Always Only You by Chloe Liese (z-lib.org).epub

Snatching a towel from nearby, he drags it down his face and chest, then turns
and faces me. I startle when I get a look at him. His eyes are glassy, his cheeks
pink. Stepping closer, I feel his forehead, before he quickly pulls away.
“You look like shit.” I put the pieces together. “That’s why you’re shirtless.
You’re hot with a fever.”
Ren glances over my shoulder at the other guys. I realize too late I wasn’t
discreet when I should have been. Another something I’m not stellar at: sensing
during conversation when I should be subtle and hush-hush.
“I’m fine,” he says quietly.
“You’re not.” When I reach for him again, he backs away.
“If I’m not, you shouldn’t be touching me. I could get you sick.”
“You won’t get me sick.” Concern knots my stomach. I want to cover him in
cold washcloths, ply him with popsicles, and shove his ass into a hotel bed.
“Your meds, Frankie. They weaken your immune system.”
“How do you know that?”
He blinks away. “I-it’s common knowledge.”
“No, it’s not.”
Ren shifts his weight and folds his arms. “Frankie. My dad’s a doctor. My
older sister’s a physical therapist. One of my brothers is pre-med. I have to sit at
family dinners and listen to them nerd out on anatomy and the latest therapies
and pharmacopeia. I know that most RA treatments work by suppressing the
immune system, meaning you can get sick easily.”
I stare at him, feeling my heart do a backflip in my chest again. Just like the
other night when he gave me the shirt.
“Returning to my point.” Ren clears his throat and gives me a stern look.
“You need to stay back. It’s bad enough that we were already in a plane
together, you breathing my germs in that godawful recycled air—”
“I’m okay,” I tell him. “I take the world’s largest handful of vitamins every
morning. I’m an obsessive hand-washer. I’ll be fine. But you. You look like shit
warmed up. Tell Coach you’re out.”
He laughs dryly, moving even further away and lowering his voice. “You’re
funny. I’m not out. Give me six to ten feet, Frankie. I’m serious. If I get you
sick, I’m going to get cranky.”
“That’s not a disincentive, Bergman. I’d pay a lot to see you get cranky.”
He narrows those cat eyes at me.
“Fine,” I mutter. “But I’m going to sic Howard on you afterward.” Dr. Amy
Howard is our head physician, who travels with us. She is zero bullshit, and I
love her. If she decides Ren’s sick, she’ll have no problem benching his ass the
next game.