The nights were the worst, sitting there, trying to calm him down as he shivered and muttered incomprehensibly under his breath, totally unaware of her presence.

On the evening of the third day she was so worried about him that she curled up at the bottom of his bed so that she could doze but still be aware of any change in him. She’d already resolved to call the doctor again in the morning if there was no change. She didn’t care how irritated he was with her. She wanted him to check Alex again. She was due back at work but there was no way she could go. Alex needed her.

‘Jenny—Jen…’ His hoarse voice woke her and she propped herself up on her elbows, muzzy-headed from sleep.

It was the first time he’d said her name since he’d become ill and she let out a sigh of relief.

He was better. He must be better.

She’d left a small light turned on so that she could see him in the night, and without thinking she crawled up the bed and touched her face to his cheek, noting that it was cooler.

‘Oh, thank goodness.’ She sank back on her heels, her slim shoulders sagging with relief. ‘You had me worried for a while there.’

Very worried.

‘I feel terrible.’ His jaw was darkened with three days’ worth of stubble and his hair was tousled but somehow he still managed to look dangerously handsome.

It occurred to her that for the past three days she hadn’t thought of him as a man but as someone who needed nursing.

Now that the worst had passed she realised with appalling clarity that he was very much a man and she was kneeling on his bed in front of him, wearing nothing more than a skimpy T-shirt that only just covered her bottom.

Hopefully he wouldn’t be able to see much in the dimly lit bedroom.

‘Of course you feel terrible. You’ve been really, really ill.’ She tried to slide away from him, scarlet with mortification, but long fingers curled around her wrist, preventing her escape.

‘Don’t go.’ His voice was scratchy and she glanced at him, feeling hideously self-conscious.

She was half-naked, for goodness’ sake!

‘I’ll just get some clothes on and I’ll be back.’ She tugged at her wrist again but his grip merely tightened.

‘You didn’t seem to care about what you were wearing when you thought I was asleep,’ he pointed out, and she flushed.

‘Well, of course I didn’t. I was worried about you. You’ve been very ill.’

His gaze was curiously intent. ‘And you looked after me.’ His dark brows came together as he obviously searched his mind for some memory of the past few days. ‘What the hell happened?’

He sounded so much like the old Alex that she smiled with relief, forgetting for a moment that she was still kneeling on the bed with his long fingers clamped round her wrist.

‘You caught flu, that’s what happened. And you caught it badly. I’ve had the doctor out twice. Your doctor hates me, by the way,’