Summer Down Under (16 page)

Daniel would probably end up being very
disappointed, but she decided if he was willing to be patient with
her, and it was evident by his actions so far that he was, then it
was only fair that she try and meet him halfway. She had to take a
leap of faith.

Daniel pulled her from her thoughts. To her
amazement and amusement he had started spouting poetry, and very
eloquently, too. Was there no end to this guy’s talents? It wasn’t
your usual sophisticated poetry by English greats such as William
Blake or Shakespeare. No, this was funny, lighthearted poetry and
it made her giggle.

He stopped.

“I didn’t know you liked poetry.” she
said

“There’s a lot about me you don’t know. I’d
like you to find out, though. If you’re willing to give it a
try.”

“What kind of poetry is that, anyway?”

“It’s Aussie poetry, written by some of the
most famous outbackers and settlers in our history. Basically, it’s
just stories of what they did when they first settled the country.
Do you like it?”

“I do. I’ve never been one for poetry, but
this is funny. Please, carry on. I’ll try not to interrupt you
again.”

Daniel recited some more poems for a few
minutes while Sam washed herself and started to feel human again.
She was still reluctant to get out of the bath, it felt so good,
but the water was starting to get cool and her fingers were
starting to prune. It was probably getting very late. She knew she
would not be expected to work tomorrow, but Daniel would still have
to be up early as usual to help his father.

“Sam?” Daniel asked after finishing his last
poem. “Can I ask you a question?”

Sam hesitated. “You can ask...” she replied,
trying to sound lighthearted, “...but I may not answer.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Where do you feel
most comfortable?”

She was not expecting a question like that.
“Excuse me?”

“You know, where do you feel most at ease?”
he continued.

It was a strange question but, nevertheless,
she thought about it for a moment. “I think I would have to say it
would probably be in the shower,” she answered, then paused a
moment making sure she was happy with her response. “Why do you
ask?”

“Oh, just making conversation.”

Sam shrugged and looked at her hands. She was
loathed to leave the sanctuary of the bathtub, but knew she
couldn’t stay there all night. She was starting to feel very
sleepy. Feeling human once more, she resigned herself to the fact
that bed was definitely beckoning now. Sam leaned forward and
pulled the plug. The water gurgled as it escaped down the
plughole.

“Could you pass me a towel please?” she asked
through the curtain.

A towel, complete with hand, appeared where
the shower curtain met the wall.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll be outside if you need me. Take it
easy, though. You may feel dizzy when you stand up.”

Daniel placed the chair next to the bathtub
again and quietly clicked the door closed. Sam pulled the shower
curtain open, eased herself up onto the edge of the bathtub and sat
there while drying herself off, as best as she could. Her robe was
still draped over the back of the chair, and after she was dry, she
wrapped herself in it.

“Daniel?” she called. He opened the door.
“Please, could you help me up? I still feel a bit wobbly.”

Her lack of balance probably had as much to
do with the painkillers Mrs. Miller had given her, than the kick to
her face. She had a feeling they were pretty powerful. It wouldn’t
surprise her if the matriarch of this homestead had a fully stocked
doctor’s office somewhere, too.

Daniel leaned forward and eased Sam up off
the chair. Once standing, a rush of pain filled her head. She put
her hand to her forehead and moaned.

“What’s wrong?”

“My head is pounding,” she answered, starting
to feel nauseous with the pain.

“Come on, Mum left you some more painkillers
on your nightstand, and I have a remedy that will help until they
kick in.”

He led Sam back to her room, and for some
silly reason, she noticed that he was clean and had changed his
clothes.

“When did you have chance to shower?”

“When you were sleeping earlier. Mum kept an
eye on you for a while so I could clean up.”

He sat her on the edge of the bed and handed
her a couple of pills and a glass of water. Then he leaned her
pillows up against the headboard and got on the bed sitting up with
his back against them. He opened his legs and gestured for her to
move up to him.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Trust me,” he said. “Sit in between my legs
with your back to me, and lean against my chest. This will work
wonders for your head, I promise.”

Sam looked hesitant.

“No funny business, honestly.” He gestured
with open hands, his eyes begging her to trust him.

Sam drew in a deep breath and did as he
asked.

“Now lay your head back on my chest.”

She leaned into him, as he requested. Laying
her head against his chest. Even though her head was pounding, the
feel of his warm body against her back felt wonderful. She closed
her eyes and allowed her body to sink into his warmth.
Unconsciously, a soft purr escaped from her throat.

She felt a firm pressure on the center of her
forehead, which then moved out to either side of her temples and
away. He repeated the motion. His thumbs applying pressure to the
center of her forehead, then moving out to either side. His warm
breath ruffled her damp hair, and her breathing fell into the same
easy rhythm as his.

After several minutes of doing this, the pain
in her head started to subside; she let out a sigh. Every muscle in
her body had relaxed. Sam’s arms lay limp either side of her. She
could feel the hard contours of Daniel’s thighs through his soft
cotton sleep pants under her hands. Subconsciously, her fingers
started stroking patterns on his legs. Sam could hear a soft growl
deep in his throat.

“That feels so good,” she murmured.

Sam felt her consciousness give way to
blissful sleep. She felt soft lips kiss the top of her head and
heard a whisper in her mind just before sleep consumed her.

“If you let me, that’s how I’ll always make
you feel.”

***

Several hours must have passed. Sam started
to feel consciousness creeping back. As it did, she became aware of
an unfamiliar sensation. Her pillow was rising and falling at a
relaxed, steady pace beneath her. Then the soft
lub-dub
of a
heartbeat became audible underneath her ear.

Her eyes flew open. Stretched out before them
was her
pillow
, shaped very much like Daniel’s chest. Her
arm lay unperturbed across his stomach, her leg draped comfortably
over his thigh, as though it had always belonged there. Sam was
wrapped around him like a warm blanket on a chilly day, and he held
her in place with his arm across her shoulder.

Not wanting to wake him, but desperate to see
his face, she slowly moved her gaze upwards until it fell upon his
beautiful features.

His face was angled down to her as though he
had fallen asleep watching her. His eyes were closed and framed by
dark, angled eyebrows and long feathery lashes. His cheeks were
chiseled and his mouth soft. All this was complimented by a strong
jaw line. Another soft sigh escaped her. She felt cocooned in a
blanket of warmth and love.

Sam watched him for a moment until his eyes
slowly started to open, revealing the brilliant pools of blue
beneath. He focused on her gaze and his mouth curled into the
brightest smile. Hers followed suit as best it could under the
circumstances.

Sighing with the first morning breath he
whispered, “G’day, beautiful. How are you feeling this
morning?”

There he went again, calling her beautiful.
If he didn’t stop, she wouldn’t be held responsible for melting
into a pile of goo on top of him.

Although the pounding was becoming apparent
in her jaw again, she tried to push it aside. She had just spent
the night in bed with the most gorgeous man alive, albeit they were
fully clothed and she was not conscious, but that didn’t matter.
She couldn’t feel any better at that moment if she tried.

A wave of emotion poured over her. She pulled
herself up onto her elbows so her face was directly above his.

“I feel fine.” She smiled.

“Unfortunately, your face says something
different.” The worried look he wore the previous night
returned.

Sam’s smile fell. “Pardon?” she asked.

“You’ve got a rather nasty bruise come up.”
He winced in sympathy.

She smiled again. “I don’t care.” Quite
unexpectedly, for the both of them, Sam lowered her face and
planted the softest kiss she could muster on his full awaiting
lips. She lingered for a few seconds and lifted herself up
again.

Daniel’s eyes widened. “What was that
for?”

“That was for last night. For staying with me
and making me feel like the most special person alive.”

With a quick flip, he had her lying on her
back and was now the one hovering above her. Sam squealed in
surprise and looked up into his stunning blue eyes, full of
unspoken want and desire.

“You
are
the most special person
alive,” he repeated, before lowering himself and planting a tender
kiss, taking care to avoid the bruised side of her face and
mouth.

Sam wished her mouth didn’t hurt so much,
because she would have kissed the life right out of him at that
moment. An overwhelming rush of desire flooded through her. A
sensation she had never experienced before. She wasn’t entirely
sure how to deal with it.

Daniel slowly withdrew his lips from hers and
looked once more into her now bewildered expression. Her breath was
ragged and he raised a quizzical eyebrow in response.

“How do you do that to me?” Sam breathed,
eyes wide.

He replied with a smug smile. “Sam, that’s
just the beginning.”

His words provoked an unwitting, and, at that
moment, sincerely unwanted, response. Fear washed over her once
more and her body went rigid beneath him. She sat up and pushed him
off. Resigning herself to her fate, she sat on the edge of the bed
and focused on her feet, again. Was that all she had to look
forward to in life? Every time a man got close to her she would sit
and stare at her feet? She didn’t even like her feet. In fact,
there wasn’t much about her body she did like. If push came to
shove, she thought her hair was okay.

A gentle hand placed itself on her
shoulder.

“You’re shaking, Sam. Did I do something
wrong? You kissed me, remember?” Daniel whispered, a tinge of
regret in his voice.

“I’m sorry. I-I don’t know how to deal with
these feelings. I feel like a complete idiot.” Sam mumbled to her
feet. “I really appreciate your help last night, but we better get
dressed and go for breakfast.”

A deafening silence hung in the air for a few
moments before Daniel got up and left the room without saying a
word. Sam closed her eyes. Why did life have to be so
complicated?

Sam got up and wandered into the bathroom.
When she stepped in front of the mirror, she gasped. Holy cow!
Daniel wasn’t kidding. A big black and blue bruise covered the left
side of her face from just below her eye to underneath her chin.
When she leaned in for a closer look, she could see there was even
see some purple thrown in for good measure.

Hesitantly, she brought her hand up to her
face, allowing her fingers to softly touch the damaged skin. She
winced. Half of her lips were swollen, and they, too, had a purple
tinge to them, not to mention the nasty split that was now scabbing
over. With caution, she opened her mouth to see how far it could
open. Not far, she found out, before a stabbing pain kicked in and
she screwed up her eyes. Her attempt at brushing her teeth failed
miserably, as every time the brush moved in the direction of her
injury, the pain was too much to bear. She gave that up as a bad
job and resigned herself to having to suck on a breath mint to get
rid of the awful taste in her mouth.

She had to say she was not quite convinced
that nothing was actually broken, but Mrs. Miller seemed to know
what she was talking about. Sam didn’t particularly want to go all
the way into town to see a doctor, so she took Mrs. Miller’s word
for it.

After finishing the halfhearted attempt on
her teeth, she wandered through to the kitchen. Daniel had once
again beaten her to it and was talking with this father.

As soon as Sam walked into the kitchen, Mrs.
Miller swooped down on her. The matronly lady took her chin gently
in hand and looked at the damage.

“Ooh, that is a nasty bruise, young lady,”
she clucked like a mother hen. “At least the swelling has gone down
a good bit.”

Sam gave her a pathetic attempt at a
smile.

“You’ll be right as rain in a few days, but
you’re not going out to work today. You can stay inside and rest.
That was quite a knock you took. You were out for an hour, you
know.”

No, Sam didn’t know. She hadn’t thought to
ask Daniel how long she was unconscious. She was too busy thinking
about other things at the time.

Her attention turned to the voices coming
from the dining table. As Mrs. Miller had turned back to what she
was doing, Sam proceeded in their direction. She felt nervous about
seeing Daniel again after pushing him away, yet again, just a short
while ago. She hoped he wouldn’t be too annoyed with her, but
couldn’t blame him if he was.

Once again, as soon as she entered, both men
stood up, thrusting their chairs behind them. Sam gave them a weak
smile, feeling just a tad embarrassed by her appearance.