After Christian drove me home that night, my heart wouldn't settle.
Over the next month, Mercer Tech dove headfirst into a brutal cross-border acquisition. For 30 days straight, Christian and I worked around the clock, half the time still in the conference room past midnight. He was as sharp and ruthless as ever, and the pace left zero room for romance.
When the deal finally closed and Christian gave us two days off, all that exhaustion caught up with me at once. I came down sick—a nasty cold with a fever that wouldn't break. I lay in bed, barely conscious. Mom was out of town for an event, so Lucas took time off school to look after me.
"Your finals are coming up. What are you doing here?" I rasped.
"Stella, that fever's basically cooked your brain! I'd rather take care of you than tr
