“Samantha!” Nick said, waving his hand in front of her face. She jumped at the use of her full name and shook her thoughts from her head.
“What?” She said trying to recover. Nick placed Ava down gently on her feet and rose to his full height. He lifted her chin with the tip of his finger and stared at her. The sun was beating down on his tanned body. He had on a white wife beater tank top that showcased every ridge of his muscular arms and shoulders. There was the slightest hint of sweat on his brow and he squinted as he studied her face.
“You okay?” He asked. Just the way he looked at her had her body temperature rising.
“I’m fine.” She put her poker face on and shoved one of the oversized stuffed animals into his chest. “It’s your turn to carry one of these monstrosities.” A moan escaped the back of her throat and she cringed when she realized it was just as audible to him as it had been to her. His chest was solid as a rock, and she yearned to run her fingers along it. He smiled slightly and threw one of his arms around her shoulders, tucking her snugly against his body.
“Why don’t we go on a few more rides, before we head back to the hotel and grab something for dinner?” He said, as his fingertips moved in a circular motion around her bare shoulder. One simple touch sent tingles straight down to her core. Ava looked up at them, still hugging the unicorn that was almost as big as she.
“Can we go on the Crazy Mouse again? Please? Pretty Please!!” She begged and looked up at the two adult’s doe-eyed. Sam nudged her hip against Nick’s, hoping she was affecting him the same way he was affecting her.
“I don’t know, Nick, what do you say?” She bit her lip as he dropped his hand from her shoulder. She shouldn’t have cared, but she couldn’t help feeling the loss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, taking her by surprise and leaned his chin on her shoulder, where his hand had been. He squeezed her slightly and smiled down at Ava.
“Let’s do it!” He said, and she shivered in his arms, his breath grazing her shoulder. She watched Ava dance around them happily before Nick released Sam and took one of Ava’s hands in his. She stood there as if her feet were tied to cinder blocks. Nick walked hand in hand with Ava a few steps ahead of her. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, cocking one of his brows at her. “Are you coming, Samantha?”
If she wasn’t completely unraveled by his nonchalant touches, the use of her full name was enough to take her over the edge. When he winked at her and grinned at her knowingly. She grimaced, so maybe she wasn’t immune to Nick Foti, at least not as much as she thought.
Luke was resting his eyes, in the darkness of his hospital room. They had extracted his bone marrow a while ago, and he was very weak and extremely tired. A knock sounded from his door, and when he opened his eyes, his mother poked her head inside of the room.
“Luke, are you awake?” She asked softly.
He tried to sit up, but all he managed was to lift his head slightly off his pillow. “Is it over?” He whispered hoarsely.
Deb stepped into the room and made her way to the foot of her eldest son’s bed. Her face was drained but she managed a smile. “Just about, he’s still hooked up to the machines, but your blood is being pumped through him.”
Jake closed his eyes and nodded slightly. “Good. That’s good.” He let out a heavy breath.
“How are you feeling?” Deb asked him as she moved to the side of his bed. “Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?”
“I’m fine, I’m just tired.”
“You look very pale, but Leah said that was to be expected.” She eyed the IV that dripped nutrients into his veins. “I’ll let you rest. I just wanted to check on you.”
“Stop worrying about me. I’m going to be fine.” He smiled slightly. “So is Jake.”
Deb leaned down and kissed his cheek softly. “Thanks to you.” It was all Luke needed to hear, before he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.
Nick cranked his neck from side to side, working out the tension in his muscles. He lifted his tank top, and discarded it fluidly with one hand. He leaned back, once his chest was bare, and cracked his back, he wondered if he could persuade Sam, to give him a back rub. He laughed out loud, that was definitely a stretch. They had, had a great day, but asking her to give him a massage was pushing it. He had chipped away at some of the ice, but hadn’t completely melted the ice queen.
He glanced over at the bedroom door, and pondered if she would join him for a little while. She was tucking Ava in for the night, and he hoped she hadn’t decided to tuck herself away too. His phone rang from inside his pocket. It was probably Luke with an update on the transplant. They hadn’t heard anything, except from a text Sam, had received from her mom, saying it went well. He reached for his phone without even glancing at the caller ID.
“Hello?” He said, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder.