Page 68 of Hollywood

I glanced over my shoulder. “Oh yeah? What sort of tricks would those be?”

He smirked. “I think you know.”

My ass clenched. Oh yeah. I knew. The thought of Tex pushing deep into my body was almost enough to get me hard again. But I was too spent. The man was insatiable.

“Hold that thought…until tomorrow night, at least.”

He laughed as I shuffled out of the bedroom. I went to the kitchen and filled a glass with tap water. I drankdeeply, washing the taste of cum from my mouth, then refilled it for Tex.

Ruby cried out. Nothing intelligible like last night. Just unhappy noises. I went to her doorway. She was still sleeping, but restlessly. I set the water on the dresser and went over to check her. She was sweaty, her face scrunched up. She whimpered and rolled onto one side, then the other.

I smoothed back her hair. Her forehead was warm. Too warm.

My heart lurched. “Ruby, honey? You okay?”

She shoved the corner of her blanket into her mouth, chewing on it while she cried, eyes still shut. Something wasn’t right.

I turned and rushed down the hall. Tex emerged from his bedroom in a pair of sweats, exposing his strong chest with its mat of brown hair.

“You pumping water out of the well or something?” he teased.

“It’s Ruby,” I said, some of my anxiety leaking into my voice.

His eyes sharpened. “What’s wrong?”

“I think she’s sick or something. I don’t know. She’s fussy and restless and she feels too warm.”

“Okay,” he said, approaching me. “It’s okay. Don’t panic.”

“I don’t know what to do. Should we take her to the ER? It’s too early for the urgent care clinic.”

“Do you have a thermometer?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure where.” I racked my brain, trying to remember where it had gone after the move. I didn’t remember seeing it, which might mean that Joyride had unpacked whichever box it was in. “I can check the bathroom.”

“Okay, go do that. I’ll go take a look at her, just to see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

“Thank you, Tex. I don’t know how I’d do this without you.”

“And now you don’t ever have to find out.” He placed a light kiss on my lips.

I went into the bathroom and opened drawers, pawing through flossers, spare razors, Q-tips, and other odds and ends. No sign of a dang thermometer, though.

I yanked open the medicine cabinet above the sink. Bottles of Tylenol, Tums, vitamins, and cough medicine sat in neat rows. A tube of toothpaste was on the bottom, tilted forward a bit. I straightened it, and a plastic thermometer tumbled out from behind it.

“Finally!” I grabbed it up and headed for Ruby’s room.

Tex was holding Ruby, jiggling her gently as he paced the room, speaking softly. The glass on the dresser was empty, so at least he’d gotten the drink he needed.

“I found the thermometer.”

He nodded. “Okay. I can tell she has a low fever at least, just from touch.”

I handed him the thermometer, and he tucked it into her armpit.

“You don’t put it in her mouth?”

He shook his head. “She would probably spit it out. This will give us an okay reading. My sister does it all the time with her littlest ones.”