by Maia Starr
“Exceptionally good,” Megan continued his thought, playing up her boss. She wiggled her fingers out in front of her, pulling one down for each compliment she gave. “She’s beyond beautiful, she’s one of the best doctor’s I’ve ever met, and she’s incredibly considerate...and she’s even got a mysterious background.”
“Mysterious, eh?” Brendan said, grinning. He began to picture her on the ferry, coming out to Silverwood Island for the first time, her hair blowing in the wind like some amazing movie scene. “You mean the reason why she came out to Silverwood Island, right?”
“That’s exactly it!” Megan said, mimicking Brendan’s grin.
Brendan’s ears pricked at the sound of feet shuffling and heels clicking on the tiles in the front of Samantha’s clinic, causing Brendan to snap his attention back to the bedroom door. He heard Samantha exchange friendly words with a patient, then listened as she came back all the way to the other side of the bedroom door. Brendan sat up straighter as Sam slipped inside, motioning at Megan.
“Can you come and help the woman I was just speaking with in the front, Megan?” Samantha asked sweetly.
Jumping up, Megan nodded and winked at Brendan as she hugged the edge of the doorway and moved past Samantha.
Brendan locked gazes with Samantha moments later and made to open his mouth to speak, only to find Samantha speaking as well. They both cut each other off by accident, chuckling as Samantha hid her embarrassment behind her hands and Brendan cocked his head.
“You first,” he said.
“I was just going to grab your dinner,” she said through her fingers, peering back at him from the doorway. “I don’t have much, like usual, but does mashed potatoes and gravy sound alright?”
“I’d be fine with anything you made,” Brendan cooed, finally able to speak without coughing. “Your cooking is delicious, but don’t push yourself just for me.”
She waved him off. “It’s fine, just give me a minute.” Ducking back out before Brendan could protest, she shut the door, leaving Brendan alone to his thoughts. It didn’t take long for Samantha to return with a tray and plate of steaming, gooey mashed potatoes and thick gravy. Brendan happily scarfed it down the moment it was set in front of him, making up for the first few days when he hadn’t been well enough to hold his food down. Samantha watched him quietly eat from Megan’s former seat, her spine-tingling eyes never blinking.
“It’s delicious,” Brendan said through a mouthful of food, causing Samantha to laugh.
“Come on, don’t talk while you eat,” Sam said, caressing her wrists.
Minutes later, the tray was practically licked clean, with Brendan swinging his legs over the bed and standing to place it on the nearby nightstand. Samantha stood up to try and take the tray from him, but Brendan refused to give it to her. “You need to rest.”
“You’re the one who needs the rest now,” Brendan asserted, keeping Samantha firmly away. “I can bring it to the kitchen. I need to start walking again sometime, Samantha.”
“Just Sam is fine,” she said, blinking up at him. “Though I am surprised to see how quickly you’ve been healing. It’s almost like you’re superhuman…”
Brendan chuckled at her joke, though he recognized her furrowed brow for what it was; she suspected something was off. It wasn’t like Brendan could outright tell her about his true nature, though he guessed she’d never truly believe him anyway. For the time being, he’d just play his healing off as her handiwork. “You’re the superhuman here, and the reason why my recovery is practically completed.”
“I don’t think—”
“Look, Sam,” he said, glancing between her eyes. “Whether you want to agree or not, you have helped me. More so than I can ever imagine. So when I’m fully healed, I want to take you out as thanks...there’s this great place in Red Wing Town I think you’d like.”
Sam seemed to hesitate, opening her mouth to speak, stopping to shake her head and slap her cheeks, and then smile back up at him. “I think I’d like that. Your treat, I suppose?”
“You bet; you’ve earned at least that much,” he said. “Besides, I want to get to know my savior better. Like why a doctor as good as you decided to come to this remote town…”
Sam faltered, looking down and away. “Oh, well that’s a bit…”
“Complicated?” Brendan finished, smiling. “I bet it would make a great story.”
Suddenly silence filled the bedroom as Sam’s lips remained shut. Brendan blinked, not expecting to see Sam clam up so quickly. Something serious must have happened to put such a dark expression on her pretty face; her brows furrowed, and she stood rigid and unmoving. It was as if Sam had slunk into herself, shrouding a veil over the smiling part of her that Brendan had witnessed until now. “Mysterious, indeed.”
She looked back up at him, realizing her sudden silence. “W-what was that? Sorry, I got lost in thought.”
“Oh, nothing!” Brendan said, picking up his tray and sauntering towards the bedroom door. “Now, how about you show me to your kitchen...and phone. I need to clean this up and call Connor about something.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Sam said, following Brendan out into the hallway. “I’d forgotten I even had a landline...it’s just around the corner of the fridge in the kitchen. Just place the tray and plate in the sink, and I’ll get to it later.”
“Fine, fine,” Brendan said, following Sam’s directions and walking off. “But I’m doing the dishes, and you can’t stop me.”
“You sure?” Sam said, crossing her arms and raising her brow. “I’m your doctor, you know. You should pay more attention to the one who’s tracking your healing.”
“Yes, mam,” Brendan said, mimicking Megan’s salute and making Sam laugh.
Maybe Brendan would need to thank Dean for the sudden attack. As painful as it was, he was brought to an angel because of it. Now all he had to do was get his revenge on the psychotic alpha shifter and take Sam out to the best dinner she’d ever have. It would be a win-win for sure.↡¶
Chapter Seven
Sam
Sam watched as Brendan flexed his muscles, rolling his shoulders and hearing the knots in his body come undone. Brendan’s bones creaked as he moved, giving the sense that he still wasn’t at his best, and yet the way he moved so fluidly without complaint sparked interest in her, and not only because Sam’s gaze lingered heavily on the rippling torso in front of her.
“Not bad,” she said, watching Brendan’s biceps bulge. He turned to her smiling, his pearly whites practically blinding her from how sparkly they were. She had to look away while her cheeks flushed at the brightness. Yeah, her embarrassment was because of how bright his teeth were.
“My body, you mean?” he asked, chuckling as he swung his legs over the bed, his bare feet smashing the ground as he sat up and stared at her. She stared back, her breath catching at the tamed chaos revolving in his eyes. It was like Sam was looking into a memory, picturing the moment she’d met Dean. That monster had stopped her heart dead in its tracks when she’d first laid eyes upon him, seeing a coolness in his soul. That same coolness washed over her now while she eyed Brendan, icing her back and causing the hairs on her neck to stand up in anticipation of whatever came next.
Brendan shrugged at her silent appraisal, leaning forward on the edge of the bed. He seemed to loom over her, though in a strange friendly way, like a dog coming up to snuggle with his owner. “I’d say you’re right. I guess I just had the right genes...right work ethic to get like this. Some people even say I haven’t reached my peak yet.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Sam said cooly, flicking her eyes once more over the man’s generous body.
“Want to feel?” Brendan asked, edging closer to the point where he nearly fell forward onto her. He jerked his chest forward, within a few feet of Sam. She gazed longingly at Brendan, the hint of a smile adorning her lips.
“It’s not like I haven’t felt pecs like this before,” Sam teased as she placed her ha
nd on his left pec. Brendan winced at her cold, lithe fingers, and Sam giggled, letting her fingers trace the few scars remaining from the wounds Brendan had obtained. His chest was hard, yet his tanned skin was soft and pulled along with her fingers. It was like feeling a warm blanket that would never tear apart; Sam could imagine wrapping herself up in this blanket. Brendan’s heart thumped beneath, creating a smooth rhythm to continue her check-up to, though it was easy to see how distracted she’d become. With each beat of his heart, his skin inflamed and sizzled under her fingertips. “I’m just checking to see how your wounds are doing...it is remarkable how quickly you’ve healed though. It’s unreal.”
“Supernatural, almost,” Brendan said, continuing her thought. “What’s also mystical is how cold your fingers are...you’re all bone, aren’t you?”
A hearty laugh escaped Sam’s lips the moment he voiced his thoughts, and she retracted her hands, shrugging herself. “What can I say, I’m a sort of ghost or something I suppose.”
Brendan’s eyes widened a bit, his grin growing. With an easy grunt, Brendan lurched forward onto his feet, grabbing the shirt hanging over the chair next to Sam and pulling it on. Sam bit her lip as she watched, leaning back to take in the man before her. Normally taking a man’s shirt off was the part Sam drooled over, but honestly, seeing Brendan fit the shirt to his physique wasn’t any less exciting. “I don’t think I’ve ever said this to anyone before, but the way you put a shirt on his beyond enticing.”
Popping his head through the shirt, he peered down at her with a cocked brow. “Enticing? What am I, a pork chop?”
“Something like that…” Sam said.
“Speaking of food, I think you promised to let me take you out,” Brendan said, his voice heavy with insinuation. Leaning down, he gripped the armrests of her chair and stuck his face into hers. Sam unconsciously jerked back, but she calmed a moment later. At this close distance, Brendan’s breath mixed with hers, creating a foggy warm air around their heads. She could see every fine detail of his face, the grizzled hairs on his chin, the deep lines of his jaw, the smoothness of his lips. “Tonight sounds good. I’m able to move about completely again. It’s time to thank you, I think…”
Sam gulped, realizing how close he’d become. “If that’s what you want.”
“Without a doubt,” he said, grinning. “I’ve been waiting to get to know my savior more.”
“Then how about I go get changed,” Sam said, her heart thumping like a rabbit’s foot. She leaned forward a bit, waiting to see if he’d recoil. He didn’t, staying unnaturally still while he watched her, but eventually, he let go of the armrests and stood to the side, allowing Sam to climb to her feet and saunter off to her dresser. She began to open one drawer, and when she heard no other movement, she spun on Brendan. “A little space, please?”
Saluting her for the hundredth time, cementing their inside joke, Brendan marched out, earning Sam’s beautiful laugh for his endeavor. Shutting the door, Brendan let one final comment slip from his lips. “Meet me in town later, around the fountain. I’ll go prep myself too.”
“Sounds good,” Sam said, smiling and motioning with her hands. “Now, shoo!”
Laughing, Brendan shut the door softly, and Sam listened to his heavy footsteps as he left through the front door. Sam shuddered a little, her breaths shaking as she breathed out a sigh of relief. Slapping her cheeks to regain focus, she began to design her outfit for the evening.
Hours later, Sam was staring up at the starry night sky, each speck as clear as the sun on a sunny day. She traced with her eyes Orion, the most prominent constellation she could see at the moment. She stared at it for a few minutes, clutching her purse tightly as she witnessed a shooting star trail the constellation. Pursing her lips, she listened to the hubbub of the nightlife in Red Wing Town as she stood rigid, her veins rushing her blood. Her ear tingled, and as she reached up to scratch the itch, she looked down and widened her gaze.
In front of her, just across the street, stood Brendan in a casual sports coat and simple shirt beneath. Because of the lampost he stood under, light streamed all over him, creating dark shadows under his eyes and pockets under his arms. His own shadow stretched out jaggedly around him, with Sam even blinking at a shape that looked like a wolf’s muzzle in front of him. Striding across the empty street, with hands in his pockets, she was able to get a closer look at the small smile on his face, the swept-over light brown hair, smell the neatly worn cologne.
“Is that peppermint?” Sam asked as Brendan stopped before her.
“Indeed it is,” Brendan said, holding out his elbow for Sam to grip onto. “You don’t mind peppermint, do you? I saw that jar on your nightstand…”
Sams’ cheeks flamed as they began to walk from the splattering fountain behind them. “I may have...a fondness for those silly candies.” Brendan simply chuckled, leading her down the sidewalk. To Sam’s surprise, there were more people out roaming the streets than she expected, most were younger men and women, rushing around and gasping at the inane teasing they threw each other’s way. A few vehicles buzzed by, but other than that, it was the voices of the people surrounding them that put Sam’s mind at ease. And her date, of course.
“So, where are we going?” Sam asked after a while. “There’s only one restaurant I’ve been to in Red Wing Town.”
“It wouldn’t happen to be this place, would it?” Brendan asked as they turned a corner. Sam squinted to find the place he meant, but as he came to a stop in front a neon open sign, lighting up their faces, Sam widened her eyes and burst out laughing, causing Brendan to look at her curiously. The arched roof jut out over them, with a couple stumbling out, arm in arm, singing while still clutching empty beer bottles in their hands. Peering into the windows, a number of wooden tables could be seen spread out, with a myriad of people chatting over steaming food. At a counter in front, a woman in a sky-blue apron took a family’s payment for their meal. Brendan sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding me...the place you’ve been to is Regi’s Cafe?”
Sam giggled, her eyes locked on the neon red letter above them, the last e flickering. “I come here nearly every day for one meal or another. I don’t have a lot of time, you see…”
By now they were both chuckling, Brendan pulling her inside. “Then that makes recommendations easier! Table for two please!”
“Aren’t we a little overdressed, though?” Sam said, suddenly becoming aware of the dozens of eyes watching she and Brendan waltz in. Sitting down, Sam hunched over a bit, causing Brendan to mimic her.
“Is there some sort of secret you want to tell me?” he asked, eyeing her posture.
Sam tapped the table quietly with her index finger. “I just...I would have dressed the part if I’d known we’d be coming to a family restaurant.”
“But you’re so damn beautiful!” Brendan said, smiling. “Didn’t you see all those heads turn as you walked in?”
“I’d say they were looking at you more than me,” Sam retorted, seeing Brendan lean his cheek on his fist. “What?”
“You’re pretty cute when you get worked up; you know that?” he said, his eyes seeming to undress her.
Sam tucked a lock of hair that fell into her eyes behind her ear, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, I’m just nervous right now…”
“Can you imagine how I feel?” Brendan said, straightening and placing a hand over his chest. “My heart is beating like crazy right now! When I saw you standing by the fountain earlier...I nearly stumbled face first into one of those light posts.”
Sam let out a sharp chuckle, causing others around them to glance her way. She cleared her throat and took a swig of the water placed in front of her.
“Are you okay with beer?” he asked, his eyes burning into the drink menu. Sam nodded, feeling the need to have something loosen her anxieties a bit. If she ever wanted to stop caring about the number of people watching them and whispering, that is. Minutes later, after Brendan had ordered the drinks, they were both chugging
their glasses, slamming them on the table as they sucked in fresh air.
“I think this is going to be a fun night,” Brendan said, his eyes mesmerizing Sam beyond measure. She found she could only nod in agreement and brought the bottle back to her lips. Forgetting about the past few weeks would be fun for her.
Time danced by as Sam and Brendan entered their own little world. Plates of food littered their table, with a myriad of beer bottles stacked on a nearby table. By now, most customers were gone, save for the few elderly folks enjoying a quiet meal, listening to Sam and Brendan spin their drunken tales.
“And then he spun around like a fool!” Sam said, waving her hands in front of her to mimic the motion of a person turning. Brendan’s eyes followed her easily, flicking between her hands, her lips and her eyes. “He pointed at my friend and me and simply winked while he walked backward. He tripped over a thick wire on the ground, fell down and somehow, don’t ask me why because I don’t know, his pants came undone. We both laughed as he stumbled to get up, but then his pants got caught on something, and he had to jitter around trying to put them back on, but he was too drunk to realize he was stuck on something.”
Brendan burst into laughter, pounding the table hard with his fist. Plates and bottles clanked, and the table shook violently as happy tears stung Sam’s eyes. One of Brendan’s bottles rolled off the edge, and while he continued to laugh, Brendan’s hand shot out, nimbly caught the bottle, and placed it back on the table casually.
“Seriously?” he breathed. “That can’t be real. No bars are like that here…”
“It’s true!” Sam said, pounding her fists on the table, though it didn’t shake nearly as hard as when he had. She slurred only slightly, yet Sam could feel the buzz in her head. “Twenty-first birthdays always need something funny to happen...and that was mine.”