeks. I'll backtrack to see if I can catch what I missed."
Several more moments of silence followed before he harshly responded again. "You can certainly do that. I don't see them yielding any different results, but it's your money."
More silence.
"I think that's a wise decision. I'll call you in a few weeks when I have something solid to report," Nathan said.