Page 17 of One Whopper of a Love Story

Her voice was shrill. “Just stick the needle in already. I don’t know why you didn’t just poke yourself in the car. No one cares if you lift your shirt a little. Just jab it in.”

I looked over, and the man had a needle aimed at his stomach. Hoping to distract Nico, I ran up to him, but it was too late. His gaze cut to the couple, then his eyes rolled back.

I pressed my hands to his chest, determined to hold him up. “I’ve got you.”

In my head, I envisioned the two of us crumpling to the floor gently, and Nico landing in my arms. Reality was much different and more painful. His knees buckled, we sank to the floor, and then I toppled backward. We landed in a tangled heap with him on top. I didn’t even know where his hands were.

“I don’t got you.” I pushed on his chest, needing him to move so I wasn’t so squished. “Hey there, cuddle bug, could you shift a bit?”

His eyelids fluttered, and I noticed how long his lashes were. How was it fair that a guy had lashes that amazing?

“Nico.” I was pretty much whispering into his chest, then looked up and met Lettie’s gaze.

“You okay?” She held her phone at the ready.

“Mostly. Just keep people back.” I slid my hand up to Nico’s neck, and that sparked movement.

His fingers wiggled against the only ticklish spot on my body, right along my waist. Calling it one spot bordered on deceptive because I was ticklish all the way around from the middle of my ribs down to my hips. And his hands—one of them at least—were touching this region. And there wasn’t a shirt between my skin and his fingers.

I tensed until he moved again. Then my giggles exploded.

With his eyes still closed, he smiled, and his fingers moved even more.

“Please stop. I can barely breathe.”

In an instant, Nico shoved up and braced himself on his elbows. There was no longer a smile on his face. “I’m so sorry.” His words were wrapped in agony and tied up with a bow of disappointment.

I slipped my hands around his neck and pulled myself up to whisper in his ear. “The next time we cuddle and talk, I suggest we don’t do it on the floor of the doughnut shop. And I want to be on top.”

His breath caught, and he was still for a few heartbeats. Then he shifted and whispered in my ear. “Want to get together and talk before my shift tonight?”

His response tickled almost as much as his fingers had, and I giggled. Loudly. I eased myself back to the floor, and when I saw the smolder in Nico’s expression, my giggling stopped.

I’d never been more thankful for Lettie and her ability to control a crowd, a talent I didn’t know she had.

His gaze bounced between my eyes and my lips, then settled on my eyes. “Only talking.”

“Yeah.”

He shifted as if he was about to get up.

I locked my arms around his neck. “The nurse didn’t want you to get up right away. Stay down a minute.”

He glanced around.

“Forget about the people. Look at me.” I trailed a finger along his collar. “Now I get why some women have a thing for guys in uniform.”

Blinking, he pulled in a deep breath. “This is embarrassing.”

“I have a whole list of embarrassing stories. If you stick around, maybe I’ll share them sometime.”

The haze in his eyes cleared, and the intensity there now smoldered. “I absolutely plan to stick around.”

Whoa! I was not prepared for that look. I shifted to a sitting position beside him. With the looks he was giving me, I was at risk of embarrassing myself in front of the entire shop. And I liked my job.

I patted his chest. “Let’s see if you can get up. But maybe you should rest your head on the counter for a bit.”

“I’m fine.” With the flexibility and agility surprising for someone built like a wall, he was on his feet in a second, then extended his hand to me.

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