Seducing Sam by Angela Verdenius

to stand before her.  “Anywhere you feel comfortable.  Here or the kitchen
table.”
    “Here.”  She held out her hand.
    Carefully, Sam peeled off the old
Primapore and inspected the wound.  The steri-strips were intact, and while the
edges of the wound were pink, he was satisfied.  No ooze and no redness.
    Opening the first aid kit, he took
out some saline and sterile gauze.  Using tweezers, he deftly cleaned the wound
before putting on a new Primapore.
    “It’s too soon to leave it open,”
he told Carly when she touched it.
    “Whatever you say, doc.”  She smiled.
    “That’s nurse, actually.”
    “Somehow, I can’t quite seem to
bring myself to call you ‘Sister’.”  Her smile grew wider.  “If they still call
nurses ‘sister’, that is.”
    “Sam’ll do.”  He grinned back.
    This close to her, he could smell
the scent she wore, something light and flowery that he wanted to get a bigger
sniff of, preferably with his nose right against her neck.
    Man, talk about schoolboy
crushes.  He hadn’t had one in years.  Probably the remains of the dreams.
    “Would you like a cup of tea?” she
queried as he threw the dirty dressings in the bin.
    He leaped on the invitation like a
starving man on a haunch of roast beef.  “Love one, thanks.”
    Pushing the first aid kit to the
end of the table, Sam sat down on the opposite side so that he could watch her as
she put the kettle on to boil and retrieved mugs from a cupboard.
    While watching her was
pleasurable, he didn’t want to strain any budding friendship by staring at her
in silence.  Really, he had to get a grip on himself.  He wasn’t a schoolboy
anymore, and a dream was only a dream. Reality was far different.
    Stretching out his legs, he
crossed his ankles and settled back against the chair.  “How’s Ed this
morning?”
    “Hung over.”  She spooned sugar
into one mug and looked at him inquiringly.
    “Two teaspoons.”
    Spooning in the sugar, she
continued, “I got up during the night and made him drink some water, gave him
Panadol early this morning, and he insisted he was feeling a little better and
went to work.”  She flipped a teabag into each mug.  “Looked like crap, but you
have to admire the man.”  A small smile played around her lips.
    “Bit of a workaholic, is he?”
    “Actually, yes, but that’s not why
he went to work.”  Amusement shone in her eyes when she glanced across at him. 
“Ed didn’t want to be nagged.”
    “Guilty conscience?”
    “Very much so.”  Taking a biscuit
barrel from the end of the kitchen bench, she put several biscuits on a plate
and brought it to the table, setting it in the middle.
    Enjoying the feeling of
companionship, Sam watched her contentedly until he noticed her sudden frown as
she poured the hot water into the mugs.  Her expression was distinctly troubled
when she held up the milk bottle.
    “Not for me, thanks,” he replied
to her unspoken question.
    By the time she sat down opposite
him, her expression hadn’t lightened, though she tried to hide it.
    “Everything all right?” he asked
as she took a tentative sip from her mug.
    “Of course.”  She smiled, but it
didn’t reach her eyes.
    Wondering if he’d actually
mistaken her welcome, Sam glanced around the kitchen before looking back at her. 
“Were you busy when I came over?  I’m sorry if I-”
    “Not at all.  I’m glad you came
over.”  Her shoulders relaxed slightly.  “Thanks for last night, Sam, I don’t
know how I would have managed if you hadn’t been there.”
    “Don’t sweat it.”
    “Really.  It’s been awhile
since…”  She hesitated, dropping her gaze to the mug around the top of which
she ran one finger.  “Ed’s sort of going through a rough patch.”
    “I kind of gathered that from what
he said last night.”
    “Slurred, you mean.”
    “Sure.”
    Carly smiled slightly.  “Always so
polite.”
    “I try.”
    “Bet it isn’t hard for you.”
    If she knew