PassionsPoison (14 page)

Zach kissed her hair. “Go to sleep, beautiful.”

She kissed his chest in response. What was it about this man
that left her with so little control of herself? If she wasn’t careful, she
could lose her heart to him, but to lose him would be devastating. Pushing the
scary idea away, she concentrated on her dream that Zach was immune and they
could have a happily ever after. Surely if she believed it enough, it could be
so.

Bea woke to the sound of Zach moaning. Her gut tensed as
dread filled her. She sat up to find he had kicked aside the blanket and lay
curled on his side away from her, clutching his abdomen.

“Zach? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. It feels like food poisoning. Are you okay?”

Guilt surged through her. “I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry I woke you. I’m in bad shape. You should go.” He
groaned again, his thigh muscles tensing against the pain.

Tears escaped unexpectedly. Bea swiped them away. Feeling
sorry for herself would not help Zach. “Do you have any of that pink stuff? It
might help flush your system.”

He pointed. “The bathroom. Under the sink.”

She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Finding the
bottle, she then brought it back to him. “I’ll get a spoon and some water.
You’ll probably need it.”

He didn’t move from his cramped fetal position.

She flew down the stairs as another tear wet her cheek.
Grabbing her blouse from the living room floor, she threw it on.

She found a spoon and snatched a bottle of water from the
fridge. This was all her fault. She should’ve had enough willpower to take
control of the sex last night. She knew this would happen. Damn. She couldn’t
trust herself around him.

Throwing her skirt over her shoulder, she sped back
upstairs.

Zach was in the same cramped position.

Opening the bottle, she spooned out the liquid. “Come on,
Zach, take some of this and I promise I’ll leave you alone.”

His lips quirked in a pathetic attempt at a grin. “Fair’s
fair, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that. Now open.”

His lips parted and she emptied the spoonful into his mouth.

“Ugh, that tastes like hell.”

She pushed his thick hair away from his face. His body was
hot, way too hot. “Here, have some cool water to wash it down.”

He grasped the bottle, spilling some onto the sheets before
finding his mouth. When he finished drinking, he would have dropped it on the
bed if she hadn’t caught it. Chewing the inside of her lip, she tried to think
of what she could do. Was this how all her ex-lovers reacted, or only Zach?

Her stomach tied itself in knots at his pain, pain she’d
caused. She didn’t want him hurt. What if he died?
Are you going to kill
him?
She shivered and rubbed her aching chest with her fist. She wouldn’t
let him die. She wouldn’t.

Setting the water beside the bed, she darted into the
bathroom and brought back a cold washcloth. She pressed it onto Zach’s
forehead. Within seconds the cloth heated. “Zach, I need to get you to a
hospital.”

He grabbed her wrist, though his grip was weak.
“No…hospital.”

His lack of strength scared her more than his moans. “But
you’re burning up. I don’t know what else to do.”

He croaked, “Call Josh.”

She could barely hear his voice, his breathing was so
labored. She leaned closer. “Who’s Josh?”

“Friend. Doctor. My cell phone.”

Bea looked frantically around the room for his phone. It had
to be with his jeans and they were downstairs. She dashed down to the living
room and spied his clothes lying on the floor. She grabbed them and found the
phone attached to his belt.

Hitting the contacts, the name “Josh” popped on to the
screen first. She dialed.

The bass voice startled her. “Hey, buddy, how is Mystery
Woman working out?”

“Uh, hello, is this Josh?” She could hear her own voice shaking.

There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Yeah, who
is this and why do you have Zach’s phone?”

Bea licked her lips, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Zach’s in rough shape. He won’t let me take him to the hospital. He said to
call you.”

“What’s wrong with him? A little too much to drink last
night?” She could almost hear the man grinning. Damn, this was serious.

“No, he’s burning up and cramping. His breathing is growing
rougher. He can’t even get out of bed. What should I do?”

“Damn, blasted stubborn ass. Listen, I’m on my way. It will
take me a good hour. Get some acetaminophen in him and water. And don’t leave
him, whoever you are.”

“Okay, but—”

He hung up.

Bea went to the fridge and grabbed more water. When she ran
back into Zach’s room, he was shaking, his face as pale as snow, and beads of
sweat dotted his forehead. She rushed to the bed. “Zach, Josh said to take
Tylenol.”

“Cold. Shut…window.”

Bea glanced at the closed window. Shaking her head, she
pulled the blanket over his shoulders and scurried into the bathroom again.
Rifling through the cabinets, she found Tylenol and soaked another washcloth
with cold water. She didn’t want to lose him when she had just found him, but
that was when she thought him immune to her. She had lied to herself and he
paid the price. She should be the one in pain instead of him. It was what she
deserved.

Back in his room, she sat on the bed. “Here, you have to
take this.”

He didn’t respond.

Setting the two Tylenol on the nightstand, she brought the
cold cloth to his forehead, but he shook her away. “Cold.”

Her throat tightened as her eyes filled. She wasn’t helping.

She tucked the blanket around his body as stubborn tears wet
her cheeks. Unsure what to do, she crawled on top of the blanket and put her
arms around him. She felt his body loosen. After an hour or so, his shivering
ceased and he slept.

Carefully, she moved off the bed and pulled on her skirt.
She tiptoed over to feel Zach’s forehead. Still too hot. Somehow she had to
force the pills into him.

A sound below stopped her reach.

She listened. Footsteps on the basement stairs echoed up to
her. Oh God, someone was in the house.

Glancing around the room, she searched for a weapon,
anything, a baseball bat, a heavy statue. Zach had to have something up here.
She opened the drawer in the nightstand…no gun.

The steps grew louder.

The intruder would be at the bedroom door any moment. Why
didn’t Zach have a gun mounted on a wall? Didn’t all log cabins have guns on
the walls? She dropped down to search beneath the bed. Aha. A rifle was
suspended from hooks beneath.

Heavy steps sounded at the top of the stairs.

The intruder was big by the sound of the creaking floor
beneath his weight. Grabbing the rifle from its rack, she stood in front of
Zach and lifted the gun. As a tall shadow fell across the doorframe, she tried
to calm her racing heart. Her sweaty palms weren’t helping, but she had to make
the intruder think she had control of the situation. Oh God, she didn’t even
know if there were any bullets in the damn gun.

A man appeared in the doorway.

Lurch from
The Addams Family
stood there. Her
pretended calm left her. “Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”

The man put his hands out in front of him as if he could
protect himself from a bullet. “No, wait, I’m Josh. Someone called me to help
Zach. Was it you?”

Bea sagged in relief and lowered the rifle, though her hands
still shook. “I’m sorry, I thought you were an intruder. How did you get in?”

Josh reached in his pocket and raised his keys. “I have a
key.”

“Oh.”

“Can I come in now?”

Bea moved away from the bed. “Please. He’s burning up. I
couldn’t get anything in him, but he was shivering with cold. Are you a
doctor?”

Josh nodded, but he had already begun to examine Zach. “I
can see you wore him out.”

Bea felt herself blush. If Josh knew his medicine, he’d also
know poison caused Zach’s current condition. She placed the rifle on Zach’s
dresser and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Josh took a
long time to explore Zach’s symptoms. She bit at the inside of her lip.

He looked at her. “Poison.”

Bea froze.

He turned back to Zach. “We need to get the poison out of
his system. Do you have any idea what he might have ingested?”

She shook her head. “We ate the same food.”

“Did you use any particular sex lube or flavored
enhancements?”

Bea wanted to sink into the fur rug at her feet, her face
growing as hot as Zach’s. “No. Nothing.”

Josh turned back to scrutinize her again. “I don’t know what
it was, but he needs to get rid of it, fast.”

Bea shook her head, ignoring the tears that coursed down her
cheeks. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t mean for him to
get sick.”

Josh’s eyebrows rose. “Well he is, and if you weren’t here
to call me, I’m not sure he could make it. I’m going to give him something to
make him vomit and set up a saline drip for his dehydration. It will be easier
to administer the drug for his fever. Will you stay and help me?”

She nodded, unable to bear the thought that Zach could be
seriously ill. What had she done? If she had just restrained herself. Stopped
him. Done
something
.

Josh removed his fingers from Zach’s neck. “Great. Then stay
here with him while I run to my car and grab what I need.”

She nodded again as Josh left the room, his lanky strides
covering the space in half the time it would take her. She went to the bed and
brushed Zach’s hair away from his forehead before taking his hand in hers. “I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please get better.” She kissed his fingers
and wiped away her tears. He would be all right. She had to believe that.

* * * * *

Bea sat in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea Josh insisted
she have. She’d called work and told them she was sick. Hopefully, no one would
go to her apartment to see her car wasn’t there. She never called in sick, but
she lived in a small town and she could imagine Sharon Larsen dropping by with
chicken soup.

Josh entered the kitchen. “He’s going to make it.”

She started at his voice. “Thank God.” Her relief made her
want to cry again, and it took all her effort not to fall off the stool as her
tightened muscles finally relaxed.

Josh opened the fridge and grabbed a beer.

A beer? Her face must have shown her surprise because he
shrugged.

“I need a drink after that. I don’t know what got into him,
but it was bad. You were right to call me.”

Bea looked into her tea as if she could find solace there.
“I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he told me to call you.”

She sensed Josh inspecting her. He sat on a stool next to
her. “So, are you Zach’s mystery woman?”

She faced him. Up close, he had a much nicer face than
Lurch. It had been his height that frightened her. That and the fact she
thought him an intruder. She offered her hand. “I’m Bea Rappaccini. I work at
the Lakeside Inn.”

He smiled and shook her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you. I
think he will wake up soon. Did you want to see him?”

She shook her head and stood. “No, I’d better go. Thank you
so much for helping Zach.”

Josh gave her a searching look. “I’ve known Zach since grade
school. I wouldn’t let anything hurt him if it was in my power to stop it.”

Bea gulped at the hint of a threat in the doctor’s words.
“I’m so glad he has you as a friend. Thank you for helping him.” On impulse she
leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then she rushed into the living room
to gather her purse.

Josh came around the kitchen wall and intercepted her at the
top of the basement stairs. “Did you want to leave him a message?”

She stopped. There was too much she wanted to say, but the
best words would be “goodbye”, and she just couldn’t do that. “Tell him…I’m
sorry.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, but Bea headed down the stairs.

She could have killed Zach. He deserved so much better.
Moving away from the house, she forced herself to place one foot in front of
the other, despite the growing ache in her chest. As she walked the path, she
couldn’t help glancing back at the second story one more time. She liked him
too much to be with him again. “Goodbye, Zach.”

* * * * *

Bea checked the clock for the fifth time in the last twenty
minutes. She couldn’t help it. Every minute past noon could mean Phillip had
changed his mind. She didn’t want to see him, especially today. After
witnessing Zach’s pain yesterday, she had been on the edge of vomiting herself.
Her stomach tightened again. She hadn’t been able to eat since she and Zach had
finished the pizza before hitting the hot tub the other night. Now she was
supposed to eat lunch? What was she thinking to meet with Philip?

The image of Zach curled on his side, groaning, had her
diving into her desk for an antacid. The knot in her stomach tightened to
unbearable and her eyes misted. She couldn’t see him again. She cared too much
to cause him that kind of pain. If only she had control when she was with him,
but for some reason, she got lost in how wonderful he made her feel. She wanted
to have all the crazy experiences Kayla had had, but with him. What a mess.

She glanced at the clock again and wished Kayla didn’t have
the day off. She could use a friend to talk to. She loved her mom and
grandmother, but despite their frank talks, she’d prefer someone closer to her
own age, and her boss’s quiet concern made her feel worse. Picking up her
phone, she punched in Zach’s number. At the first ring, she hung up. What was
she doing? She had to stay away from him. He might still be ill and with her
luck, Dr. Josh would answer.

Her gaze had wandered to the clock again when Gary, the
front desk worker, poked his head around the corner.

“Hey, Bea, there’s a guy out here asking for you.”

She swallowed. It must be Phillip. “Okay, I’ll be right
there.”

She should brush her hair and touch up her lipstick, but she
didn’t care how she appeared for him. The sooner she met him, the sooner she
could go back to work, or rather, the sooner she could go back to thinking
about Zach. Her productivity was nil.