Free Listed: Volume II by Noelle Adams

handed her, although they hurt as they went down her
throat.
    “I’m
going to sleep now,” she told him, rather raspily but with what she thought was
appropriate authority.
    “An
excellent plan.” He walked over and pulled the room-darkening curtains closed,
and it didn’t seem so terrible to keep her eyes open.
    But
she didn’t need to keep her eyes open now, so she closed them.
    *
* *
    The next time conscious
awareness pushed its painful way into her mind, her body hurt even worse. She
was so hot that, for a moment, it felt like she couldn’t breathe.
    She
pushed the covers off frantically and took several ragged gasps.
    “Emily?”
    The
voice grated on her nerves so she ignored it. She wasn’t even sure where it
came from. She tossed on the bed, kicking at the covers and trying to find a
cool spot on the sheet.
    She
was sweating, and her clothes were oppressive and confining. The ponytail was
poking into the back of her head, and her bra was wretchedly tight.
    Her
eyes were tightly closed, but she jerked when something touched her head. She
opened her eyes to discover what had touched her and gave a little sob because
the dim room seemed to blind her.
    She
saw Paul, still looking cool and handsome in his blue shirt, checking the
thermometer.
    She
sucked in more air and closed her eyes, wanting everything to just go away. Her
ponytail poked her so horribly that she reached up and yanked the elastic out
of her hair and threw the band blindly across the room.
    Then
she felt something deliciously cold and wet on her forehead. It moved slowly to
her cheeks and her neck. She sighed in relief as her face started to cool a
little.
    When
she opened her eyes again, it wasn’t quite so unbearable.
    “Do
you think you can get up and change clothes?” Paul asked, still wiping her face
with the cool, wet washcloth. “I think you’d feel better. I should have had you
change earlier.”
    Emily
wanted desperately to get out of her bra, and that was enough incentive to
heave herself into a sitting position.
    The
room whirled sickening at the change of position. For some reason, it made her
realize something else.
    “I
need to go to the bathroom,” she mumbled. She was horrified at the idea of
walking all the way across the room.
    Paul
nodded and put down the wet washcloth.  “Okay. I’ll help you get there.”
    Emily
hauled her legs over the side of the bed and sat for a minute, breathing deeply
and getting her balance. Then she let Paul help her up with an arm around her
waist, and she leaned on him as she hobbled across the room.
    His
body was so warm that it made her feel even hotter, but at least he was strong
and hard—good for leaning on. Her legs were working better by the time she got
to the bathroom, and she told him, “I’ll be all right in here. Can you find me
something cool to wear?” She gestured toward the packed luggage she’d intended
to take to Egypt.
    Paul
looked a little dubious about leaving her to her own devices, but she found
enough energy to close the door in his face.
    She
just wasn’t going to pee in front of Paul.
    After
she’d gone to the bathroom, she leaned on the sink as another wave of heat
flooded her body. She was sweating again, so she splashed cold water on her
face. It felt good, but she got her loose hair wet, and it clung to her skin in
an irritating way.
    Since
the ponytail in the back of her head had driven her crazy, she fumbled in her
makeup bag for two elastic bands and pulled her hair into two low, loose
ponytails, which would hopefully keep it off her neck but not poke her so
painfully in the head.
    She
caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realized she looked like an
eight-year-old, but she felt too bad to even care.
    There
was a tap on the door. “Can I come in?”
    “Yeah.”
Her voice was croaking again, and the effort she’d exerted caught up with her.
She closed the toilet and sat on it, afraid she might fall over.
    Paul
came in with her change of