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Yeah, he needed to get her to the infirmary, stat, because April’s behavior had been more than “not nice” and if Nova’s brain were working properly, his brilliant Little shortcake would know that.
Chapter 21
It felt overly dramatic for Linc to be carrying her through the resort, but she’d asked him several times to put her down and every time he’d said no. She’d only create more of a scene if she argued or tried to physically escape so she’d resigned herself to hiding her face in his neck. He’d probably put her down if she used her safeword but at the same time as it was mortifying to be carried like this, it was maybe kind of nice. Plus, she was cold and he was warm.
Nova was relieved that when Linc busted through the door to the infirmary it was Nurse Cain on duty and not Nurse Mac.
“Oh my, what do we have here?” she tsked.
Linc didn’t let Nova get a word in, and made it sound like she’d been on an expedition to the North Pole instead of simply taking a walk to see the lights. He also refused to set her down on the exam table. Instead he sat on the edge of one and kept her cradled in his lap. Which frankly seemed counterproductive if he wanted her to be looked over, but Nurse Cain made it work. She was probably used to dealing with overprotective… whatever Linc was to her.
Nova endured some poking and prodding and answered some questions, but all in all, it didn’t take long for Nurse Cain to issue her verdict.
“While it was definitely unwise for you to be out in cold for so long and you need to warm up, I don’t think you’re hypothermic and I don’t see any signs of frostbite. There’s no need to get Dr. Carter out of bed for this, or to rush you to a hospital. A warm bath followed by being bundled up in some cozy jammies and blankets afterward plus a good night’s sleep should do the trick.”
When Nova snuck a glance at Linc, he didn’t look happy.
“Are you sure?” he demanded.
“Are you a medical professional?” Nurse Cain replied with an arched brow.
“No,” Linc allowed. He seemed really mad about it though, and Nova wanted to snicker.
“Then perhaps you should listen to someone who is.” Then Nurse Cain softened, as though she could almost understand where Linc was coming from. “If Nova hasn’t warmed up after her bath, call me and I’ll come take another look.”
Nova had thought that with a relatively clean bill of health Linc would put her down so she could walk to her apartment herself. Wow was she wrong. It was only when they got to her door that he set her on her feet. She had no doubt he would follow her into her apartment and insist on fussing over her as soon as she opened her door, but she didn’t want that.
“You should get back to the party,” she told him.
There weren’t that many days left in his stay to find himself a wife, and the Midnight Sun party was the last big event before the New Year’s Eve party. By then, people would’ve probably doubled (or tripled or whatever they were into) up, and he wouldn’t have a partner for the night, never mind forever.
“First of all, I don’t want to go back to the party. Second, how on earth could you, in good conscience, vouch for me to anyone if I didn’t take care of you right now?”
“Because you said you would?” she offered.
Linc narrowed his eyes and set his hands on his narrow hips, and her stomach got that wings beating feeling again. “Novalie Marchand. I think we both know that people can say a whole lot of things, and maybe even mean them. But if they don’t actually do them, what’s the point?”
His earlier promise and his murmured words from so long ago—“I want to do that again”—felt like a chisel being driven into her heart and cleaving it in two. Yes, they did both know how much words were worth. He’d barely talked to her again that year, or even looked at her, never mind kissed her. Words really did mean jack-shit. Besides, she was freezing and exhausted and her fingers felt brittle, like they’d snap if she tried to bend them. It would be awfully hard to turn on the faucet without using her fingers, and it really would be nice to take a bath.
“Fine,” she acquiesced.
Bathing Nova Marchandwas one of the greatest pleasures of his life. The sounds she made when he massaged her scalp made his dick throb. It didn’t help that her breasts were bobbing in the water, and every so often he would catch a glimpse of a pinkish-brown nipple that he wanted to take in his mouth and suck until she arched her back and her soft moans became desperate cries.
“We’ve got to get you out of the tub, shortcake. Otherwise you’re going to turn into a prune.”
“But prunes are delicious,” she countered. “They just have a branding problem.”
Novalie sighed as though she pitied the poor prunes, and maybe she did. He wouldn’t put it past her since he suspected she was familiar with having a branding problem. Linc was also certain down to his bones that Nova herself would taste delicious.
He fished the limp noodle of a girl out of the tub, and he thought his heart would explode when she slipped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Even better was her sigh—not sad like when she’d been empathizing too hard with dried plums, but content. At least he thought so. He wish he knew her well enough to know for sure.
“Can you stand, little girl?”
“Mmm, don’t think so.”
It should’ve been cute, and he wanted to tease her, but all he could think of was her standing out in the frozen night, leaning up against that tree. The chill that raced down his spine killed his hard-on even as there was only a towel between him and Nova’s beautiful naked body.
How long would she have stayed out there if he hadn’t showed up? Would she have made it back to the resort? He shuddered to think of what could’ve happened.
