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So yeah, he was going all beastly Dom on her ass

Frustrated, he turned the door handle Locked But the door snicked open because it hadn’t been fully latched That wasn’t good Ainsley was vigilant about locking the door

Ben stepped inside

The cats stared at him from the end of the hallway

"Ainsley?"

No answer

He scanned the living roo with her coat Her car keys and cell phone were on the side table

He peeked in the kitchen, no sign of her He headed down the short hallway When he flipped on the lights in her bedroom, he noticed the sheets were twisted, the quilt thrown back, pillows scattered across the floor

His heart da her curled up on the bathroom floor "Shit" He crouched beside her body and found her pulse in her neck, thank God "Ainsley?" Ben placed his hand on her forehead "Baby You’re burning up"

"Ben?"

"I’ency rooo" She tried to roll away

He held her still and tamped down his fear "Then what should I do?"

She rabbed Ainsley’s cell and scrolled until he found Joely’s number He dropped to his knees beside her on the tile as he hit Send

The doc picked up on the second ring "Doc? It’s Ben McKay"

"Ben Why are you on Ainsley’s phone?"

"I stopped to see her and found her layin’ on the floor in the bathroo me out because she was fine yesterday" His words caun fast

"Cal up?"

"There’s none on the floor or in her hair or anything"

"Can you ask her?"

"She’s pretty out of it"

"Put me on speaker"

Ben poked the button and held the phone lower "You’re on"

"Ainsley, it’s Joely Monroe Ben says you’re sick Have you been vo?"

"No" She shuddered and Ben’s stomach roiled He smoothed her da sick?"

"Right after I went to work thisI couldn’t stay so I came home"

"Tell me your symptoms"

"Hot Cold Chills Headache Body aches Sore throat"

"She sneezed a lot last night," Ben inserted

"Have you taken meds for any of the synosis She has the flu Probably the twenty-four-hour variety Hopefully it already hit its peak"

"Do I need to take her to the ER?"

"Not unless she gets ht now, she needs to take two Tylenol and in another hour, two Motrin That should drop her fever If she’s awake, make her drink lots of water, but don’t wake her to drink Put cool cloths on her face That’ll at least give her the impression of coolness until her fever breaks" A pause "You are able to stay with her tonight, Ben, or is there someone else she can call?"

He te her, to a cal" He was freaked the fuck out He’d never taken care of a sick person before in his life Sick calves? No proble," the doc said "But I’ll warn you: it’s highly contagious You should expect to get sick"

"I never get sick," he scoffed at the dial tone

Ben tried to et you into your own bed"

"It’s too hot in there"

"It’s cooler I promise Let me help you up" Ben practically carried Ainsley to her room "Sit on the bed"

"You’re always so bossy"

"Part of bein’ a Dom"

"Well, you’re not e to snap, The fuck I’m not your Dom He breathed slowly and deeply, completely out of his element on so many levels "First you need to s your meds"

Ainsley screwed up her face

"They’ll make you feel better"

Once she’d choked down the pills, she stretched out on the mattress

"Close your eyes" He placed a cool washcloth on her forehead