6 - Samantha
My heart is bouncing against my ribcage and my cheeks are on fire. His chest is broad and muscular, and every time he moves I can see his muscles ripple under his skin. I can see the top of his abdominal muscles through the opening in his costume and my head is spinning.
I reach up and untangle his costume from the sling I made earlier, and slide the sleeve off his bad arm. He winces and grits his teeth as I try to move as gently as possible. I steal another look at his face and my heart thumps again. I could tell he was good-looking under his makeup, but I had no idea. His eyes are a piercing blue and his features are manly and defined. There’s a hint of stubble across his jaw, and his lips are full and pink. I try to ignore the beating of my heart when I remember the look he gave me as I wiped off his makeup.
“There,” I say as his arm finally comes free. I drop the sleeve and gasp as the costume drops towards his feet. He makes a noise and tries to grab the fabric as it falls. I look away, but not before I see his polka-dot boxer briefs. He tries to catch the costume before it falls and finally hikes it up above his hips. If I was blushing before, I’m definitely as red as a tomato now.
“Sorry,” he says. I glance back at him and shake my head. The smile is starting to creep over my lips and I lift my eyes to his. My cheeks are still on fire and his eyes are sparkling.
“Do you always wear polka-dot boxer briefs or is that part of the Clown Club regulations?”
He laughs and his whole face brightens. He looks back at me and shakes his head. “That’s just personal preference.”
I chew my lip as I try to stop from smiling, hoping my cheeks aren’t as red as they feel. I reach over to his t-shirt and hold it up. “You need help with this?”
“Please,” he says. “Look, I’m sorry. I really appreciate this.”
“Its nothing. To be honest, it’s better than being in a house with ten screaming children.” Way, way better than that.
I bunch the t-shirt and help him put his head through the neck hole. He pulls his good arm through it and we both look at the sling and t-shirt slung across his shoulder.
“This isn’t going to work,” I say. Dean laughs. He lifts his arm and I pull the t-shirt off him again. My chest just brushes against his and my fingers run over the skin of his arm. My heart thumps again and I shake my head to try to control myself. The flame between my legs is making my knees weak.
“Here,” I say, sliding the sling off his arm. We move slowly, putting the shirt on over his injured arm first, and then moving to the rest of his body. My fingers brush the skin on his shoulder again and that familiar shot of electricity pulses through my arm. My whole body feels like it’s a few degrees warmer than it was a few minutes ago.
Finally, his shirt is on and the sling is back on his arm. He grins and my whole body melts. I wish he’d stop being so handsome. I’d be able to function a lot better in this situation if I didn’t feel like my panties were soaking through every time he looked at me.
“I think I can manage the shorts,” he says. I nod
“I’ll wait up here,” I say, gesturing to the front of the car. I grab my purse from the front seat and lean against the hood. Within a couple minutes I hear the trunk closing and Dean appears beside me, looking nothing like he did an hour ago. In regular clothes, I can see how strong and athletic his body is. His t-shirt is stretched over his broad chest, and his shorts show off his defined legs. He grins at me.
“Hope that wasn’t too traumatic for you.”
“I’ll live,” I say with a smile. I nod to the hospital doors and we start walking side by side.
“You don’t have to come in with me,” he says. “I can manage from here.”
“I’ll wait until you’re signed in and we know what’s going on. If you need any paperwork or anything I can help you get it.”
He moves his hand to my elbow and my heart thumps once again. I glance up at his face and see his features soften. He shakes his head slowly and opens his lips as if to speak. He closes them again and glances towards the hospital.
“Thank you,” he finally says in a low voice. “It’s not often that someone is so kind.”
“I’m from a small town,” I say with a smile, elbowing him gently on his good side. “I haven’t been ruined by the big city yet.”
“I don’t think anything could ruin you,” he growls before flicking his eyes in my direction. My core starts burning and the space between my legs starts to pulse. I don’t know what to say, so I just blush and look away. We walk through the sliding glass doors and into the hospital
My heart is still beating hard by the time we walk up to the reception desk. The nurse talks and asks questions and soon we’re being shepherded to a waiting area. I follow her lead, but all I can hear is a buzzing in my ear and all I can feel is the warmth of Dean’s body next to mine. Finally we sit down in the waiting room’s hard plastic chairs and I try to steady my heartbeat.
“Thank you, Sam, really,” he says.
I laugh and hold up a finger. “What did I say in the car when we started driving here?”
“I know, I know,” he says with a grin. “I just want you to know how much I appreciate your help.”
All I can do is stare into those bright blue eyes. My voice is gone and there’s a lump in my throat. I smile and Dean smiles back. He leans back in his chair and lets out all the air from his lungs..
“Well, if you insist on being here, you might as well tell me about yourself.”