Page 18 of Heat Transfer
“Want me to drive you?” I asked, the words leaping to my lips before I thought about them. “I don’t have anything else scheduled for today.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Cor murmured, even though that wasn’t a no.
I slid my hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to. If you feel the need to do anything, you can buy me dinner after.”
“Absolutely.”
I tugged him toward my car, our hands still intertwined. His was massive compared to mine, like everything about him, but he allowed me to lead. Having this big guy let me take the reins empowered me in a way I’d rarely faced. The trust he gave me was something else. I reluctantly let go of his hand and unlocked my car, and we piled in. Cormac had to hunch in my little Toyota.
I placed my hand on his thigh. “Let’s go check on your dad.”
Chapter seven
Cormac
Ollie had said it wasn’t serious.
That was the sole thing I clung to as we drove to Chester County Hospital, which was the closest to his job site. Of course our family text chain had already blown up. Rory wasn’t at work yet, so he would swing over, and Declan and Aislin would be coming a little later.
The car bubbled with tension, mostly from me. Felix had put on some pop punk, which oddly enough soothed me. Or maybe it was just him. The way he’d swept in and offered to join me meant more than he could know. I was already in too deep when it came to Felix, and ever since he’d brought up fake dating for the gala, that sickening hope had cranked up the volume. The touches, the looks that I could almost imagine were heated, and how he teased—all of those had my heart longing for something I had no shot in hell with.
The sign for Chester County Hospital came into view, and Felix turned into the guest parking. Ollie had texted me the room number. I ran my fingers through my hair. Maybe I shouldn’t have come with Felix. Everyone in the family would grill us, and the last thing Mom and Dad had heard was that we were dating.
“He’s going to be fine.” Felix turned off the ignition. “I’ve spent many a time at this hospital, and he’s in good hands.”
My brows drew together. “Super accident prone as a kid?”
He shook his head, softness in his eyes. My heart picked up speed. “Nah, issues with seizures. I can keep my situation mostly under control with my medication, but they still slip in once in a while.”
“That must’ve sucked.”
Felix shrugged, but he didn’t fool me. From the slight downturn of his lips, it was clear they’d affected him. “Honestly, the only thing that still bothers me is my family treating me like glass. Like I might fall over at the faintest whisper.”
“Well, you are pretty breakable,” I teased. “That why you’re making me take all the hits during sword fighting practice?”
“Stop stalling,” Felix said, but his eyes sparkled once more. I’d take the win. “Your dad’s on the third floor, right?”
“Yeah,” I said, cracking the door open. “We’d better get up there.”
The trek into Chester County was quick and quiet, the blaring fluorescents and sterile off-white halls not inspiring much chatter. Plus, the closer I got, the more potential issues brewed around in my mind. Dad wasn’t young, so even something simple might have significant consequences. I glanced at my phone again, but the family chat hadn’t been updated, apart from Rory sending a million messages about how annoying traffic was. Fucker would get into an accident himself.
We strode through the sliding glass doors and walked past the front desk.
“You didn’t have to come with me,” I said, even though I was grateful for the company. For some reason, this didn’t feel as heavy with Felix by my side, a fact that burrowed in my brain a little too deeply.
“Maybe I wanted to see my old friends at the hospital.” Felix sniffed. His light and easy tone settled something in me. “I was a celebrity here with the number of times I visited.”
My chest squeezed tight at the idea of him going through that many seizures as a kid, but I’d caught the drift that pity wouldn’t land well. “Ah, so you’re saying if you’re with me, we’ll get the star treatment for my dad.”
Felix shrugged, though his eyes still twinkled. “I haven’t been in a while. My star power’s probably faded by now.”
We headed up the steps, scaling them until we passed the first and second floors to reach the third. My nerves started crackling a bit, and as we walked down the corridor, my hand accidentally bumped against Felix’s.
He flashed me a smile, his teeth white against his sepia skin, and slipped his hand in mine. The pressure lifted off my shoulders, and electricity zapped through my veins. The casual way he held my hand without a second thought, fuck, it was so heady.
And it made me fall a little more for him.
The room numbers ticked down, each one bringing us closer to Dad’s, but I didn’t even wonder which was his. The second Ollie’s big, booming laugh echoed, I knew where they were. The sound undid the remainder of my nerves because if Dad was in serious condition, Ollie wouldn’t be laughing like that.