by Amiee Louise
I see Sam pacing the floor with his hands in his hair. He has a deep-set frown line forming on his forehead.
“Where is she? No, I won’t bloody well calm down! You have to tell me where she is!”
His voice is thick with worry. I can see the tension radiating from him as the muscles in his arms and back bunch and tense. He turns around, and his green eyes lock with my blue ones, lacking their usual sparkle. He is in front of me in two large strides, scooping me up in his arms and squeezing me as gently as he can manage. I can feel him trembling against me, and he lets out a breath.
“Thank Christ you’re all right, angel, I think I died a million and one deaths not knowing where you were. Where’s Skip?”
I suppress my smirk at this completely new, possessive, protective side of Sam.
“Hey, I’m OK, I was taking a shower. Skip—I sent him home, he looked bored,” I say nonchalantly. Sam’s jaw tenses and he frowns.
“He is there to protect you, angel, it’s his fucking job, and it’s what we pay him for.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Sam, if the person responsible was going to finish the job, don’t you think they would have done it by now? It was probably some jealous fan or one of your legions of scorned women.”
He winces at the last phrase. Low blow, Harper.
“So far I haven’t seen any bunnies boiling in pots, no horse’s heads have magically appeared in my bed, and there’s definitely been no crazed lunatic hovering over my bed ready to hold a pillow over my face. So, you need to relax and stop bloody worrying so much, baby. Please, you’ll make yourself ill.”
Sam narrows his eyes. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously? This isn’t funny, Peyton, your safety is my number one priority right now, and I need to make sure you’re safe. What if I’m not here? What if I can’t get to you in time? Jesus, it doesn’t bear fucking thinking about.” He drags his hands through his hair and squeezes his eyes shut as if to calm himself. “Please let me call Skip.”
I sigh and lean heavily on my crutch. I reluctantly agree, “OK, if it makes you feel better, but I don’t like being guarded, Sam, it’s not necessary. I’m a big girl, I can look after myself.”
His mouth forms a straight line, and I know he is keeping his mouth shut. He towers over me and lifts my chin until I look up at him. He looks older, tired, and has a few days’ worth of stubble on his face. I reach up to stroke his face.
“Baby, when was the last time you slept properly?”
He lets out a deep breath, and he looks truly exhausted. “The night you came to mine, and you cooked me breakfast.”
We both smile at the memory.
“Sam, honey, go home and get some rest, please.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not going anywhere, angel.”
He carries me back to my hospital room. I settle back into the hospital bed, glad that I could stretch my legs and freshen up. I feel so much better and almost human again. Sam takes his place next to the bed, and his mobile starts ringing. He rolls his eyes and sighs.
“I’m sorry, I need to take this, babe. I’ll be right back.”
He kisses me gently on the lips and leaves the room. A few minutes later, the door opens again, and I am surprised to see my mum, dad, Dexter, and Eden. My mum rushes in with a look of pure worry on her beautiful face.
“Peyton, darling, thank the Lord you’re all right.” She hugs me tightly.
“Mum, I’m fine. Ouch, you’re hurting me.”
She pulls away and cups my face in both of her hands.
“Look at the state of you, Peyton, my beautiful girl, you’re clearly not fine. When you’re well enough, you’re coming back to Brighton with us, so we can take care of you properly.”
My dad brushes her arm. “Let’s not be too hasty, love, she is a big girl. Peyton can make up her own mind.”
My dad hugs me and kisses me on the forehead. “We’ve been so worried, sweetheart.”
I smile, and it takes everything I have not to cry again. “I’m sorry.”
Mum sits down on the chair next to my bed and takes my hand in hers.
“This isn’t your fault, darling, it was just a silly accident, it could have happened to anyone.”
I keep my mouth shut, because this definitely wasn’t an accident.
“We’re just glad you’re OK, we were out of our minds with worry. Sam called us when it happened; we’ve been popping in and out. We’re staying at Sam’s apartment, it’s very swish.”
Mum chuckles. Why has Sam not mentioned any of this to me before? I have a right to know that my parents are staying with him. I’m actually infuriated with him right now. Dexter moves closer to my bed and hugs me.
“I’m so glad you’re all right, sis, you scared the shit out of all of us!”
“Thanks, Dex.”
Eden is in the far corner of the room biting her nails and rolling her eyes profusely. She is, as ever, dressed immaculately in a dark grey playsuit, black tights, red heels, and a red skinny belt. She has her signature red lipstick on, and her hair is tumbling down her shoulders in chocolate waves. I narrow my eyes at her.
“That will teach her not to drive around in an ancient rust bucket. I bet she loves the attention of being in here. Sam pandering to her every need like the pathetic sap he is,” she says with disdain. Dexter turns around and looks straight at Eden.
“If you’re going to upset our sister then I suggest you just go, Eden, I’ve got no idea why you’re even here.”
My dad leans in toward Dexter and whispers some words of reassurance. He looks exasperated, runs his hands through his hair, and puffs out his cheeks.
“This is fucking bullshit!” he shouts and leaves the room, closely followed by my dad. I have never seen Dexter angry before. Eden smiles slyly, and I look at her.
“I don’t want you anywhere near me, Eden. Just go; you crossed the line when you tried to kiss my boyfriend.”
She rolls her eyes again. “You’re not still banging on about that are you, Peyton? Get over it, I have. He wasn’t even that good.”
I clench my fist until my knuckles turn white, and I know I am about to lose it with her.
“Just go,” I shout coldly.
“Not as good as Callum, though.”
My eyes widen in shock. What the fuck does Callum have to do with this?
“That shut you up, didn’t it, sis? Callum and I slept together; it’s been going on for a long time, even way before he left you.”
My mouth forms an O shape, and I can’t get my head around what I have just heard. It must have been her voice I heard when Callum called me last week.
“Eden, love, I think you should leave now,” my mum steps in.
“Why does she always have to get her own way all the time, Mum? She has always been the golden girl. I’ll always be the black sheep of the family.”
I roll my eyes. Here we go, typical Eden.
“Me and Callum are in love.”
Her voice sounds petulant. My heart drops, and my stomach lurches. I think I’m going to throw up, and I reach over for the cardboard bowl next to my bed. Sam comes in; his face contorts when he sees my glazed eyes and dry heaves over the bowl.
“What’s going on, angel?”
I shake my head. “Get her out of here, Sam, please, I don’t want her here.”
He looks confused, but nods. He escorts Eden out of the room, and I hear her high-pitched shrieking at Sam. I swing my legs out of the bed, wincing as my ribs protest in pain, and my mum is by my side in seconds. I hold onto my mum’s hand, and I sob. Wracking, gut-wrenching sobs. I don’t know if it’s because of the revelation of Callum and Eden, the fact that my mum and dad are here, or being in here is overwhelming me. My mum holds me tightly.
“It’s all right, my beautiful girl.”
Sam comes back into the room. “Is everything all right, Sophia?”
My mum nods. She rubs my back soothingly, and my sobs calm instantly. She kisses the top of my head.
/> “I hate seeing you like this, darling; please let your dad and I take you home.”
I look up at her and sniff, trying to compose myself.
“I can’t, Mum; I’m the manager of the shop now. I’ve got responsibilities.”
She smiles brightly. “That’s fantastic news, sweetheart. Why didn’t you call and tell us sooner?”
“I’ve been so busy at work; it’s been nonstop for the past few weeks.”
She kisses me again and pulls away. “I’m going to see if I can get a decent cup of tea around here. We’ll leave you and Sam to it.”
She gets up and leaves the room. Sam crouches down in front of me, his frown line jumping in place.
“Do you want to tell me what’s happened, angel?”
I look at him then I remember I’m mad at him. I get up from the bed and limp over to grab my crutch. Ignoring my body’s protests and ignoring him as I head for the door.
“Baby, talk to me.”
I hold my finger up.
“Just don’t,” I spit angrily.
“Are you mad at me?”
He sounds hurt, and I look at him.
“Furious,” I say coldly. “Number one, why didn’t you tell me that my parents were staying with you? Don’t you think I had a right to know? The nurse also told me that your dad has been here. Why would he come here? As for Skip guarding my room, what do you know, Sam? You’re keeping something from me.”
He stops me from leaving the room and backs me up into the door. He is so close I can feel his breath on my cheek and his scent intoxicating me. He puts his hands on either side of my head, effectively trapping me. His green eyes lock onto mine, and I can’t look away. How can I go from seething mad to oddly horny within a few minutes? Damn you, Newbolt!
“I didn’t know your parents staying at my place would be an issue, it was either that or let them find a hotel. I have four other bedrooms that aren’t currently in use, so why not? What’s the problem?” I go to speak, but he stops me. “As for my dad, he knows how much I love you, so he wanted to check you were OK. You’re with me, so you’re technically family. As it happens, he wanted you moved to a private hospital, but it was touch and go we didn’t know if you were going to make it through the night. I was in pieces, Peyton, you have no idea how close I was to losing you. It almost killed me.”
I can see his heartbeat jumping through his white skull t-shirt and his eyes glaze over at the thought. Even upset, he still looks impossibly handsome.
“Jax and Cole found me in my apartment snorting coke and drowning my sorrows at the bottom of a vodka bottle. So they locked me in my bathroom for a while. You have to understand I was an absolute fucking mess. I was literally losing my mind. That’s how much I love you. You don’t get it, people throw the word love around like it’s just a word, but they don’t get it. If this has taught me anything, it’s that the future is never set in stone. But I know one million percent that I want a future with you.”
I melt into a puddle at his words. I want to be mad at him for keeping things from me, resorting to drink, and drugs. However, I oddly have an understanding of what he must have gone through this past week. I look up at him, and by the look on his face, he is expecting me to scream and shout. But, it doesn’t come. Instead, I wrap my good arm around his neck and pull him closer. I stroke the silky soft hair at the nape of his neck. Our faces are inches apart, his breathing is hitched, and his heart is pounding. I press my lips to his frantically; I am filled with pure want and desperate need for this man. I stroke his tongue with mine and grip his nape tighter; I can’t get close enough to him. He carefully lifts me off my feet with ease, as if I’m weightless. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he pushes me against the door.
“God, you’ve got no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
My breath catches, and I am panting for him, desperate for his closeness.
“Tell me you want me to take you; I need to hear you say the words.”
Our eyes lock.
“Sam, please take me,” I pant, my voice sounds almost desperate with pure want. With me still in his arms, he holds me with one arm, pulls the blinds, and locks the door with the other. He smiles his familiar smile, and he knows he has me right where he wants me.
“Take me like this, against the wall.”
He cocks his eyebrow and nuzzles my neck.
“I don’t want to hurt you, baby.”
“I don’t care. I need you, Sam, and I need you to take it all away.”
He crashes his lips against mine and pushes my vest top down my shoulders. He is kissing a burning trail from my neck to my collarbone. He carries me over to the bed and puts me down, gently laying me down. Taking his time, caressing and undressing me until I’m lying on my hospital bed completely naked. He kisses a trail down my breastbone, down to my stomach; he bypasses the place where I want him to touch me the most. The door handle rattling interrupts us.
“Peyton, love.”
Shit! My mum.
“Are you all right in there, sweetheart?”
Sam stifles his sniggers and straightens up. He clears his throat and lowers his voice.
“She’s fallen asleep, Sophia.”
He winks at me, and I put my hand to my mouth trying to stifle my laughs.
“OK, when she wakes up, tell her we’re going for some lunch, please, Sam.”
“I will, Sophia.”
I hear her heels click down the corridor. We both burst out into hysterical belly laughter. I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a long time—my ribs are screaming in protest, but I feel so much better.
Sam nudges my thighs apart with his knee and strips off his t-shirt in one swift move. I will never get tired of seeing him naked in front of me; it is definitely a remarkable sight. He looks visibly thinner; his hips are narrower; his muscles are more defined and toned. I lick my lips as he strips off his dark-grey combat shorts and his black boxer briefs. His impressive erection springs free and he kicks off his shoes. Even his toned legs have more definition. What has he been doing while I have been in here?
“See something you like, baby?” His voice is dripping with seduction, and I bite my lip. “Baby, don’t do that please, I’m barely hanging on to my self-control right now.”
I look up at him and deliberately bite my lip again. He growls and picks me up in a lithe move. My good arm wrapped around his neck, his hand supporting my bum, and the other around my waist. He walks us over to the wall and presses my back against it. I shiver at the coldness, and my whole body tingles with goosebumps. He lifts me up and impales me on his waiting stiffness. I mewl softly in his ear and nip his earlobe. He is gently moving me up and down in a slow, leisurely pace.
“Am I hurting you, baby?”
I shake my head. “Please just make love to me, Sam, I need you,” I whisper softly, and he smiles his heart-stopping smile
“You don’t have to ask twice, my lovely!” he says huskily. “Look at me, angel.”
I look into his green eyes and am mesmerized by the feelings he evokes in me. Pure earth-shattering bliss when we’re making love and pure love and absolute adoration when we’re just Peyton and Sam. He lifts me up and impales me again—we have never have made love this slow before. It feels so good, I moan in his ear.
“Oh, Sam.”
He quickens his painfully-slow pace, and he is growling with pleasure.
“Don’t stop, baby,” I beg. “Please don’t stop.”
As his pace quickens, I feel my orgasm bubbling to the surface.
“Peyton, fuck, fuck, fuck, baby, I can’t hold it.”
I tug his nipple ring, and he spurts his hot seed inside me, causing my orgasm to explode at the same time.
“Sam, I’m coming!”
He squeezes me tightly.
“I’ve got you. God, I love you, Peyton,” he whispers as we both come down from our orgasms. He lifts me and takes me back to sit on the edge of the bed. He kisses me deeply on the lips, and f
or the first time in a few days, I actually feel better and almost back to my normal self.
We both dress in a relatively comfortable silence. I lay back in my bed, and Sam opens the blinds and unlocks the door. There is a tap on the door as soon as he unlocks it.