Chapter eighteen
Two more days passed and Vince was busy working in his study when the telephone rang. "Hello," Vince said absently as he picked it up.
"Hey, Vince. Is Amy about?"
Vince stopped what he was doing when he heard Marks voice. "Er...yeah, I guess so," he said, frowning.
"What's up?"
"Nothing, why do you ask?"
"Well, y'know, I've been sending messages to Amy for the last couple of days and she hasn't replied to a one of them. And then there's the fact that you sound weird. What's going on?" Mark demanded, and Vince could almost hear him frowning.
"Amy isn't well. She's not going to die or anything, the doctor said it's just flu, but it's a bad one. She's been in bed for four days, and she's been pretty out of it, that's why she probably didn't reply to you."
"Is she okay?" Mark asked, his voice conveying his worry.
"Yeah, yeah, she will be. Don't worry about her, you know we'll take care of her. Anyway, you'll be here at the weekend," Vince pointed out, smiling as he heard Mark muttering.
"Yeah, but that's another two days yet. Dammit, I can't get there any sooner. Are you sure she's okay?"
"Yes, stop worrying, for Christ's sake! Anyway, seeing your ugly face will probably make her worse, if anything."
"Thanks a lot. Look, tell her I...er...tell her I called okay? See ya."
Vince grinned as he put the phone down. And he had been worried that Mark might string her along. 'Tell her I...' he thought, tell her I...what? Maybe Mark was more smitten than he had thought. Good. It was obvious to him that Amy had lost her heart, now he wanted to make sure her feelings were returned. He looked forward to what the weekend might bring.
***
The next couple of days passed by fairly swiftly, especially for Amy. She still felt awful and they'd called the doctor in again, but he said she was well on her way to recovery, it had just been a particularly nasty case of flu. He remarked that it was fortunate no-one else had succumbed to it, prescribing a course of vitamins and iron to help boost her immune system and saying that it would probably be gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Amy had time to look forward to Mark's arrival and she read all the messages he had sent when she felt well enough, the affection he showed her bringing a smile to her face. She couldn't wait to see him again and she just hoped she'd be better by then.
***
Mark got off the late plane and went straight for the rental he had waiting for him, impatient to see Amy now he was this close to her. He hoped Vince would be okay with him arriving a day early, but as soon as the match finished he had jumped on the next available flight. The last two weeks had been torture, he had missed her more than he had imagined possible. When Vince had told him she was sick he had been almost beside himself with worry. Glenn had had a hard time calming him down. He made his way through the heavy traffic at the airport and drove as fast as he could to Vince's house, getting buzzed through the large entrance gates by Vince himself and only just refraining from hammering on the door quite as hard as he wanted to once he reached it.
"Mark! Good to see you, come on in," Linda said as she looked up at the large man standing hesitantly on the doorstep. "You're here earlier than I thought. Or should I say later?" she asked, looking at her watch since it was nearly eleven at night.
"Hi, Linda. Yeah, I couldn't hang about waiting until tomorrow. How's Amy?" Mark asked, not bothering with any niceties, wanting to see Amy for himself.
Linda smiled up at him, carefully masking the glee in her eyes. "She's doing okay. She's in the third room to the right, just up the stairs. That's her room now, so I suppose you'd better know where it is, huh?" She laughed at his slightly embarrassed expression. "She's in bed, but she was awake half an hour ago. Go on up. But you better knock first, okay?"
Mark looked relieved. "Okay, thanks."
Linda watched him take the stairs three at a time and shook her head. She couldn't wait to tell Vince.
Mark stood outside the bedroom door and wiped his palms down his jeans, surprised that he was nervous about seeing her again. It had only been two weeks, but he had been worried about her since he heard she was ill. He knocked on the door and waited, but no sound came from the room so he tried knocking again. Still nothing. Maybe she was asleep, he thought, and he risked opening the door a crack and peering into what turned out to be a sitting room. He made his way to a door at the far end of the room, dropping his bag on the floor, knocking and then opening the door into a decidedly feminine bedroom.
Amy was laying in bed, fast asleep and obviously still suffering from a slight fever, if her colour was anything to go by. He walked into the room and closed the door quietly, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed where he could take her hand in his.
She stirred at the first touch of his fingers and he watched with concern as she went into a coughing fit, helping her sit up so she could catch her breath. She opened her eyes as she calmed down and stared at him blearily. "Am I dreaming?" she said huskily, staring blankly at his face.
Mark smiled softly and cupped her face in his palm. "Nah, sweetheart, you ain't dreaming."
"You're really here?"
"Yeah, I'm really here. Where else would I be?"
"I missed you," she said softly, her eyelids still drooping. She frowned suddenly. "I look awful. I wanted to look nice when I saw you again."
"You look just fine to me, darlin'. How are you feeling?"
"Ok, I guess. I'm tired," she replied.
"Maybe you should lay down again and get some sleep. You gotta get better for me," Mark said, stroking her hair out of her face.
"I don't want to go to sleep," she grumbled as he pushed her gently back against the pillows.
"Why not?"
"You won't be here when I wake up."
"Ah sweetheart, course I'll be here. I'd like to see anyone try and move me," he said, running his thumb down her cheek as her eyes slid slowly closed.
"You promise?" she mumbled, already half asleep.
"I promise. Go to sleep."
He watched her for a while until he was sure she was sound asleep and then eased himself down next to her, trying to fit his large frame on the regular sized double bed, his feet hanging over the end. It didn't matter, he thought, because he was exactly where he wanted to be. He found himself feeling drowsy, because he hadn't slept well for the last two nights since Vince had told him how she was, and then there was the rushed flight over here. He had been imagining all sorts of things being wrong with her, and he was relieved now he was finally with her and he could see how good or bad she really was. He let his eyes close and put one arm over Amy's waist pulling her closer to him and finally relaxing in sleep.
When Amy woke up a couple of hours later it was to find a heavy weight pinning her to the bed and she looked down to see what it was, smiling slightly when she saw it was a very large tattooed arm. She lifted her eyes to his face and studied him as he slept, surprised at how innocent he looked, the frown lines almost completely absent.
"I'm glad you're here," she whispered, reaching out and touching his mouth, running her fingers up over his nose and eyes and then returning once again to his full lips. She gasped when his mouth opened and he nipped gently at her fingertip. "I thought you were asleep."
"I was. Maybe I should have pretended to be asleep longer, just to see where else those busy little fingers might go," he murmured, opening his eyes and pinning her with a jade stare. "How are you feeling?"
"Better actually. Maybe it's because you're here?" she said, her throat feeling better and her chest feeling much clearer. Perhaps he was a miracle worker, she thought.
"I'd bet on it," he murmured, watching her as she yawned and snuggled closer to him. "Go back to sleep."
Amy sighed and opened her eyes a little. "What about you? You can't be comfortable like that," she said, looking at his fully dressed body. "Why don't you take your shirt off?"
"Oh I like that. You want me to get naked huh? Ya little hussy!" he chuckled, but all the same he moved her gently away from him and stripped everything off save for his trousers, and even those he unbuttoned, patting his stomach happily. "Gotta let my gut out, haven't I?"
Amy giggled as he rejoined her and arranged them so they were both under the covers with her head resting on his chest. Mark sighed in contentment and closed his eyes, glad that the two weeks of waiting were over.
He awoke slowly to the sound of hushed voices and he cautiously opened one eye, the other one popping open suddenly when he saw Vince and Linda standing in the doorway, staring at him.
"Good morning," Vince said, trying to look stern. "Want to tell me what the hell you're doing in here?" He looked Mark over, pursing his lips when he saw he had no shirt on. "Want to also tell me that you have some clothes on under there?"
Linda smacked him on the arm and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Leave him alone!" she said to Vince, tut-tutting. She turned her attention to Mark, seeing how he was looking down at the girl in his arms, one hand coming out from under the sheets to brush her hair back from her face and feel her forehead. "How is she?"
Mark looked up and gave a small smile. "She seems better, her temperature's down. As for your question, yes, of course I'm wearing something!" he said to Vince, looking disgusted at the insinuation.
"Ah, don't give me that look!" Vince said, grinning. "You can't tell me it didn't cross your mind?"
"She's ill, even I wouldn't take advantage of someone who was ill," Mark pointed out, trying not to smile. "Although, now I think about it..."
Linda laughed and the sound woke Amy up. She opened her eyes and looked to see where all the noise was coming from, her face going beetroot red when she saw Vince and Linda standing there grinning at her, and Mark holding her close to his bare chest. She turned and hid her face against him, groaning. She felt him shake when he laughed and she peeked up at him. "It isn't funny!"
"Yeah it is, Scarlet," he replied, his voice rumbling pleasantly in his chest. He looked at Vince. "Care to get the hell out of here so we can get dressed?"
Vince raised his eyebrow "I thought you said you had something on?"
"I have. But apart from a night-gown," he murmured, looking under the covers at what Amy was wearing, "she doesn't."
"You shouldn't be looking!" Vince growled as Linda started pulling him out of the room. "I will be back up here in ten minutes, so you'd better both be dressed by then!"
Linda succeeded in getting him out of the room and leaned her head around the door just before she closed it. "Twenty minutes, okay?" she said with a wink and Mark laughed, pulling Amy closer to him as soon as the door was shut.
"Are you feeling okay this morning?" he asked her, gently stroking her face.
Amy smiled, nodded and then wrapped her arms as far around him as she could get them, squeezing for all she was worth. "Oh, I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too, my darlin', more than I thought I would," he said heavily, his arms wrapping her in a bear hug that almost took her breath away. He frowned when he felt how much weight she had lost, she felt frail. "You feel even tinier than normal," he murmured, running one hand up and down her back, the soft satin of her night-gown sliding between his fingers. "I guess you're not up to a bout of lovemaking just yet?" he asked wistfully.
Amy pulled back from him and saw the wicked gleam in his eyes, realising he was teasing her. "Not really. But I'm getting better!" she said enthusiastically. "So maybe soon?"
Mark laughed. "Eager ain't ya?"
Her face was suddenly serious and she studied his rugged face. "Yes I am."
"Good, I'll make it worth your while. But not just yet. What I want to do right now is clean my teeth so I can kiss you properly and then take a nice shower," he said, kissing her forehead and then sliding out of bed to grab the bag he had dumped in the sitting room the night before. He brought it back in the bedroom and dumped it on the end of the bed, rummaging through it and coming up with clean clothes and a toothbrush.
"You got a spare towel in there?" he asked her, nodding towards the bathroom.
"Yes, on the shelf," she murmured, watching with obvious appreciation as his torso rippled when he moved.
He caught the look and raised an eyebrow. "Want to join me?"
"In the shower?" she asked, her mouth dropping open.
"Yes, in the shower. Not feeling adventurous?"
"Er...no...I..." she shrugged and bit her lip, torn between hiding under the covers and rushing into the bathroom with him.
"Don't panic. You haven't got anything I haven't seen, remember. Although, after being ill so long I guess you'd probably like a bath?"
"It would be nice," she agreed, her gaze dropping to his chest again.
"Okay, well I'll just run you a bath, okay?" he asked, not bothering to wait for a reply before he disappeared into the luxurious en-suite bathroom she now had.
She listened to the sounds of him cleaning his teeth and generally pottering about and couldn't stop herself from going to see what he was doing. She didn't even think about putting on a robe over the flimsy gown she was wearing.
She found him dipping his hand into the tub and checking the temperature. He hadn't seen her yet and she stayed perfectly still, watching him laying out towels and then sniffing at a bottle of bath oil before adding a bit to the running water. He stood back from the bath and stared down at it for a second, a small smile playing around his mouth. "Having a good time watching me work?" he asked, his head turning suddenly to pin her with his glittering gaze.
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
He sauntered over to her and pulled her face up so he could study it. "I don't mind you looking lustfully at me darlin', I have every intention of doing some looking of my own!" He punctuated his words by looking down and staring at the outline of her body, clearly visible through the thin material of the night-gown.
"Stop that," she said, blushing.
"Aw, come on, darlin'. I'm gonna be seeing a lot more of you in a minute, anyway, now clean your teeth for me," he murmured, grinning at her bewildered expression. He turned away from her as she did what he told her to and he finished filling the bath, testing the temperature once again and then moving back to her and tugging her away from the sink. "Bath time," he said, his smile turning wicked.
When she meekly followed him he gave a slight frown. "Aren't you gonna argue with me? Tell me to get out?"
"Would you listen to me if I did?" she asked, shrugging and trying to make her heartbeat slow down.
Mark seemed to think about that for a moment. "No." He gave another dazzling grin and then whipped the gown over her head before she could say another word, chuckling when she automatically tried to cover herself with her hands. "Not feeling quite so brave now then huh? Now come on, I've seen it all before," he said, picking her up and lowering her slowly into the scented water, his big arms taking her weight with no problem whatsoever. His eyes devoured every inch of her as she disappeared beneath the bubbles, and he felt his body react predictably. "There," he said, when she was laying back. "Now you're covered up again. Want me to wash your back? Maybe join you in the bath? Huh?"
He sounded so eager that she couldn't help laughing. "I wouldn't mind you washing my back," she said.
"Oh, but I can't join you?" he asked, looking sulky. His eyes ran the length of the tub. "Mind you, I wouldn't fit in there," he admitted, shrugging. "Ah well, you have to take these knocks sometimes. Come on, don't get lazy, lean forward for me," he said, grabbing a sponge and lathering it up.
Ten minutes later Amy found herself wrapped in a huge towel, her face as red as it had ever been. He had been very thorough about washing her back, and had ended up washing every square inch of her, oblivious to her half-hearted protests. Now here she was standing watching as he stood under the shower, quickly washing himself and grinning every time he turned and looked at her. She tried to keep her eyes above his waist, but it was impossible not to look, hence her red face. He had told her not to move an inch and for some reason she had done exactly what he said, unable to uproot herself when such a tempting specimen was standing just a few feet away from her. She watched as he shut off the shower and stepped out of the cubicle, drying himself slowly with another big towel. "Ya know," he drawled, wrapping the towel around his waist and sauntering towards her, "I believe I've asked you this before, but I'm gonna ask again. See anything you like?"
Amy looked up into the deep green pools of his eyes and couldn't bring herself to joke this time, not when all she wanted in the world was to jump into his arms and let him carry her off wherever he wanted to. She was in love with him, and she was only just realising it. "Yes," she said softly, all her longings clear for him to see, and she heard him take a sharp breath.
"Honey, your eyes are telling me secrets," he murmured, leaning down to pick her up and carry her through to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and came down next to her, his hands framing her face as he looked at her intently. Was he really seeing what he thought he was? he wondered. He saw the emotion there again and brushed his lips gently over hers, coaxing them to open for him so he could kiss her, his tongue shooting into her mouth as soon as it was able.
Amy groaned under the tender assault, opening her mouth a bit wider for him and running her hands down his sides and around his back. She toyed with the edge of the towel, stroking her fingers back and forth over the material and then gathering her courage and dipping her fingers under it. She felt him jerk as she did that and almost withdrew her hand again, but he started kissing her deeper still, his hands tangling in her hair and altering the angle of her head to give him better access.
She pushed her hand over his firm, warm buttocks, caressing him tentatively, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his smooth flesh and the enormous muscles underneath it. His body had hardened against her thigh and she experimentally rubbed her leg against it, hearing him groan deep in his chest as he broke the kiss and took a deep, shuddering breath. "What the hell are you doing to me?" he asked her, his eyes closed as he savoured her movements.
"Don't you like it?" she asked, watching his expression and trying unsuccessfully to read it.
"I love it, and if you keep on I'm gonna have to do something about it," he said on a groan as her leg rubbed him again. His eyes opened and his hand shot out to still her leg. "You're not up to this yet, you're still unwell."
"But I want to," she said, so pleased to have him back with her that she didn't care that she still felt a little weak.
"Hell, so do I, and you can feel how much. But you're gonna need all your strength to take me, little one, don't you realise that?"
She frowned and realised he was right. She did feel tired already, just from having a bath. "I guess you're right," she grumbled. "What about you though? I've made you all...er...you know..."
"Hard as a rock?" he said wryly.
She blushed, but she was worried. "Well, yes. Won't it hurt if you have to stop?"
"It just aches, it'll be okay," he told her, his eyes taking in all the delicate features of her face and tracing the freckles that ran across her nose.
"Couldn't I help?" she asked, red-faced.
His eyebrows arched in surprise. "You want to make it all better huh?"
She nodded and bit her lip as he took her hand and kissed the palm, rolling onto his side and placing her fingers on the towel. "Go for it," he said, smiling crookedly at her and relaxing back as she immediately let her hands wander. In the end her weakened muscles in her arms weren't much help, but he assisted her some and soon found his release, kissing her until she could barely breathe as he wallowed in the pleasant aftermath.
