Fever by Melissa Pearl Page A

tomorrow, but do you want to end your evening in my bed?”
    No.
    That was my first thought.
    No?
    What the hell was wrong with me?
    Pushing a grin over my lips, I nodded. “Of course.”
    “What would I do without you, Ella? I'm the luckiest guy on this earth.”
    Swallowing down my doubts, I relished the smile he shone me and rose from the table. How could I not want to be with a guy who said things like that to me?
    His fingers wove between mine and we walked out of the restaurant. David hailed a taxi quickly and pulled me into his arms, kissing my hair and squeezing me to him.
    He no doubt spent the taxi ride thinking about how sweet his life was, while I spent it trying to psych myself up for a sexual encounter that had my mind focused on one man and not three.

    *****

    “What's the matter?” David pushed back on his arms, peering down at me through the darkness.
    “What?” I rubbed my hands up his bare sides, knowing the answer, but never daring to say it.
    “You just didn't seem into it.”
    “I was.” Not really, because I spent most of that intimate tryst trying not to imagine someone else inside me; a faceless man with a voice that did me in. “I'm sorry, I just feel a little off. My tummy is...”
    David let out a sigh. “The wheat thing again?”
    “Yeah, I think so.” It was actually starting to hurt, and I had a sinking feeling the next day was going to suck.
    David slipped out of me, rolling onto his back and resting his arm on his forehead. “I thought you chose carefully. You need to ask and stop assuming that what you order will be gluten -free.”
    There was an edge of annoyance in his softly-spoken words. I couldn't help wondering if it was more to do with the fact we hadn't just repeated our passionate encounter from this morning or the fact I hadn’t been more careful with my menu choice.
    “I'm sorry. I didn't see anything in my meal that could have had wheat...unless the fish was coated in flour or something,” I mumbled. Damn it. It would have been that.
    My stomach constricted in protest, confirming my suspicions.
    I tried not to hunch over. David really hated it when I was careless on the wheat thing. Being a celiac was so annoying, and I tried really hard to never let it affect anyone around me.
    In spite of his annoyance, his hand softly skimmed my belly. “You need to be more careful. I should have made you ask when you ordered.”
    “I'll try to be more assertive next time.”
    He flashed me an adoring grin and kissed my forehead before flopping back down beside me. “Ella Simmons. Assertive.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Those words don't go together, baby.”
    His laughter was sweet and teasing, but it still pissed me off. I hated my timidity. I wanted to be more assertive; I just didn't know how. I think David liked stepping up and playing hero, so he was more than happy to keep me as his quiet, mousy girl.
    If truth be told, I preferred it that way, but for the first time ever I had to question if it was actually good for me.
    I sat up, reaching for my underwear. “I'm pretty tired from last night. Maybe I should go.”
    “What'd you do last night?” David propped himself up on his elbow.
    “I went out with Morgan and Brad. Well, I met them at Quigg's, anyway.”
    “Quigg's?” David flicked on the lamp. A dimple scored his cheek as he grinned at me, a little confused. “But Cole told me Chaos was playing there last night.”
    “Yeah, that's why Morgan invited me.”
    “But...” David snickered. “We hate loud bands like that.”
    I reached for my shirt, keeping my eyes downcast as I buttoned it up. “I don't mind them...sometimes. They were really good.” Glancing up, I straightened my shirt and tried not to let David's look bother me. “What? You listen to techno. That can be loud.”
    “Yeah, but only in the car. I’d never go to a concert.”
    “This wasn’t a concert. It was just a band playing in a bar.” I huffed. “ Am I not allowed to